Retro gaming on the Raspberry Pi is one thing, but programming a game from scratch is another. This project, however, put together by maker and developer Arnov Sharma, does both. Using our favorite SBC, he's created a handheld console for playing the classic game Snake, fixed up with custom 3D-printed housing.
This handheld console is built around the latest Raspberry Pi Pico 2, which features the RP2350 processor. Instead of using a typical LCD screen or OLED display, Sharma opted for a matrix panel. The console also consists of input controls on either side, featuring buttons for controlling the snake.
According to Sharma, the housing was modeled using Fusion360 for 3D printing. It houses the matrix panel as well as the custom PCBs used for the battery and button input. Everything was built from the ground up, code-wise, and made specifically for the dimensions of this matrix panel. It features four buttons that can be used to control its direction.
As we mentioned before, the main board powering the operation is a Raspberry Pi Pico 2. It's connected to a couple of custom PCBs printed using PCBWay. A 64 x 32px Waveshare RGB matrix is used for the screen, while a handful of push buttons are used for input. It's also portable, featuring an 18650 battery managed by an IP5306 IC module.
Sharma was kind enough to make the program open source at Instructables so anyone can recreate this handheld at home. The gameplay is typical of Snake, but if you're unfamiliar, you control a snake represented by green dots. A red dot will appear randomly on the screen. You must guide the snake to the food without running into your tail, or the game will end. Your tail will grow one dot longer every time you successfully eat the food.
If you'd like to see this Raspberry Pi project in action, you can watch a demo video on YouTube and read a breakdown of its creation shared with Hackster.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
