A DIY Arduino-powered handheld game console
Click here for early-bird hacker edition
Inspired by greatness
dotMG is a hackable, Arduino-powered, DIY handheld game console inspired by the original Nintendo Game Boy (the DMG, which stands for “dot matrix game”). dotMG is currently in development, and the photos above are only of a prototype. Currently, we’re looking at these awesome features*:
- Brilliant 16-bit color 160x128 pixel TFT display
- Swappable, programmable game cartridges with:
- SAMD51 chip (32-bit ARM, 120MHz, 512KB flash, 192KB RAM)
- 2MB external QSPI flash
- 4KB EEPROM
- Beautiful 9-layer laser-cut acrylic case (with public SVG files for customization), or 2-sided 3D-printable case (which will also be made public)
- Adjustable volume knob
- USB-C for charging and programming
- Hack to your heart’s content with “EXT” pins (SPI, I2C, DAC)
- Real Game Boy Pocket buttons
- Arduboy game compatibility
- Self-solder and pre-soldered versions
- Optional breakout board for turning cartridges into general Arduino devices
Additionally, we’ll create a full assembly guide and online tutorials for getting started with coding!
* Subject to change.
Arduino libraries
If you’d like a sneak peek at some of the library functionality so far, check out our GitHub repos:
- DotMG Library: The recommended dotMG library
- Arduboy2DotMG Library: Port and theme your favorite Arduboy games!
- ArduboyTonesDotMG Library: Port of ArduboyTones for dotMG
Interested in an early-bird hacker edition?
We’re considering selling a few early-bird hacker edition kits to give enthusiasts a chance to play with dotMG before it’s officially released. These kits would be for self-solder only and would only include the following:
- dotMG PCB
- Through-hole PCB components to solder (resistors, diodes, etc.)
- 2x game cartridge PCBs
- TFT color display module
- USB-C module
For hacker edition kits, you’d need to provide your own of the following:
- Acrylic case & buttons
- Rechargeable battery
- USB-C cable
Interested? Let us know by clicking below!
Stay in the loop
For real-time updates, be sure to follow us on Instagram. We’ve already got a ton of images and videos of dotMG posted there. Otherwise, you can sign up for availability updates.
dotMG was featured on sudomod.com! Be sure to check out their January 2020 Update Video! Many thanks to them for the fantastic shot featured on this site.