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. The final product will be more polished (and likely more powerful) and will have these awesome features*:
- Brilliant 16-bit color 160x128 pixel TFT display
- Swappable, programmable game cartridges (prototype shows ATmega328p chip, but we’re evaluating a more powerful chip)
- Beautiful 9-layer laser-cut acrylic case (with public SVG files for customization)
- Real Game Boy Pocket buttons
- Adjustable volume knob
- USB-C rechargeable battery
- USB-C-to-USB-A cable for charging and programming
- Add your own accelerometor or other sensors via exposed I2C and SPI pins
- Arduboy game compatibility
- Self-solder and pre-soldered versions
Additionally, we’ll create a full assembly guide and online tutorials for getting started with coding!
* Subject to change.
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, capacitors, etc.)
- 2x game cartridge PCBs
- TFT color display module
- USB-C module
Hacker editon kits would NOT include the following:
- Acrylic case & buttons
- Rechargeable battery
- USB-C cable
We don’t yet have a price for hacker edition kits, but they would definitely be cheaper than full kits (which could perhaps put them in the ballpark of $60). 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.