• As anyone who’s made a thing knows, a lot of work goes into bringing something from idea to completion. • But there’s also considerable satisfaction in the process. • [Willian] recently did exactly that, and shares the joyful experience of creating ahomebrew handheld game gadget from scratch. • It runs a homebrewedTetrisclone (as well asSnake), and we love the results. • The game gadget uses an ATmega328P programmed via the Arduino IDE, and a 1.8″ TFT color LCD screen. • It’s self-contained in a box with a few buttons as controls and runs off three AAA cells.
Article Summaries:
- Willian built a fully functional handheld gaming device from scratch, featuring a Tetris clone and Snake. The gadget uses an ATmega328P microcontroller running at 8 MHz on a 3.3 V supply, which matches the 3.3 V 1.8″ TFT LCD and simplifies power management. Three AAA cells feed the board through an LDO regulator, offering a lightweight power source. Software optimizations include pre‑defined piece rotations and selective screen updates to reduce SPI flicker. The enclosure is a simple cardboard case, demonstrating how inexpensive materials can serve as effective prototypes. All code is available on GitHub for developers to explore.
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