The Arduview is a compact gaming handheld that takes the familiar translucent look of retro electronics further than a clear plastic shell. Nearly all of its major components—including the buttons, joystick, circuit board and display—are transparent to some degree.
The device is based on the open-source Arduboy project. Its 1.51-inch display has a resolution of 128 by 64 pixels, and the handheld has 16MB of storage. Although the screen is highly transparent, its brightness made it usable in a sunny room during testing, according to the source.
Inside, the Arduview uses an 8-bit ATmega32U4 chip and a 120mAh battery. It charges over USB-C and has a small built-in speaker, but the speaker did not work on the pre-production unit tested. The device weighs 50 grams and is smaller than a credit card. A keychain clip shown in promotional material is an optional extra.
The handheld comes with more than 300 games available for the Arduboy. Most are simple 8-bit titles, including homebrew games inspired by better-known franchises and reworkings of classic-style games. In testing, the buttons and joystick felt stiff and made enough noise to be distracting.
The Arduview is launching on Kickstarter, with initial pledges starting at around $75. The campaign has already reached its funding goal, but backing it does not guarantee that contributors will receive a device. The unit tested was not a finished production model, so the experience does not constitute a full review.
Sources: Engadget.