Longan Labs
Gaming
Microcontroller Boards
Open Game Station is an open hardware platform that allows you to build a modular, handheld gaming console capable of playing classic 8-bit games. You can add modules to expand the console, install free games from community-maintained collections, and modify code to customize your experience or develop your own games.
Open Game Station supports all Arduboy-based games. To play one, simply:
Now you’re ready to play!
A tiny selection of the many Arduboy games available for Open Game Station. Clockwise from the upper left: Galaxion, Chri Bocchi Cat, Ardutosh, Catacombs of the Damned!, Rooftop Rescu, and Lasers
We are offering two versions of Open Game Station as part of this campaign: a Basic version and a Pro version. The basic version is for all users, including those who are just getting started with 8-bit gaming or with the Arduino ecosystem. The Pro version is for makers, DIY fanatics, retro gaming nerds, and Arduino programmers looking to make classic games more fun by teaching them to read sensor data and respond to gestural input.
Basic | Pro | |
---|---|---|
Game Board | ✓ | ✓ |
Carduino 32U4 | ✓ | ✓ |
OLED Display Card | ✓ | ✓ |
Buzzer Card | ✓ | ✓ |
AAA Battery Card | ✓ | ✓ |
Acrylic Board | ✓ | ✓ |
Screw Package | ✓ | ✓ |
Quick Start Guide | ✓ | ✓ |
Sound Sensor Card | ✓ | |
9-DoF (Degrees of Freedom) Sensor Card | ✓ | |
Extension Board | ✓ |
All Open Game Stations include the following core components:
Your Open Game Station will also come with the following Longan Cards, which you can slot into your Game Board as needed:
The Pro version comes with all of the above, plus the following:
Open Game Station Basic | Open Game Station Pro | Arduboy | Tiny GamePi15 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Platform | Arduino | Arduino | Arduino | Raspberry Pi |
Built-in controls | Buttons | Buttons, 9-DoF, mic | Buttons | Buttons |
Expansion cards | Dozens of modules | Dozens of modules | None | None |
Comfort | Ergonomic grips | Ergonomic grips | Very small | Very small |
Portability | In a bag | In a bag | In a pocket | In a pocket |
Display | Monochrome | Monochrome | Monochrome | Color |
Programming | Easy | Easy | Easy | Difficult |
Game availability | Good | Good | Good | Limited |
Price (with US shipping) | $25 | $35 | $44 | $48 including a Raspberry Pi Zero |
Every Open Game Station will ship with a printed quick-start guide. Our website includes additional product documentation, and you can reach us through the Ask a technical question form on our campaign page or by email at support@longan-labs.cc
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Manufacturing will begin as soon as our campaign reaches its funding goal, and we expect it to take around a month and a half. We are working with a PCB fabrication partner in Shenzhen, and will choose an assembly partner based on the number of Open Game Stations that are sold. We have collaborated with these manufacturers many times in the past—including on prototype Open Game Station modules—and we have no doubt they will do an excellent job. Once we have received and tested the production boards, we will package them up and send them to Crowd Supply for fulfillment.
Crowd Supply will ship Open Game Stations to all backers worldwide. Please see their guide for more information about ordering, paying, and shipping. Don’t forget to check your Crowd Supply account settings to make sure your shipping address is up-to-date!
As we’ve seen over the past few months—with COVID-19 disrupting supply chains and delivery schedules throughout the world—hardware projects come with a certain level of inherent risk. That said, the number of Open Game Station boards we have already produced gives us confidence, both in our design and in our manufacturing process. We are doing our best to avoid other risks, such as parts shortages, and will keep our backers informed about any delays that we do happen to encounter.
"Open Game Station is a modular, open hardware gaming platform for classic 8-bit games launched via Crowd Supply this month and now available from just $25 for the Basic version."
"Now, with Open Game Station, you can create a handheld portable retro gaming device that's ATMega32U4 powered."
"If you are a game fan, you can’t miss Open Game Station"
"The console is Arduino-compatible, and with the ATmega32U4’s HID capabilities, one could see all kinds of novel uses for the device..."
Produced by Longan Labs in Shenzhen, China.
Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.
Includes a Carduino MCU board, an OLED display card, a buzzer card, a AAA battery card (but no batteries), an extension card, a sound sensor card, a 9-DoF sensor card, structural hardware, and a quick-start guide.
Shenzhen, China · longan-labs.cc
Longan Labs is an international platform offering open source products and customized services for global makers. It is also a co-creation laboratory that connects customers to maker projects.