What is Gamebuino META?

Our vision

You'll have fun with good ol' retro games.

You'll make your first game within 30 minutes.

We want to wet your curiosity, to have a better understanding of what surrounds us. Programming and electronics should be accessible to anybody. All these internet of things gadgets and smart stuff should not be gibberish to you.

Order your Gamebuino !

A video is worth 1000 words

Subtitles in many languages available :)

Learn how to code

I will really make my first game within 30 minutes?

We hate long and boring classes. We're not fan of disorganized tutorials. You'll learn progressively by doing, with results at every moment, thanks to the Gamebuino Workshops. They are available for free on our website.

Even I can learn coding ?

We'll teach you coding from scratch. No previous experience required. No need to be a "nerd". It's time to get started. The Community is here to help.

PS: Our users are between 12 and 60, but motivation makes everything!

How do I make games ?

You type the code on your computer, the game runs on the Gamebuino, thanks to the provided USB cable. The required software is free and compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux and even Raspberry Pi. Any computer will do.

What is the programming language?

You'll program with Arduino, so the language used is C and C++. It's an essential language that you'll be able to reuse for many other things than video games.

Play with Gamebuino

What if I just want to play ?

Gamebuino was designed from the ground up to be a convenient handheld console. It fits in your pocket and the battery will last 16 hours of gaming. It's comfortable for both small and huge hands. You'll bring it everywhere. You'll make heads turn.

What games are available?

You'll find equivalent of all your favorite retro games. Snake, Pong, Tetris, Zelda or Pokemon... or even more recent titles like Candy Crush or 2048. Of course, you'll have plenty of indie games made exclusively for the Gamebuino. The list is growing every week! What will your Creation be?

Become a Gamebuinian!


How much cost games?

Games are created by the community. Not only they are free, but they are also open-source! You'll be able to download their source code to understand how they work, or even to improve them :)

So you don't do emulation?

Nope! Emulation consist of playing old console games that are most of the time downloaded illegally. Here all games are made just for Gamebuino! It's all free, and it's legal. You'll sleep on both ears.

How do I add games?

You only have to download them for free from the Gamebuino Creations gallery, and copy and paste them on the micro SD card, using the provided adapter

How many games can I put?

Gamebuino games are simple, so they are very small... the provided micro SD card can store more games that there will ever be!

The Gamebuino values

Do you really have your own 10 commandments?

Yup, because we are really passionate about what we do. It's not something we wrote quickly on a napkin, but a collaborative document made with the help of the community. Our commandment #0 is that we are here for you/p>

How big is the community?

Thousands of consoles have been sold with 80% export from France, so it's a massive, active and cosmopolitan community that you're about to join. We are here for fun, to learn and share.

The Gamebuino is really a console Made in France?

Yes, and we don't content ourself with adding the last screw. Everything is made locally. The case is made out of recycled defective car headlights. The genuine wood skin is laser cut 5 minutes from here. Electronic components are soldered automatically by robots. Even the box is made our of recycled cardboard, just around the corner. See for yourself.

And you're still profitable?!

We are proud of manufacturing locally. We've put all our efforts into optimizing production. As everything is automated, there is very little manual work to make a Gamebuino. And thanks to our experience and quality products, the defect rate is well under the norm. And... we're not here for money ;)

Join the adventure!

Specifications

  • The memory A micro SD card is included and loaded with plenty of games, ready to play. You can add more games than there will ever be!
  • Battery The 900mAh LiPo battery will keep your Gamebuino running for 16 hours. You can charge it with the provided micro USB cable, just like your phone.
  • Light effects 8 RGB LEDS on the back of the Gamebuino will make the game go beyond the screen by illuminating your hands. Intensity can be adjusted and disabled through the Home menu.
  • Sound The powerful speaker is powered by a class D audio amp, with a 10bit DAC. If you don't want to bother people, you can use the 3.5mm audio jack. Volume can be adjusted and disabled through the Home menu.
  • The screen It's a back-lit LCD display with vibrant colors and high contrasts. With a diagonal of 1.8" it's large enough for simple games, and small enough for your pocket. Default resolution is 80*64px, ideal of pixel art. It can go up to 160*128px.
  • The brain The microcontroller is an ATSAMD21, 32bit ARM Cortex M0+ with 256KB flash, 32KB RAM. Same as the Arduino Zero, faster than the Arduino Uno. Some manage to run 3D games on that!

What's included?

  • A Gamebuino META assembled and tested, ready to play!
  • A micro SD card with plenty of games
  • A micro SD card reader to add even more games
  • A micro USB cable to charge the battery and make your own games

Resistance is futile.