This awesome ESP32-S3 project breathes new life into Nintendo's oldest handhelds

Before the Switch line, there was the DS line. Before the DS line, there was the Game Boy line. And before the Game Boy line, there were the Game & Watch handheld devices. People mostly know the term "Game & Watch" as the character you can pick in Super Smash Bros games, but the name goes way back within Nintendo's history. Well, if you want to make your own Game & Watch at home, someone has uploaded plans on building your own, including one with two screens.

This 3D-printed Game & Watch uses an ESP32-S3 to keep everything running

In a post on the ESP32 subreddit, user slowlane1 took to the stage to show off their really cool project. It's a DIY Game & Watch, which slowlane1 created using an ESP32-S3 as the brains and a 3D printed shell to keep everything stored in. Best of all, the 3D printed shell really nails that old Game & Watch look and feel to it; it's almost like a modern-day remake of the handhelds from the 80s.

Here's how its creator describes the project in the original post:

I built a multi screen game and watch. It runs Oil Panic, Safebuster and Pinball via an ESP32S3 dev board.

The esp32 is powered via two 10440 Li-ion batteries which can be charged via usb-c using a TP4056 module.

I previously built a single screen version which you can see here: https://github.com/slowlane112/Esp32-Game-and-Watch

Clicking the link directs you to a GitHub page where you can view the schematics for both single-screen and double-screen variants. The single-screen works as you'd imagine a regular Game & Watch does, while the double-screen version is perfect for emulating the DS-styled "multi-screen" series that Nintendo made. Yes, Nintendo had the hinge design nailed all the way back in the early 1980s with the Game & Watch. I know, I was surprised too. I had no idea this multi-screen variant even existed before today.

Regardless, if you want a blast from the past with a modern DIY twist, give the GitHub page a look and see about making your own. And if you're not tired of making your own gaming-related stuff just yet, be sure to check out this tiny arcade machine that tests your flicking power and these gaming accessories you can 3D print. Turns out, if you have a small processor and a 3D printer, you can make some really cool stuff happen.