Inventor’s Nephew Designs Gift Card-Sized Raspberry Pi Gaming Console with 4-Inch IPS Screen and Built-In Arcade Games

Man, I stumbled on this whole retro gaming thing, and wow. I wasn’t even planning to, but here we are. So these gadgets, right? They’re now everywhere, like literally in your pocket or something. I mean, this one from Grant Sinclair—I’m talking about a gaming device the size of a gift card. Yeah, you heard that right. Wild, huh?

Oh, before I forget, Grant’s the nephew of THE Sir Clive Sinclair. You know, the ZX Spectrum guy. Crazy how family stuff loops around. But let’s not get stuck on family trees. Back to this mini marvel—it’s called GamerCard®. Cute name, right? Picture this: a Raspberry Pi-powered handheld with a 4″ IPS screen. Kinda nuts when you think about all that tech in something so tiny.

And wait, it’s got these round, snappy buttons too—like a tiny arcade machine you just whip out whenever. Super handy if you’re bored at a bus stop or somewhere. Plus, they’ve pre-loaded it with these arcade games. Talk about instant gratification.

Now, there’s this launcher thingy with icons—big, clear ones that don’t need squinting at. Works with emulators too: Recalbox, RetroPie, Lakka—all that jazz. And hey, if Pico-8 games are your jam, you’re in luck. Also supports coding with MicroPython and whatnot.

Two indie games have jumped ship from the Nintendo Switch to this card-like wonder. Bloo Kid 2, all action and platformy, and AstroBlaze DX, which is space shooting galore. Both are decked out in pixel art, and honestly, I dig that vibe. It’s like staring at nostalgia wrapped in shiny pixels.

The whole thing is wafer-thin, literally 6.5 mm—or like, the width of a couple of dimes stacked up. And light? Wow, just as light as your dreams before reality checks them. They even showcase it alongside real gift cards. Mind-boggling stuff.

Now, this ain’t just for playing. It’s got a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W brain—quad-core ARM deal, if that means anything to you. Plus, a hefty 128GB storage and a sturdy 1600mAh battery. It’s got ports too—USB-C, HDMI, the whole shebang. You could probably dangle a mouse and keyboard off it and pretend it’s a PC, but I mean, it’s still more expensive than your run-of-the-mill Pi.

Here’s the kicker—price tag says £125, which converts to $170-ish. Compare it to something like, say, the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro at $149 or those Anbernic ones floating around for under $100. So yeah, it’s pricey for something so… quirky? But maybe that’s the charm.

In the end, if your heartstrings tug toward retro gaming, this might be your thing. And if not, well, it’s still a neat trick at parties. Just don’t expect it to come cheap. Then again, isn’t innovation always pushing the limits of practicality? Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the gutsy creativity behind it.