Pyxa is a tiny handheld in kit form that teaches you how to make a console and games

In the old days, home computers were fodder for hackers, but handheld consoles have always been sealed units. Pyxa (£49) wants to change all that – and teach you a thing or two about games consoles along the way. Resembling a homemade GBA Micro, the dinky unit arrives in kit form, and you put it together yourself. You then delve into Arduino software to code your own games, taking advantage of the 128×160-pixel display, an ATmega328P chip, and a buzzer for sound. A few hours in, you’ll probably have a working Flappy Bird and dreams of mobile-gaming superstardom. But if that sounds like too much hard work, there are plenty of retro games to download, including knock-offs of Tetris, Snake, and Pac-Man.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.