Imagine you’re out and about when the urge for a retro gaming fix suddenly strikes. Sure, it’s a ridiculous scenario, but let’s lean into the fantasy. So what would you do? It’s easy. Just open the App Store or Play Store and download a classic. Or, if you can hit up a certain convenience store and grab yourself a GamerCard. GamerCard is unlike any retro handheld console. To begin with, it is designed to be lightweight and pocketable like a card—or gift card, to be precise, and hence the name.
This is a handheld console that literally looks like it should activate your Netflix subscription, not run Bloo Kid 2. But it does. It is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W-based gaming device compressed into a 128 mm long, 88 mm wide, and 6.5 mm thick body (about 5 × 3.4 × 0.25 inches), weighing just 105 grams. The entire casing is made of stacked PCBs. No plastics, no fancy chassis. Just pure, exposed geekery.
Straight off the peg, you get two full games: Bloo Kid 2 and AstroBlaze DX. No demo nonsense. Full titles, tuned for the tiny square 4-inch IPS screen with 254 PPI resolution. The screen is even topped with sapphire glass for durability because, well, things in your pocket tend to fight for dominance.
The controls are tactile silicone pads with antibacterial coating. Yes, antibacterial. Meanwhile, the back hosts shoulder-style buttons like you’re gaming on a dish sponge-sized Super Nintendo. Powering the fun is a quad-core Cortex-A53 at 1 GHz with 512 MB RAM and an internal 128 GB of storage.
Then there is the port situation: USB-C for charging or peripherals, HDMI for connecting to a TV, and a Qwiic port for modders who feel compelled to attach sensors, OLED modules, or a temperature probe for reasons unknown.
The GamerCard is 125 quid (or about 167 USD, based on the current going rate), which is ironically the same price range as gift cards people regret buying, except this one actually does something. 🎮
Images: Grant Sinclair Cardiff.
