A few months ago, [wermy] built the mintyPi, a Raspberry Pi-based gaming console that fits inside an Altoids tin. It’s amazing — there’s a composite LCD, an audio DAC, and a chopped up Nintendo controller all connected to a Raspberry Pi for vintage gaming goodness on the road. Now, there’s a new mintyPi. The mintyPi 2.0 vastly improves over the earlier generation of this groundbreaking mint-based gaming console with a better screen, better buttons, customized 3D printed bezels, and better audio. Truly, we live in a Golden Age.
Version two of mintyPi uses 3D printed parts and includes a real hinge to keep the display propped up when the Altoids tin is open. Instead of a DAC-based audio solution, [wermy] is using a USB sound card for clearer, crisper sound. This version also uses the new, wireless version of the Raspberry Pi Zero. The Raspberry Pi Zero W allows this Altoids tin to connect to the Internet or, alternatively, gives the user the ability to dump ROMs on this thing without having to connect it to a computer.
For the software, this retro Altoids video game machine is running RetroPie, a very popular way to get retro video games running under low-power Linux machines. Everything is in there, from the NES to Amstrad to the Sega Master system.
Right now, there aren’t a whole lot of details on how [wermy] created the mintyPi 2.0, but he promises a guide soon. Until then, we’ll just have to drool over the video embedded below.
What, no mention of ginger Altoids?
Oh, I see, they’re no longer made. What a crock of hooey.
You might be able to substitute “Newman’s Own Organics Organic Ginger Mints” which come in a compatible tin. (But not available in Canada, feck!)
I had ginger altoids once. I got a cream from the doctors, and they cleared up after about a week.
Eeew! TMI.
This thing absolutely needs a second screen between the buttons, and a sticker saying “Nintendo AltoiDS”.
Shut up and take my money!
My only criticism is the visible wires that probably should have been a ribbon cable; easy fix.
Looks great!
Beutiful. I can’t help but wonder about battery life though, anyone know how long something like this would last?
That spelling error… my kingdom for an edit button…
Nah, very few know how to spell anyways.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/beutiful?lang=en
Which begs the question, what would be the best battery for a set-up like this? And don’t worry about the typo, everyone makes mitsakes… ;) See what I did there?
Crazy amazing time to be alive!. And also: cheers to Altoids for making the most-hackable piece of can ever
Very cool and if your in Australia you can buy your Altoids in bulk ;-)
http://www.theprofessors.com.au/products/altoids-peppermint-12-x-50g-tins.html
Great work! Look forward to adding my own headphone jack and shoulder buttons to handle SNES and GBA.
They aren’t very prominent in the video, but the mintyPi does have shoulder buttons
Voldemort Voldemort Voldemort
Why do you guys always have the oldest news. I read about this almost a month ago.
Because you didn’t share. http://hackaday.com/submit-a-tip/
+1
As a project it is nice. As a gaming device it is junk.
Ergonomic nightmare.
In the grand tradition of all Nintendo handhelds :-D
I think the Gameboy Color and Advance SP (best hand-helds ever, to this day) distorted my hands, because now ergonomic grips feel impractical and squares feel more natural.
I am patiently waiting for someone to build a Pi-based game device that fits in a GBA SP case.
Yup. The gamepad area shouldn’t be recessed and the d-pad and buttons should be towards the bottom of the tin, not the top.
Hacker? Engineer, programmer wtf stupid title
pleaseadd normal keyboard and one usb for wifi card with external antena and… kalilinux ;-)
That’s evil. Great idea!
Great idea
Done!