[Hack Club] is a group that aims to teach teenagers about tech by involving them in open-source projects. One of the group’s latest efforts is Sprig, an open-source handheld game console, and [Hack Club] has even been giving them away!
The console is based around a Raspberry Pi Pico, paired up with a TFT7735 screen. There’s also a MAX98357A audio amp on board to provide sound. Other than that, there’s a full ten buttons for control, some LEDs for feedback, and it’s all assembled on a custom PCB designed for easy soldering.
Plenty of work has been done to make Sprig an accessible platform for first-time developers. Games can be created for Sprig and run either on the device, or in an online web-based editor. [Hack Club] is even running a program that will give Sprig hardware away to kids and teens worldwide who write a game for the platform and submit it to the online gallery.
If you’re eager to get into game development while understanding both the hardware and software side of things, Sprig might be just what you’re looking for. With today’s microcontrollers being so cheap and so powerful, we’ve seen some other great handheld designs recently, too!
Surprised Doom isn’t in the games collection yet
Giving away hardware like this is awesome! I wish there would have been something like this when I was a teenager! Kudos to them!
Fun to open up Hackaday and see this here!
I was the lead on this project and am happy to answer any questions people have.
how compatible is the code with thumby code? The concept is very similar.
You’d have to run a new firmware onto the pico to run thumby code but the device is certainly accommodating to that.
Pretty idiotic choice of name – Sprig is at least two other ‘software related’ things so far as google is concerned – seo on tutorials, you-tube, etc. is rubbish. The decision not to sell the boards is also a bit maddening – couldn’t they have done a one-laptop style thing, where you buy one & donate one? Do they really ship donations world-wide for free?? What about import duty for the recipients in that situation. Such a great idea undermined by lack of forward/broad thinking.
Hi! Longtime member of HC here, yes, they do ship them world wide for free! It’s all a charity, and their finances are open source, if you wanna take a look! As for why they don’t sell it, it’s kind of not the primary focus, and for an org mostly run by teens, pretty hard! I actually know the guy who made the board, he’s awesome.
Great idea. I plan on teaching my kids coding soon – a free machine is a hell of a motivator.
Please do use the HC resources! We’ve got some great stuff
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