Handheld Atari 2600 Packs A CRT

We covered [Nick Bild]’s mini Atari console using original devices not so long ago, and today he’s back with the same console wrapped up with a CRT as a handheld. It would have cost a fortune in D cells to own back in the day, but we know we’d have lusted after one of these in 1979.

He’s called it the µTari Go, pronounced “Microtari”, and it’s a 3D printed affair with the buttons roughly where you’d expect them if you’re used to the Game Boy, and a cartridge socket at the top above the screen.The PCB is the circuit of the original packed into a smaller space, so his claim of using original hardware is valid. The CRT is one of those Sony flattened modules that can still be found in the usual online bazaars, and it packs a small speaker. He’s not been foolhardy enough to equip it with those D cells, so the power is an external 12 V jack.

You can’t not like this project, especially after seeing it in action in the video below. Unlike in the ’70s a USB-C power pack could run this thing with reasonable playing time, so it could even be fully portable if you wanted. You can see our write-up of the board itself here.

2 thoughts on “Handheld Atari 2600 Packs A CRT”

  1. Destroyed a rare Sony Watchman for its flat CRT only to build a generic 3D-printed SlopTube project, which after 10-15 minutes of use will go into forever storage because primitive Atari 2600 games still suck just as badly as they did in early 1980s. Pathetic.

    1. The CRT is a cheap module from AliExpress, and it wasn’t in any way destroyed. It’s fully intact inside the case.

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