Man builds Tetris console inside cardboard box
There was a time when you had to go to the nearest arcade or beg your parents for a Game Boy if you wanted to play. Tetris. Today, this iconic and addictive puzzle game is available online for free and in countless forms on almost every gaming platform imaginable, even in PDF format.
Part of the inherent appeal for many people is the game’s increasing difficulty, but more astute fans can go even further by building their own game. Tetris-playing machine. And as software author and hobbyist William Gaspar recently proved, you don’t need a plastic case to protect it. A small cardboard box will do the job very well.
Gaspar’s creation looks incredibly wobbly, but manages to play Tetris (not to mention Snake) as well as any premium device. All code information and build steps are also available for free on GitHub. The key to its size and affordability is an Arduino computer paired with an ATmega328P single-chip microcontroller, as well as a 1.8-inch color LCD display. Together, the electronics can only run on a trio of AAA batteries. As Hackaday notes, this is partly due to Gaspar’s decision to run the microcontroller at 8 MHz instead of the standard 16 MHz. This meant that the board only needed 3.3V to operate instead of 5V, meaning the LCD could also operate on the same power supply.
Cardboard enclosures are an increasingly popular trend among DIYers, especially for projects that are primarily work-in-progress or occasional DIY projects. In this case, Gaspar sworn he didn’t go with a popular soda brand can for his case choice.
“And I know you would say: I see it says zero calories in the bottom right corner!” he wrote on his website. “You think you understand me, but the answer is very simple: it’s just how many calories are in the box.”
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