Thumby
Image: Tiny Circuits

New mods and takes on classic hardware are a fun part of the gaming scene, as those with nostalgia for the good old days mess around with old systems to make them better or - sometimes - just sillier. A little while ago we shared the creation of a wide Game Boy Advance by YouTube channel / website The Retro Future, and now the same channel has brought our attention to a project that is pretty much the opposite.

In the video below the channel looks at what they call the Game Boy Atom in the video title; its actual name is 'Thumby', and we'll get to the specifics after the video.

Thumby is the work of Tiny Circuits, which has a whole range of products that make things as small as possible. It's not exactly a miniaturised Game Boy clone, but rather utilises Raspberry Pi and has five basic games pre-loaded - one looks like Snake, another is basically Tetris. That Pi board and connectivity does mean that it'll be open to modding and playing around for those that have the expertise, with Tiny Circuits saying people will be able to make their own games that run on the unit.

So, while it looks like a basic keychain souvenir it is actually a functional device, though you likely need tiny hands or long-ish fingernails to even think about using that D-Pad and buttons.

It's extremely niche then, and it'll be popping up on Kickstarter on 28th September. You can see loads of information on the Thumby website, and a press release confirms it'll cost $19 with 50 'early-bird' editions at half price when the Kickstarter launches.

As a collectable it looks like quirky fun; as for playing it, if the original 3DS gave you hand cramps then you should probably steer clear.

[source thumby.us, via youtube.com]