GameShell, Open Source Portable Game Console, Modular DIY Kit, Ideal for Indie Game Developers, Hackers and Retro Games Collectors (Red)

I wish I would have read some of the forums out there before purchasing this item. I am currently going through what I would describe as a painful troubleshooting process when I have described that either the board is doa or the cables are not functional.It was super fun building this until it booted up and the input keys did not work (except the power which is on the main board and not the key section/board).Because you have to build this product, again fun BUT you cannot return it as you have destroyed the packaging so to speak.So again before purchasing, check out some of the forums including their own concerning the keys not working. Hopefully I can get a new board and cables to fix this. Once (if) fixed, I will update with a hopefully better review.UPDATE:I am happy to say I received the replacement board and as soon as I replaced the board I was in business. Everything is now working great. I still would not recommend to non-builders like myself but for those who want the hands on build experience then I would recommend this.Once built and working successfully the unit if a really nice system. Great screen, fast cpu, and plenty of memory for emulation. I am taking a star off for the painful troubleshooting process but otherwise this is a 5 star system when all works.

This is a wonderful little device that many early adopters fell in love with the first time they saw it on kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/954662076/gameshell-redefine-retro-game-console) or indiegogo (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gameshell-open-source-retro-gaming-stem-console) crowdfunding campaign in late 2017. The project soon got funded with almost 600% of its initial pledge goal. However, enthusiastic backers had to wait months before GameShell reached their hands. Now it can be ordered on Amazon, and got delivered the next day, plus, it's the upgraded new version with more RAM and HDMI port!First of all, the idea of assembling your own portable game console is exciting, even my 10-year-old son can finish building it in a little more than half an hour, which make a perfect gift idea for STEM education, especially given it's all open source. The modular design leaves more opportunities for future upgrades and hackability, the Clockwork team has hinted future release of GPS, Accelerometers, Gyros sensors and camera modules.Thanks to the active community (https://forum.clockworkpi.com), most emulators works out of the box, simply setup wifi, connect to upload Game ROMs and play, retro gamers will be immediately brought back to their childhood memory of those familiar pixels and sounds.The idea of an open source hardware and software product gives this product a living life, community members have contributed models for 3D printing, icons and themes, apps and launcher scripts, software and tutorials for game development on GameShell, Game Jam events have been organized for indie game developers, a full ecosystem is emerging.

This thing is pretty cool. I mainly got it to play old games and it’s great for that so far. I also liked the idea of putting together my own system. It was fun to put together and the modular design of the components made it real easy. It also looks real nice once it’s all assembled. It comes pre loaded with a few games and once you figure out how to do it it’s a snap to load new games. I don’t do a lot of programming so I can’t speak to how useful this is for that. I recommend for anyone looking for a hobby project or anyone interested in retro emulation.

Thankfully I build Gundam models so I’m used to solely relying on minor visual information such as grooves, notches positions of parts, protrusions, etc. to help me put things together. It’s not overly complex but does require attention to detail.I do wish they labeled things a little more throughly like the cables and circuit boards or the bags they came in. All in all it’s quite simple to put together.It comes with everything you need including a 16 gig micro SD card, extra programmable back buttons even a few games loaded in. The only thing it doesn’t come with is a mini usb charging cord.I do wish the screen was a little bigger and maybe a higher resolution but that is a minor complaint.The OS is quite simple to understand and use once you get the hang of it. Now this device really wasn’t meant for the average person it was meant for developers, programmers, tech/IT people, but don’t let that scare you off. To get this working and playing other games is where the true test your patience comes in. Your gonna have to do a fair bit of research along with a decent amount of trial and error to make this your dream portable gaming device. I had to phone a friend to help me understand and try out a few options but once I understood what to do it was a simple task. For those of you without an IT friend look for their forums and google the rest.In closing be patient, try and try again, but once you get going you will be glad for it.