It’s Mario Day! Many of us have Nintendo’s jumping, mushroom-demolishing, Italian plumber to thank for our love of gaming — and for inspiring an interest in technology.
So, why not celebrate Mario Day by indulging your technical maker side? The ByteBoi is an open-source retro game console that you can assemble and code yourself to create the next great Mario-inspired game.
A DIY game console
The Kickstarter-funded ByteBoi is an improved, reengineered and reimagined version of the Makerbuino, an 8-bit educational gaming device.
Buy a ByteBoi, and you’ll discover how to build and code your own DIY retro gaming console. Using the online coding interface Make Code Arcade, you can use your ByteBoi to create your own video games from scratch. And then you can share them with a community of game-makers online.
You’ll animate characters and simulate the physics of your video game and learn how consoles work. Not sure where to start? No problem, Make Code Arcade offers tons of examples and tutorials to help you get going.
In addition to assembling and coding your own video game, you can also play premade games on your ByteBoi. Or you can use it to remote-control a Wheelson robo-car, thanks to the ByteBoi’s built-in Wi-Fi chipset.
No matter your inspiration, ByteBoi will help you indulge your curiosity while learning about electronics, coding, graphics, game engines, animation and more. Whether you want to learn for yourself, or get your kids into an exciting new hobby, ByteBoi is suitable for imaginations of all ages. And it serves up a ton of fun.
Save on a ByteBoi DIY game console
Celebrate Mario Day by creating your very own games. Right now, the ByteBoi: DIY Advanced Game Console is on sale for just $109.99. That’s 8% off the regular price of $119.
You also can upgrade to include soldering tools for just $132.99 (8% off the normal price of $144). That’s far less than buying a game console outright.
Prices subject to change.
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