If you’ve been waiting for a smartwatch that’s truly unique, this could be your lucky day.
The Retro Gaming Watch features a miniaturized design reminiscent of the Game Boy Advance SP and docks to a smartwatch strap when not in use.
This hybrid handheld may not be the most practical since you can just get a Miyoo Mini Plus for a decent Game Boy experience, this compact and versatile design will turn heads.
Small Form Factor, Big Ambitions
Even though the Retro Gaming Watch will have you squinting your eyes at its tiny 1.5-inch display with a 320 x 320 resolution, it tries to make up for it with its various modes. You can twist it off the watch strap to play it like a tiny gaming handheld, or you can pair it with a Bluetooth controller and play off your wrist. The developer is even planning to let the Retro Gaming Watch dock up and sync to a TV for a more traditional gaming experience.
We can’t expect any crazy flagship specs with this pocket-sized handheld, but it will run off a Renesas / Dialog DA14706 processor with 1.5MB of internal RAM, 8MB of external RAM, and a dedicated 2D graphics processor. That’s enough to handle classic DOS games like Doom and The Legend of Zelda as well as 16-bit titles. When you’re using the Retro Gaming Watch as a smartwatch, you can connect it to a smartphone to send and receive messages, interact with apps, and more.
The Retro Gaming Watch’s design hasn’t been finalized yet, but we can expect around four hours of gameplay and 48 hours when being used as just a smartwatch. The developer is also aiming for at least an IP65 rating but is considering including features like a heart rate monitor, micro SD card, camera, and shoulder buttons.
Almost as Much as an Apple Watch SE
We have to point out that the Retro Gaming Watch is still a Kickstarter project, so buyer beware. Right now, the price starts at $179 since the early bird promotions have already sold out. You can even get more involved with the Beta Tester tier for $350 where you’ll get a prototype watch and can help contribute to the development process. If you do all that, you’ll get a final version of the Retro Gaming Watch that will have a serial number from the first batch of units.
According to the Kickstarter page, this unique handheld is expected to start shipping in November 2024.
