Inventor’s Nephew Designs Gift Card-Sized Handheld Gaming Console: The GamerCard with 4-Inch IPS Screen and Pre-Loaded Arcade Classics

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Okay, so there’s been this wild retro gaming comeback recently, and wow, some of the gadgets hitting the scene are just mind-blowing. We’re talking everything from tiny handhelds you can shove in your pocket to emulators that make your old-school favorites feel like they belong in 2023. And now there’s this kooky little gadget from Grant Sinclair. Picture this: a gaming device the size of a gift card. Yeah, for real.

Just to catch everybody up, Grant Sinclair is the nephew of Sir Clive Sinclair. Remember the ZX Spectrum? That Brit computer that turned tons of folks into mini tech wizards? Yeah, that was his uncle. It’s sort of funny, maybe a bit predictable, that Grant’s fiddling around with these retro vibes – I mean, it’s in his DNA, right? But let’s not get sidetracked by family trees. We’ve got to talk about this gadget.

GamerCard®. That’s what the little gizmo is called. It’s got this snazzy 4-inch screen that’s somehow sharper than my aging eyesight, and these circular button-y things that just ask you to play. Seriously, it’s got games right there, no need to download other stuff, unless that’s your jam.

Oh, and the home screen? It’s got icons so big even your grandma wouldn’t need her glasses. It’s packed with emulators like RetroPie and Recalbox—stuff that makes it a cozy home for any PICO-8 game. Plus, if you’re into coding, it’s open to all sorts of languages like Python and that. Pretty geeky cool, honestly.

They even pulled a couple indie games from the Nintendo Switch. Remember Bloo Kid 2 and AstroBlaze DX? Nope? Well, they’re here and optimized to fit this square screen. Sidebar: the pixel-art style is kind of adorable and perfect for this handheld’s vibe.

And, okay, can we talk about how this thing is only 6.5 mm thick and weighs 100 grams? No joke, you could slip it into a billfold—or apparently hang it on a cash counter like a literal gift card. They ditched the casing and used stacked PCBs, whatever those are, to keep things thin. That’s some engineering, I’ll give them that.

Here’s where it gets nuts: it’s also a mini-computer. Runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, whatever that means—some quad-core wizardry—and it’s got loads of storage and a decent battery too. With the USB-C and HDMI ports, Sinclair’s kind of saying, “Yeah, hook it up to a monitor, add a keyboard. Go wild.” But let’s be honest, if you’re doing that, why bother with a tiny thing?

Cost-wise, it’s £125, which if you’re like me and deal in dollars, that’s about $170. Compare that to other gaming gadgets, some cheaper and with more power. Honestly, you might consider one of those fun clamshell designs popping up everywhere now. More bang for your buck, as they say.

Not trying to rain on Grant’s parade here—I mean, kudos for the creativity. But, the thing’s pricey for what it offers. Unless you’re a die-hard retro gaming fan or just really love the whole gift card shtick, it’s kind of a hard sell. Still, hats off to the ingenuity.