While the Nintendo Switch introduced itself as both a handheld console, Thumby arrived as a new Super Smash character: a new challenger appears!
Smaller than a 25 cents, barely larger than a 10 cents, Thumby is definitely very very very portable. It’s not for nothing that it comes with a small carabiner because you might lose it very easily!
Presentation
The metric dimensions of this console are 29.5mm by 18mm by 8.5mm. Next door, the Game Boy Micro doesn’t seem so micro only that!
The Thumby is so small that my phone’s camera struggles to focus on it! Note also that the black bar does not appear in real life and that the screen is very beautiful.
The four directions of the D-Pad work in addition to the B and A buttons in red. Running under a Rasberry Pi Pico RP2040 processor, this mini-machine can run for two hours on one charge.
Its mini internal memory of 2 Mb still allows it to support several games at the same time. Everything will be broadcast on a black and white OLED screen of 72 by 40 pixels. It is little!
There’s even a mini speaker that doesn’t play very loudly, but you can hear it quietly. But, let’s say, calm calm. Very calm!
Add and remove games (or even schedule some!)
Thumby comes with a few games pre-installed. We will not hide that most are clones of already existing games. We find in particular a version of Pong and Tetris.
If you want to remove or add more, just go on their website and follow the instructions. Everything is only in English and the site is not the clearest on the planet, but once you understand their logic, everything is simple.
In order to keep the package as slim as possible, Thumby doesn’t come with the microUSB cable needed to charge or plug it in. Let’s say it brought a big fight-down-the-fight at my house to find one!
The system has a arcade where other players have submitted their code. Adding these games to Thumby is very simple and is done in two clicks.
The bravest can venture into programming. Closer to an old ZZT than an RPG Maker, microPython is used for creating or modifying code. The site makes available to all tutorials and some documentation for those who want to mess around in there.
You can also venture into Arduino C/C++ and the site also provides instructions here. If you ever have any problems, a community on Discord is ready to help you.
The smallness of this console is incredible. It’s barely wider than the microUSB cable attached to it. It’s impressive!
The system proposed by the developers of Thumby is contained in a web page. It allowed my Mac to recognize it.
It is in this interface that an emulator is offered in order to avoid always having to upload our game to the small console to test it. From what I’ve seen, it all seems quite simple. My years of programming being behind me, I leave that to others!
Critique
When I say that my camera had difficulties with the size of the Thumby, I was not kidding! Here is the clearest photo of this game that I managed to get following regarding forty tries!
I wanted to show you by the way my favorite game of the gang. Brickd, the Arkanoid clone is the most comfortable to play in my opinion.
The limitations of such a microcomputer force coders to be creative. We see that someone was inspired by that famous scene from The Office!
One of Thumby’s great strengths lies in its simplicity. The drop-down menu is easily accessible and the selection of games is natural.
Devoid of a bunch of home screens, one can play a game very quickly unlike contemporary games. (And by comtemporainsI’m even talking regarding the Acclaim logos at the Super Nintendo which remained displayed for an eternity!)
But in my opinion, its main strength is that YOU ARE CUTE ENOUGH OMG!!! THIS IS THE CUTEST OBJECT I HAVE HELD IN MY HANDS IN THE LAST DECADE!!!
Good. You can imagine that such a small screen with microscopic buttons does not offer the most extraordinary gaming experience in the history of gaming. Especially considering the simplicity of the games limited by such a small box.
The good news is that it’s not made for that. Actually, yes, but no. I think this little gadget is mainly used as a small object to talk regarding. As I demonstrated in my stories on Instagramthe reactions were very numerous!
Then, this little console is really practical for people who like to program or want to get started. You can show your creations to your loved ones when you see them and that’s pretty cool.
Basically, it’s a little $30 thing that can keep us busy for a moment in a queue or that we can present to friends at the bar. I have already paid a lot more for things that serve me even less!
Le Thumby comes in four colors, including the original Game Boy. You will be able to make your friends believe that you have found the machine of Honey I Shrunk The Kids!
