Retropie is a great piece of software if you are looking to play retro arcade games or enjoy a little emulation using your Raspberry Pi mini PC.
Instructable user Ellindsey has created a 3D printed portable PSP styled game machine that is powered by a Pi single board mini PC.
If you fancy building your very own, the 3D print files have kindly been made available over on the Thingyverse website to be download at your leisure. Its creator explains more about the inspiration and construction behind the awesome handheld.
“My main design goal was to have good ergonomics. This design fits nicely with my large hands, with an analog joystick that I find more comfortable than a D-pad. I really didn’t like the feel of the little tactile membrane buttons everyone else is using, so I opted for these nice 16mm illuminated mechanical pushbuttons instead. They have a really smooth action, feel much nicer for prolonged play sessions, and have the additional bonus of being panel mount instead of PCB mount which makes fitting them in the case simpler.
There are only 2 pieces to print with this design. Admittedly, they are large pieces, about 240mm wide. Mechanical assembly is simple, nearly all the electrical parts attach to the case with small self-tapping screws, most of them to the front half with just the battery and charger board attaching to the rear.
It has an internal battery charger, and can be played while charging – although you will discharge faster than you charge, so you still need to shut down to recharge fully. The second USB port on the PI is accessible, so you can plug in a USB drive to transfer roms, or an external keyboard for configuration or emulating systems needing a keyboard.
I’m using a Teensy 2.0 for the joystick function. There is a mode switch button which can be used to switch the teensy into a keyboard emulator mode that maps the joystick to arrow keys and the various buttons to certain keypresses, so you can navigate the file transfer utility and some of the other configuration menus without needing a keyboard.”
Jump over to Thingyverse for more details and files
Source: Adafruit
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