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Look, I know it's Prime Day, but I really don't need a Game Boy that's smaller than my thumb. You probably don't either, but would trying to play adorable pixelated bring you joy on this cold October's day? We both know the answer, so get your butt to Amazon and check out this adorable gaming doodad.
Dubbed the TinyCircuits Thumby, the keychain Game Boy is currently kicking around for just $21.28 thanks to a Prime Day gaming deal. Outside of events like Big Deal Days, you'll normally pay $29.95 for this homage to one of the best retro consoles (even that feels worth it for something this stinkin' cute.) Perhaps I'm easily amused, but as soon as I realized it actually has games built in and I could probably swallow it (don't do that), I instantly added it to by cart.
For $20, I'm struggling for reasons why not to pick up the Thumby. Chances are that if you go digging on Amazon right now, you won't find a similar retro device for the same price outside of cheap handheld emulators and some accessories. Even if I don't end up getting it for myself, it feels like an ideal small gift that'll be handy when I inevitably leave Christmas shopping to the last minute, as I'm sure anyone with even a slight fondness for '90s tech is going to love this.
Should you buy the TinyCircuits Thumby?
Based off of novelty alone, I genuinely think the Thumby sells itself. It's a tiny functioning gaming handheld that's smaller than your thumb, what's not to love? I guess some of you out there might be adverse to cute things, but despite its apparencies, this tiny Game Boy is actually far more sophisticated than you think, and if you're into coding, you want to read on.
The thing is, while you could just enjoy the Thumby's five pre-loaded games and call it a day, this device is actually programmable. Armed with a Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 Processor, you can write up your own projects using either its own Thumby Code Editor or an Arduino Code Editor. Simply put, if you're well versed with C/C++, you'll be able to whip out tiny adventures.
Naturally, with only 2MB storage to hand, any games you do make will be limited. But, just like with the amazing PlayDate, that's all part of the appeal. Creativity arguably flourishes under limitations, and the Thumby community is already whipping up absurd creations like "Xurby's Dream Land." You can give some of the games available for the console a try using your browser, which should give you a taste for what it's all about.
Even at full price, this ridiculously tiny Game Boy is just worth picking up for the experience alone. The added programmability opens the door to a whole other hobbyist world that I'm also on board with, but even discounting that, I can't think of a solid reason to not grab it. I'd say the fact its controls are the right size for a literal bumblebee rather than a human adult is a con, but y'know what? I dig that.
Craving more Amazon offers? Take a peek at Prime Day monitor deals and Prime Day TV deals. You'll also want to check out Prime Day tablet deals if you need something for movies and web browsing.
