The GamerCard launcher in action looks as good as the prototype designs, but will it find its home alongside the game card vouchers in your local Tesco?
One device I’m particularly looking forward to is the GamerCard, the compact, supermarket hanging rail-destined portable games console from Grant Sinclair.
A look at the GamerCard in use
This new video from the Grant Sinclair Futurist account on YouTube demonstrates the GamerCard in action, specifically looking at the launcher. You can get a look at the games that are installed on this device, too, although it isn’t clear if this is a custom library or an indicator of titles that will be typically found on the handheld.
Catch-up: What Grant Sinclair told me
I chatted with Grant shortly after the GamerCard was announced. Along with tales of his childhood and clear admiration for his uncle, Sir Clive Sinclair, and the contribution his own father made to Sinclair, he was keen to emphasize that the body of the device is PCB. That’s an aspect of the device that really excites me, as it seems like an incredibly obvious thing to do.
Grant also told me that he fully expects the idea of displaying the GamerCard alongside Xbox or Steam cards and other lightweight impulse buys to be followed through. This would put dozens of these Raspberry Pi Zero-powered handhelds within reach of fans of retro gaming and low-res indie gamers.
But true to both the ethos of the ZX Spectrum and the Raspberry Pi, the device supports development:
Compatible with PICO-8™ (sold separately)—the fantasy console app for making, playing and sharing mini retro-style games. GamerCard’s 1:1 square display is a perfect match for PICO-8’s native resolution, delivering pixel-perfect visuals. Students can code, create and play full games within a single lesson—making it a powerful, compact learning tool for game design, logic, and creative coding in the classroom or at home. Completed games can be uploaded to PICO-8s Splore Game browser for everyone to enjoy and share worldwide.
The GamerCard is available to order now from www.grantsinclair.com/gamercard, and shipping should be commencing this month.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.