Play Duck Hunt on Your Christmas Tree!
These ornaments recreate the classic Nintendo game using CircuitPython and some Adafruit boards.
Wermy (AKA sudomod) wanted to make a Christmas ornament that you can actually play a game on, and what he came up with is a very unique version of Duck Hunt. Unlike the screen-based game where ducks fly around on the screen, fowl here are represented by static 3D-printed ornaments that light up faster and faster until you miss. These are all controlled by a central ornament in the form of a small TV, which keeps track of your score on its small display, and provides some simple images and sound effects.
The central TV is controlled by an Adafruit Feather M4 Express board, and each duck has its own IR receiver. This allows it to sense when the correct duck is hit with the game's zapper — which is modified with an Adafruit Trinket M0 — enabling the game will continue. To start the game, a contestant turns on the little TV manually, then shoots the blue duck to start things “flying.”
It’s a clever build, which could certainly provide inspiration for next year’s tree decorations. As this one was apparently a bit rushed (though beautifully executed), the video above is very much an overview, and not a step-by-step instructional clip. If there’s enough interest, however, wermy may elaborate further, so be sure to let him know in the video comments if that’s something you’d like to see!