RetroZero Is a Nice, Compact RetroPie Handheld Console

RetroPie has almost certainly become the most popular video game emulator-focused operating system in recent years. That’s because it is streamlined and has a user-friendly interface, and because it is designed specifically to run on the super-affordable Raspberry Pi line of single-board computers. We see a lot of home console-style RetroPie builds here on Hackster.io, but they’re usually based on the full-size Raspberry Pi models. FacelessTech, however, built a portable handheld RetroPie console around the low-power Raspberry Pi Zero W.

Because the RetroZero uses the Raspberry Pi Zero W, which is significantly less powerful than full-size models like the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, it isn’t capable of running console emulators past the 16bit generation very well. But anything from that era or earlier should run pretty smoothly. The most impressive thing about this particular build is how compact it is. It’s roughly the size of the original Nintendo Game Boy, but packs in everything needed for RetroPie gaming on the go.

Aside from the Raspberry Pi Zero W, the RetroZero also contains a 2.4" TFT display, a power bank board and 2000mAh LiPo battery, 12 soft-touch buttons, and speakers. To save space, the TFT display is just a bare screen without a breakout board and the buttons are SMT (surface-mount technology). The design of the RetroZero is split between two custom PCBs, with the Raspberry Pi and LiPo circuit sandwiched between them. Standoffs are used to mount the two PCBs together. FacelessTech hasn’t designed an enclosure for the RetroZero yet, but that should be a pretty straightforward process.