Tiny Pi Pro, a super tiny gaming handheld based on Raspberry Pi Zero
When the TinyPi Pro kit arrived, I wasn’t sure I could actually play games on something this small. The whole thing fits on a keychain. But it works.
I covered the wider scene of these builds in an earlier post on Raspberry Pi retro gaming. This one is about living with the TinyPi Pro specifically.
Pi0cket (also known as moosepr) built this as a hobby project. The first version had a low-resolution display, limited buttons, and a partial 3D case:
The Pro version fixed those problems. It doesn’t require any soldering.
What’s Changed
The screen is now a 1.3 inch IPS display at 240x240 pixels with good viewing angles.
Sound comes through i2s (Inter-IC Sound), which the Raspberry Pi supports natively. It won’t replace headphones, but it works.
The kit includes a 400mAh battery. About an hour of playtime under heavy use.
The case uses selective laser sintering (SLS), which gives it a smooth finish. It’s one of the better cases I’ve seen in DIY kits.
wermy made a build video:
After Two Weeks
It plays games well despite its size. If you have large hands, the buttons will feel cramped, but it’s manageable.
A headphone jack or hardware volume buttons would be nice additions. Not dealbreakers.
The build itself is mostly straightforward. Fitting the Raspberry Pi with the pogo pins took a few tries. Be patient with that part.
I like it. Thanks pi0cket
If the Pi still feels like overkill, the ATtiny85 game console I built later runs on a chip the size of a fingernail.
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