Paragon Project: 3D-Printed Portables

We’re very excited to feature these 3D-printed portables as today’s Paragon Project. Omer Hasanov created them and shared them with the internet a few days ago. The first is an ESP-32 handheld gaming console, the second is a Raspberry Pi portable, and the third is a ESP-32 controller that connects to the Raspberry Pi portable for a complete RetroPie console.

In the video shared on YouTube, Omer points out that “of course, since the Raspberry Pi is such a versatile single-board computer, you can use it as a normal computer, or you can also play retro games with it, which is the use-case Raspberry Pis are most used in as far as I can see.”

It’s an interesting observation on Omer’s part, which nicely corresponds with the article from yesterday.

What I love about this project is that Omer has managed to create everything from scratch.

So without further ado, let’s dive into some of the hardware you’d need for a project like this:

Hardware

Omer mentions using an ESP32 chip for the handheld console, a Raspberry Pi 4 and a Waveshare 7-inch LCD screen for the Raspberry Pi portable, and an ESP32 for the controller. Of course, the handheld console also requires an LCD screen.

Aside from that, these projects will obviously require countless boards, wires, resistors, shift registers, push buttons, and patience. Omer decided to use lithium ion batteries to power the devices.

Obviously, Omer has put all of this together with an extremely impressive skill-level.

Software

Regarding the software needed to design the cases, Omer outlined on reddit that the cases were designed with Fusion 360 and GrabCAD was used to get the models of the electronics.

Furthermore, Omer was also generous enough to share the printout file for the Raspberry Pi Portable on Printables and the PlatformIO project on GitHub here.

And then, of course, if you’re looking for classic games, then, as Omer suggests, you can always go with the RetroPie.

Towards the end of the video, Omer mentions that a second version of the controller is already underway, so be sure to subscribe on YouTube to keep tabs on how this project develops!

If you’re interested in more Paragon Projects, you can find them here.

What games would you play with these portables?