These days, most handheld gaming consoles tend to look roughly like a Game Boy or a Game Boy Advance. This form factor provides a good user experience and has won out over the unique — and sometimes pretty wild — designs of decades past. But should we really just default to using this design style for all new consoles? Might we be missing something by not considering alternatives, even if they are unconventional?
YouTuber Julius Makes is convinced that unusual console designs can provide unique gameplay experiences. You’ll believe it as well after you see Julius’ latest creation: Space Cadet. It is a handheld game in which players move a physical spaceship model to dodge oncoming asteroids. It looks more like a relic of the 1970s than a modern creation, but its novel interface feels like a breath of fresh air in a sea of conformity.
Space Cadet is a vertical-scrolling arcade game distilled into a minimalist format. The display consists of four stacked 8×8 LED matrix modules, forming a tall 8×32 pixel playfield. Within this narrow column, asteroids spawn at the top and cascade downward at increasing speeds, while the player’s ship remains fixed at the bottom. Survival depends entirely on quick lateral movement to avoid collisions.
Instead of buttons or a joystick, players slide a small, physical spaceship along a track beneath the display. Hidden inside the model is a neodymium magnet, which is tracked wirelessly by two analog Hall effect sensors positioned at either end of the track. By combining the sensor readings and smoothing them with a firmware-based lookup table, the system accurately translates the ship’s position into one of eight in-game columns.
An initial attempt to use a linear slide potentiometer was abandoned due to dead zones and inconsistent resistance, which made precise control impossible. The dual-sensor magnetic approach not only solved these issues but also enabled the detachable, wireless controller concept that aligns with Julius’ broader vision, which extends beyond a single game.
Space Cadet is designed as the first module in a larger system, where physical components and interactive puzzles will interconnect. To support this goal, the device is powered by an ESP32-S2-based microcontroller with ample GPIO for expansion and runs custom firmware handling everything from randomized asteroid generation to collision detection and animated explosion effects.
A custom 3D-printed enclosure houses the electronics, diffuses the LED output, and forms the sliding track. The spaceship controller, fabricated using high-resolution resin printing and finished with reflective electroplating, adds a premium tactile feel. Portable power is provided by a lithium polymer battery paired with a TP4056 charging module, neatly integrated into the rear casing.
Stay tuned to Hackster News for the latest updates to this interesting project!Playing Space Cadet (📷: Julius Makes)
Testing the LED matrices (📷: Julius Makes)
The circuit diagram (📷: Julius Makes)
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