Photo credit: PPLuraschi
Modder Pedro Luraschi showed off the world’s first E-ink game console, named Figment. It’s got a Waveshare 7.5″ E-ink screen made for playing old-school, text-based, or simple games. The device is being touted as a innovative project that uses E-ink’s low-power, eye-easy display for gaming without distractions, different from the fast-moving LCD or OLED screens found in modern handheld PCs.
The prototype version has a D-pad and a few buttons (A/B and menu controls), like the classic Game Boy. This setup works well for moving through menus and playing basic games. It looks small, light, and simple, with just the features it really needs. Right now, Figment uses a game engine with a mix of pre-written “books/games” and AI to fill out game paths that the author did not define.
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We don’t know the complete technical specifications list yet, but can confirm that it’s running an ESP32 SoC microcontroller. Why this chip? Figment’s meant for retro, simple, or indie games, like text adventures, puzzles, or turn-based games such as Sudoku, Minesweeper, or Chess, which fit the screen’s slow refresh speed.
Right now, the core gameplay is kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure book, with some light D&D-style mechanics (decisions + dice rolls), but I’m hoping to explore other slow-paced or asynchronous mechanics that feel good in eInk,” said Pedro.
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