The Arduboy FX-C: A Portable Gaming Gem You’ll Love to Have on Hand

As handheld consoles evolve, the Arduboy FX-C stands out with its impressively compact design. This device packs in the best features from previous models along with some exciting upgrades, all while remaining no larger or thicker than a few credit cards. It’s the ultimate version of the Arduboy, especially for gamers eager to dive into its growing library of games and apps right from the start. However, one of its most intriguing features is still a work in progress.

The original Arduboy was a Tetris-playing business card created by Kevin Bates to showcase his electronics skills. It gained viral fame in 2014, leading Bates to transform it into a commercial product a year later, serving as both a tiny open-source gaming device and a learning tool for aspiring developers.

After more than a decade of minor updates, the Arduboy FX-C retains the look of the original. It features six buttons, four of which serve as a D-pad. The buttons have minimal travel due to the device’s slim 5mm profile, but they provide a satisfying click when pressed. The piezoelectric speaker delivers a high-pitched sound that’s more than adequate, and the 1.3-inch, 1-bit OLED screen is bright enough for outdoor play.

While the classic Game Boy could display four shades of greenish-gray, the Arduboy FX-C’s screen is monochromatic, limited to white pixels. Developers must use visual tricks like dithering or flickering to simulate grayscale graphics. The FX-C is powered by an ATmega32u4 processor with just 2.5KB of RAM. Compared to other black-and-white handhelds like the Playdate, the Arduboy FX-C may seem basic, but these limitations have sparked creativity among game developers, which is a significant part of its charm.

One of my main frustrations with the original Arduboy was its limited storage, which often required me to connect it to my laptop to switch games. In 2020, Bates introduced the Arduboy FX, which included an extra flash chip capable of holding 250 games. The FX-C builds on this with a larger chip that accommodates over 300 games and upgrades the connection from microUSB to USB-C.

While it would be great to see features like a color screen, a proper D-pad, dedicated volume buttons, an enhanced sound chip, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a microSD card slot, these upgrades don’t feel essential. The FX-C is stripped down to the essentials for gaming, and it delivers.

A small switch on the top edge powers the FX-C, but it can be tricky to access if you have short fingernails. After a quick boot-up, you’re greeted with a straightforward home screen and menu system. The pre-installed games are organized into categories like Action, Adventure, Arcade, Runner, Puzzle, and Racing, which you can scroll through horizontally. Within each category, games are navigated vertically. It’s simple and user-friendly, though I’d appreciate an additional category for alphabetical sorting.

All games developed for the Arduboy are available for free, so you won’t find classic 8-bit titles like Super Mario Bros. or Castlevania that are still offered on other platforms. However, there are plenty of excellent alternatives that evoke nostalgia while remaining unique enough to avoid legal issues. Surprisingly, despite the FX-C’s limited processing power, the library includes more than just side-scrollers and falling block puzzles; you’ll also find first-person shooters, dungeon crawlers, and racing games that run smoothly.

There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had, but don’t expect games that will take weeks to complete. The Arduboy FX-C is ideal for quick gaming sessions when you have a few minutes to spare.

Unfortunately, the multiplayer feature that convinced me to buy two FX-Cs isn’t fully functional yet. I’ve struggled to get USB multiplayer working, although some users in the community have had success. Bates has mentioned that this feature is still in development. Arduboy multiplayer cleverly utilizes the extra conductors in modern USB cables to transfer game data, but it requires a more expensive USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt cable. After testing several USB 3.0 cables, I’ve had no luck. While I believe this feature will eventually work, if multiplayer is your main reason for getting a pair of FX-Cs, it might be best to wait.

The Arduboy FX-C is still a solid upgrade. The original was one of the last devices I needed to keep microUSB cables for, but the extensive collection of bundled games from the Arduboy community is the real draw. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the library, and while the quality varies, it’s hard to be disappointed when the games are free. A console is only as good as its game library, and over the years, the Arduboy has built a dedicated community that has developed hundreds of games. If you approach it with an open mind and don’t focus on what it lacks, you’re sure to enjoy this handheld.