A smartwatch and a Switch controller make one of the smallest consoles in the world. Nevertheless, the mini console has enough power to play one of the best open-world games ever.
Handheld consoles have been on the rise again for a few years now. The Nintendo Switch is one of the best-selling game consoles of all time and Valve’s Steam Deck makes PC gaming possible on the go.
However, neither of the two options mentioned is really small. A user on Reddit now shows how handy a console could theoretically be. He has created perhaps the most portable game console of all time from a smartwatch and a mini-controller – and made one of the most popular parts of the GTA franchise run on it.
It’s obvious: gaming via smartwatch
The user (/u/macromayhem) shared his homemade console with the world in a short video. In it, you can see the two components used in his console: the Lokmat APPLLP 4 Android smartwatch and the Zero 2, a custom controller for the Switch from 8bitdo. Cost of his own creation: around 300 euros.
The Smartwatch is equipped with a quad-core Unisoc Tiger T310 CPU, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal memory. The display is a 1.6-inch (4.06 cm) touch display with 400 x 400 pixels of resolution.
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In the video, you can see how the Reddit user first navigates through the menus of the console via controller and then starts the open-world classic GTA: San Andreas. Due to the round display of the smartwatch, the game is cut off at the corners and part of the HUD is hidden. But Rockstar’s gangster epic runs surprisingly smoothly on the small watch.
In the comments, other Reddit users are enthusiastic about the self-made game console. Particularly frequent reference is made to technological progress. What is feasible today on one’s own initiative would have seemed like pure magic in 2004 when GTA: San Andreas was released.
What do you think of the smartwatch as a games console? Is the whole thing just a gimmick, as in the video shared, or would the watch on the wristband have real potential as a portable console? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
