We’ve been keeping our eye on a slick little handheld called the GamerCard. It comes from Grant Sinclair, the nephew of Sir Clive Sinclair, the inventor of the ZX Spectrum. To say Grant has some big shoes to fill is an understatement, but he’s already shown his gaming chops with the Sinclair POCO, now setting his sights on releasing a fresh 1:1 handheld that looks perfect for playing Pico-8 games, made out of two FR4 PCBs sandwiched together, offering a unique and slim design that will allow the handheld to be sold hanging on gift-card end caps.
Well, we are nearing the release of Grant Sinclair’s GamerCard, with orders set to ship late this month. In preparation for the launch, Grant has uploaded a handful of Shorts on YouTube that showcase precisely how the pocketable handheld plays, offering a look at the UI and games from Pico-8 and ZX Spectrum. Let’s jump in and take a look.
The GamerCard is looking pretty impressive for a Raspberry Pi retro handheld
The Lair [Pico-8], ZX Spectrum classics, Saboteur Trilogy [ZX Spectrum] (Source: Grant Sinclair)
Directly above you can watch a few videos that indeed showcase how the GamerCard plays. The first Short (starting from the left) showcases the Pico-8 title (and we are fans of Pico-8 here at Guilty Gamer), The Lair, which offers 60FPS pixel art brawling gameplay. Next is a Short that offers a look at a range of ZX Spectrum titles, and the third Short offers a glimpse at Saboteur II from the ZX Spectrum. As you can see, the games look pretty great on the 4-inch 1:1 IPS display. But wait, there’s more.
Built-in games, launcher, and gift pack (Source: Grant Sinclair)
What good is a gaming handheld if it doesn’t come with any games? This is why the GamerCard ships with two titles pre-loaded on the handheld, Bloo Kid 2 and AstroBlaze DX, and you can watch them in action in the first Short. The second Short offers a look at the GamerCard’s UI, which lets you easily scroll through your games, and even set their icons in a grid for a pleasing homescreen. Last but not least is a Short that offers an unboxing of the GamerCard, and it comes in an interesting cardboard package that can be used to display the handheld at a 45° angle, with a little tab you pull to prop it up.
You can find the rest of the GamerCard Shorts over on YouTube, showcasing even more games if you’re curious to take a look.
Now that you’ve seen the GamerCard in action, do you plan to get one?
GamerCard end cap, design, and it’s plenty pocketable (Source: Grant Sinclair)
Personally, I’m a little hyped for the GamerCard. From what I’ve seen, it looks to be a thoughtfully designed handheld that offers a unique build, foregoing a plastic or metal case and instead uses the very material the PCBs are made of, sandwiching the electronics inside with the rear of the FR4 making up the surface of the front and back. That’s pretty ingenious in my opinion. I’ve also yet to personally dip into Pico-8 games, and have been hunting for the perfect 1:1 handheld to get my feet wet, and the GamerCard looks to be shaping up to be the handheld I’ve been waiting for.
Basically, I can’t wait to get my hands on a GamerCard so that I can dive into a full review at Guilty Gamer to report on my findings. Let’s just say what I’ve seen so far has me incredibly intrigued. Clearly, the device has been built to appeal to gamers as an impulse buy, and at £125 (around $164), I’d say that’s a fitting price that can easily turn a few heads.
Grant Sinclair’s GamerCard
