Kit + Tools - Build & Code Your Own Game Console | Electronics & Science Projects | DIY Educational Fun, STEM Toys, and Gift for Kids Ages 8-12 +

Loved this project. Young son was able to assemble and use this module.

Soldering rod stopped working the very first day!

This is a great product for anyone who likes building. It's very neat and will keep you busy for a while!

It makes for a great road trip game. My kids love it and have played it multiple times until the batteries run out.

If you've been looking to try an electroincs project but the 8BitCade seems a little intimidating this is a great starter. It comes with everything you need in the box including a mini soldiering iron, a set of clippers, and plenty of soldier, and a file. It also includes a whole bunch of extra parts specifically for you to practice soldiering on which is super helpful. I don't love that the iron is USB powered, but thats the state of mini electronics today. Reminder, don't throw out the rubberband around the USB cable, you will need it later.Make sure to plug the iron into an actual power adapter not a computer, computers do not have enough power from their USB outputs to run it. The instructions are all web based, with an excellent set of youtube videos from the creator showing you exactly how to put this together. While I understand some may be concerned that the company could go away, Youtube videos stay around even if the playcade site goes down so even if they did, the videos will still be there. My reccomendation, practice on the included practice parts first, there isn't a huge amount of soldiering on this but its very small so its good to get some practice before working on it. I ran into a small issue, and filled out the help form on the website and the actual creator very quickly replied to my email and was very helpful.The whole thing takes maybe a couple hours to put together if you take your time, and it has a reasonable selection of games considering its so small. You can also sideload games to it via USB and theres plenty available online for that purpose. The reality is, its very tiny so tough to play games on long term, but still a cool little project and conversation piece. I let my kids play it and they enjoyed it.Once you build this I highly suggest moving up to the 8BitCade kit, that device has a lot of games on it and is easier to play as well. Building that is significanly more in depth and challenging, and therefore even more fun.Overall I really reccomend this device as a starting point into electronics projects, it has all you need to start, is fun and low impact to build, and results in a new skill and a fun little toy.

This seemed like a fun project to create with my kiddos, but it was missing two pretty important parts, which was frustrating, as I didn’t check from the get go, so we were already on board, which made it more of a disappointment. I checked the box, floors, everything. No way anything got passed my neat freak daughter, lol.Being that it could have been a ‘one in a ton’ fupa, and not a common occurrence, I’ll give 2 stars just for the originality & fun idea behind this build-it product for adults and big kids alike, but for us? It’s a rare but it happens.. flop. If I’m ever able to get a replacement, I’ll base my review on the completed product, but for now, I’ve got to give a generous..2 stars, for what I received :(. Make sure to check for all your pieces prior to use. It looks very cool & unique of a gift idea & project next, though.⭐️⭐️** I hope my review has been helpful 😊! **

This is a really great gift idea for people who enjoy putting things together. Or for someone who's interested in stem projects. All the pieces were there and following instructions were extremely easy.

This is a really fun kit for all ages (8+), even if a bit expensive.There were a few surprises for me. I thought you built the kit then either downloaded or programmed your own games. Nope, it comes pre-programmed with 20 games. That's ok, it makes it ready to go as soon as you get it assembled.Also, I thought their web site had coding instructions for games like tetris and frogger, and also a code platform. Well, not really - as of this writing, the code platform is not complete, and the only instructions they provide is for tetris.That's really not a huge deal, there are lots of free sites that provide this, and lots of tutorials and coding instructions for simple games.It looks like the 20 pre-programmed games came from a different site, PPOT. There you can find a total of about 50 games, and learn a little bit more about coding.There are no instructions, you get them from their site. This is not a huge deal, but I am nervous that this site may disappear. I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I've seen many products in this category flop very quickly and then all support just goes away overnight. So I suggest heading over there and downloading the manual ASAP.It takes 1-2 hours to assemble. It's ok that it takes a while, it's fun, just keep track of the little pieces. The finished product itself is sturdier than you think, with a long battery life, and a good quality OLED screen (even if very small). The screen is about an inch wide, less than half the size of my game watch.They include absolutely everything you need, and yes everything here is absolutely appropriate for 8+ kids. They even include a soldering iron, a little practice soldering board, and plenty of solder. We have a little soldering fan and catalyst at home, but for most people I would suggest doing this next to a window or vent.Even teens will have fun with this, though you may want to be looking into more versatile options such as a Raspberry Pi for older kids.Again, the screen and buttons are very tiny, on some games you may need to magnify it.