GameTank is a New Open-Source Retro Console
- Fully open-source retro console with free schematics, 3D-print files, and an SDK for 6502-powered development.
- 8-bit inspired hardware that supports C/Rust/C++ game development and delivers enhanced features like parallax scrolling and fluid sprite animation.
- Launching via Crowd Supply with multiple color options, physical cartridges, composite output, and modifiable hardware.
Jump to:
Homebrew 8-Bit Console
Retro gamers are spoilt for choice when it comes to modern consoles designed to run older games, but it’s not often someone designs a completely new machine for retro-inspired gaming that also comes with its own SDK. GameTank is such a thing, and it’s designed by Clyde Shaffer, a former Software Engineer for Facebook based in Port Washington, NY.
GameTank has a few idiosyncrasies that help it stand out, least of all is that it’s open source. Shaffer has built it from readily-available components and made the assembly instructions, as well as 3D print files for the console, available for free on GitHub. He’s also set to run a Crowd Supply campaign for prebuilt units.
“I wanted to build something different, something weird, something with its own earnest individual character from its engineering decisions,” Shaffer said in a recent YouTube video filmed in a suitable retro style.
“Rather than looking back at a vintage aesthetic, I was looking forward to new ways to play with simple hardware,” he added. “Being open source invites people to get involved in any way that excites them.”
A Fantasy Console Made Real
Shaffer has been transparent in his aims and ethos, including how the GameTank is inspired by so-called “fantasy consoles” such as PICO-8 and TIC-80, which are self-contained game engines for 8-bit games similar to those made in the 1980s. The main difference between those and GameTank is that GameTank is an actual console, with its own emulation-based SDK.
This is also open-source, meaning any programmer who knows what they’re doing can tweak it accordingly. Its default code is based on the existing cc65 program, which is a “cross-development package for 65(C)02 systems.” This refers to an 8-bit processor, the 6502, which powered old machines such as the C64, NES, and Atari 2600. In short, coders familiar with C, Rust, or C++ shouldn’t have any issues making a game for GameTank.
One notable difference between GameTank’s 8-bit capabilities and older machines is that its hardware architecture allows for things closer to 16-bit gaming, such as parallax backgrounds and fluid animation. There’s also a dedicated tool for flashing game ROMs onto GameTank-specific cartridges for a physical, tactile element.
Crowd Funding And Default Specs
Anyone can grab the schematics for GameTank from GitHub and have a go at kitbashing their own console together, or they can wait to get their hands on a prebuilt version. These are being sold via a Crowd Supply campaign, which is going live soon. Unlike other crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, Crowd Supply has a focus on hardware projects that are original, useful and respectful of user rights, and that are on track to actually get delivered.
Shaffer has revealed that he already has multiple prebuilt consoles ready to go, although it’s also possible to order one in a different color scheme: GameTank is currently available in default blue, black, orange, yellow, army green, and magenta. Several physical games are also already available for the system, including Accursed Fiend (an RPG) and Tanks! (a two-player tank battle).
The GameTank ships with one controller, with additional ones available through the official online store – or for free, via self-assembly. The GameTank comes by default with a composite video output and mono audio output, not HDMI, but again, as it’s open-source gamers with either hardware knowledge or interested in tinkering can technically have a go at modding the console to include HDMI capabilities.
Other default specs include a 128×128 video framebuffer, 512 KB graphics RAM, 32 KB general purpose RAM banked in 8 KB sections. Audio is handled by the W65C02S CPU at 14 MHz with 4 KB RAM, at a default 14 kHz sample rate. Custom cartridges feature a 36-pin 0.1-inch pitch format, and a standard board that contains 2 MB of flash memory.
or
