Waveshare Game HAT
Stretching the idea of what a Pi HAT can do, Neil Mohr settles in for some portable retro gaming.
Bored to tears during lockdown, Neil Mohr dusts off one of his spare Raspberry Pis and gets to enjoy endless retro gaming fun thanks to this dinky HAT.
We heard you like playing games from yesteryear, so how does a DIY handheld retro-gaming build sound to you? If your Pi interest levels have been piqued then the Waveshare Game HAT should be high on your Christmas list. First launched a couple of years ago by prolific Shenzhen-based manufacturer Waveshare, the latest version of its Game HAT is a kit-based handheld display and controller solution. There’s no battery or Raspberry Pi supplied, but for around £40 the device is still reasonably priced.
It’s a straightforward yet ingenious little solution. Waveshare has taken a 480x320 3.5-inch IPS display, mounted it to a Playstation Portable-style PCB, attached an average joystick, mediocre four-direction buttons, a couple of tiny paddle buttons and a speaker. With a backplate attached and six supplied bolts you effectively create a sandwich Psp-lookalike powered by your Pi.
Waveshare states that it’ll work with any Pi, but in practice the Pi Zero is out (it would be ideal with its low power consumption) because it has a mini-hdmi port and the supplied one is a full-size one for a standard Pi, and there are physical mounting issues, too. The Pi 4 also misses out because of power consumption and software factors. Apparently these can be worked around, but it’s not supported by the supplied package. So it’s a Pi 2B or 3B model for the best out-of-the-box results.
Simple self-assembly
The “build” is straightforward. Pop the top board onto the GPIO, attach the LCD to the HDMI adaptor and screw the base into place with the supplied parts. You’ll need to supply a standard Li-ion 18650 battery yourself – these cost about £6 and you’ll likely want at least two. Remember to insert these with the correct polarity!
To its credit Waveshare offers pre-packaged Retropie builds from its website that are ready to download and go. It also offers the Linux drivers for the Game HAT together with full instructions on how to install these on your own installs, which you’ll likely want to do because the pre-built image is based on Retropie 4.4 from 2018.
The crowning glory of the Game HAT is the IPS display. It’s bright, vivid and has a 60Hz refresh. Movement is fluid and it makes the games a joy to play. The front-mounted speakers do an acceptable job. Audio is loud and clear, but the very nature of retro games means sounds effects are never going to require high-quality speakers.
Battery life is conservatively quoted as one to two hours. One problem is that 18650 batteries bought online can differ in quality, with made-up capacities and so on. But with a basic 2,500mah capacity cell and a Pi 3B+ with a loaded 520ma power draw and the display’s 200ma power draw (brightness dependent), you can expect at least two hours’ and more likely three hours’ play. It’s a shame the unit hasn’t got a removable battery slot. You could cut your own in the case, but it won’t be as neat.
Our main beef is the oversized joystick. It’s far too prominent, has too much travel and is easily knocked off, especially when packing the device away. You’re basically best removing it for storage. The front buttons also pop off a little too easily, while the many side controls are rudimentary, which largely fits the overall aesthetics.
If you have a spare Pi 2 or 3 and SD card you’re effectively investing in a handheld retro console for £40 plus battery. Whether you’re better off with a Bluetooth controller and a Pi plugged into the TV is down to you.