Retro Ruler: A Game-Changing Ruler that Brings Classic Games to Life

French engineering student Raphaël Texier has introduced the Retro-Ruler project, a device designed to resemble a standard ruler that allows users to play games from retro consoles. The functionality of the Retro-Ruler is powered by the Retro-GO firmware. You can explore Texier’s project on GitHub, and the creator has also launched a funding campaign on Kickstarter.

The enthusiast pointed out that rulers are commonly used in various professions, particularly in engineering and technology. His aim was to make this everyday tool more engaging.

The device features a 1.69-inch IPS display with a resolution of 280×240, a dual-core ESP32-S3 microcontroller, 8 MB of RAM, and 16 MB of flash storage. A 230 mAh LiPo battery offers approximately two hours of gameplay on a single charge, and the device is equipped with a USB-C port for battery recharging.

The internal storage of the Retro-Ruler can be expanded using an SD card of up to 64 GB, which should provide ample space for a large collection of ROM files. The gaming ruler is equipped with 14 buttons, two of which are located on the back. It operates on the open-source Retro-GO firmware, developed by ducalex.

Retro-GO is capable of running games from NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game & Watch, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive (Genesis), Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, PC Engine, ColecoVision, and MSX.