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Im not afraid to admit Im a man who likes tiny things.
Ive built miniature landscapes and dioramas for people.
I once tried to sell a TV show about miniatures and failed miserably.
So, when I saw the Kickstarter for the Thumby Color, I was already in.
This was not a hard pitch.
This Is Not An Entirely Useful Machine
Moving on!
What is the Thumby Color?
Why, its a tiny video game console of course!
Its technically the sequel to TinyCircuits Thumby, aneven smaller video game system that I also pre-ordered immediately.
When I left, I gave him a Thumby as a gift.
His response was to gently smile and ask, What am I supposed to do with this?
So,thatswhat were working with.
If I love anything more than tiny things, its tinyuselessthings.
Although, Im being a bit unfair.
And the Thumby Color is actuallymassivecompared to the original, at a little over two inches long.
You could probably fit two of these rumbling consoles inside a Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak.
Yet, the games play well!
Is Chess on the Thumby Color the ideal way to go about it?
Its not supposed to be.
But compared to the Thumby - which I essentially had to play with my fingernails - this is easy.
The hardest time I think I had was actuallyseeingwhat was on the screen in games like the Bust-A-Move clone.
And thats only when objects on the small screen were only a few pixels wide.
Otherwise, playing on it is oddly great, even with hotdog fingers like mine.
True, you probably arent going to play it through a flight.
But I think a hamster on a wheel could power it so, you know, shrug.
I know, I know.
The Thumby is designed to look like a Game Boy.
Im sure that time will come.
There are far better small machines made specifically for emulation if thats all youre looking for.
TheFunKey Sisnt perfect, but playingCivilization 2for the PSX on itis.
The Thumby Color is more for experimentation and indie games and python programming practice.
Its a tiny console made for tiny projects.
And its my dream.
Look, I love jank.
This isnt a review because I wouldnt even knowhowto review this if it was.
There are cheaper systems more filled with clones of better games.
But this is a janky piece of hardware for people who just want to mess around.
Im excited to upload fan games and break it trying to play my own.
Im excited to lose this in my backpack and find it in three years.
TinyCircuits makes ridiculously small things for ridiculously weird people.
I dont mind being one of them.
With 36 different staff from TheGamer voting, this is our ultimate Game of the Year list.
