Running On Sunlight And Button Mashing
Researchers at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. have developed a prototype handheld games console with sustainability at its core. The Game Boy-style console can run on nothing other than solar power and users pressing the buttons.
Those buttons contain small magnets which move through a wire coil when pressed. That change in the magnetic field can be used to charge and power the device.
In a well-lit room, the game can run for 10 seconds before the power drops out if the user isn’t pressing the buttons. However, thanks to the software the console is running, games are paused and can be resumed when the power is restored. It means gamers won’t lose their progress if they don’t press the buttons quickly enough.
Changing The Tech
The new video game console was inspired by the Game Boy, and even runs the old classics like Tetris, Pokemon, and Super Mario Land. The team of researchers built their new console from scratch, opting not to use original parts because they use too much energy.
Instead, the hardware that’s running on this prototype is five to 10 times less power-hungry than the original. The hope of this games console is to encourage people to reduce electronic waste from handheld games and mobile devices.
This battery-free alternative could one day change the way people play video games forever.
Handheld video games have always relied on batteries to keep gamers entertained. It looks like times are changing and a more sustainable solution to gaming could be just around the corner thanks to this prototype.