Inventor of ZX Spectrum’s Nephew Unveils GamerCard: A Gift Card-Sized Raspberry Pi Gaming Console with 4-Inch IPS Screen and Pre-Loaded Arcade Games

Sure, let’s take a stroll down this chaotic path. Here we go:

So, retro gaming, right? It’s like the good ol’ days are coming back and just when you thought it was safe to put away the pixel art. There’s this funky little device from Grant Sinclair. Seriously, it’s as small as those retail gift cards you find at checkout aisles—kinda wild, yeah?

Ah, Grant Sinclair, ring a bell? Yeah, he’s Sir Clive Sinclair’s nephew. You know, the dude who gave us the ZX Spectrum and got a whole bunch of folks into gaming and coding. It’s like, does genius run in the family or what? But anyways, let’s not dwell on family trees.

Now, this creation, the GamerCard® (fancy, right?), packs a Raspberry Pi under the hood. It’s got this neat 4″ IPS screen, good pixels and all. But here’s the kicker: there are these two round pads with eight buttons beneath. Imagine playing right outta the box with high-energy arcade games. I mean, why not?

This little gizmo has this super clear launcher for games and emulators like Recalbox and RetroPie. I guess if you’re into coding, you could dabble in MicroPython or BASIC. Wild mix, huh?

Oh, and wait! They’ve thrown in Bloo Kid 2 and AstroBlaze DX too. These games were once chilling exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Not anymore! Now they’re popping off on this tiny screen with that classic pixel-art feel. Makes you wanna bust out those joystick moves like it’s 1995 or something.

I mean, it’s shockingly thin at 6.5 mm. You pretty much grab it like you would a gift card. Who came up with this? It’s like someone looked at a stack of PCBs and said, “Yeah, let’s slap a screen on it.” No case, no fuss—just play.

And here’s something nutty: it’s essentially a small PC. Raspberry Pi Zero 2W inside, a decent processor, and a mind-boggling 128GB storage. You get a USB-C and HDMI port too. Sure, it’d make a crazy pricey standard PC, but hey, if you want to plug in a keyboard and mouse, go for it.

But let’s chat about what it costs— £125 or near $170 in American bucks. The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is cheaper, and Anbernic has devices that stay under $100. Why are clamshell or flip handhelds suddenly a trend too?

The truth? This thing isn’t cheap, and it makes you wonder if the innovation overshadows practicality. It’s quirky, sure—novelty’s off the charts. But unless you’re a retro gaming fanatic—or a massive gift card fan (no judgment)—the GamerCard might be a stretch. Would I buy one? Mystified but skeptical.

Creativity points for Grant, though. Definitely one for the bucket of “why nots” in life, you know?

Okay, that’s all from this side of the keyboard.