ELECFREAKS Retro Coding Arcade for Microsoft Makecode DIY Programmable Handheld Game Console Suitable for STEM Education, Kid Game Programming Learning Machine Supports Block Programming and Python

This is the best. Making your own video games on the computer then downloading them to a game device to play. The best way to learn how to code in a fun way. Elecfreaks has great products.

Bought these for my classroom. My middle school students enjoyed coding video games and playing then with this device.

I teach young people to explore coding and tinkering with electronics. This past summer I began looking for a way to get projects into their hands to actually play and share with friends. The Elecfreaks Retro Arcade for Education (or at home) is perfect.The device feels solid and it also feels like the vintage GameBoy.You start off by building or remixing game code (low cade, Python, or Javascript) on Microsoft MakeCode. Then follow the easy to follow instructions to connect your computing device to the Retro. It will then download your chosen game and you can play it on the device.Battery life is good for playing these small 2-D low res (read RETRO old school) games.It really is alot of fun.

This is a nifty gadget, my only issue is it only lets you put one game on it at a time.It's not hard to figure out how to put games on it or use, so that is a plus.

I teach a course that uses Microsoft Make Code Arcade for one of the units. I love how we can create our games and then download them and play them! It increases student interest in the unit.

Very disappointed. Wrote half of a multiplication game for my coding students. It ran flawlessly on the MakeCode Arcade online simulator, but would not run on the Retro Coding Arcade device. The program I wrote was not that long or complicated. Very simple programs I tried did run OK. Fortunately, my program ran fine on an Android phone. Save your money. Use your phone. (Probably OK for young children with very limited coding experience.)

We purchased this device after the X-Tron Pro, which was a really great toy for tinkering, but has a very small screen which can be hard on the eyes.This handheld has a nice big screen that is much easier to look at. Although ours arrived with some noticeable, long vertical and horizontal scratches. The scratches, while unpleasant, are more cosmetic in effect and do not detract much from the overall value.However, it is important to note, when using the handheld with Microsoft Makecode, as advised, the resolution is not 320x240, as the advertiser is listing. It registers as 160x120, like the X-Tron pro. It may be that the device actually is 320x240, and they are doubling the pixels to fill the screen? Whatever the case, I have yet to see the resolution boasted in the product details above.Finally, the operation of the device is a little strange. Unlike the X-Tron Pro, it hosts one game at a time, which is simple enough. The game can be loaded from the PC via USB-C cable after hitting the small round button under the screen. To power the device off, it seems one must hold the faintly indented button at the top edge of the handheld for 20 seconds or so. The instruction manual it came with had no English translation, so I may be wrong about this!Overall, I think it is a worthwhile alternative to the X-Tron if you need a bigger screen, but otherwise you should get that instead.

Son loves it, he has been playing it for more than 1 month now. Notes: If he still likes it after the 2nd month, I will buy another one since there are some makecode arcade codes that require 2 consoles, and he has been asking me to get another 1.