Cedrick Tan, a university student in Singapore, has turned a watermelon into an old-school Game Boy. And while the prototype handheld gaming-fruit isn’t especially robust, it clearly makes for a good time. Especially when strangers are around and are not used to seeing somebody play Pokémon on a melon.
Tan told Vice he decided to make the Watermelon Game Boy, officially dubbed “Melon Boy,” because making a console has always been a favorite project for the Raspberry Pi community. Although Tan notes on Reddit that he also used the project as a way to combat boredom during his country’s quarantine.
In the video below, which comes via Interesting Engineering, Tan describes the Melon Boy build process. The electronic components Tan uses to make the “fresh” gadget include speakers, wires, and a small 1.8-inch color screen. And, of course, a Raspberry Pi single-board computer.
Although Tan doesn’t provide a ton of close-up gaming footage in the build video, it’s obvious the Melon Boy is a delight. Tan’s friends seem genuinely childlike in their awe of the gadget, and strangers can’t help but stare at it. At one point, Tan even takes the Melon Boy to the supermarket as a stunt, resulting in a lot of nonplussed shoppers.
Unfortunately, Tan’s YouTube channel is still a little green itself, so he’s only posted a handful of videos. But the Information Systems student shows a lot of promise in the world of cutting-edge tech. Even if Tan’s currently using that cutting edge to turn a watermelon into a Game Boy.
First ever Swampert to evolve on a Watermelon! [OP] from r/pokemon
Feature image: Cedishappy