The FunKey Times

VOL. I … No. 1 Compiled by The FunKey Wiki

Announcements What's up, FunKey? Summaries

Episode 19 (January 15, 2021) - The FunKey Team announced that they had selected a batch of replacement U3 MicroSD cards for the remaining FunKey S units. While they were not ready to announce a new shipping date, they did say that the devices would be shipped with an updated version of FunKey-OS that included Gmenu2x, among other software improvements. They mentioned that this software update would be released before the next weekly update, with current FunKey S owners being able to update to it via the MicroUSB port on their devices.

Episode 18 (January 8, 2021) - The FunKey Team announced that the manufacturer was nearly finished checking for and fixing defects in the remaining FunKey S units. They also announced that they would be upgrading the MicroSD cards used in the systems following several reports of early MicroSD card failure. Due to a number of factors they said that they could not yet confirm an updated shipping date, though expected it to be in either February or March.

Episode 17.5 (December 23, 2020) - Following the discovery of unexpected faults in four FunKey S units received by backers in Asia, the shipment process was halted after only 600 of the 3100 units had been shipped. The FunKey Team said that they were extremely disappointed by the added delay, stating that they were working with the manufacturer to check the remaining units for potential faults before any further units would be shipped out. They also said that they would repair any units that had arrived with faults at no additional cost to backers.

Episode 17 (December 18, 2020) - The shipment process began on schedule the day prior, December 17. The FunKey Team said what while some orders would arrive before Christmas, due to COVID-19 related delays there was a chance that backers in the European Union and United States would receive their systems afterwards. They also said that all backers would receive shipment tracking numbers when their devices are ready for shipment.

Episode 16 (December 11, 2020) - The FunKey Team announced that production had progressed smoothly since the previous week, with the start of device shipment still on track to begin in mid-December. They also announced that they would add in a future update to FunKey-OS the program launcher Gmenu2X as an alternative to the default RetroFE launcher. The FunKey Team said that the more open development environment of Gmenu2X would facilitate future third-party software development for the FunKey S. They announced that one of the first third-party software ports was the VBA-next emulator, which would provide better GBA emulation than the default gpSP emulator.

Episode 15 (December 4, 2020) - The FunKey Team announced that the final assembly of FunKey S units had begun, with several accompanying images illustrating the process. They state that they expect the shipment process to begin in mid-December. They also fulfilled their promise to make the FunKey S hardware open source by releasing schematics of the system's electrical components on GitHub.

Episode 14 (November 27, 2020) - Following the open source release of the Funkey-OS firmware the previous week, the FunKey Team began to fulfill their promise of making the FunKey S hardware open source as well by releasing 3D model schematics of the FunKey S shell pieces in STL and STEP formats, allowing users to view, modify, and 3D print the device's plastic components. The FunKey Team also announced that while the all components had finally been delivered for final assembly, the timeline for this would have to be pushed back by another week. This was due to the need to remove the Sega Genesis port of Cave Story from FunKey-OS to avoid potential legal risks posed by the recent DMCA notice sent by the publisher of the related game Cave Story+, Nicalis, to the developers of the original game's decompilation. Expressing their condolences for the delay, the FunKey Team said that they would make the most of the delay by updating the preloaded firmware to the most recent version and shared a seven minute gameplay video of the PlayStation game MediEvil on the FunKey S.

Episode 13 (November 20, 2020) - The FunKey Team announced that all FunKey S PCBAs had been manufactured, with testing underway to check for potential problems. The team also released all of the files needed to build the FunKey-OS Linux distribution on GitHub, fulfilling their promise to make the device's software open source. They additionally shared videos further demonstrating the "Instant Action" feature of the FunKey S, giving it the ability to save and reload save states upon closing and opening the system, respectively.

Episode 12 (November 13, 2020) - The FunKey Team announced that the FunKey S PCBAs were undergoing production, with automatic checks in place to ensure that each system functions properly. Once all of the PCBAs are made, they will be combined with the rest of the system components to produce the complete FunKey S units. The FunKey Team also announced that four themes would be included with the system out of the box: FunKey, Classic, Flat, and TFT. They also reiterated that users interested in customizing their devices further would be able to install additional themes made by themselves or others, with several such themes planned for inclusion in further firmware updates.

Episode 11 (November 6, 2020) - Following an adjustment of the length of the FunKey S battery's wire to make it fit more efficiently in the device's casing, the FunKey Team gave the go-ahead for the manufacturing of the devices to begin. This was illustrated with a timetable of the manufacturing and shipping processes that indicated that the manufacturing of the components would last until November 23rd, that those components would be assembled into finished units by December 3rd, and that the devices would be packaged, shipped, and delivered to backers before December 25th. The FunKey Team also shared further FunKey S gameplay videos and announced the homebrew games that would be preloaded onto the system by default.

Episode 10 (October 30, 2020) - After receiving the final shipment of sample production units from the manufacturer for inspection, the FunKey Team verified that the devices had no further issues and awaited the response of backers to give the go-ahead for mass production of the devices to begin. The FunKey Team shared several images of the final FunKey S units in their post, including images of the devices with their packaging and images of the Retro Grey system with colorful buttons installed.

Episode 9 (October 23, 2020) - Due to their dissatisfaction with the screen quality of the FunKey S sample unit that they received from the manufacturer, the FunKey Team decided to upgrade it to one that displays clearer and sharper images, a contrast they illustrated with a series of images. Because of this change, the manufacturing of the system had to be delayed until November 20th, when the new displays would become available again. Additionally, due to the completion of a compatible TurboGrafx-16 emulator, the team announced that the emulation of the system would be supported by the FunKey S out of the box. They also announced that since they would be receiving the final sample units of each FunKey S model in several days, they intend to share several images of the final system in the subsequent weekly update.

Episode 8 (October 16, 2020) - The FunKey Team shared more photos of GBA gameplay on the FunKey S in both 240x180 scaled and 240x240 stretched aspect ratios. They announced that they have chosen the battery that will be used in the FunKey S for mass-production, a custom 410 mAh lithium-ion battery that provides an average battery life of an hour and forty-five minutes. They also announced that the final mold for the casing is nearly finished, with only an issue with button height still needing to be fixed. Additionally, due to the FunKey S shipment date approaching, they closed backer surveys, with those who filled out their surveys being the first to receive their devices.

Episode 7 (October 9, 2020) - The FunKey Team shared the gameplay video that they previously posted on their Instagram page. They also announce that they have upgraded the casing and display glass of the FunKey S to make them more scratch-resistant.

Episode 6 (October 2, 2020) - The FunKey Team shared further FunKey S gameplay photos, with video of that gameplay being available on their Instagram page. Having ordered all of the necessary electrical components for the FunKey S, they also announced that the FunKey S manufacturer will soon begin assembling FunKey S PCBAs. In other news, the FunKey Team moved their order platform from Indiegogo OnDemand to their own store on BackerKit, where all new orders will be processed.

Episode 5 (September 25, 2020) - The FunKey Team finished designing the product packaging and received physical versions of it. Accompanying images of said packaging and the included measurements show that FunKey S units will come in 3.35 inch brown square boxes. Only 1.38 inches vertically, the box contains the FunKey S, securely held in the center of the box by a paper insert, and, presumedly below the paper insert, the included Micro-USB cable, additional buttons sets, and keychain lanyard. To differentiate the different color models of the FunKey S, each FunKey S box is also marked with a sticker indicating whether the unit is Original Purple, Retro Grey, or Atomic Purple.

Episode 4 (September 14, 2020) - The FunKey S manufacturer submitted images of a sample FunKey S shell and button set made using the completed mold to the FunKey Team. Accompanying images show the sample shell and buttons, which are black and white, respectively, with the lack of shell coloration being due to the purpose of the first sample: to test the quality of the plastic.

Episode 3 (August 28, 2020) - Within three days of the FunKey S color option surveys being released nearly three-quarters of backers submitted their choices, with Atomic Purple in the lead with 48% of the total orders, Retro Grey in second with 38%, and Original Purple in last place with 14%. In addition, the FunKey S manufacturer is nearly finished making the FunKey S molds.

Episode 2 (August 21, 2020) - The molds and PCBAs that will be used to make the FunKey S units are being created at the manufacturing facility, with several accompanying images visualizing the progress. Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy is shown running on the screen of one of the production units.

Episode 1 (August 18, 2020) - The FunKey Team submitted the finalized FunKey S mold to the factory in China where the devices will be manufactured. Workers at the factory will make a mold from the design, which, when complete, will be used to manufacture the FunKey S units. An accompanying video visualizes the mold as a digital 3D model. The FunKey Team is also working on finalizing the design of the packaging that FunKey S devices will be packaged and shipped in.

Press This section consists of a repository of links to news articles written about the FunKey S and its prototype predecessor, the Keymu. The list is split into three sections: stories written after the unveiling of the Keymu in June 2017, stories written after the unveiling of the improved FunKey S in April 2019, and stories written after the beginning of the FunKey S Kickstarter campaign in July 2020. Once the FunKey S is shipped, a fourth section will be created to list news articles reviewing or reporting on the final product. To highlight articles that review the FunKey S rather than simply report on announcements made about the product, the listings of such articles will be marked in bold.

If you are searching for articles to inform your decision on whether or not to purchase a FunKey S, note that articles prior to April 2019 describe the Keymu, the larger predecessor of the FunKey S, and thus do not take into account differences between the Keymu and FunKey S. In addition, all FunKey S units created prior to the manufacturing of the devices after the Kickstarter campaign were prototypes assembled with different displays and used 3D printed shells and buttons, and thus differ slightly from the final product.

After the Launch of the Kickstarter Campaign (July 1, 2020 - Present)
 * November 19, 2020 (obscurehandhelds) - Smaller Is Better? A Swarm Of Tiny Handhelds Is Coming
 * August 5, 2020 (DudeIWantThat) - FunKey S - World's Smallest Foldable Console
 * August 3, 2020 (TechAcute) - FunKey S: Play Retro Games with the World’s Smallest Gaming Handheld Console
 * July 28, 2020 (Game Rant) - Tiny Handheld Console Plays SNES, PlayStation Games, and More
 * July 27, 2020 (Nintendo Enthusiast) - Size matters not: The FunKey S provides retro thrills in a microscopic format
 * July 27, 2020 (Nintendo Life) - The FunKey S Is A Handheld Console That Fits On Your Keyring
 * July 24, 2020 (NAOS Cluster) - Funkey S, the world's smallest foldable handheld console
 * July 15, 2020 (NotebookCheck) - FunKey S: Miniature handheld console storms Kickstarter with over US$100,000 in funding
 * July 14, 2020 (Geeky Gadgets) - FunKey S tiny foldable handheld console hits Kickstarter from €62
 * July 13, 2020 (Liliputing) - FunKey S is a tiny retro console that looks like a Game Boy Advance SP
 * July 9, 2020 (Ausretrogamer) - FunKey S – All Your Retro Games On A Keychain
 * July 7, 2020 (Technabob) - The FunKey S Is the Smallest Handheld Gaming System We’ve Ever Seen
 * July 6, 2020 (The Awesomer) - Funkey S Mini Gaming Handheld
 * July 2, 2020 (hackster.io) - FunKey S Handheld Games Console Opens Crowdfunding, Aims to Put Open Emulation on Your Keyring

After the Final Product Reveal (April 16, 2019 - June 30, 2020)
 * May 18, 2020 (RetroDodo) - Funkey S Review – The Mini Gameboy Advance SP
 * April 16, 2019 (Medium) - FunKey Is a Complete Handheld Game Console That Fits on Your Keychain
 * April 16, 2019 (Hackaday) - The Pocket Emulator that Will Fit in Your Pocket

Prior to the Final Product Reveal (June 20, 2017 - April 15, 2019)
 * July 15, 2017 (Gadgetsin) - DIY Keychain-sized Mini Game Console Runs NES, SNES and GBA Games
 * July 10, 2017 (Wonderful Engineering) - Build This Key Chain Sized Game Boy & You Will Be a Millionaire
 * July 9, 2017 (The Awesomer) - Keymu Keychain Retro Console
 * July 7, 2017 (Gigazine) - Emulator that can play NES, Super Fami, Game Boy, GBA with world's smallest key holder size is amazing
 * July 7, 2017 (Gadgetify) - Keymu: Open Source Keychain-Sized Game Boy
 * July 7, 2017 (Throwbacks) - A Tiny Game Boy Exists And Seeing It Will Make You Want One
 * July 6, 2017 (Inquirer.net) - WATCH: Game Boy emulator keychain built by YouTuber
 * July 6, 2017 (Highsnobiety) - This Keychain-Sized Game Boy Is Every Gamer’s Dream
 * July 6, 2017 (Gizmodo) - Someone Could Make a Killing Selling This Keychain-Sized Game Boy
 * July 6, 2017 (Uproxx) - This Keychain-Sized Game Boy Color Needs To Be Nintendo’s Next Nostalgia Product
 * July 6, 2017 (Spiria) - Keymu, the keyring console
 * July 6, 2017 (VICE) - This Keychain-Sized Game Boy Emulator Is our 90s Dream Come True
 * July 6, 2017 (hackster.io) - Keymu: An Emulation Console for Your Keychain
 * July 6, 2017 (Hype Beast) - Watch This Fully Functional Keychain-Sized Game Boy in Action
 * July 6, 2017 (Mashable) - Tiny keychain-sized Game Boy is infinitely better than the SNES Classic
 * July 6, 2017 (Alphr) - Give Yourself Horrible Cramp With The DIY Game Boy Advance SP Keyring
 * July 5, 2017 (Boing Boing) - You can build this world's tiniest Game Boy Color clone
 * June 30, 2017 (Hackaday) - Hackaday Prize Entry: Gaming Done Tiny With Keymu

Video Official

FunKey S MicroSD Card Testing FunKey S Mechanical Issue Testing FunKey S - Official unboxing The VBA-next emulator being tested on the FunKey S FunKey S Donkey Kong Country Gameplay FunKey S: Gameplay on MediEvil (PS1) FunKey S Instant Action Demonstration Video 2 FunKey S Instant Action Demonstration Video 1 FunKey S Menu Themes FunKey S Assembly Tests SMD Pick and Place Machine Kickstarter Gameplay Video 2 Kickstarter Gameplay Video 1 Instagram Gameplay Video whole interface FunKey S - the world's smallest foldable handheld console yomSVeh9kbc XCTcGBMKctU FunKey S - Teaser #2 FunKey Teaser xVStO5joOQA XOPZEOa-LYc

FunKey S MicroSD Card Testing FunKey S Mechanical Issue Testing FunKey S - Official unboxing VBA-next emulator being tested on the FunKey S FunKey S Donkey Kong Country Gameplay FunKey S: Gameplay on MediEvil (PS1) FunKey S Instant Action Demonstration Video 2 FunKey S Instant Action Demonstration Video 1 FunKey S Menu Themes FunKey S Assembly Tests SMD Pick and Place Machine Kickstarter Gameplay Video 2 Kickstarter Gameplay Video 1 Instagram Gameplay Video whole interface yomSVeh9kbc FunKey S - the world's smallest foldable handheld console XCTcGBMKctU FunKey S - Teaser #2 xVStO5joOQA FunKey Teaser XOPZEOa-LYc

Official (Prototypes)

Funkey Zero - Currently optimized emulators Funkey Zero - Booting in less than 3 seconds RQv2En1Vt84 q9iJMw4lwds Keymu - Super Mario World on naked PCB Keymu - Zelda on breadboard prototype ftJMNxLwLIo 1LTHBb2bODw Keymu Demo - open source keychain-sized gaming console o1gE1o6ogEs

Funkey Zero - Currently optimized emulators RQv2En1Vt84 Funkey Zero - Booting in less than 3 seconds q9iJMw4lwds Keymu - Super Mario World on naked PCB <youtube width="256" height="144">ftJMNxLwLIo Keymu - Zelda on breadboard prototype <youtube width="256" height="144">1LTHBb2bODw Keymu Demo - open source keychain-sized gaming console <youtube width="256" height="144">o1gE1o6ogEs

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Media

Funkey S GUTS EXPOSED - Button Swap and Minor Teardown <div style="font-size:75%;text-align:center;float:right;width:50%;font-family:Helvetica;"class="nomobile";>Funkey S Review Lite, First Impressions, Games Tested, All Colors Unboxed-ish <youtube width="384" height="216">9FnVRuqsv_A <youtube width="384" height="216">YG5OIFncnos Funkey S <div style="font-size:75%;text-align:center;float:right;width:50%;font-family:Helvetica;"class="nomobile";>Funkey S Test: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team <youtube width="384" height="216">yCRkhMyxcjM <youtube width="384" height="216">A6j6F50aJUg EasyRPG running on the Funkey-S (Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea) <div style="font-size:75%;text-align:center;float:right;width:50%;font-family:Helvetica;"class="nomobile";>How Funkey used Kickstarter to raise over $170k [...] <youtube width="384" height="216">nWxg0cpMIGU <youtube width="384" height="216">VuGYRr080fI FunKey S - Worlds SMALLEST Handheld Console - MUST HAVE! <div style="font-size:75%;text-align:center;float:right;width:50%;font-family:Helvetica;"class="nomobile";>FunKey S, the world's smallest foldable handheld console, should you back it? <youtube width="384" height="216">Sf1A4bHiMeE <youtube width="384" height="216">o6sy24b2nRE

Funkey S GUTS EXPOSED - Button Swap and Minor Teardown <youtube width="256" height="144">9FnVRuqsv_A Funkey S Review Lite, First Impressions, Games Tested, All Colors Unboxed-ish <youtube width="256" height="144">YG5OIFncnos Funkey S <youtube width="256" height="144">yCRkhMyxcjM Funkey S Test: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team <youtube width="256" height="144">A6j6F50aJUg EasyRPG running on the Funkey-S (Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea) <youtube width="256" height="144">nWxg0cpMIGU How Funkey used Kickstarter to raise over $170k [...] <youtube width="256" height="144">VuGYRr080fI FunKey S - Worlds SMALLEST Handheld Console - MUST HAVE! <youtube width="256" height="144">Sf1A4bHiMeE FunKey S, the world's smallest foldable handheld console, should you back it? <youtube width="256" height="144">o6sy24b2nRE

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Media (Reviews)

<div style="font-size:75%;text-align:center;float:center;width:50%;font-family:Helvetica;"class="nomobile";>World's Smallest WORKING Gameboy Advance SP <youtube width="384" height="216">kdcAPNK3z-8

World's Smallest WORKING Gameboy Advance SP <youtube width="256" height="144">kdcAPNK3z-8

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