The FunKey Times
The FunKey Times
Announcements
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 Dreamland 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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
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