petendo

Petendo is a term used in online maker communities to describe a hypothetical open-source handheld game console designed for hobbyists and education. It is not a single product, but rather a family of designs and proposals that share principles of openness, modularity, and retro-gaming compatibility.

The concept emerged in discussions about accessible, affordable hardware for learning game development and electronics, with common reference designs built around small single-board computers or microcontrollers and a simple chassis. Proposals are shared as design files, bill of materials, and firmware images rather than finished products.

Typical petendo concepts specify a compact handheld with a display (often around 2.4–3.5 inches), a D-pad, buttons, a speaker, and battery. The designs favor open hardware and standard interfaces, enabling DIY assembly and modification. Some variants use off-the-shelf single-board computers; others rely on microcontrollers with Linux or RTOS support. Cartridges or USB media are commonly proposed as game media.

Firmware and software ecosystems emphasize open-source tooling, homebrew development, and emulation support. Projects commonly provide cross-platform SDKs, simple build systems, and documentation to support contributors. Due to the variety of proposals, software compatibility is typically limited to emulators or custom games developed for the platform.

Because Petendo is a concept rather than a single product, there are multiple forks and design files with different hardware specs, screen sizes, and power strategies. The community emphasizes educational value, experimentation, and openness.

As of now, no official commercial release exists; the petendo concept persists in hobbyist repositories and forums, serving as a case study in open hardware and accessible game development.