Arduview: World’s first fully transparent video game console weighs just 50 g

Arduview, a gaming handheld described by its maker as the "world's first fully transparent" device, is preparing to launch on Kickstarter. Unlike previous clear-shelled devices such as the Game Boy Color's Atomic Purple or Commodore's Starlight C64U, Arduview extends transparency beyond the casing to the circuit board and the OLED display itself, allowing users to see every internal component. Founder Louis Huang says he built the device after feeling that earlier "transparent" gadgets were never fully transparent.

Arduview runs on the open-source Arduboy platform and its ATmega32u4 microcontroller, and comes preloaded with 400 8-bit games. It has no Wi-Fi or app store, charging and transferring data only via USB-C, and weighs roughly 50 grams. Although promoted as the world’s first transparent game console, this distinction remains a marketing pitch rather than an independently verified claim.

Interested buyers register for early access (via email) and can secure a $49 founder price for a refundable $5 deposit, as opposed to a stated $100 retail cost. Deposits will remain refundable until shipment. General availability is scheduled for 2027, presumably depending on the success of the Kickstarter campaign, of which the starting date is yet to be announced. As always, crowdfunding campaigns come with certain risks, including the possibility that the product may not work as advertised or may not arrive at all.