Junkbox Arcade is a tiny retro-style game console built around a Raspberry Pi Pico, using only common “junk drawer” parts like an SPI TFT display and a few buttons. It includes a lightweight C++ graphics engine, simple audio synthesis, and a breadboard-friendly design that makes it easy to assemble, hack on, and extend. Whether you’re just getting started with the Pico or you want a fun platform for experimenting with small games and graphics, this project gives you a compact, approachable way to explore it all.
For technical details refer to the technical documentation.
A 3D printed enclosure can be found here, including stl files and FreeCAD design files.
JunkboxArcade is written in pure C++, with a demo application is provided as an Arduino sketch. The Arduino Pico port by Earle Philhower is probably the easiest way to install and configure a C++ development environment for the Raspberry Pi Pico. Its possible to install the tool and get up-and running with example applications in just a few minutes. Refer to the installation instructions and the online documentation to get started.
This project uses the following libraries: