Playing Tetris on a Business Card / Madrobots Blog

Three years ago, Kevin Bates created a Tetris business card to showcase his engineering skills to potential employers. But its creation quickly became a meme on the Internet, and everyone who remembered his childhood favorite Game Boy demanded the same from him. Testing the idea on an equally tiny Arduboy, Bates finally released the officially licensed Tetris MicroCard. You need $ 54 if you want to buy a tiny one-game machine.



Quite possibly the smallest version of Tetris you've ever played



As thin as a credit card? Not really, try ten

Measuring just over three inches by two inches, the MicroCard is slightly larger than a regular business card and can be easily stored in a card holder. But do not expect that you can put many other cards next to it. Kevin Bates’s original gaming business card was only 1.6 millimeters thick, but this consumer version is measured five millimeters thanks to a set of physical buttons and a transparent plastic case that protects all of its electronics.

MicroCard plays the basic version of Tetris with 15 difficulty levels and the original version of the memorable Tetris music theme, which can be disabled using a special button. The gameplay is very simple, without a single new feature that Tetris introduced over the years. In addition to the falling blocks, it includes a preview of the next block and a diagram at the bottom of the screen indicating where your block should land. That's all. You do not have the opportunity to save a useful block for the future, and you cannot turn on the pause, so distractions during the game can lead to real confusion.



Not the most beautiful version of Tetris, but this OLED screen is bright and clear

All actions are reproduced on a bright, high-contrast 1-bit OLED display with a resolution of only 128x64 pixels. Fewer pixels than the original Game Boy, and the result is one of the simplest versions of Tetris you've ever played.



Best reason to buy a Tetris MicroCard? Physical buttons

Despite the fact that the graphics cannot compare with what you get on your phone, playing Tetris on a MicroCard seems more natural than on a touch device, because it has real physical buttons. MicroCard includes six buttons, four act as a directional pad for control and quick reset blocks, and two - for rotation in any direction. Despite limited mobility, the MicroCard buttons leave a fantastic feel, reminiscent of the original Game Boy game.



Fans of Arduboy, which is the first plastic-sized card game, would have thought if Tetris MicroCard could be used to play other games. Unfortunately, although this functionality was originally promised when MicroCard was announced, it did not make it into the final product. Now it is intended for only one game, which may seem to you to be a violation of the promise, because it is not the most popular game of all time.

If Tetris or suitable clones were available for Arduboy Kevin Bates, there would be little reason to buy a MicroCard. But due to licensing restrictions, MicroCard is the only way to play Tetris. This is a bit disappointing considering the Tetris MicroCard can cost around $ 54 , compared to $ 49 for the Arduboywhich you can buy right now.

Even more frustrating is that you cannot buy it. After a few initial delays, MicroCard is no longer available for pre-order. According to its creators, working with a distributor, Tetris MicroCard will be available in the coming months through several announced retailers. It's a little vague, but if you want to know the details when it is finally released, visit its official website .

Leaving disappointment aside, if you are a Tetris fan, the design and layout of the MicroCard buttons will seem like the perfect home for Alexey Pazhitnov’s game, and with one of them hidden in your wallet you can always have fun. You just need to take it in your hands.



The metal plate on the back helps MicroCard to be sturdy and durable.

• The game itself is very simple, but the main thing in it is the physical buttons.
• You cannot buy it at the moment.
• Although inside it is like Arduboy, you cannot download other games.
• There is no saving and the ability to pause falling pieces during the game.
• Battery life is six to eight hours when fully charged, which is more than enough for a whole week of meetings.
• A plastic case protects its electronics, but adds thickness and is easy to scratch.

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