GAMETANK
- W65C02S CPU @ 3.5MHz
- Double 128x128 Framebuffer
- 200 Colors
- 3.5 Megapixel/second blitter
- Dedicated audio coprocessor
- Fully open source
Try these ROMs on the web emulator!
See the system in action!
The GameTank is an open source 8-bit retroconsole that YOU can build, and build games for.
Similar in spirit to fantasy consoles like the Pico-8 or TIC-80, the GameTank is set apart by its implementation as a physical hardware device first, followed by an emulator second. Games are written in assembly, or a mix of C and assembly. The special hardware features of the GameTank - such as the Sprite Copy mechanism and the Audio Coprocessor - streamline the process of writing fun and richly animated games.
All the schematics, board files, and 3D print files are available on GitHub
You might very well be a couple of electronic component orders and a weekend of soldering away from having your very own GameTank to plug into your TV. Seriously! One of this project's guiding principles has been to use through-hole parts that are easy to work with, and parts that are still made today. No scouring eBay for old-stock chips is needed: You can source all the components brand new on Digi-Key and Mouser.
Of course, that's not to say the emulator is unsupported.
Far from it, the emulator is a valuable development tool and a perfectly fine way to play GameTank games. While the physical hardware is intended to be the canonical system, the emulator will likely see more active feature development. This is not only to help it better replicate the behaviors of the physical console, but also to add things like profiling tools and an improved UI. The emulator already has builds for Windows, OSX, and Linux as well as a web browser version that even works on some mobile phones.
Interested in developing for the GameTank? Consider joining the Discord!
A nicely-formatted programming manual and tutorials are in the works... but in the meantime, check out some example code in the emulator repo! You are also encouraged to join the Discord and ask questions directly. In fact, this will help inform the areas the tutorials and manual need to cover in more detail. So please, ask away!
Development writeups
Interested in reading about the inspiration, research, and prototyping behind the GameTank? These articles describe the process of each step of development, and history of the project.
