‘Kawaii’ packs Nintendo Wii into a keychain-sized device

Technological advancements make every gadget smaller as time passes. For example, Nintendo created a handheld console called the Nintendo Switch. However, how small can gaming devices be?

Modders WeskMods and Yveltal Griffin took this challenge and fit the Nintendo Wii into a keychain-sized console. They call it the Kawaii, meaning “cute” in Japanese.

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Wesk said that they need at least 30 units to create the first batch for sale. Fortunately, they seem to have completed the quota as they’ve closed the registration form at the time of writing.

What are the Kawaii’s specs?

The Nintendo Wii was a famous console that came out on November 19, 2006. Many recognize it for its TV remote-like controller that added motion controls to various games.

For example, Zelda: Skyward Sword lets you aim your bow with the controller to simulate wielding the weapon. Eventually, Nintendo stopped producing the console to make way for newer devices. 

Many gamers loved the Wii, so they gladly welcomed the Kawaii keychain device. On July 21, 2024, Wesk and Yvaltal shared more details about their project on the BitBuilt tech forum. 

Yvaltal explained that they initially envisioned a more modest device. The earlier design had a fan, a 5mm heatsink, controller ports, and a micro-HDMI output port. 

Further research and development helped them refine the design. Eventually, they made the device even smaller with passive cooling, meaning it wouldn’t need a fan to regulate temperature. 

The final Kawaii unit will have the following specifications:

• 60x60x16mm CNC’d aluminum chassis (passively cooled) with laser-etched artwork
• Undervolted OMEGA trim with Thundervolt
• 12-pin magnetic pogo pin connector (MagSafe-like)
• Internal breakout PCB for SD-USB, input protection, and video mixing
• Dock with USB-C power input, x4 GCC controller ports, composite/component video output, & stereo audio output
• Six acrylic windows with RGB LEDs for peak aesthetics
• Keychain loop

A later post from Wesk explained that the duo needed an initial buy-in of 30 units to cover research and development costs. 

They will also charge $55 for each unit, which will include screws, shipping, and the casing in your preferred color. 

At the time of writing, the modders have not shared more details regarding how to purchase and order the device. Nevertheless, the Kawaii is a cool project.