ModRetro, an organization that makes retro handhelds and consoles that play older games and that’s run by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, has introduced a brand new Chromatic machine it’s making in collaboration with Luckey’s different skilled endeavor: protection tech firm Anduril Industries. The limited-edition handheld’s large promoting level is that it’s produced from the identical steel Anduril makes use of to create its assault drones. Gross.
The $349.99 Anduril Chromatic + Porta Pro Bundle consists of the hand held, headphones, and a allure of Anduril’s brand. The itemizing says that the machine is produced from the “same magnesium aluminum alloy as Anduril’s attack drones” and that for those who’re on the lookout for a retro gaming system that provides “performance and reliability under any and all conditions, there is no other option.” What sort of fight zone does ModRetro assume persons are enjoying Tetris in that they want one thing military-grade to play their video games on?
Whereas we are able to speculate about what sort of atmosphere somebody may play a retro handheld gaming system in, that is finally the newest effort from a glorified arms supplier accountable for making weapons utilized in acts of warfare to cozy as much as the retro gaming neighborhood. The online game trade and the military-industrial advanced have lengthy been deeply related in methods too quite a few to depend, becoming a member of forces to make use of games and live-streaming platforms to try to increase military recruitment amongst Gen Z, however there’s something notably gross and fetishistic about promoting individuals a Recreation Boy knock-off that’s made to be as sturdy as an assault drone.
As you may anticipate, retro avid gamers and historians will not be having it.
Luckey introduced the ModRetro Chromatic back in 2024, calling it the “world’s best tribute to the Game Boy,” however even then the entrepreneur’s retro {hardware} enterprise didn’t cross the odor check. The Oculus co-founder was ousted from the VR company a while after it was revealed he had helped fund pro-Donald Trump trolls, which led to some developers pulling Oculus support. Within the years since, Luckey based Anduril, after which one factor led to a different, and now, right here we’re, a not-Recreation Boy made from drone steel.
