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“Kawaii” is a keychain-sized device that fits a Nintendo Wii in one piece

Posted on by darion

Advances in technology are making every gadget smaller as time goes by. For example, Nintendo has created a portable console called the Nintendo Switch. But how small can gaming devices be?

Modders WeskMods and Yveltal Griffin took on this challenge and built a Nintendo Wii into a keychain-sized console. They call it Kawaii, which means “cute” in Japanese.

READ: The Best Gaming Consoles Right Now

Wesk said they need at least 30 units to make the first batch for sale. Luckily, it looks like they’ve met their limit, as they’ve closed the sign-up form at the time of writing.

What are the technical parameters of Kawaii?

Nintendo Wii is a famous console that was released on November 19, 2006. Many associate it with a controller resembling a TV remote that added motion control to various games.

For example, Zelda: Skyward Sword lets you aim a bow with a controller to simulate wielding a weapon. Nintendo eventually discontinued the console to make room for newer hardware.

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

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

Further research and development helped them refine the design, eventually shrinking the device even further with passive cooling, which meant it wouldn’t need a fan to regulate temperature.

The final version of Kawaii will have the following specifications:

  • CNC aluminum housing 60x60x16mm (passively cooled) with laser engraved graphics
  • OMEGA Reduced Voltage Version with Thundervolt Technology
  • 12-pin pogo pin magnetic connector (MagSafe-like)
  • Internal PCB for SD-USB connection, input protection and video mixing
  • Docking station with USB-C power input, 4 GCC controller ports, composite/component video output, and stereo audio output
  • Six acrylic windows with RGB LEDs for the ultimate aesthetic
  • Keychain

In a later post, Wesk explained that the duo needed an initial purchase of 30 units to cover research and development costs.

They will charge $55 for each piece, which includes the cost of screws, shipping, and the casing in your choice of color.


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