Gamepop Introduces World’s First Playable Magazine Cover
A Paper-Thin Magazine Cover You Can Actually Play
Red Bull’s GamePop magazine turns its cover into a working game of Tetris, transforming print into something tactile, playful, and unexpectedly futuristic.
Created with hardware designer Kevin Bates, the cover features a thin flexible circuit, capacitive controls, LED display, and rechargeable power source, all embedded into the magazine itself.
The result sits somewhere between editorial design, collectible object, and portable game console.
Only a limited number were produced, which makes the project feel even more like a design experiment than a mass-market novelty.
More than anything, it’s a reminder that print still has the power to surprise, especially when it invites you to do more than just look.
This magazine plays Tetris! The GamePop GP-1 is officially licensed by the Tetris company, using flexible circuits bonded to the actual paper cover of Red Bull’s new publication. Sadly, only 150 copies come with this special game cover, but it’s an impressive feat by Arduboy creator Kevin Bates, with 7 capacitive buttons and 180 RGB LEDs driven by a 32-bit ARM chip and powered by 4 rechargeable coin cell batteries. There’s even a deconstructed USB-C port for charging. It’s not as good as Game Boy and you can’t save pieces for later, but you can drop them fast. There’s even sound effects and music, though you only get a snippet of the classic Tetris theme when starting a new game. Read our story at The Verge for more info! #todayimtoyingwith#tetris#gaming#magazine#gadgets
2 Comments
Unusual!!! Undecided as to who would use it.
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