Arcade Coder is a board of chunky LEDs for kids that’s part programmable console, part digital canvas

You might think you know what a games console looks like – a slab of plastic you chuck under the telly or hold in your mitts, with a D-pad and standard selection of face buttons. Not Arcade Coder (from £80). This oddball contraption is a board of 144 chunky LEDs, making for a tactile illuminated experience for up to four players. It comes complete with classic fare – including Pong, Snake and Whack-A-Mole – but the magic really happens when you delve into iOS app Game Studio. There, your kid can design, customise and code their own games, either based on existing templates, or entirely from scratch. And if that doesn’t satisfy your nipper’s creative urges, there’s a Painter Mode, too, for fashioning dazzling multi-coloured lightshows. Strap the Arcade Coder to your kid’s face and they can then become the next incarnation of Orbital. Probably.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.