u/Loraime-Ipsoum

Hey everyone, now that all the games included in Playtiles Season 2 have been revealed, we thought it would be cool to put together a little video showcasing all 24 titles in under 60 seconds. So here it is!

For those discovering Playtiles: we built electronic-free controllers that stick directly onto your smartphone screen. No batteries or Bluetooth, just physical buttons that turn your phone into a little handheld. They come with access to our app PlaytilesOS and a bundle of games, with the developers officially licensing their games to us (and being duly compensated).

Here are the 24 GB Studio games licensed in Season 2:

The Echoes of Worlds, Pitchfork: Playtiles Edition, PocketWare 2, Bubble Frog DX, Wink and the Broken Robot, Sword of the Apocalypse Ep. 4, Trigwa, Pilgrim's Peril, Fortune & Glory Ep 1-3, Murder Mansion, Inspector Waffles: Early Days, Dijon Game Boy: Playtiles Edition, Retro Otrop: Playtiles Edition (EN), Sheep Split, Pocket Tour, Solastra, Pokettohiro!, Rise of the Penguins GB, Mission: Earth, Hellbreaker 1.0, Raven Star, and EGG Ex.

A huge thanks to all the devs who trusted us with their games and helped make this second season happen!

Playtiles Season 2 is still available for the next few weeks if you'd like to check it out: https://get.playtil.es/

PS: And if you're already on board, don't forget to vote for your favorite games of the Season directly in the app! Your votes directly reward the developers behind the games.

Hey everyone, some of you here have been following the project since the beginning, so we wanted to share this new milestone with you!

A year ago, we introduced Playtiles with a simple idea: create a new way to discover and play GB/GBC homebrew games, and put them into as many hands as possible.

That's why we built these tiny, electronics-free controllers that you simply stick onto your smartphone to turn it into a handheld console. They come with an app + a bundle of homebrew titles, officially licensed.

A simple and affordable way to enjoy games on its phone with real buttons, while supporting the devs.

Since then, we’ve shipped Playtiles to players in more than 40 countries, worked with dozens of indie developers, and watched this little experiment grow beyond what we imagined.

Today... We're happy to announce our collaboration with Mega Cat Studios!

A new bundle that includes a 4-button Playtiles controller together with 7 games from the studio's catalog (8bit & 16bit homebrew titles included). A pretty special milestone for us.

For those curious, you can learn more here: Mega Cat Studios Collection

And to everyone here who shared feedback, supported the project, or simply followed along: thank you very much!

Hey everyone, some of you here have been following the project since the very beginning (from this very first post), so we wanted to share this new milestone with you!

A year ago, we introduced Playtiles here with a simple idea: create a new way to discover and play GB homebrew games, and put these great games into as many hands as possible.

That's why we built these tiny, electronics-free controllers that you simply stick onto your smartphone to turn it into a handheld console. A simple, affordable and accessible way to enjoy games, with real buttons.

Since then, we’ve shipped Playtiles to players in more than 40 countries, worked with dozens of indie developers, and watched this little experiment grow beyond what we imagined.

Today, we're happy to announce our new collaboration with Mega Cat Studios!

A new bundle that includes a 4-button Playtiles controller together with 7 games from the Mega Cat Studios catalog (8bit & 16bit titles included). A pretty special milestone for us.

For those curious, you can learn more here: Mega Cat Studios Collection

And to everyone here who shared feedback, supported the project, made games or simply followed along: thank you!

Hey everyone, over the past few months, we've brought together 21 indie developers and studios to build what we hope is one of the biggest modern Game Boy collections available.

The bundle includes 24 original Game Boy & Game Boy Color games, spanning platformers, puzzles, arcade games, adventures, party games and more. Some can be completed in an evening, while others can be enjoyed in multiple sessions.

Every developer is officially licensed and compensated on every bundle sold.

If you're looking for new Game Boy games to play, you can get the collection in two ways:

• Digital Bundle: Download every ROM and play them on your favorite hardware (Analogue Pocket, flashcart, Miyoo, etc..)
• Playtiles Bundle: Includes the same ROM collection plus our app and our electronic-free controller that turns your smartphone into a GB-like handheld.

You can learn more and see the games in action here: https://get.playtil.es

Happy to answer any questions about the games, the developers or Playtiles!

Hey everyone, some of you here have been following Playtiles since the very beginning, from this first post, so we wanted to share this milestone with you.

Almost a year ago, we introduced Playtiles here with a simple idea: create a new way to discover and play homebrew games, and put these amazing creations into as many hands as possible.

That's why we built these tiny, electronics-free controllers that you simply stick onto your smartphone (Android/iOS) to turn it into a handheld console. A simple, affordable, and accessible way to enjoy games, with real buttons.

Since then, a lot has happened, we’ve shipped Playtiles to players in more than 40 countries, worked with dozens of developers (I'm sure some of them are reading this), and watched this little experiment grow beyond what we imagined.

Today, we're excited to announce our collaboration with Mega Cat Studios.

This is not a full GB Studio collection (only Kudzu, one of the games included, was made with GB Studio), but we wanted to share it here as it’s a milestone for us, and because this community has been such an important part of our journey.

This new bundle includes: a new 4-button Playtiles controller + 7 games from the Mega Cat Studios catalogue.

If you're curious and not afraid of playing games with a few more bits, you can check it out here: https://limited.playtil.es/campaign.html?id=megacatstudioscollection

And to everyone here who shared feedback, supported the project, made games or simply followed along from the beginning: THANK YOU!

Hey everyone, so here it is. My friend u/Minimum-Watercress-7 and I always enjoyed playing small games on our phones (Pico-8, GB Studio...) but touchscreen gaming doesn't appeal to us. No feedback, no controller feel, and fingers always get lost.

That's why we started working on Playtiles: clicky controllers, without any electronics, that you simply stick on your phone like a gecko's foot to turn it into a handheld console (scan, stick & play).

Compatible with almost any recent smartphone at least 68 mm wide (Android/iOS), they come with an ecosystem:

• PlaytilesOS: a companion app which manages your game collection with with features like achievements, digital game manuals, TV casting support, multiplayer features and of course game import/export options
• Games: we also work with indie developers from the "GB Studio" ecosystem to publish curated seasonal bundles of modern Game Boy / Game Boy Color-inspired games.

Here's a look at the ecosystem in-action featuring games from Season 2 (:

Would love to hear from you:

• Have you seen anything similar before?
• What do you think would be the biggest limitations?
• Even if you’re not usually into retro-inspired games, does this kind of setup make it more appealing?
• And most importantly: what would you have designed differently?

For those curious, you can learn more here: https://get.playtil.es

Thanks a lot!

Hey everyone, over the past months we've been experimenting with a different approach to mobile gaming, and we'd love to get some feedback from your community.

The idea was simple: instead of building yet another Bluetooth controller with batteries, firmware and charging cables, we wondered whether it was possible to remove electronics entirely.

After dozens of prototypes, we ended up with a tiny controller made from recyclable plastic and conductive materials. It attaches to the phone using a reusable gecko-inspired adhesive, while its clicky buttons mechanically transmit touch inputs directly to the capacitive screen.

It's obviously not meant to replace a full-sized controller with analog sticks, but we found several advantages: no battery to manufacture or recycle, no Bluetooth pairing or charging, extremely portable and surprisingly responsive once you get used to it.

One of the biggest technical challenges was device compatibility. We built a web app that dynamically adapts the touch interface to the controller's dimensions. In the video, you'll notice me "pulling" a virtual cable when placing the controller, that calibration step lets the virtual buttons line up with the physical ones across many different Android and iOS devices. It also comes with its own features like game achievements, casting on TV, multiplayer features & more.

For the games themselves, we deliberately went in a different direction from today's AAA noise. We wanted experiences that you can finish in an evening, or keep coming back to in short sessions.

To do that, we partnered with developers from the GB Studio community, whose games embrace the technical constraints and design philosophy of the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. We license their games and release them through seasonal bundles, with revenue shared among the participating developers.

We've now reached our second season, and seeing people from more than 40 countries discover these games through this unusual format has been absolutely rewarding!

We’re currently continuing to iterate on this approach, and we’d genuinely love outside feedback from people who haven’t seen it before:

• Have you seen anything similar before?
• What do you think would be the biggest limitations?
• Even if you’re not usually into retro-inspired games, does this kind of setup make it more appealing?
• And most importantly: what would you have designed differently?

If you're curious and want to learn more, here's the project: https://get.playtil.es/
Thanks a lot, would love to hear your thoughts!

Hey everyone, we’re super excited to share a small but meaningful milestone for us: Playtiles are now officially making their way into physical stores!

For anyone discovering us: Playtiles is a physical controller that attaches directly to your smartphone screen (no Bluetooth/batteries/cable), to turn your phone into a GB/GBC-style handheld. It comes bundled with our app + 24 GB homebrew games officially licensed from indie devs.

Until now, our they were shipping worldwide through our website and a few selected online retailers. But last week, we delivered our first batch of Playtiles Season 2 units to a dedicated retro gaming store in the EU!

This means a lot because it’s part of the mission we’ve set for ourselves: putting indie/homebrew games into more people’s hands.

We’re now working on expanding, so if you run a store or know someone who might be interested in carrying Playtiles, feel free to reach out (:

Hey everyone, quick milestone update: we're now officially two-thirds through our Season 2 rollout, so I wanted to share with you a compilation of the latest games released so far (week 5 to 8 games)

For those discovering us: we built a clicky physical controller that sticks onto your smartphone screen (no batteries or Bluetooth), turning it into a tiny gaming handheld. It comes bundled with our app + 24 licensed indie GB/GBC games.

Here are the games featured in the video, and released during Weeks 5-8:

9 - Fortune & Glory by Matthew Loffhagen
10 - Murder Mansion by GreenCube Games
11 - Inspector Waffles: Early Days by Goloso Games
12 - Dijon Game Boy by Johndo
13 - Retro Otrop by Galateia Games
14 - Sheep Split by LMK.DOTS
15 - Solastra by Vorvy
16 - Pocket Tour by BiscuitLocker

Pretty much every genre is represented, and many of these games feature additions developed by their creators for their integration into Season 2: achievements, multiplayer, GB print features…

So we’re now at 16 games revealed; 8 more to go!

For those curious, you can learn more here: https://get.playtil.es/ (including gameplay videos for every game released)

Hey everyone, we’re super excited to share a small but meaningful milestone for us: Playtiles are now officially making their way into physical retail stores!

For anyone discovering us: Playtiles is a physical controller that attaches directly to your smartphone screen (no Bluetooth, no batteries), to turn your phone into a GB/GBC-style handheld. It comes bundled with our app + 24 GB Studio games officially licensed from indie devs.

Until now, our Season packs were mainly available through our website and a few selected online retailers. But last week, we delivered our first batch of Playtiles Season 2 units to a dedicated retro gaming store!

This step means a lot because it’s part of the mission we’ve set for ourselves: putting homebrew games into more people’s hands.

We’re now working on expanding, so if you run a store or know someone who might be interested in carrying Playtiles, feel free to reach out! (:

Bien le bonjour, depuis plus d’un an, on travaille sur un projet appelé Playtiles, et on aimerait beaucoup avoir vos retours sur le concept !

Il s’agit de petites manettes sans électronique qui se fixent directement sur l’écran de votre smartphone (iOS / Android), pour le transformer en console portable.

Elles sont accompagnées de notre application PlaytilesOS qui intègre plusieurs fonctionnalités : bibliothèque de jeux, succès/achievements, manuels de jeux digitaux, cast sur TV, multijoueur, import/export de jeux, etc.

On collabore également avec des développeurs indépendants de l’écosystème "GB Studio" pour publier des bundles saisonniers de jeux néo-rétro ; des jeux inspirés de la Game Boy, mais créés de nos jours. La Saison 2 que nous venons de lancer contient 24 jeux, et les développeurs sont rémunérés à chaque achat du bundle.

On est très contents des retours jusqu’ici : plus de 1 500 clients dans 40 pays différents, des articles de presse internationaux, et une cinquantaine de studios/développeurs déjà embarqués dans l’aventure.

Voici une vidéo d’aperçu de l’écosystème en action, avec les 10 premiers jeux de la Saison 2.

Pour les curieux, vous pouvez en savoir plus ici : https://get.playtil.es
Preneurs de toutes vos questions et remarques !

Hey everyone, we’ve been working on a project called Playtiles and thought it might fit this community, so we’d love to get your feedback.

It’s a small physical controller that sticks directly onto your smartphone screen. No Bluetooth or batteries, just mechanical, clicky buttons that turn your phone into a handheld console in seconds.

It comes with our app, PlaytilesOS, with features like game library management, achievements, digital game manuals, TV casting support, multiplayer features and game import/export options (.gb/.gbc and soon .md games).

On top of that, we collaborate with indie developers from the GB Studio ecosystem to release seasonal game bundles. Season 2 includes 24 modern Game Boy / Game Boy Color-style games, curated and published as a bundle. Supporting a season directly supports the devs behind it, and you keep the games forever, playable on your phone or exportable to external hardware. Season 2 Games are also available as games only.

Here’s a quick look at the ecosystem in action, featuring the first games of Season 2!

For those curious, you can learn more here: https://get.playtil.es

Hey everyone, quick milestone update: we’ve officially reached Week 5/12 of the Season 2 game releases!

For those discovering us: we built a physical controller that sticks onto your smartphone screen (no batteries or Bluetooth), turning it into a tiny GB/GBC-style handheld. Bundled with our app + 24 licensed GB Studio games.

Here's a compilation video featuring the games released so far, and their Playtiles Edition extras:

1. The Echoes of Worlds (game manual + official guide)
2. Pitchfork (achievements + Extended Cut content)
3. PocketWare 2 (exclusive title + achievements & game manual)
4. Bubble Frog DX
5. Wink and the Broken Robot (achievements + digital game manual)
6. Sword of the Apocalypse Ep. 4 (exclusive + multiplayer mode)
7. Trigwa (achievements + gallery & music player)
8. Pilgrim’s Peril (achievements)

And available since last night...
9. Fortune & Glory Ep. I
10. Murder Mansion (achievements, unlockable game manual pages + secret ending)

Feeling grateful to be featuring such a cool lineup of games & creators.. And we're only almost halfway through!
For those curious, you can learn more here: https://get.playtil.es

Salut !

J'étais venu ici il y a quelques semaines vous donner des nouvelles de notre console Playtiles. Pour ceux qui découvrent : ce sont de petites manettes sans électronique à coller sur son mobile (iOS/Android), accompagnées d'une app et d'une saison de jeux créés avec des développeurs indés.

Aujourd'hui, je suis très content de vous annoncer que la Saison 2 a officiellement démarré !

Les expéditions sont en cours un peu partout dans le monde (et vous avez été nombreux à nous soutenir ici, donc un immense merci), et les premiers jeux commencent à sortir.

La dernière fois je vous montrais le système d'achievements/succès, je vous propose aujourd'hui de découvrir ici les 4 premiers titres de la saison :

#1 - The Echoes of Worlds par Team Calamar (un jeu français 🇫🇷) - Platformer Roguelite
#2 - Pitchfork par JAIWare - Puzzle Platformer
#3 - PocketWare 2 par Lavallure - Party game inspiré de WarioWare
#4 - Bubble Frog DX par TimboJay - Puzzle/Arcade

Il y en aura pour tous les goûts. La Saison comprend 24 jeux avec des nouvelles sorties chaque semaine. On a aussi ajouté de nouvelles manettes à l'effigie de certains jeux (designées avec les devs) et des nouvelles fonctionnalités comme du multijoueur !

Pour ceux qui veulent en savoir plus, c'est par ici : https://get.playtil.es/
Et bien sûr, dispo si vous avez des questions !

Hey everyone, happy to share Tattoo Dungeon, an upcoming Game Boy Color homebrew!

An exploration / metroidvania-style platformer where you play as a young tattoo apprentice searching for your mentor’s lost flash… while dealing with an invasion of other-dimensional tattoo monsters.

We’ve launched it as a limited-run campaign on Playtiles.
If you haven’t seen it before, it’s an electronic-free controller that sticks to your phone and lets you play GB/GBC games with real buttons via an app.

The campaign already hit its goal (so production is secured) and there are 11 days left if you want to grab the controller + the game: https://limited.playtil.es/campaign.html?id=tattoodungeon

Happy to answer any questions!