Mao Boy

Team hackathon project built in China; the satirical theme was a communist-themed handheld gaming console based on the ESP32-S3, capable of running multiplayer DOOM.

Features

• Peer-to-peer multiplayer
• Battery-powered handheld design
• Joystick w/ click controls
• 1.8" TFT display support (SPI-based)
• Low-latency ESP-NOW networkin

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Hardware

Core

• Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3

Display

• 1.8" SPI

Controls

• Joystick

Power

• Standard 5V 10000mAh power bank

3D Printed Case

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Multiplayer System

firmware source code

This project uses ESP-NOW peer-to-peer communication**, allowing devices to connect directly without Wi-Fi infrastructure.

How it works:

• Each device broadcasts player state packets
• Peers sync:
  • position
  • input states
  • game events
• No central server required
• Auto-discovery pairing mode supported
• Framebuffer optimized rendering pipeline
• Custom input handler

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Required Libraries

• ESP-IDF

Flashing firmware

• Using ESP-IDF:
  • doom.py flash monitor
  • Or compile and upload using Arduino IDE.

Schematic:

With love,

Peter the eel

Made in Shenzhen China - 2026 Fallout HC