In the late 80s and 90s, gaming was dominated by an array of pixels limited in a 2D world. The gameplay was also minuscule by the current gaming standards but the nostalgia is revered even today because it triggered a whole new era of entertainment thats now become one of the biggest industries. Back in those days, it was a ritual sitting in front of the screen getting completely lost in the adventure of role-playing games like the Doom or Dungeons & Dragons.Barcelona-based Tech wiz Daniel Puchau whos worked with names like Greenboy Games has developed a gamebook thatll get you excited for the classic gaming nostalgia. This is Ink Console an e-reader that has an assortment of text-based adventure games in a story mode where the player can decide the fate of the character and the story. The motivation to take up this exciting project came from the yearning to bring the magic of text adventures, like the 1980s classic Zork I, to a new audience unfamiliar with these games.Designer: Daniel PuchauThis retro gadget comes with an analog joystick and potentiometer to input the desired choices at each step or navigate the menu where your suite of gamebooks is arranged in a library. The maker is also considering adding a mini keyboard to the mix for conversational games that might get a dose of AI-assisted wizardry. The monochrome e-reader has a 7.5-inch e-ink display (800400 resolution) and is powered by a 32-bit dual-core processor. Theres just 4MB of flash memory and 8 MB of PSRAM. Keeping up with modern times, the gadget does have an SD reader, USB-C charging port, stereo audio output, and a 3.5mm jack. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity options. The in-built 5,000mAh battery could last a very long time, given there are no graphics-intensive gameplay elements to render in vivid colors.The gamebook titles can be developed by the community members as well, thanks to the open-source Software Development Kit. That means you can bring your imaginative storytelling to life with all the in-built tools and immersive interface, sans any requirement for coding. Daniel says the Ink Console has an inventory system that allows you to collect and manage items in the game world. To make things even more interesting, there is a health status system which is ideal for text-based role-playing games.The suite of stories for the gadget currently includes thrilling expeditions, deep sea adventures, sci-fi narratives, and everything else that can be knitted into an interesting story by the creative community. There is no word on the pricing or availability of the e-reader yet, so well have to wait for more on this interesting gadget in the coming weeks.The post Ink Console is an e-book reader + gaming handheld hybrid that plays interactive text-based titles first appeared on Yanko Design.