Last year saw the launch of a new product, Playtiles, an adhesive controller that gives your smartphone physical buttons for playing Game Boy games. Intrigued, I started chatting with the team behind Playtiles, and they sent me a review unit to test out. After spending some time with the device, which includes an integrated app for distributing homebrew games, I was curious about how it came into existence. David and Wesley, the creators of Playtiles, agreed to answer some questions for me. Read on for our interview:
GB Studio Central: Where did the idea for Playtiles come from?
Playtiles: We connected in 2022 over a shared love for the quirky, creative side of gaming and a bit of fatigue with the modern industry. We dreamed of building something tangible that recaptured the simple joy of just playing.
That dream initially took the shape of a handheld console. We were obsessed with the idea of a cheap, open-source handheld, but not just another emulation machine. We tinkered with low-power microcontrollers and looked into small and circular OLED screens, searching for that unique gimmick that would set it apart. But the crank was already taken, and we couldn’t quite find our hook. The project, lovingly named Project Nomad, was shelved, a back-burner dream we weren’t ready to give up on.
Then in late 2024, a completely different project sparked a new idea. We wanted to make an interactive New Year’s greeting. Our solution? A mini-game presenting our company and services distributed via a QR code printed on… of all things… trading cards. It was a fun, novel idea. But as we held one of those prototype cards, a thought struck us: “Wouldn’t it be cool if the card itself was the controller?”
That was the moment everything clicked.
It was like two separate puzzle pieces from different boxes suddenly snapping together. Our dormant handheld dream, the desire for a new gaming platform, fused perfectly with this novel physical interface. The gimmick we’d been searching for was hiding in plain sight. The first few prototypes were… well, it was rough. Barely more advanced than a sticky note with non-working buttons. We nervously handed it to a few trusted friends. Their reaction was priceless: “Wait, you put the card on screen, and it controls the game? That’s brilliant! You have to patent this.”
So we did. We went into stealth mode, working in secret for months. We weren’t just building hardware, we were building an entire experience from the ground up. Thinking about every detail, from a button layout that raised eyebrows for being deliberately unconventional, to designing our own playful, intuitive UI PlaytilesOS because we believed the experience should be joyful, never overwhelming.
By the summer of 2025, we were ready to step into the light. We’d always been admirers of the GB Studio community; its passion and creativity were exactly what we envisioned for our platform. As we dove deeper, we discovered a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem of talented developers, passionate players and even cartridge manufacturers & media. It felt like coming home.
GBSC: What was the design process for the Playtile like? Did you have access to rapid manufacturing (3D printing) for prototyping, or did you work with a manufacturer?
Platytiles: We started experimenting with paper! Old business cards, trying to find what the proper dimension should be. Then we went on a hunt for all kinds of materials that could work for the buttons and the [controller’s] sticky side. We sourced components and materials that we tinkered, reconfigured, repurposed and integrated directly into our prototypes.
We had a hobby 3D printer that came in handy for making mockups as well. We went through countless versions, tweaking one tiny detail at a time. Every change, every accident taught us something, and every prototype got us a little closer to what Playtiles should feel like. As Playtiles slowly took shape, we moved from full DIY prototyping to working with a few specialized manufacturers capable of producing some of the pieces that make up Playtiles.
We kept some parts 3D printed as we wanted to keep the final price as low as possible but also the flexibility to tweak some details until the last moment. In the end, Playtiles are really the result of both worlds: the agility of rapid prototyping and the reliability of proper manufacturing.
GBSC: What challenges did you face when designing the device and the app?
Playtiles: Designing both the device and the app came with a surprising number of challenges, especially because Playtiles is meant to work on almost any modern smartphone. Creating a universal experience across such a fragmented landscape was, by far, one of the hardest parts of the journey.
iPhone and Android (and even from one Android device to another) behave very differently when it comes to touchscreen inputs. What each OS and hardware module considers a valid input, how it interprets pressure or contact and how it handles simultaneous touch points… all of that varies, sometimes drastically. Some materials worked perfectly on Android but triggered ghost inputs on iOS. We ended up discarding materials, and this iterative process directly influenced the positioning, thickness and composition of our buttons, especially for the D-Pad, which was initially four connected buttons that are now separate.
As for PlaytilesOS (the app), the browser and screen diversity were challenging to tackle. Because Playtiles runs through a web app, we had to carefully account for differences in display sizes, resolutions and the features offered (or not) by each OS. Android and iOS have their own browsers, each with specific quirks and limitations. We studied them thoroughly to craft a consistent experience, ensuring that PlaytilesOS looked and behaved reliably across devices, regardless of platform or screen size. The end result is a hybrid device and app that behaves consistently across a large diversity of phones, and that’s something we’re very happy about.
We’d also like to thank our beta testers for all their feedback and suggestions. Their input was invaluable in refining the app, helping us catch small issues and create a more consistent and enjoyable experience across devices.
GBSC: Why did you decide to release games on the Playtiles app rather than sell the controller as a standalone device?
Playtiles: From the very beginning, our goal was never just to build a physical controller. We wanted to build an ecosystem: a space where developers could create, share & reach players and where players could discover a curated library of games without endless scrolling.
We started with our own achievement system, which several Season 1 developers experimented with, along with our own game manuals. Some developers even had fun combining the two, creating manual pages that can be unlocked by earning specific achievements. This is definitely a direction we plan to continue exploring in future versions of the OS.
GBSC: How are you working with GB Devs for the Playtile system? What can a dev expect when releasing for the system? How do you decide what to include?
Playtiles: We offer two main models for GB Studio developers who want to bring their games to Playtiles: featuring a game in a Season, or creating a dedicated Limited Run Playtile. For Seasons, we curate a handpicked selection of standout GB Studio games. We look for originality, charm and that special spark that makes a game shine in just a few minutes of play.
At the same time, we pay attention to variety, ensuring the bundle includes genres ranging from action and adventure to platformers and puzzles. Some games can be completed in an evening, while others are designed for multiple short play sessions.
During the Season, we release new games gradually, like a weekly episodic drop, so each title gets the spotlight it deserves and players have a reason to keep coming back. Limited Run Playtiles on the other hand, are exclusive, single-game editions that combine a physical controller, collectible artwork and a digital game key, all in one product. All games featured in Limited Run Playtiles are officially licensed directly from our network of developers and studios.
GBSC: What are your plans for Playtiles going forward? What are your hopes for the System?
Playtiles: Looking ahead, we’re already working on Season 2, onboarding both well-known and emerging developers, introducing new games, fresh concepts and even exclusives. We’re also focusing on enhancing the controller and PlaytilesOS, guided by the invaluable feedback we collect from our community.
Ultimately, our goal is to shine a spotlight on the GB Studio community, helping these games and creators reach beyond their usual borders. We want people who may never have discovered GB Studio to stumble upon something they love. And we believe Playtiles is well positioned to make that happen, since all you need to play is a smartphone. If Playtiles can also provide developers with a new distribution channel and visibility they might not have had otherwise, then we feel we’re contributing to something genuinely meaningful.
GBSC: Anything else you’d like to add?
Playtiles: We’d like to thank our early birds and customers for their trust. Your support has been invaluable in bringing Playtiles to life. We also want to thank our fellow Season 1 developers for the amazing games bundle we built together. Your creativity, experimentation and dedication brought so much value and many delightful surprises to the platform. Finally, a huge thanks to the entire GB Studio community. From the very beginning, you welcomed us with open arms, made us feel at home, and gave us the confidence to keep pushing Playtiles forward.
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We’ll be sharing our thoughts on the Playtiles experience as a whole in an upcoming Spotlight. In the meantime, you can check out Playtiles on their site: https://get.playtil.es and their Limited run series: https://limited.playtil.es
Audio Engineer, Mac Technologist and Video Game Developer. Former Managing Editor of GBStudio Central. (he/him)
