Design example · you receive the colours of the version shown.
Game controller keychain: RetroSnap fidget
€19 incl. VAT
€15.70 excl. VAT · ball chain included · free shipping in the Netherlands · delivered within 30 days
A small retro-style controller, with a D-pad on the left and buttons on the right, to click. A game controller keychain without electronics, for your pocket or your keys.
- 3D-printed for you and carefully packed.
- Printed in the colours shown. No colour choice.
- Ball chain included.
- We assemble it before it ships.
- Small parts: not a toy. Not suitable for children under 3.
- Printed after payment and delivered within 30 days. Put a deadline in the comments field; we confirm by email.
- 14-day cooling-off period after receipt.
Order RetroSnap
Shape and use
About RetroSnap
The RetroSnap is a fidget in the shape of an old-fashioned game controller. It consists of five printed parts: the main body, two interchangeable click inserts and the cover caps that click on top. There are no magnets, screws or metal clickers inside. We assemble it before it ships. It is a fidget and not a real controller: there are no electronics inside. The Mini Retro Snap is the simpler version: three parts and only a D-pad. Designed by Vireo Studio.
We print it in the colours you see in the photos: yellow with dark grey panels, a white D-pad and light buttons. The designer describes it as suitable as a keychain for your pocket. Ball chain included. This is decoration, not a toy; not suitable for children under 3 (small parts). Photos: © Vireo Studio.
What you get
- Five printed parts that click together: main body, two interchangeable click inserts and cover caps
- Assembled before shipping
- Clicks without a metal clicker
- No magnets, screws or electronics
- Controller shape with a D-pad on the left and buttons on the right
- Printed in the colours shown: yellow with a white D-pad
- Ball chain included
How ordering works
- Choose the quantity and enter your delivery address. We check postcode and house number against the Dutch address register.
- You pay the total incl. VAT via Stripe. Shipping within the Netherlands is included.
- You receive a confirmation by email. We print RetroSnap in the colours shown and ship the keychain within 30 days.
Want a keychain with a name, text or logo? That is custom work: custom keychains.
Designer and image source
Photos: © Vireo Studio Design by Vireo Studio, via Hive. OmniTechs is an authorised seller, Hive ID KMK0U9TA75. You receive the physical product; digital files are not supplied.
Frequently asked questions
What was the first game controller?
One of the first was the control box of Tennis for Two from 1958: a dial to aim and a button to hit. More about this in the guide on this page.
How does it work: five parts that click together, with two interchangeable click inserts, and how does it differ from the mini version?
It consists of five printed parts that click together: the main body, two interchangeable click inserts and cover caps. We assemble it before it ships. It clicks without a metal clicker, magnets or screws, and there are no electronics inside: it is a fidget in the shape of a controller. The difference from the Mini Retro Snap: that one has three parts and only a D-pad; the RetroSnap has five parts, buttons next to the D-pad and interchangeable click inserts. Ball chain included.
What does it cost (€19 incl. VAT), what colour is it printed in, is a ball chain included and when is it delivered?
It costs €19 incl. VAT. We print it in the colours you see in the photos: yellow with dark grey panels, a white D-pad and light buttons. Ball chain included. We print after you pay and deliver within 30 days; shipping within the Netherlands is included. If you have a deadline, put it in the remarks field; we confirm by email.
Fidget keychains
What was the first game controller?
One of the first real game controllers belonged to Tennis for Two, a game by the American physicist William Higinbotham. It was first shown on 18 October 1958 at an open day of Brookhaven National Laboratory. Each player had a box with a dial to choose the angle of the shot and a button to hit the ball. The game ran on an oscilloscope with a round screen of only five inches.
From laboratory to living room
In 1962 Steve Russell and others at MIT made the game Spacewar!, in which two players steer spaceships that fire torpedoes at each other. At first you played with the switches on the computer itself, but they were awkward. So separate control boxes were built: in effect, gamepads in miniature.
In 1972 the first home games console came on the market. In 1976 and 1977 a generation of consoles followed in which you put games on cartridges into a slot.
What could you do with the first controllers?
- Tennis for Two (1958): a dial for the angle and a button to hit.
- If the ball went out or into the net, the players pressed a reset button for the next round.
- Spacewar! (1962): one switch to rotate, one for thrust or hyperspace, and a button for torpedoes.
- That torpedo button was silent, so the opponent could not hear that you were about to fire.
The RetroSnap, by contrast, clicks audibly: with a fidget, that is the point.
Why the old shape works so well
A controller with a D-pad and a few buttons sits comfortably in the hand: your thumbs fall into place by themselves. That is why the shape works so well as a fidget. You click the D-pad with your left thumb and the buttons with your right thumb, without looking.
It is also a fun gift for someone who used to spend hours on the sofa with a controller, or for a collector of anything to do with games.
The RetroSnap
The RetroSnap takes over that classic shape, but without a cable and without electronics: five printed parts that click together, with a D-pad on the left and buttons on the right. That clicking together only works if the parts fit exactly: too loose and they fall apart, too tight and they do not click. The designer therefore advises adjusting the scale by one to two per cent if the fit is not right. We assemble it before it ships. Why printed parts are so sensitive to fit, you can read in the knowledge-base article on tolerances in 3D printing.
More background: Tolerances and clearance in 3D printing.
Design by Vireo Studio, via Hive. You buy the print, not the file.
Read about these designs next
Mini Retro Snap
Why is retro gaming so popular?
Cat paw
Does a fidget clicker make a lot of noise?
More in fidget keychains
- Baby dragon €19
- Duckling €19
- Flexi pumpkin €19