ESP32 Retro Brick Breaker: OLED Game With Joystick Control

I wanted to build a handheld gaming experience using the ESP32. This project recreates the classic 'Brick Breaker' (Breakout) mechanics, optimized for a small OLED screen. It includes a responsive paddle controlled by an analog joystick and a randomized scoring system where some blocks are worth 5x more than others.

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Espressif ESP32 Development Board - Developer Edition

Seeed Studio Grove - OLED Display 0.66" (SSD1306)- IIC - 3.3V/5V

Modulo Joystick

Breadboard (generic)

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE

How it Works

The Physics: Explain that the ball uses ballSpeedX and ballSpeedY variables to handle movement and bouncing logic.

1. The Physics: Explain that the ball uses ballSpeedX and ballSpeedY variables to handle movement and bouncing logic.

Joystick Control: Mention that you used Pin 34 for the X-axis and Pin 32 for the reset button. Explain the "deadzone" logic (1800 to 2200) you used to prevent the paddle from drifting when the stick is centered.

1. Joystick Control: Mention that you used Pin 34 for the X-axis and Pin 32 for the reset button. Explain the "deadzone" logic (1800 to 2200) you used to prevent the paddle from drifting when the stick is centered.

The Graphics: Describe how the Adafruit_SSD1306 library handles the 128x64 resolution and how the "Bonus Blocks" are rendered with stripes using a for loop.

1. The Graphics: Describe how the Adafruit_SSD1306 library handles the 128x64 resolution and how the "Bonus Blocks" are rendered with stripes using a for loop.

The Build Process

Wiring: Follow the schematic provided to connect the I2C pins (SDA/SCL) and the Analog joystick.

1. Wiring: Follow the schematic provided to connect the I2C pins (SDA/SCL) and the Analog joystick.

Calibration: If the paddle moves by itself, adjust the xVal thresholds in the updateJoystick() function.

1. Calibration: If the paddle moves by itself, adjust the xVal thresholds in the updateJoystick() function.

Future Upgrades: Suggest adding a buzzer for sound effects or a high-score save feature using ESP32 Preferences (EEPROM).

1. Future Upgrades: Suggest adding a buzzer for sound effects or a high-score save feature using ESP32 Preferences (EEPROM).