Balenciaga Unveils Limited-Edition Handheld Console With a Single Title on It

Balenciaga has unveiled a limited-edition handheld console in minimalist design with a single game on it – classic Snake.

A Spanish luxury fashion house has created the device to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025), which happens to be a Year of the Wood Snake, according to Chinese astrology. 

The grey-coloured handheld console features an LCD screen with a soft blue back-light, four directional buttons, and the Balenciaga logo prominently displayed in the centre.

Balenciaga’s foray into gaming hardware is less about functionality and more about exclusivity. The handheld is currently available only to the brand’s top clients, or “VICs” (Very Important Clients), as part of a Chinese New Year celebration.

This move aligns with the brand’s history of blending technology and fashion, as seen in their 2021 online game Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, which showcased their Fall collection through an interactive digital experience.

The choice of Snake as the console’s sole game is a nod to the title’s enduring legacy. Snake and its variants have been played on over 400-500 million devices globally apart from free installations on platforms. First introduced in 1976 Snake has crawled a long way:

• Blockade (1976): Original Snake game by Gremlin Inc; monochrome arcade game by Lane Hauck, Ago Kiss, and Bob Pecarero.
• Bigfoot Bonkers (1976): Clone of Blockade by Meadows Games; two-player version.
• Atari’s Surround (1977): Atari VCS launch title; single-player Snake-style game by Alan Miller.
• Worms on TRS-80 (1978): First home computer version by Peter Trefonas, called Worms.
• Snake Byte (1982): Sirius Software’s game for Atari 8-bit, Apple II, and VIC-20; Snake ate apples to clear levels.
• Snake for BBC Micro (1982): Designed by David Bresnen; directional controls introduced.
• Nibbler (1982): First Snake game with a billion-point scoring system; arcade-style by Rock Ola.
• Serpent by Game Boy (1990): Two-player puzzle version with varied difficulty.
• Nibbles on MS-DOS (1991): QBasic demo game where Snake eats numbers.
• Rattler Race (1992): Added enemy Snakes to gameplay.
• Top 100 Games (1996): Snake ranked 41st in Next Generation’s Top 100 Games.
• Nokia Snake (1997): Taneli Armanto brought Snake to Nokia 6110.
• First Nokia Two-Player Snake (1998): Infrared multiplayer on Nokia 7110.
• Snake II (2000): Introduced cyclical gameplay and bonuses on Nokia 3310.
• Snake EX (2002): Featured animated Snake with mouth mechanics on Nokia 9290.
• Snake Xenzia (2003): Red-and-white themed Snake variant for Nokia Series 30+.
• Snakes N-Gage (2005): Multiplayer 3D Snake game with Bluetooth; 42 levels.
• Snakes III (2005): Living Snake feel with multiplayer; seen on Nokia 3250.
• Taneli Armanto Awarded (2005): Recognized for revolutionizing mobile gaming.
• Snakes Subsonic (2008): 3D Snake for second-gen N-Gage devices.
• YouTube Snake (2010): Added as an Easter egg during slow connections.
• Museum of Modern Arts (2012): Nokia Snake considered for cultural preservation.
• Slither.io (2016): Hugely popular multiplayer Snake game; a global sensation.
• Facebook Messenger Snake (2017): Integrated into the app for instant gaming.
• Snake Xenzia Revived (2017): Brought back on the Nokia 3310 (2017 version).
• Google Maps Snake (2019): Playable Snake game integrated into Google Maps.
• Nothing Smartphones (2024): Playable Snake widget.

Balenciaga has also launched an online Snake game and a competition, offering participants the chance to win the limited-edition console.