[HN Gopher] ClockworkPi - uConsole, "fantasy console" for indie ... ___________________________________________________________________ ClockworkPi - uConsole, "fantasy console" for indie game developers Author : emdashcomma Score : 207 points Date : 2022-10-25 14:45 UTC (8 hours ago) (HTM) web link (www.clockworkpi.com) (TXT) w3m dump (www.clockworkpi.com) | gorgoiler wrote: | This would be the perfect remote control for a media PC. | tartoran wrote: | A bit too overpowered for that | giobox wrote: | This was an instant purchase for me on the basis of its mid-90s | PDA aesthetic alone. | omgmajk wrote: | I want this so bad my brain is starting to split in half just | thinking about it. | jgtrosh wrote: | If it helps you temper your hype: it looks like the keyboard is | made the same way as the devterm, but smaller, and the devterm | keyboard is already a mushy mess of tiny keys. | | And I've used good tiny keyboards, but that is not really it. | incomingpain wrote: | Holy crap, $200? | | Too good to be true. What's the catch? | djur wrote: | Iffy software support. If you look at the Clockwork Pi forums | there's a lot of complaints about a lack of updates. There's | some community support for alternate/upgraded software, but the | user base is small enough that we're talking "download a ZIP | file from a rando who says it works for him". It's DIY but also | "figure it out yourself". | moron4hire wrote: | The catch is that every single part of the system is some kind | of janky hack job. | | I have one of their GameShell devices. The things on the sides | that look like knob controls are actually clasps to hold the | thing together. Took me a week just to figure out how to SSH | into the thing. Screen resolution and picture quality is really | bad. All of the buttons feel awful, with a lot of latency on | presses. WiFi just craps out whenever you breath a little hard | on it. Performance is about like trying to run modern Linux on | a 15 year old PC. Lots of fantasy consoles preloaded, but the | screen, performance, and buttons all add up to making it a | terrible experience, and there are only one or two good games | for each, anyway. Lots of very poorly implemented PyGame games | that have such neat features as "no way to kill the process | from within the app to return to the main menu" and none of | them are actually even close to good ideas, say nothing about | complete or decent games. | reustle wrote: | $240 if you include the cellular option in the bundle, but | still very cheap. | BirAdam wrote: | I bought both a DevTerm a04 and DevTerm r01. The catch is | software support (if this is going to be similar to other | clockwork pi products using the same modules), which is | entirely left up to the community. With that said, the | community mostly supports the a06 and RPi CMs. Their hardware | is actually quite good, as is customer support for that | hardware. Just be advised that anything other than Rpi and a06 | are going to be very rough on the software side of the house. | officeplant wrote: | This will look great next to my PocketCHIP, and Pimoroni | PicoSystem in the fantasy console drawer I've begun since they | got too dusty on the shelf. | [deleted] | lijogdfljk wrote: | This.. or something like this, looks like a fun little interface | to hang on the wall. Though the keyboard might be a bit extreme | for that, given the difficulty to type on the wall heh | anononaut wrote: | Cool hardware like this makes me regret switching off of QWERTY. | 0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: | You can always switch back with enough practice. | stonogo wrote: | You're not touch-typing on this keyboard anyway. As a size | reference, that grey bulge on the back case houses two 18650 | batteries. This keyboard is for thumbs. | dewey wrote: | A few years ago I would've been all over having a dedicated | Weechat IRC client, it looks very tempting. | | https://www.clockworkpi.com/product-page/uconsole-kit-r-01 | felideon wrote: | Same. Haven't used WeeChat in a while, but I used to get a lot | of value from using it with Bitlbee via a cheap VPS. | SkittlesNTwix wrote: | I've been out of the IRC loop for a while. Is there still a | lot of value using IRC in general? | serf wrote: | >Is there still a lot of value using IRC in general? | | weird question. | | it's a chat interface. there are people to chat with on | IRC. | | Is that a valuable thing to you? Who knows. | | If the question is "Are there still people that use IRC?", | then "Yes.". | | I know it's probably a 'mover-and-shaker' HN thing, but not | everything needs to be rephrased to compare against | value/time. | felideon wrote: | > there are people to chat with on IRC. > If the question | is "Are there still people that use IRC?", then "Yes.". | | That's a reasonable interpretation of the question. Even | so, a lot of IRC communities have moved to Discord and | such to lower the barrier to entry in participation. | | The underlying question is more likely "Are the people I | would chat with still using IRC?" which can only be | answered if you know who the people you want to chat with | are. | cptcobalt wrote: | This feels like a great surrealist "let's hack on some outdoor | IoT hardware" cyber-warfare device. I bought one. | stolen_biscuit wrote: | Is there any way to buy just the console without the cores if you | already have one for the devterm? | tartoran wrote: | It looks very cool and would love to find a use for it to justify | buying it. Id love to use it as a dedicated device but does it | instant boot? Does it at least hybernate properly? | jgtrosh wrote: | On my similar Devqterm, ambian takes around 30s to boot. There | might be hibernation, but I don't use it. I actually like the | quasi-instant system shutdown you get with the physical power | off button (though I'm sure it's reprogrammable) | [deleted] | Zvez wrote: | I feel uncomfortable just by looking at its keyboard | low_tech_punk wrote: | Can you turn this into a cyberdeck phone that actually works with | AT&T and Verizon? | iambvk wrote: | Does it support NVME for storage? I only see MicroSD card. | evanfarrar wrote: | No. It has a mini-pci-e shaped port and some nvme fit that | size, but i believe it is for expansion boards (like the | cellular module?) you could add NVME via USB port, but this | thing is more like a raspberry pi, and not going to have the IO | to use NVME much faster than SD card speeds. | bee_rider wrote: | I vaguely feel like there's an alternative version of me that, | like, 10 years ago resisted the urge to get a smartphone and now | owns something like this. | | But for the actual me, I can't see the point really. | philipov wrote: | They call this Fantasy? Looks more Sci-Fi to me. | vhold wrote: | Comes from things like: https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php | | More here: https://github.com/paladin-t/fantasy | leros wrote: | This looks really cool but I don't really understand what the | market is for this product. | yellowapple wrote: | Is there an ETA on when this would actually ship? I'm very | tempted to order one, but I've already been waiting a good long | while for a _different_ handheld device with a physical keyboard | (Astro Slide 5G) so I ain 't exactly keen on doubling that number | unless there's some timeline for these getting out the door. | dewey wrote: | > Based on the current supply chain and logistics situation, | the estimated delivery time is approximately 90 business days. | reustle wrote: | Give these guys 3 more years and they'll release a DIY | Blackberry. This is already very close, just a bit too big. | stokehacker wrote: | Is it certified for Windows 95 or 2000? | CrociDB wrote: | I really want to like this kind of devices, but... seriously, | this keyboard seems very uncomfortable to type with, and the "pad | buttons" to play games look even worse! | | It's an interesting little computer that I would love to try | once, but very likely wouldn't spend money on it. | rasz wrote: | Those cursor keys (they actually call it a gamepad on the | website!) are straight from Amstrad CPC 664 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_CPC#/media/File:Schnei... | | even hilariously bad Commodore plus/4 had better usability | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_Plus/4#/media/File:C... | [deleted] | [deleted] | gergi wrote: | Maybe I'm naive but what exactly is this? I couldn't figure | anything out from the website other than it's a handheld device | that shows a text console. What is a "fantasy console"? Why would | a indie game developer want one of these devices? | [deleted] | traverseda wrote: | It's a small linux handheld with a slightly anemic ARM cpu, a | full keyboard, and metal case. | | There are various "fantasy consoles" people make video games | on, like the piko-8^1 (which the indie darling Celeste was | originally developed for) and the TIC-80^2 (Providing a more | PC-like experience). It might be best to think of them as | emulators for computers/devices that never existed. Some | platonic ideal of game consoles past. They're often programed | in LUA and provide limited RAM/Display-resolution/palette- | depth, etc, in order to provide a retro feel while not | requiring you to program in actual assembly. | | Personally I'd be more interested in this as a field- | device/development-environment/tricorder type unit. It seems | like a great unit to hook a chip programmer up to, or one of | those open-source FPGA-based oscilloscopes, or other lab | instrumentation. | | 1: https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php | | 2: https://tic80.com/ | wilsonnb3 wrote: | More info: | | There are a bunch of Chinese handhelds that people use for | emulation, some of which can run PICO 8 games. | | My Anbernic RG351V does it but I don't think it came with the | stock OS, requires some tinkering. | | Anyways, there is already a small market for handheld | "fantasy console" players that might respond positively to | the open nature of the clockwork pi devices. | roywiggins wrote: | It's a shame there's no official PICO-8 runtime for any of | those little devices, last time I checked compatibility was | a bit spotty from the open-sourced reimplementations. | Things have probably gotten better on that front since I | last looked though. | | This thing supports a Raspberry Pi compute module so I | assume it will run the Pi version of PICO-8. | ThatPlayer wrote: | JELOS on the Anbernics can run the official Raspberry Pi | version of PICO-8 fine. Agree with the reimplementations | not being as good. | Cyberdog wrote: | Not really sure why they're branding it as a console when | it's basically a portable Pi, and therefore far more | versatile than "game console" implies. I suspect that will | cause some confusion among potential customers who initially | just see it as a game engine runtime. | derefr wrote: | A "fantasy [retro game] console" is an abstract machine (like | the JVM is an abstract machine, or like the Flash runtime is an | abstract machine, or like BASIC is an abstract machine) with | two key properties: | | 1. it's compute-resource-constrained -- so you can't just | transpile DOOM into the "fantasy console's" native programming | language / bytecode ISA and expect it to run well, but instead | have to learn to program directly for the console's native | programming language or ISA -- close to the (abstract) metal -- | to do anything of note with it; | | 2. it exposes low-level "primitive" features in its native | programming language / bytecode ISA, in the form of system | calls or MMIO registers, to accelerate graphics/sound | operations without consuming (abstract) CPU cycles; thus | allowing games developed for the console to run well at | 30/60FPS, despite the resource constraints. Where usually these | calls are themselves constrained to only allow for | "retro"-style output (e.g. allowing audio only in the form of a | set number of square-wave frequency channels.) | | In other words, a "fantasy [retro game] console" attempts to | achieve a similar set of "artistic constraints" for game | development that you get from developing for a real retro game | console, like the NES or Gameboy. Except that the artistic | constraints imposed by fantasy consoles are usually not low- | level _technical_ constraints in the system 's (theoretical) | microarchitecture, but rather arbitrary policy-based | constraints imposed by the abstract-machine standard on | conforming implementations, and therefore are often less | _frustrating_ things to be worked around (think: memory bank | switching), and instead are more _inspiring_ constraints to be | _embraced_ to fuel the creative process when making a game | (think: limited color palette per art asset.) | | Or you can think of it like this: what if the Super Nintendo | never existed, but there still ended up being "SNES emulators" | that all agreed on how they should interpret/run "SNES ROMs" -- | all implementations of a shared abstract-machine standard? | Developers would then be producing "SNES games" not to run on a | physical SNES, but instead solely so that you could then run | them on a compatible emulator. Although, in theory, nothing | would stop someone from making a real hardware SNES conforming | to the abstract-machine standard -- and then SNES ROMs would | work on it as well. That's a "fantasy console." | | For a given fantasy console, there may or may not be any | physical-hardware implementations; though usually there aren't. | A well-known example of a "fantasy console" with only virtual | implementations (i.e. emulators) is the PICO-8 | (https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php). While there are | hardware devices that present themselves "as" a PICO-8 | "console", they do this by using some other ISA to run a full | OS kernel, which then launches into a userland PICO-8 emulator. | There is no hardware device whose CPU+BIOS enables it to | natively execute PICO-8 code. (It's the difference between a | NES Classic, and an actual NES.) | | Meanwhile, this thing -- the uConsole -- isn't a "fantasy | console" itself, per se (i.e. they're using the term wrong), | but rather a device _focused on_ running _multiple_ fantasy- | console emulators, which therefore doesn 't even attempt to | present itself as being any particular "fantasy console's" | hardware. It's basically just one of the many "retro handheld" | devices out of Shenzhen recently (which often ship with | fantasy-console emulators) -- except this one's got a keyboard! | :P | | A fun example of a more true hardware "fantasy console", where | the hardware is itself an implementation of a particular | fantasy-console abstract machine (and where the abstract- | machine standard and the hardware implementation were co- | developed to make this possible), is the | https://www.commanderx16.com/ -- which is both a fantasy- | console in its full capabilities, but is also a backward- | compatible superset of the abstract-machine model of a | Commodore 64, and so compatible with Commodore 64 | software/games (so this abstract-machine can also be thought of | as an "enhanced" Commodore 64 -- like how the Gameboy Color was | an "enhanced" Gameboy -- making "enhanced ports" of Commodore | 64 games an especially easy/interesting project.) | unwind wrote: | I don't think you are correct about the X16, it is not that | compatible with the C64. From their FAQ [1]: | | _Although it runs Commodore BASIC (itself based on Microsoft | BASIC as many machines were) it was never intended to be an | "emulator" or compatible with the C64 or any other machine. | It is its own machine, just as the ZX Spectrum, Atari 800, | etc. were also distinct from the C64. [...] Ultimately C64 | compatibility is not the aim of this product._ | | [1]: https://www.commanderx16.com/forum/index.php?/about-faq/ | jhbadger wrote: | Just a minor point -- the Commander X16 isn't actually | compatible with the Commodore 64 -- it's kind of like a | fantasy version of what the Commodore 64 could have evolved | into if they had stayed with that rather than shifting to the | Amiga. It's "Kernal" compatible with the Commodore 64, Vic | 20, and PET, meaning that developing for the platform should | feel comfortable to programmers of those machines but it | can't just run software for those machines unported. | Version467 wrote: | That's fascinating. Thanks for giving such an in-depth | explanation. Doesn't appeal to me at all, but I can totally | see why people find these constraints interesting. Especially | considering that some of the all-time greatest games were | developed on similarly constrained hardware. | evolve2k wrote: | Can someone point to a few popular games in this, err | Genre? Sounds fascinating. | TillE wrote: | > it's compute-resource-constrained | | I guess the PICO-8 has some kind of CPU limit, but it's | orders of magnitude over the 8-bit 6502 consoles it's broadly | mimicking. That was sort of disappointing to me. | derefr wrote: | I believe that, rather than a CPU usage limit (which would | require some kind of CPU-cycle accounting tracking, which | would impose a high overhead on a system that's based on | high-level source-code interpretation rather than on a | bytecode virtual machine), the PICO-8 chose instead to go | the route of limiting code _complexity_ by just limiting | (Lua source) code _size_. So your code can go as fast as | you like -- you just can 't have very much of it. Which | seems to result in practice in games that have similar | features and play-styles to retro-games, despite the | constraint coming from a different direction. | | Like I said: fantasy-console abstract machines don't aim | for technical limitations; but rather, for _stylistic_ | limitations. They don 't want to impose upon you low-level | technical barriers, for you to just treat those limitations | as _implementation-time programming puzzles to be overcome | or worked around_. (If you want that, just write games for | an actual retro console!) Rather, they want to impose | _high_ -level _constraints_ that influence your _design- | time_ choices. Less like typing on a broken keyboard; more | like writing a poem with constrained rhyme-scheme and | meter. | | That's why these are "fantasy" consoles -- their particular | _lack_ of technical constraints means that they can | actually require a decent modern CPU /GPU/etc to run; and | so could never have actually existed in the era they borrow | their aesthetics from. | chrisallenlane wrote: | > So your code can go as fast as you like | | I've been working on an (IMO) sophisticated tactical game | with strong AI in Pico-8 for just about two years now, | and I can say that this is not true. | | > which would require some kind of CPU-cycle accounting | tracking | | This is pretty much what it does. | | Pico-8 tracks an arbitrary "cycle" budget, which is used | to calculate how much computation you're allowed to | perform per frame. You're absolutely not going to compute | at "bare metal" speed. | | Here's some info in the (community) docs: | | https://pico-8.fandom.com/wiki/CPU | | I don't know how this does/does not compare to the 6502, | because I unfortunately don't have any experience there. | But you're absolutely not going to get bare-metal | performance inside of Pico-8. | | You're right about limiting code-size, though. For my own | project, the code size limits have proven far more | difficult to work around than the performance limits. | | Tangent now, but these are some of the Pico-8 | limitations: | | - screen is 128x128 pixels | | - only 16 colors are available (sort of... there's a | "hidden palette" too) | | - cartridge size may not exceed 32 kb | | - cartridge may not exceed 65k characters | | - Lua AST may not exceed 8192 tokens | | That last one has been the hardest constraint for me to | manage, by far. | | Anyway, Pico-8 is a ton of fun. Try it out if you're | inclined :) | _joel wrote: | Looks neat, but what's going on with that keyboard layout and the | enter/backspace. That would be difficult to de-muscle memory | shon wrote: | With that keyboard, it's only a "fantasy console" if you're a | masochist. | [deleted] | xwdv wrote: | This is the kind of device designed to look so attractive for | certain people that it would be an impulse buy: metal case, | exposed screws, lots of ports for peripherals, full (mechanical?) | keyboard and lots of buttons, a nice built in screen, raspberry | PI inside... it's like you're describing an attractive woman. | | But when you go beyond that, what is the point of this? Why is an | indie game developer going to build things for this particular | niche platform? In the end, I would buy this and it would just | end up as another random device in a drawer. Nice aesthetic, but | useless. | traverseda wrote: | >Why is an indie game developer going to build things for this | particular niche platform? | | Very similar interfaces as the tic-80, and no doubt pico-8 | compatible. There's already a software/games library, plus it | runs normal linux. | incomingpain wrote: | > In the end, I would buy this and it would just end up as | another random device in a drawer. Nice aesthetic, but useless. | | You have this problem as well? mmm technolust. | humanistbot wrote: | > Why is an indie game developer going to build things for this | particular niche platform? | | This is a linux computer where the terminal is the primary | intended interface. Anything you can run on ARM and linux (like | everything in retropie) should be supported out of the box. | Terminal-based games don't need fancy GPU drivers and | optimizations like the Steam Deck. There should be no porting | needed except maybe some keymapping for the non-keyboard | buttons, but that's normal. | felideon wrote: | > This is a linux computer where the terminal is the primary | intended interface. | | Good point. As Yegge said, "[It's] all just plumbing for | Emacs, anyway."[1] | | [1] http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/04/settling-osx- | focus-f... | drbig wrote: | With a bit of a broken heart I have to concur. Tiny screen, | tiny keyboard, usability not included. I still kid myself after | all those years that I will actually use my old EeePC for a | "cool retro something" - even had DOS installed and made wired | Ethernet work! - but nope, it's just painful. And that thing | actually has a keyboard not designed to be operated with a | stylus! | felideon wrote: | > Nice aesthetic, but useless. | | FSV of _useless_ , maybe. In theory, there's a market for retro | game designers who would appreciate this device for their | hobby. | | Kind of tempted to buy it myself to replace late night or in- | bed usage of mindless scrolling of Twitter and Reddit. [Edit: I | guess this part is right in their headline: "bedroom | programmers".] | bogwog wrote: | There are hundreds of millions of PSPs, Vitas, DSes, 3DSes, | Gameboys, etc floating around in the hands (or closets) of | actual users out there. | | Those are consoles that are fully hacked, with high quality | open source toolchains and SDKs, and emulators. | | If you have a retro handheld game development itch, those | will scratch it better than anything else, especially since | there's a real chance people will actually play your game. | | Developing for those old consoles also means you potentially | delay them going to a landfill. | | Not to say the gadget in OP isn't worth buying, but the | "indie dev" value proposition isn't that strong IMO. | giobox wrote: | > But when you go beyond that, what is the point of this? | | I don't like the idea that every tech purchase must somehow | prove its worth or be measured as "worthy" somehow - if you | enjoy devices like these and like collecting them - have at it! | | Some of the things I enjoy most are frankly "pointless" in the | eyes of most; don't let this stop you. You aren't buying a | life-changing large purchase like a house or a car here. | Sometimes these things work out, sometimes they don't. | | The point of devices such as this is often that they indeed | have no specific point... they are for fun as much as anything | else you can think up. | rasz wrote: | > (mechanical?) keyboard and lots of buttons | | smd dome switches with rubber cover, as mechanical as ZX | Spectrum keyboard | AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: | > In the end, I would buy this and it would just end up as | another random device in a drawer. | | Don't underestimate the "collecting cool things in a drawer" | crowd. | crims0n wrote: | Not going to lie, this seems to scratch an itch I haven't thought | about since the days of the Pocket C.H.I.P. If the keyboard is | even remotely useable, I am interested. | kiawe_fire wrote: | The Pocket CHIP created this itch for me, but the keyboard on | that thing made me realize how everything can be so good and | just completely fall apart around one detail. | | So, I'm leery about this and other things like it. I _want_ a | portable, pocketable computer on which I can hack and code away | at fun things like graphics and games when I 'm bored or | waiting in line or whatever, but I'm becoming increasingly | convinced that "small size" and "usable keyboard/UI" are | mutually exclusive. | | Might just give this a try, though! | ranger47 wrote: | Have a look at the upcoming MNT Pocket Reform: | https://www.crowdsupply.com/mnt/pocket-reform | ytjohn wrote: | GDP makes some good fits for this. I'm partial to the | MicroPC, but I mainly use that when troubleshooting network | issues. They have a whole lineup, each geared towards a | different market segment. | | https://gpd.hk/gpdmicropc | IggleSniggle wrote: | It's not quite pocketable, and it doesn't have a keyboard at | all, but the Steam Deck has totally been that device for me. | I've been really impressed with how good the controller | mapping can be; set your joysticks to be Rotary macros, and | combined with the huge number of buttons you have yourself a | fantastic little chording keyboard. The built-in controller | mapper supports keyboard layers and conditional output (eg, | when in this section of GUI, output from button chord L3-R3 | should be XYZ). Anybody using vim or tmux familiar with this | modality should be comfortable. Also, the Rotary menu, should | you choose to use it, can be labeled (including with emoji, | if that's your jam), making the whole thing incredibly | flexible. | ranger47 wrote: | I'm pretty sure lighting a fire and sending smoke signals was a | less annoying input method than the stiff metal domes on that | Pocket CHIP keyboard. I | serf wrote: | strange; it was one of the best 'membrane' style keyboards I | had ever used. I dig mine out once in awhile to fiddle with | mostly because of the k/b. Maybe I used it to the point of | wearing it in? | quijoteuniv wrote: | This definetely scratch an itch, but i already have a macbook | pro from 2006 with Linux 32 bit and still nice battery. Ok that | one is too big. But my 2011 macbook air with latest ubuntu run | as a charm and is behind my sofa when i need :) | fimdomeio wrote: | This scratches an itch I don't have but I always believe I do. | I have a pocket chip colecting dust in a box yet I think I | realy just need to go do an impulse buy of uconsole wich I | won't have a good use for but it's so cute. | | resisting the urge... | ecliptik wrote: | Pocket C.H.I.P. makes an excellent desktop info display for | things like time, weather, etc. | | https://www.ecliptik.com/Pocket-CHIP-Terminal-Dashboard/ | crims0n wrote: | I loved everything about the Pocket C.H.I.P - but that | keyboard made the entire concept unusable. I am hoping | (perhaps foolishly), this keyboard will be marginally | better... but we will see :) | harryvederci wrote: | If the keyboard is the only thing holding you back from | using it, there are 3d print models available of keyboards | that you can put on it. | idle_zealot wrote: | This keyboard looks very similar to the one used on the | DevTerm. If so then I can tell you that it will be | similarly unusable, though an improvement over the Pocket | CHIP's little button keys. | rasz wrote: | This looks like dead fish Spectrum keyboard. Total lack of | cursor key ergonomics and usability matches Amstrad CPC 664. | | Its meant to look like something you would have wanted 35 years | ago, a nostalgia bait. | traverseda wrote: | Immediately went to buy, and I'm really not clear on what I | should be buying. There are three different varieties and it's | hard to tell what the differences are. | napolux wrote: | Same. Dunno what to buy | gorkish wrote: | Unless you know exactly why you have a strong preference for | any of the others, and availability concerns notwithstanding, | I'd suggest the Pi CM4 model based on the larger ecosystem | surrounding the board. | emdashcomma wrote: | I believe the difference is the core module included, where | (CM4 = Compute Module 4): | | RPI-CM4 Lite: Raspberry Pi CM4 104000 lite (ARM Cortex-A72 | quad-core, 4GB LPDDR4, WIFI 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11 | b/g/n/ac wireless + Bluetooth 5.0, BLE) | | A-06: A-06 Core module (ARM64-bit Dual-core Cortex-A72 + Quad- | core Cortex-A53, Mali-T864, 4GB LPDDR4) | | A-04: A-04 Core module (ARM64-bit Quad-core Cortex-A53, | Mali-T720, 2GB DDR3) | | R-01: R-01 Core module (RISC-V 64bit Single-core RV64IMAFDCVU @ | 1.0GHz, No GPU, 1GB DDR3) | wilsonnb3 wrote: | You can swap out the core modules as well, at least on their | previous products. | | Some of them require an adapter that you have to purchase | separately. | sigmaris wrote: | The actual SoCs used on each type of core module are somewhat | well hidden (no mention on the main website as far as I can | see) but can be found through a bit of research: | | RPI-CM4 Lite: Broadcom BCM2711 | | A-06: Rockchip RK3399 | | A-04: Allwinner H6 | | R-01: Allwinner D1 | forty wrote: | Thanks. I wonder why they would hide it? | Farbklex wrote: | Same. Took me a while that there is a Raspberry Pi 4 Compute | Module version and multiple versions with other ARM boards with | different specs. | | Still don't know what the best board is for my use case. I | would like to have a dumbed down environment which is optimized | for this handheld format and lets me start some editors and | fantasy consoles from a menu. | tartoran wrote: | > Still don't know what the best board is for my use case. I | would like to have a dumbed down environment which is | optimized for this handheld format and lets me start some | editors and fantasy consoles from a menu. | | Yes to that adding some instant on/off/hybernate . Would be | great to capture ideas when they come and not wait for the | thing to boot and make other decisions. Something like a | dedicated device but configurable for other tasks. | rasz wrote: | >40 Pins MIPI screen interface | | I see a big chip straight between mipi screen socket and compute | module doing hdmi-mipi conversion, telling me rpi foundation is | still stubbornly fighting ability to use mipi dsi port on the pi. | JoeDaDude wrote: | ON e photo shows what looks like a radio spectrum, which I'm | guessing came from the optional 4G LTE modem. It would be great | if that modem could be used as a generic SDR, putting | programmable sniffing capabilities in a small portable device. | giobox wrote: | Is there anything stopping you using it for SDR regardless? | | With the Pi CM4 module installed, there are loads of options | that will work just using the USB port. | dark-star wrote: | I've been looking for something like this for use as a serial | terminal in the datacenter, with a bit of additional features | (e.g. quickly starting up a DHCP server on the LAN port or | similar) | | Are there similar terminal devices that already include one or | two DB9 serial connectors? | pringk02 wrote: | ClockworkPi also do kits for a device called DevTerm. I have | one, I like it a lot. Keyboard is... not great. But you can | make your own expansion boards. | | https://www.clockworkpi.com/devterm | wvenable wrote: | I really wanted to get a DevTerm but so far the built quality | and keyboard have kept me from pulling the trigger. What do | you like about it? What are you using it for? | wvenable wrote: | The GPD Pocket 3 is designed for this. | dark-star wrote: | yeah, but it's rather overkill for that purpose (read: | expensive), and that swiveling display doesn't inspire | confidence. I'd rather find something more ruggedized | agentultra wrote: | The Steam Deck is a fantastic console for indie game developers, | IMO. World class hardware, you can program your game on it, test | on it, and ship on it. | | I like little consoles like this but I never get one because I'm | almost certain it would be novel and almost nobody I know would | end up having one, unfortunately. | | _Update_ : and, importantly for the Steam Deck, you have a wide | player base out of the box. Maybe not as much for the Deck itself | (yet) but definitely on all three PC platforms. | bogwog wrote: | As an alternative for people interested in developing on | handhelds like this, homebrew for old consoles (PSP, 3DS, etc) | is always fun. There are also hundreds of millions of those | still floating around, so there's a real chance people will | actually play your game, _and_ you potentially contribute to | delaying their trip to the landfill. | agentultra wrote: | Truth! I do homebrew on my N2DSXL and the developer tooling | there is fantastic [0]. Same with NES and even older | handhelds like the DMG-001. | | The nice thing about the Steam Deck though is that you can | carry around your development environment on the same | machine. You still have to cross-compile to reach the 3DS and | such. | | [0] https://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/Main_Page | sangnoir wrote: | Also: old 7" - 8" Android tablets[1] that can run Lineage + | Termux, if you're not particularly invested in integrated | game controllers. | | I'm tinkering with 3D-printed slide-out landscape keyboards, | but there are a lot of commercially available bluetoth | keyboard cases. | | 1. The 2014 Nexus 7 packs a FHD screen compare to the 720 in | TFA. Its display is shockingly crisp for an 8-year-old device | smoldesu wrote: | Honestly, if someone could make an x86 compute module in the | form factor, there's no reason the uConsole couldn't run Steam | and Proton. The tech isn't quite there yet though, so it makes | more sense to target low-power emulators for this form factor. | user- wrote: | Comments like this miss the whole point of fantasy consoles and | similar hardware. | | The novelty is why they exist. | agentultra wrote: | I have been making games for the PICO-8 since it came out. I | actually learned how to program on an Amiga 500. I know why | fantasy consoles exist. | | Not trying to yuck in anyone's yum, just point out that yes | this is great and so is the deck... | rasz wrote: | The total fantasy is the part where someone thought this | keyboard would be useable, and called Amstrad like cursor | keys "gamepad" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_CPC#/med | ia/File:Schnei... | ordiel wrote: | The "fantasy" part of this things is the price... For that | price I can get a full computer/ chromebook that supports | Linux, I wouldn't put more than 100 bucks on something like | this when ALL it can do I can do it with Termux on an Android | phone... | rjh29 wrote: | It's the console equivalent of a musical groovebox. Selling | the idea that you just need to buy this device and you can | make music/games too! It'll be a lot harder but it'll be more | "fun" because you're limited creatively. | agentultra wrote: | That's an interesting take! | | It would be neat if it was easier to broadcast the | experience of playing the game to more folks like how | playing back a song recorded from a groovebox doesn't | require much more than a device with speakers than can play | an audio file. | [deleted] ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2022-10-25 23:00 UTC)