ClockworkPi – uConsole, “fantasy console” for indie game developers

https://www.clockworkpi.com/

by emdashcomma • 4 years ago

301 143 4 years ago

crims0n3• 4 years ago

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.

fimdomeio• 4 years ago

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...

crims0n3• 4 years ago

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 :)

ecliptik• 4 years ago

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/

kiawe_fire4• 4 years ago

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!

ranger473• 4 years ago

Have a look at the upcoming MNT Pocket Reform: https://www.crowdsupply.com/mnt/pocket-reform

IggleSniggle• 4 years ago

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.

ytjohn• 4 years ago

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

whywhywhywhy• 4 years ago

can tell everyone on the dev team just plugged in a keyboard therefore the problem never got solved

stephc_int13• 4 years ago

I used to write a lot of code on my beloved HP48 while I was a student.

The keyboard was good enough, nice tactile feedback and relatively good software handling of multiple and rapid key presses, contrary to the TI calcs that had horrible keyboard handler (only one key press at a time)

I miss the way I was able to simply relax and write code without having to sit in a chair.

I believe that thumb typing keyboards can be good and high quality.

I wish that a company like Teenage Engineering would follow the exact same recipe as Clockwork Pi with with a higher quality finish and keyboard.

anigbrowl4• 4 years ago

This company also offers a more conventional keyboard: https://www.clockworkpi.com/home-devterm

chillfox• 4 years ago

""small size" and "usable keyboard/UI" are mutually exclusive"

Not at all, before the smartphone there were several phones with very usable keyboards, I think it's just that a quality keyboard can't be made for cheap and/or in a small production run.

I really wish there was something like one of those old phones with either arm or risc v and 4G. I don't need it to be capable of doing phone calls, I just want a small cellular connected pocket computer with a great keyboard.

ranger473• 4 years ago

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

serf2• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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 :)

rasz6• 4 years ago

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.

jagtesh• 4 years ago

You have to scroll down a bit to the image that describes the keyboard in great detail. It includes a mouse trackball. The keys use some kind of clicky switches. The buttons themselves are possibly hard plastic (a good thing). Colour me impressed.

Keyboard image blowup: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3833f7_df1d45d717da4487ba...

incomingpain2• 4 years ago

Holy crap, $200?

Too good to be true. What's the catch?

reustle2• 4 years ago

$240 if you include the cellular option in the bundle, but still very cheap.

djur• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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.

BirAdam• 4 years ago

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.

philipov• 4 years ago

They call this Fantasy? Looks more Sci-Fi to me.

vhold• 4 years ago

Comes from things like: https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php

More here: https://github.com/paladin-t/fantasy

traverseda3• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

Same. Dunno what to buy

gorkish2• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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)

wilsonnb32• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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

mid-kid• 4 years ago

Does this mean that only the CM4 version has wifi? What about the LTE support they mention on the front page?

Farbklex• 4 years ago

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.

tartoran3• 4 years ago

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.

reustle2• 4 years ago

Give these guys 3 more years and they’ll release a DIY Blackberry. This is already very close, just a bit too big.

gergi• 4 years ago

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?

traverseda3• 4 years ago

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/

wilsonnb32• 4 years ago

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.

Cyberdog• 4 years ago

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.

derefr2• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

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.

TillE• 4 years ago

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.

xwdv• 4 years ago

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.

incomingpain2• 4 years ago

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.

drbig• 4 years ago

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!

traverseda3• 4 years ago

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.

humanistbot• 4 years ago

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.

felideon4• 4 years ago

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...

felideon4• 4 years ago

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".]

bogwog2• 4 years ago

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.

AnIdiotOnTheNet• 4 years ago

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.

rasz6• 4 years ago

(mechanical?) keyboard and lots of buttons

smd dome switches with rubber cover, as mechanical as ZX Spectrum keyboard

giobox4• 4 years ago

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.

lijogdfljk• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

Cool hardware like this makes me regret switching off of QWERTY.

0xdeadbeefbabe• 4 years ago

You can always switch back with enough practice.

stonogo• 4 years ago

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.

cptcobalt• 4 years ago

This feels like a great surrealist "let's hack on some outdoor IoT hardware" cyber-warfare device. I bought one.

iambvk• 4 years ago

Does it support NVME for storage? I only see MicroSD card.

evanfarrar• 4 years ago

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.

yellowapple• 4 years ago

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.

dewey2• 4 years ago

Based on the current supply chain and logistics situation, the estimated delivery time is approximately 90 business days.

gorgoiler• 4 years ago

This would be the perfect remote control for a media PC.

tartoran3• 4 years ago

A bit too overpowered for that

dewey2• 4 years ago

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

felideon4• 4 years ago

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• 4 years ago

I've been out of the IRC loop for a while. Is there still a lot of value using IRC in general?

_joel• 4 years ago

Looks neat, but what's going on with that keyboard layout and the enter/backspace. That would be difficult to de-muscle memory

tartoran3• 4 years ago

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?

jgtrosh2• 4 years ago

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)

agentultra4• 4 years ago

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.

bogwog2• 4 years ago

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.

agentultra4• 4 years ago

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

sangnoir2• 4 years ago

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

user-• 4 years ago

Comments like this miss the whole point of fantasy consoles and similar hardware.

The novelty is why they exist.

rjh29• 4 years ago

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.

agentultra4• 4 years ago

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...

rasz6• 4 years ago

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#/media/File:Schnei...

ordiel• 4 years ago

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...

smoldesu• 4 years ago

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.

JoeDaDude• 4 years ago

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.

giobox4• 4 years ago

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.

bee_rider• 4 years ago

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.

barnabee• 4 years ago

Businesses need outcomes, for humans “I can’t see the point but I like it” feels optimal to me.

charcircuit• 4 years ago

feels optimal to me.

How is that optimal compared to "I can see the point and I like it"

dark-star2• 4 years ago

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?

wvenable2• 4 years ago

The GPD Pocket 3 is designed for this.

dark-star2• 4 years ago

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

pringk02• 4 years ago

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

wvenable2• 4 years ago

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?

low_tech_punk• 4 years ago

Can you turn this into a cyberdeck phone that actually works with AT&T and Verizon?

stokehacker• 4 years ago

Is it certified for Windows 95 or 2000?

CrociDB• 4 years ago

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.

rasz6• 4 years ago

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...

giobox4• 4 years ago

This was an instant purchase for me on the basis of its mid-90s PDA aesthetic alone.

rasz6• 4 years ago

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.

leros• 4 years ago

This looks really cool but I don't really understand what the market is for this product.

crims0n3• 4 years ago

I see it as fun toys for people who like hardware.

Zvez• 4 years ago

I feel uncomfortable just by looking at its keyboard

shon• 4 years ago

With that keyboard, it’s only a “fantasy console” if you’re a masochist.

omgmajk• 4 years ago

I want this so bad my brain is starting to split in half just thinking about it.

jgtrosh2• 4 years ago

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.

accrual• 4 years ago

I wish it had something similar to a Blackberry Bold keyboard. That keyboard kept me on Blackberry for a long time. I used it for SSH as well and it was pretty comfortable.

officeplant• 4 years ago

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.

stolen_biscuit• 4 years ago

Is there any way to buy just the console without the cores if you already have one for the devterm?

Animats• 4 years ago

That's cute, and not insanely expensive.

On the "little machine for custom jobs" front, can anyone suggest a low cost subnotebook, x86-64 or ARM (i.e. Chromebooks OK) where I can wipe the Google software and install some version of Ubuntu? I've been using EeePC Seashell machines for that for years, but they're wearing out and I need something close to current production.

I'm looking for a machine where there's not too much difficulty doing this. That varies with the machine. Some require removing a jumper to let you overwrite the OS. Some require overwriting flash memory with somewhat sketchy binaries.

ranger473• 4 years ago

I have a Thinkpad X120e Chromebook that still kicks with Gallium OS on it. I think you can pick those up for about $50 USD now. There's a Chromebook version and a "regular" version.

girvo• 4 years ago

GPD has a few devices. The new ones aren't cheap, but their older ones are.

http://www.gpd.hk/

The older GPD Micro PC can be found for a bit cheaper than their newer ones. But they're likely more expensive than you are looking for I think! Though on the other hand, they're very easy to run whatever OS you want on them

yjftsjthsd-h• 4 years ago

i.e. Chromebooks OK

I suggest picking a machine from https://mrchromebox.tech/#devices , filtered to the ones that support the full "UEFI Firmware". Conveniently, this also lists the needed method to make the firmware r/w if you care about that. Of course, this depends on you considering MrChromebox non-sketchy, but he is AFAIK reputable and if you prefer all the source is on GitHub.

Oh, and annoyingly I suggest that you avoid ARM Chromebooks; firmware support and OS options aren't there (yet, I dearly hope).

wingmanjd• 4 years ago

It's not as small as your EeePC, but I very much enjoy my PineBook Pro [1]. I'm running Manjaro Plasma KDE on mine, and I can do just about all I want, dev wise on it: docker, ddev, vscode, firefox, chromium, LibreOffice, etc. It's about as powerful as a mid-tier Chromebook.

[1] https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pinebook_Pro

unintendedcons• 4 years ago

Very interesting - I have never seen the "open-design" logo ANYWHERE before.

Has anyone seen this anywhere else?

ngcc_hk• 4 years ago

Sadly ordered the full version before this come out. Look great though.

ukverwwrttyv• 4 years ago

Reminds me of the Sharp Zaurus, it had an linux ecosystem. Good times.

ClockworkPi – uConsole, “fantasy console” for indie game developers

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