Python 3, Pygame, and Debian Bookworm on the Miyoo A30

https://www.jtolio.com/2025/02/py3-pygame-miyoo-a30/

by todsacerdoti • 1 year ago

158 29 1 year ago

The million handhelds running Linux on Aliexpress are incredible if you think about the easy amount of available compute. I just can’t get over the software situation enough to take it seriously. They’re all based on ARM SBCs which have frankly archaic software support. I’m not sure it’ll ever get better, as there seems to be little incentive to get these platforms working on anything like modern Linux.

doctorpangloss• 1 year ago

Are they though? Landfills are full of more powerful and numerous x86 machines, I don’t see anyone bothering to preserve those.

nine_k• 1 year ago

But x86 is usually not handheld, and has a different power efficiency story.

opan• 1 year ago

The trick is to only buy ones with ROCKNIX support and ignore the rest, no matter how good they sound on paper or how cool the design is. Pretty similar to getting a phone with LineageOS support or router with OpenWrt support, so I managed to get a good one the first time. I have the Anbernic RG353M and would recommend it. The new Retroid Pocket Mini/5 are probably good options as well if you need more power.

homarp• 1 year ago

https://rocknix.org/ to get started

nfriedly• 1 year ago

The MiyooCFW project has a full Buildroot-based system with the Linux 5.15.141 kernel running on a number of Miyoo's older F1C100s devices (single-core ARMv5TE, 32MB RAM - from before they were selling anything under their own name): https://github.com/TriForceX/MiyooCFW

magic_hamster• 1 year ago

Nice writeup. Lots of potential in those budget handhelds. Nice to see you were able to access the GPU with python. Waiting to see what sort of games you come up with!

daghamm• 1 year ago

This looks very interesting.

The CPU is pretty close to rpi2 and zero W2, which can run latest vanilla Debian. Not sure why the official OS is stuck on such an old kernel.

LaurensBER• 1 year ago

The kernel works and so far no-one has been motivated enough to update it. The Rocknix projects offers an up-to-date kernel for a whole bunch devices including the 30 USD R36S which offers amazing value for the money (but does require an USB WiFi adapter for networking).

Narishma• 1 year ago

AFAIK that's the case with pretty much every ARM SBC, Raspberry Pi being the exception. They still support the original model from 2012 with their latest OS and it's a huge part of their success IMO.

emrah• 1 year ago

No screenshots were a bummer but a nice writeup nonetheless

bityard• 1 year ago

There are a bunch of these little Linux game emulation consoles and they are pretty neat. Each of my kids has a Miyoo Mini. Lots of fun and a bunch of community add-ons and support. Almost got one for myself but the D-Pad and buttons are a bit too cramped for my average adult-sized hands.

nout2• 1 year ago

You could get Miyoo Mini Plus for plus sized hands ;)

RainyDayTmrw3• 1 year ago

Are there similar devices in different form factors for custom IoT purposes? I would guess that BoM costs would be pretty similar, but I don't know that there's enough demand.

nout2• 1 year ago

This is very cool. How different would this be for Miyoo Mini Plus?

jtolds2• 1 year ago

I assume the basics are similar. The Miyoo Mini Plus has WiFi, which is great, but no GPU, so I assume you end up with different drivers. But the CPU is the same so everything else should be equivalent.

jtolds2• 1 year ago

To clarify why I said the CPU is the same and the other poster says the A30 has a better CPU, both are true! Same architecture (Cortex A7), but the Mini Plus has 2 cores and the A30 has 4 cores.

snowram• 1 year ago

The A30 has a better CPU, an actual GPU and more RAM. It also runs an older Linux kernel (3.4 iirc) and GCC compatibility is old so running things on it is a challenge.

plagiarist• 1 year ago

What does it take to actually replace the whole thing? The chroot is interesting but it would be nice to have the more up-to-date kernel.

shusaku• 1 year ago

Ah the classic “I planned to make a game, but just ended up writing code that someday will enable me to make a game”. Is there a sort of comment standard machine, like the GP32 of old, that’s ready to go with a good community?

2-3-7-43-1807• 1 year ago

didn't know that's a meme

lentil• 1 year ago

Similar to wanting to start a blog, but instead of writing a post, spending significant effort building the platform. First post becomes ‘how I built my blog’.

grimgrin• 1 year ago

aside, cool re: GP32

Game Park planned their system to be powerful and useful, but they also wanted users to be able to create homebrew software. GP32 users could register the unit on the official website and get a free suite of development tools to create their own programs.

sien• 1 year ago

To be fair they had actually written a game some time ago that they got running on the system.

DrillShopper• 1 year ago

Probably the Steam Deck

RainyDayTmrw3• 1 year ago

I recall someone mentioned previously that the demand for low-cost, low-power compute was concentrated in smartphones, TV boxes, etc. The high demand drove the prices down on those chips and modules a lot. That was why Raspberry Pi uses a repurposed TV box chip, etc. Along those lines, is there a way to buy a cheap TV box, but programmable?

dasv• 1 year ago

If you look at the datasheets, the SoCs in the Miyoo handhelds were originally intended for dashcams. I don't know whether these handhelds emerged as a result of excess supply of chips like the RPi or simply it was the cheapest alternative that fit their needs, however.

RainyDayTmrw3• 1 year ago

I don't know for certain, but it does seem to fit the trend of some extremely high-volume, low-margin chip that starts out in one use-case and gets put everywhere else where it meets or exceeds the needed specs.

As a hobbyist, it makes me wonder how I can make use of this for my own needs - without having to make a custom PCB, which I know other hobbyists have succeeded in, but I'd like to keep my initial attempts simple.

nxobject• 1 year ago

The good news: battery life ranges about 3-5 hours; close to an older Switch. However, I wonder how much of that performance is distro-dependent (i.e. scheduler, knobs to turn on/off services), which might affect moddability.

Python 3, Pygame, and Debian Bookworm on the Miyoo A30

Related Stories