+5-11under Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 I saw this a couple of days ago. The Game Boy Zero: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sparky/gameboy-zero-handheld-edition/description Basically it's a Raspberry Pi Zero with a 2.8" screen, and switches in Gameboy layout (plus extras), all on a single PCB. Case would be layered acrylic or one of your own making. It's all open source, so if you don't want to buy in now, you could find a way to make one or more yourself, later. There's a few things I would have done differently, but overall, this looks well designed. I like the single PCB solution. There's probably a dozen (or maybe many more) similar projects out there, so there's probably room to be fussy on which one, if any, you would choose. This is on Kickstarter - Proceed at your own risk! Feel free to discuss this project, or similar projects... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 No. Just no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+5-11under Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 No. Just no. Because it's crowdfunded, I'm guessing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 I'm looking at the backing levels and one little bit disturbs me, no battery. Also pretty hefty cost to get the battery lacking full setup that's ready to go. I like the idea in principle but looks like at such a tiny size it would be more crampy than a famicom mini controller or a gb micro which people tend to groan over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+5-11under Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 I'm looking at the backing levels and one little bit disturbs me, no battery. Also pretty hefty cost to get the battery lacking full setup that's ready to go. I like the idea in principle but looks like at such a tiny size it would be more crampy than a famicom mini controller or a gb micro which people tend to groan over. They're probably scared of mailing batteries, although I think that's mostly unjustified. It's definitely tending towards the DIY end of the spectrum, which works for me. I'm in for 3 nearly full units for $150 CAN (Platinum level). I'll probably sell one or two, unless the kids want them. The size is definitely pretty small. The acrylic case would be 2 7/8" x 3 3/4", it looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Because it's crowdfunded, I'm guessing? Because it's crowdfunded. Because it's a PI. Because it reeks of other systems that have come and gone, some of whom were even portable. This just has to stop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 I kind of really want one as it seems it would actually fit inside a wallet space for a credit card, but them flaking on the battery bugs me especially at the price they're asking. I'm just concerned it could get very crampy trying to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+5-11under Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 Because it's crowdfunded. Because it's a PI. Because it reeks of other systems that have come and gone, some of whom were even portable. This just has to stop. I get the crowdfunding, and to some degree the Pi, but obviously there's plenty of room in the portable Pi space for a number of projects (that some will enjoy playing even after they people who have made them have "come and gone"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Cool, aren't similar devices already available on amazon for far less already? Super tiny and cool though, and I like diy projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Wake me up when someone presents a GB/GBC/GBA console on Kickstarter. Not portable (console box sits on a table). Plugs into a TV via HDMI. Accepts all GB/GBC/GBA carts. Has wired controllers. (I understand some prefer wireless, but I don't like the hassle of recharging/batteries.) Plug-and-play, no configuration of any kind necessary. Keep it simple: Extras like screen borders not necessary, and I could live with a single resolution scale (one for GB/GBC and one for GBA). That's what I would put my money on, but it seems all the tech-savvy guys out there are going out of their way to NOT do it. Oh well... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 The tools at either Hyperkin or Retrobit were working on just that thing, an all things Gameboy HDMI tv box but it was announced like a year back and nothing said since. I'd buy that too despite the fact I do have a working GB Player unless of course that GC2HDMI gets finalized and released then I wouldn't give a crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 The tools at either Hyperkin or Retrobit were working on just that thing, an all things Gameboy HDMI tv box but it was announced like a year back and nothing said since. I'd buy that too despite the fact I do have a working GB Player unless of course that GC2HDMI gets finalized and released then I wouldn't give a crap. I know the Retron 5 does GB/GBC/GBA, but the reviews haven't been exactly enticing. It's too bad the Analog NT Mini doesn't do GBA or else I would already have everything I want from an all-in-one TV console. I have to wonder what kind of FPGA is required to support the 32-bit CPU of the GBA and output it over HDMI. I would venture to guess that such FPGAs already exist but they're cost-prohibitive right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 It doesn't do them well but it does them is the best way to put it. It doesn't make the visuals look very good at all and I'd dare bark frame skipping on the GBA side which seems odd. I had the original flaky hardware release and then the fixed model which improved the part fail problems a lot but not the garbage emulation/CRC checking stupidity inside. GBA games are the worst on there, in a small window or blown up they're pretty well ranging from pixelated to chunky blocky depending on the game. Don't bother playing anything faux 3D like your DOOM style stuff on there as it's fairly bad at any level of distance like the joke stuff of DOOM on 2600 bad. Old GB scales up well enough due to the lower detail in general it had, even stretched it's not too bad, not as clean/nice as on a little SP or the GB Player by any means. GBP gets crapped on by some over their warezy hacked side loader ditching the Nintendo disc, but the R5 makes it seem excellent. A big reason I wanted it was for HDMI gameboy and it was a huge let down, a close second was with a little kid the save anywhere aspect, but it's just not worth it. Far better off really getting an android tablet with a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable plug on it and run it off a TV using a bluetooth controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Thanks for the review, even though I wasn't really planning on purchasing a Retron-5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Looks like a very limited, single purpose, PocketCHIP ... and like that project, same rough design, no case. A LARGE part of the appeal of Nintendo handhelds is their external case design, and their overall sturdiness. They're made to be abused my children. This thing isn't even halfway there. It's like the opposite of the Coleco Chameleon ... where's the case? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 (edited) This really seems like such an original idea... https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1227007236/freeplay-zero-freeplay-cm3-by-freeplaytech https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/583173617/raspi-boy-retro-handheld-emulation-console-electro https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1985705009/piplay-portable https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2032055368/the-encade-a-portable-raspberry-pi-gaming-console https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robotloveskitty/gamekid And those are just the ones I found by chance. (I learned of the Game Kid during it's run but passed on it.) Edited October 12, 2017 by KeeperofLindblum 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Even closer to what you posted is this... Which is actually out and purchasable. https://arduboy.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+5-11under Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 And those are just the ones I found by chance. (I learned of the Game Kid during it's run but passed on it.) It looks like the Game Kid got canceled, so you didn't waste your time and/or money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 The GameKid people said they want to refund everyone's money, but it hasn't come back to me yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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