Picopad, an open handheld console, based on the Raspberry Pi and only $40
July 6, 2023
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In the era of the “resurrection” of handheld gaming devices, with the development of enormous size and performance, today we present something different. It’s called Picopad and it’s
In the era of the “resurrection” of handheld gaming devices, with the development of enormous size and performance, today we present something different. It’s called Picopad and it’s part of an open source project that shows the possibilities of Raspberry for all kinds of projects.
Picopad is a small gaming console. on the LCD screen 2 inches With a native resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, it adds 8 buttons, including those that act as a Direction Pad.
It is powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2040a microcontroller that has little to do with the big developments in terms of performance (as an example of the Ryzen Z1 of the impressive ASUS ROG Ally), but which allows you to have a good time with classic arcade games such as PAC-MAN, Centipede , Space Invaders or Tetris and of course it can also run the fabled original DOOM, which seems to have no limits when it comes to the devices it can run on.
The machine also has a microSD card reader for system boot and storage, 500 mAh battery for power and speaker. It also allows the adventurous user to design their own case and includes GPIO, UART, I2C and other analog pins for those who want to program, debug or modify the system. This YouTube video shows the whole process.
The Picopad is available on some European portals and in two versions, one with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for $42 per trade-in and the other without wireless for 39 euros. It comes as a kit that contains all the necessary parts to build the console, offering a unique opportunity to get started in these matters or to take a little one into the home, teach them the principles of electronic soldering as well as software programming, from C and MicroPython suitable for basic learning .
It must be said that in addition to games, this Raspberry Pi board supports external cards for various educational extensions, so it can be used to develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills. All hardware schematics, software, and SDK files are available on GitHub and can be reused or modified as the user wishes.
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.