• @[email protected]
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    343 months ago

    This is cool but it tries to be two things and doesn’t look great at either.

    There are Pi Laptop cases that are more practical and aren’t as risky as a Kickstarter.

    And there’s plenty of (dramatically cheaper) Linux retro styled pocket games out there.

    • Justin
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      53 months ago

      Linux retro style handhelds? Could you tell me where to find them?

      Was really interested in the Pilet until I figured out the Pi doesn’t come with it at that price…

      • @[email protected]
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        43 months ago

        There’s loads. Several Anbernic devices, Miyoo Mini (I have a couple and they’re great), etc.

        Most of them support custom firmwares, themes, etc.

      • @[email protected]
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        23 months ago

        Just to add to what others are saying, check out The Phawx on YT, reviewing these things is kind of his schtick (not Linux focused, retro handheld focused).

      • @[email protected]
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        3 months ago

        Linux retro style handhelds? Could you tell me where to find them?

        Sure!

        Edit: Ooh, good recommendations by others. Abernic competes pretty well with PowKiddy in price for features, as well.

      • @[email protected]
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        153 months ago

        The R36S is a “dirt cheap” Linux retrohandheld you can get pretty much everywhere. No built-in WiFi though, which limits usability quite a lot.

        • @[email protected]
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          123 months ago

          I got my daughters that an I regret it… Should have brought it for myself…

          Now jodes aside. Is incredible for the price.

          • @[email protected]
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            33 months ago

            My biggest complaint is that their complimentary ROM collection doesn’t have any of the Patapon games. I put mine in and now it’s perfect :D

        • Poplar?
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          3 months ago

          Do you happen to know how they are able to provide all those retro games? I can’t imagine they licensed that many games.

          • @[email protected]
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            83 months ago

            By outright piracy ofc. They include a shoddy SD card full of ROMs, but you can and should use your own card (for longevity) with your own ROMs (for legal reasons…)

            • Poplar?
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              23 months ago

              Oh wow. Their website says theyve been operating since 2019 or something so I assumed they had something going that stopped them from being shutdown by Nintendo.

              • @[email protected]
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                23 months ago

                that stopped them from being shutdown by Nintendo

                Some of them cleverly don’t include any Mario games, only Maroo games.

  • @[email protected]
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    433 months ago

    Anyone that thinks they’re “coding on the go” with something of this form factor is kidding themselves.

    • @[email protected]
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      3 months ago

      You’d be better off using SSH into a VPS and using a CLI editor from your phone. Better perf, can use any keyboard you care to bring, and no extra cost to you.

    • @[email protected]
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      133 months ago

      Yeah I’ve seen this thing before and think it’s a neat design but not really worth funding tbh. In the end it’s just a Pi with a screen too small to be useful and a keyboard that would be terrible to use. Do we really need to fund more plastic crap? They could just put the designs online so people can 3D print them themselves, and put it on a service like pcbway for people that want a high quality version. People already do that all the time.

      If they would design an interface for it as well, that would be really cool. Then it could be a useful thing definitely worth funding. But with a vanilla Pi Linux the user experience would be terrible.

      • @[email protected]
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        3 months ago

        Do we really need to fund more plastic crap?

        I feel this way every time something is made like this. Like, you’re not reinventing the wheel in any meaningful way. Is it cool? Of course! Is is something that makes the task easier and/or better? No, not really.

  • @[email protected]
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    733 months ago

    Powered by Raspberry Pi 5

    Also…

    The Raspberry Pi 5 board is not included in this kit.

    • @[email protected]
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      13 months ago

      And I get it’s still the top dog SBC but there’s plenty out there that don’t contribute to the capitalist machine.

    • @[email protected]
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      103 months ago

      So for $200 USD they’re selling an 80’s retro version of a GameboyPi case ($50 on amazon, includes battery) with a slightly larger screen and fewer buttons. For $10 more, they’ll add in a keyboard that they haven’t developed yet.

      Seems like an overpriced stepping stone between a flipper and a steam deck.

    • @[email protected]
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      233 months ago

      Yeah, wish they were a bit more upfront about that. In their defense it is in the FAQ and somewhere at the bottom of the “about this project” page. Battery is also an add on unless you want to source your own.

    • @[email protected]
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      33 months ago

      Yeah, is it “pil-ey” like in “filet” or “pill-et” like a “pilot” with an ‘e’ (like Palm Pilot)?

      • @[email protected]
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        3 months ago

        It’s Raspberry Pi powered, so the ‘Pi’ part of the name must surely be pronounced like that

  • @[email protected]
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    163 months ago

    OP is fighting for their lives in that video with people saying it isn’t open source.

  • @[email protected]
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    173 months ago

    funded quick because of an absurdly low funding goal coupled with a high entry price point, and somewhat deceptive marketing.

    • I Cast Fist
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      63 months ago

      Goal: 20k CAD

      Lowest reward thingy: 289 CAD

      They only needed 70 people interested. Still surpassed over 1k supporters, so not too shabby.

  • @[email protected]
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    553 months ago

    The emotional part of me yells “shut up and take my money”, but the rational part of me tells me that it will be another useless piece of junk on my shelf

    • @[email protected]
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      53 months ago

      Yeah, I sort of wanted a computer I can carry around with me (and I kind of like the Inspector Gadget vibes), but then I remembered I have a smart phone so I already do.

    • @[email protected]
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      43 months ago

      Fortunately, the rational part of me has been winning lately. So yeah, it’s cool, but I have no use for it.

  • Sabre363
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    133 months ago

    We need more products to have interesting aesthetics again

    • @[email protected]
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      103 months ago

      Touchscreens have their place (and are overused in places like cars, to be sure) but their emergence combined with a minimalist trend sure has made things boring.

  • @[email protected]
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    43 months ago

    I was looking for something just like this, A small, battery powered system with an integrated display. Started my search for a pi case but quickly realized an N100 x86 device with higher specs than a pi can be purchased for significantly cheaper. let’s just hope I can get Debian on it.