The Pocket-Sized PICOmputer Puts Classic Eight-Bit Gaming in the Palm of Your Hand
The Raspberry Pi Pico port of Jean-Marc Harvengt's microcontroller-focused MCUME emulator brings vintage gaming to the PICOmputer.
Engineer Peter "Bobricius" Misenko has showcased how his pocket-sized PICOmputer, powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico, can let you take classic gaming on-the-go through the power of emulation.
First unveiled earlier this year as the precursor to a Raspberry Pi Pico reimagining of the Armachat secure communications terminal, the PICOmputer takes Raspberry Pi's RP2040-based microcontroller development board and sandwiches it in a PCB with QWERTY keyboard and compact display.
Coupled with a directional pad to the bottom-right, that's everything you need for playing a range of classic games — and it's this functionality Misenko has sought to showcase in a new video.
Using Jean-Marc Harvengt's MCUME, the Multi Computer Machine Emulator, Misenko has got the PICOmputer playing games from Sinclair's ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64, the Atari family, and more — described as "my dream come to reality," putting a number of still-popular eight-bit computers in his pocket.
With the concept proven, Misenko's already got an idea for an upgrade: "I need [to] work on XL version," he explains, "with bigger display."
The video has been published to Misenko's YouTube channel.