This is the kind of device designed to look so attractive for certain people that it would be an impulse buy: metal case, exposed screws, lots of ports for peripherals, full (mechanical?) keyboard and lots of buttons, a nice built in screen, raspberry PI inside… it’s like you’re describing an attractive woman.
But when you go beyond that, what is the point of this? Why is an indie game developer going to build things for this particular niche platform? In the end, I would buy this and it would just end up as another random device in a drawer. Nice aesthetic, but useless.
> Why is an indie game developer going to build things for this particular niche platform?
This is a linux computer where the terminal is the primary intended interface. Anything you can run on ARM and linux (like everything in retropie) should be supported out of the box. Terminal-based games don't need fancy GPU drivers and optimizations like the Steam Deck. There should be no porting needed except maybe some keymapping for the non-keyboard buttons, but that's normal.
FSV of useless, maybe. In theory, there's a market for retro game designers who would appreciate this device for their hobby.
Kind of tempted to buy it myself to replace late night or in-bed usage of mindless scrolling of Twitter and Reddit. [Edit: I guess this part is right in their headline: "bedroom programmers".]
There are hundreds of millions of PSPs, Vitas, DSes, 3DSes, Gameboys, etc floating around in the hands (or closets) of actual users out there.
Those are consoles that are fully hacked, with high quality open source toolchains and SDKs, and emulators.
If you have a retro handheld game development itch, those will scratch it better than anything else, especially since there’s a real chance people will actually play your game.
Developing for those old consoles also means you potentially delay them going to a landfill.
Not to say the gadget in OP isn’t worth buying, but the “indie dev” value proposition isn’t that strong IMO.
> But when you go beyond that, what is the point of this?
I don't like the idea that every tech purchase must somehow prove its worth or be measured as "worthy" somehow - if you enjoy devices like these and like collecting them - have at it!
Some of the things I enjoy most are frankly "pointless" in the eyes of most; don't let this stop you. You aren't buying a life-changing large purchase like a house or a car here. Sometimes these things work out, sometimes they don't.
The point of devices such as this is often that they indeed have no specific point... they are for fun as much as anything else you can think up.
With a bit of a broken heart I have to concur. Tiny screen, tiny keyboard, usability not included. I still kid myself after all those years that I will actually use my old EeePC for a "cool retro something" - even had DOS installed and made wired Ethernet work! - but nope, it's just painful. And that thing actually has a keyboard not designed to be operated with a stylus!
But when you go beyond that, what is the point of this? Why is an indie game developer going to build things for this particular niche platform? In the end, I would buy this and it would just end up as another random device in a drawer. Nice aesthetic, but useless.