@@flosa1995 Company is lying. It's been 4-5 years of "90" day shipping on their FAQ due to "Supply chain Issues". However, if you go to their forum, the owner and admins have a thread with shipping updates - most of which is full of users who are complaining about 450+ day wait times.
I think our present would be a very different place. Smart phones and their functionality have been designed for the entire population. If our present was as you described, I think we would have a lot less people addicted to the screens in their pockets and only the most hardcore computer nerds would be walking around with these. At the same time, the cellular networks probably wouldn't be what they are today and the web wouldn't be as fast or accessible on our pocket computers.
Smartphones ARE portable computers, the distinction between the two is largely artificial, especially since most Samsung phones can be attached to a dock and used as a Linux PC in "Dex mode".
I was just thinking how well it would be as a working prop in some kind of sci-fi or apocalyptic setting. Weathering on the metal shell would really sell it as a hard piece of tech.
abso-fucking-lewdly! i have my eyes on cool niche handheld computers ever since open pandora was first teased way before 2010. this looks almost to good to be true, especially at that price point, and in a full metal case. ..and that kickstand is the icing on the cake!
@@bbloomfield6497 if you wanna make aluminium parts look war torn and withered, good old NaOH based drain cleaner is your best friend. caustic lye eats right into alu. also concider a coat of crincle paint, before scuffing it up, and some chemical warfare, to REALLY make it look like a spy agent relic from the cold war era. (stop giving me ideal like that .. dammit! :D )
Oh man, this is really giving me those pocket C.H.I.P vibes. It looks so much like a spiritual successor to it I still got mine from back in the day, wish I could keep using it but upgrading firmware isnt as easy as it used to be. But truly, this kind of handheld experience is underrated, it is a lot of fun to type away and have a Linux computer with no compromises. Having the pi in there too is an excellent upgrade, way more capable than C.H.I.P, hope it is something people can enjoy for years to come
Heyo! Fellow pocket chipper here. Yeah, mine unflashed and I can't get an image back onto it. Still a cool little device to display in the studio 😜 I had the exact same thought when I saw it.
Same here. When the company fell apart I even managed to get the rescued firmware. Its great for Pico-8 and terminal use. I've used it as a portable Piratebox node.
I was dreaming about a device exactly like this the other day, Googling to see if it existed. My plan was to find the tiniest keyboard I could, do a whole ton of research, 3D print a case, get a Pi 4, and make my own PC handheld. That all sounds very hard so I'll probably just get this instead. Really would have preferred a proper rocking D-Pad, but this is more of a tinker toy than a serious gaming device, so I can probably look past it.
@@-TheRealThing- Thanks for the tip. I just looked it up. There are some things about it that I like more than the uConsole, but there are other things I prefer about the uConsole. Good to have options!
@@krux02 But has a custom screen, custom keyboard, other custom hardware. These might break at any time, will most likely break when you need to run OS version updates (if you can even do that with Raspbian).
@@quarteratom keyboard is connected over usb (regular hid), as is the trackball, so it should be fine display is MIPI iirc, which does require a couple patches to the kernel but shouldn't be too much of an issue i'm planning on maintaining patches & shit even if clockworkpi goes under, for the record.
Ahhh, I love the design. It looks like someone took my Blackberry Passport and added some game console keys to it. Shame the screen isn't touch, but the trackball is a fun addition.
What a fantastic and good-looking device! I love ultra-portable designs like this. And being metal cased means it's more durable than a tablet or phone, and a physical keyboard - even a dome switch one - will always feel better to type on that a flat piece of glass. I wish there were more types of cute small computers like this, sadly people are too invested in phones and everything being so thin that it really restricts what can be done. This whole thing reminds of the early days of computers, where home-builds and experimentation was king, before the mega-corporations took over the entire industry. Computers and even gaming consoles used to be a whole lot more accessible and customizable than they are today, with home-brewed games being a HUGE part of it, and this harkens back to those fun days!
I'd love to see more videos about it! I pre-ordered mine roughly 10 months ago, and I'd be interested to see how much work is involved configuring this device for other Linux distros
@@maxhouseman3129 I doubt it's any faster, they haven't fulfilled all the preorders yet and considering how slow they are (around 200 units per month) it will probably take until March next year before everyone gets their order. (Unless they dramatically ramp up production in the meantime, which could happen! I hope so at least)
it probably wont be long, before *.stl for printable bumpers are up on thingyverse. and for solar/crank chargers, you just need something with a USB output or slot for 18650 cells. have fun hand cranking LiIon cells to full charge, tho! lol. just dont hope for a waterproof version, unless you apply the conformal coating yourself.
@@Ucceah You got me curious thinking about how long it would take to crank charge something like this and I happened to have the stuff lying around (old vape with USB c charging w/ 2 battery slots and a hand crank). It took 30 minutes to get to 5% lol - that being said frantically cranking to get enough power to save a game/trading off between cranking and playing isn't out of the realm of possibilities and I find that novel and amusing.
@@Heowolf The trick would be to mount the handcrank charger on a stationary cycle with a gear attaching the crank to the chain. Then you could exercise and power the thing simultaneously. Imagine if kids had no option but to ride the bike to play the game...
call me crazy but as someone who used a blackberry I can only love the fact that there is a trackball instead of a touchscreen. It always worked great for sites/applications that where never made for small screens. Like my iphone 12 pro max is harder to navigate on desktop websites than the bold 9900 was. Seeing that this device comes with the default PiOS with XFCE DE the trackpoint seems like the right choice.
I ordered one of these a while back. Still waiting for it. Happy to see this review, it's even better than I expected it would be. I'm not sure how I missed it, but I had no idea the thing was aluminum!
Great video as always. Please do more on the uConsole as I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, ordered it nearly a year ago now and hope it will be with me soon!
All of Clockwork's devices are beautiful and I 1000% plan to buy one eventually. I really hope they do well, like a Teenage Engineering of Linux devices.
Ordered one as soon as i saw this video when it came out, unfortunately I believe orders are backed up but I waited a whole year for the analogue pocket. I have no issue waiting for this. Had to watch the video again cause I cannot wait til I get mine.
I've been looking for a handheld with a keyboard for DOS emulation and rougelikes for a while and, other than the fact that the RPI4 isn't great with 486/pentium emulation and some liberties with the keyboard layout maybe causing issues with a few games, this is probably the best option I've seen
@@Henry-oe2tn I don't have this yet but it's a RPI4 inside so it should be able to run some of the easier to emulate games. But since there's no analog stick and this device is more focused around the keyboard, it's not really the best for this.
It's like a modern Pocket Chip, but it runs on a Raspberry Pi CM, uses a higher quality shell (Aluminium instead of plastic), comes with built in speakers, has a trackball, lacks a touchscreen and you *have to assemble it yourself. I think this is really cool, it just needs a touchscreen and I'd get one.
This device is so intriguing but I’m struggling to find a use case for it. I feel if I were a developer, I would rather use a laptop. And for a retro game device, I would not want that style d-pad nor buttons. Yet, I would still love to have one lol
I ordered one as a portable computer to use when I am out and about and dont wanna lug out my laptop at work. I can use my phone for a lot but when I am entering information or trying to configure something really quick the keyboard always gets in the way and the mobile websites dont always like to cooperate. Hoping this will fix that and I have something else to tinker with.
@@XakariahFox I was thinking of using mine (non CM4 edition) to possibly ssh into my phone, as I have Linux installed on terminus and I'm sure ssh server can be ran all without pulling my phone out, and the entering information mentioned with dedicated keyboard
@@XakariahFox isn't something like Samsung DEX, or native Android Desktop, better for this usecase? There is no extra device you carry, the power is similar, if not greater on higher end phones... It is true that on DEX you don't have as many professional tools, but then again, the the power limitations of the handheld device creates similar bottlenecks
I absolutely love this little design. I wish we could get a windows handheld with some of the more powerful hardware we've seen coming from AMD in this design. Then we just snap on a Bluetooth controller with telescoping on and we off to the races.
That's definitely a possibility for the future. Just needs someone to do it really as it is possible to make PC handhelds. It is a pretty cool form factor, i'd been interested in a Windows version.
@@shaolindreamsThere have been several attempts at Windows based ultra mobile PCs, but as good as they have been, they never caught on. There are usually too many compromises in either size, form factor, battery life and performance. Not to mention they always cost more than people want to pay for them. Netbooks had the same problem. Personally I'd prefer a normal mobile phone with a decent physical QWERTY keyboad. I really dislike typing on touch screens. 😡
@@another3997 true but the hardware is always improving and it has got to a stage where we do have quite a bit of power that can fit in the palm of our hand. i had many of those older devices and the problem was always performance. Yeah i prefer a keyboard too, can barely type on touchscreen let alone touchtype. Bit unfortunate Windows Phones died.
@another3997 man I want hardware keyboards on Android phones to come back so bad too. I used my original Droid for *soooo* long because I loved the slide out keyboard. I could type 50 wpm on that thing. Wrote entire essays and term papers on it.
This seems awesome. Please do more content on this thing, I’d love to know more. How bright is the screen? Can it easily be used outside? I’m curious how well different Raspberry Pi operating systems work with this hardware.
@@michaelbmw1931 I don’t think it can because of it’s ARM architecture. I can’t say fully for sure, but as far as I’m concerned, the answer is sadly no.
Very neat. Would love to know what the battery life is like in practice. I figure a big stumbling block for all rpi based handhelds is the lack of a proper low-power sleep or hibernation mode. It means you're stuck either leaving the machine sipping energy the whole time or having to wait for full shutdown when your done and a full boot when you want to get started again... A definite barrier to using it on the go.
One nice thing about 18650s is you can get em with 3600mAH so you could have over 7200mAH on 2 of em. Not sure how much power the pi uses but pretty sure you could get good battery life off of that.
it really shouldnt take too long to boot. if its for emulated games, then simply save stating then powering it off should be very quick. a script to do all this for you would be pretty easy
for years now, i swore you did voice overs! ....until you plunked the metal case. I don't know how you manage to sound so calm and collected, yet still knowledgeable and informative. (also, crystal clear)
If this had a 4:3 aspect ratio screen it would be an instant buy for me. Everything else is just perfect: 18650 cells, qwerty keyboard, metal shell, the design. I really hope a version with mentioned 4:3 (or at least 16:10) screen is coming in the future.
I used to write blog posts on a BlackBerry while commuting via public transport, so that kind of use case may be great for people who spend a lot of time in transit (alongside gaming on it).
Their Devterm looked like the Model 100 that I cut my electronic BBS teeth on (300 baud, 1983). That M100 was the device that opened up my mind. Even wrote a BBS program for it that had actual users for a time.
Hahaha looks fun, but I did crack up at the comment about a Blackberry track ball being a good thing! Hopefully is better than the actual BB one, the physical ball style ones went bad so quickly with normal use. Was a god send for me when they updated to the touch pad, cleaning the old ones for customers back then was hell.
open standards really give me hope. like the fediverse, peertube, mastodon (read fediverse again), etc. even dnd went that way with pathfinder reigniting the OGL (open gaming license).
I had seen this device on the web a month ago and even searched for it on youtube but there were not much quality unboxing videos of this beauty..until today when I saw one of my favorite youtube channel (spoiler: it's ETA PRIME) uploaded this! The quality of your video and detailed feedback on the initial impression convinced me and I ordered it just now. May be I will now have to wait for a year to get it delivered, who knows. But it's indeed a wet tech-lust for any linux enthusiast! I even got the 4G option just to get the complete UMPC vibe! Really hope it arrives soon!
If anyone needs some 18650s, Walmart sells them in store for their solar lights, but with it nearing the end of summer they might be on clearance now wherever they keep their end of summer solar lights isle. And yes, they are legit 18650s and no they are not only for solar light usage.
What did you think about the screen size? The only thought on my end was that it is too small for a computer and not as game friendly as some other items on the market. I like the idea of a portable linux box though. PopOs would be kinda cool to see.
As a backed of the GameShell, I love their products!! Although I gotta say that it wasn't very easy to assemble... but once I managed, I was very happy with the result!
I've been interested of making my own Handheld gaming device so this video about DIY the u console handheld is awesome. I have want's making my own console a long time because I really like technology and because of that Ive been trying find a good Rasperry pi what you need for make a handheld console. Thank you for this awesome video ETA PRIME. 🔥🔥
It does look pretty cool, although the battery type used seems to increase the thickness quite a bit. Also, the unit shown in the video appears to have a large scuff/chipped paint on the top cover out of the box.
I'm fairly certain these are just review units, so who knows how many people have handled it before. I daresay other battery types could have been implemented, but price and availability are factors to consider. If people want ultra slim devices, there are plenty available, but they too have their downsides. Horses for courses.
@@another3997 Good point with the review units. As for the batteries, pouch type Li-Ion batteries are pretty inexpensive, but it is possible that they had a valid reason for not using them.
Still waiting on mine, almost been a year… my friend and I were only 100 orders apart and he got his months ago, I feel like order priority on most of these long term orders is skewed.
Pretty reasonable prices compared to the Devterm and looks like it might be a bit more easy to hold in your hands, although it might be a workout being all aluminum.
I'd rather have aluminium than plastic, even if it does weigh a bit more. Aluminium is pretty light and more durable than magnesium. But let's face it, if you struggle with the weight of this... you probably have problems with laptops and books too.
Do they state how heavy it actually is? I never saw any indication. I'm just going by metal products of similar size and potential density. It looks heavier than a steam deck to me, but I wouldn't mind clarification.
This would be 10/10 if they made accessible cover for 18650 cell for easy swap and a front cover for keyboard to avoid accidental press while using d pad for gaming.
Does the handheld itself come with an overcharge/overdischarge protection circuit? Or do you need to make sure that the 18650 batteries that you put in there have their own protection circuits?
What I would find interesting is how using a cm4 pincompatible module like pines quartz64 or radxas cm3 would work out, since the cm4 is probably what slows the delivery process :)
Finally we can live in a sci-fi movie! Now all we need is a universal ("alligator style") connector so that it can connect into any type of port and we have scavenger level tech. For real though I can't wait for where this will be heading in the future!
It looks pretty modular, the first thing I would want is to fix the battery. Either have two cells at the sides vertical so you have some grips, or use a pouch cell. So the back is flat. But as it is modular its very doable. Sad it did not come that way however.
Would love to see Tiny11 Windows 11 for ARM build running on the uConsole, that would make it a very awesome and capable device. Interested to see how long the batteries last.
You don't see the application. Mobile gaming, computing, hacking/tinkering fun and a compact tool for people working in technology. It's a target audience kind of device. Not for everyone
on their website, it is marketed as "A real "fantasy console" for indie game developers and bedroom programmers." if you're not in this category, you won't find the point in this whatsoever as they didn't make it for you.
@@yesyes9698 How am I humiliating myself? Not that I even care. I'm 53 and was an explosives engineer for 10 years. That wasn't even what I did in the Army btw.
The coolest thing about the uConsole is if you're not a creator it takes more than 2 years to ship.
Damn, thats a buzzkill
brutal
lmao
How do you come to that? Its up to 90 days unless the company is lying?!?
@@flosa1995 Company is lying. It's been 4-5 years of "90" day shipping on their FAQ due to "Supply chain Issues". However, if you go to their forum, the owner and admins have a thread with shipping updates - most of which is full of users who are complaining about 450+ day wait times.
Imagine if smartphones never got invented, and instead we went the route of portable computers that look more like this thing
I think our present would be a very different place. Smart phones and their functionality have been designed for the entire population. If our present was as you described, I think we would have a lot less people addicted to the screens in their pockets and only the most hardcore computer nerds would be walking around with these. At the same time, the cellular networks probably wouldn't be what they are today and the web wouldn't be as fast or accessible on our pocket computers.
@@orinsafko You get it!
if the iphone never came out and blackberry continued to dominate the smartphone market, it definitely would be like this
I hate smartphones now. I'm trying to find a non Chinese phone that can rid me of the smartphone addiction.
Smartphones ARE portable computers, the distinction between the two is largely artificial, especially since most Samsung phones can be attached to a dock and used as a Linux PC in "Dex mode".
The aesthetic design is OUTSTANDING. Simply beautiful.
The aesthetic of this device is incredible! It reminds me of the pocket hacking gadgets in spy movies. I would buy just because of that design 😅
I was just thinking how well it would be as a working prop in some kind of sci-fi or apocalyptic setting. Weathering on the metal shell would really sell it as a hard piece of tech.
Looks like it came out of a Aliens movie. Like the pocket hack tool from Alien isolation.
It's just a calculator 😂😂😂
abso-fucking-lewdly! i have my eyes on cool niche handheld computers ever since open pandora was first teased way before 2010. this looks almost to good to be true, especially at that price point, and in a full metal case. ..and that kickstand is the icing on the cake!
@@bbloomfield6497 if you wanna make aluminium parts look war torn and withered, good old NaOH based drain cleaner is your best friend. caustic lye eats right into alu. also concider a coat of crincle paint, before scuffing it up, and some chemical warfare, to REALLY make it look like a spy agent relic from the cold war era.
(stop giving me ideal like that .. dammit! :D )
This thing is really nifty, I love how it looks and would have loved using this when I was a kid.
I got mine, absolutely love it. By far my favorite Linux Handheld I've had yet.
You can't get this. I pre-ordered last November and got tired of waiting so I got my refund.
Oh man, this is really giving me those pocket C.H.I.P vibes. It looks so much like a spiritual successor to it
I still got mine from back in the day, wish I could keep using it but upgrading firmware isnt as easy as it used to be.
But truly, this kind of handheld experience is underrated, it is a lot of fun to type away and have a Linux computer with no compromises.
Having the pi in there too is an excellent upgrade, way more capable than C.H.I.P, hope it is something people can enjoy for years to come
Heyo! Fellow pocket chipper here. Yeah, mine unflashed and I can't get an image back onto it. Still a cool little device to display in the studio 😜 I had the exact same thought when I saw it.
My pocket chip was dusting away from after a few weeks. Typing was horrible
My pocket C.H.I.P self-destructed for no discernable reason.
Same here. When the company fell apart I even managed to get the rescued firmware. Its great for Pico-8 and terminal use. I've used it as a portable Piratebox node.
I was dreaming about a device exactly like this the other day, Googling to see if it existed. My plan was to find the tiniest keyboard I could, do a whole ton of research, 3D print a case, get a Pi 4, and make my own PC handheld. That all sounds very hard so I'll probably just get this instead.
Really would have preferred a proper rocking D-Pad, but this is more of a tinker toy than a serious gaming device, so I can probably look past it.
Let's say you could use it for hack coding or seriously use it as a phone/pocket computer 🤷🏻🙈😂
The pocket popcorn (Pocket P.C.) is way better, 1080p touchscreen plus physical keyboard.
@@-TheRealThing- Thanks for the tip. I just looked it up. There are some things about it that I like more than the uConsole, but there are other things I prefer about the uConsole. Good to have options!
This is exactly how they imagined computers we will have in 2000s. It is retro futuristic, and I love it.
I hope this receives better support than the Gameshell. They never came with new modules and the software support was dropped very quickly.
it's raspberry pie, so it's just the raspberry pie software, seems good enough to me.
@@krux02 But has a custom screen, custom keyboard, other custom hardware. These might break at any time, will most likely break when you need to run OS version updates (if you can even do that with Raspbian).
@@quarteratom keyboard is connected over usb (regular hid), as is the trackball, so it should be fine
display is MIPI iirc, which does require a couple patches to the kernel but shouldn't be too much of an issue
i'm planning on maintaining patches & shit even if clockworkpi goes under, for the record.
The use case for this thing is some niche I don't doubt they'll never sell enough for it to be anything much.
@@geffreycaruso2411 Well, I certainly want one, and am definitely not the only one. Yeah it is a bit niche, but it's super cool
I would love a flip cover for this.
And since it's a DIY thing, It might be possible to 3D print one (just gotta rethink the cooling).
This is literally SO COOL. Thank you for this video! I love this kind of content, more please!
l i t e r a l l y
Ahhh, I love the design. It looks like someone took my Blackberry Passport and added some game console keys to it. Shame the screen isn't touch, but the trackball is a fun addition.
What a fantastic and good-looking device! I love ultra-portable designs like this. And being metal cased means it's more durable than a tablet or phone, and a physical keyboard - even a dome switch one - will always feel better to type on that a flat piece of glass. I wish there were more types of cute small computers like this, sadly people are too invested in phones and everything being so thin that it really restricts what can be done. This whole thing reminds of the early days of computers, where home-builds and experimentation was king, before the mega-corporations took over the entire industry. Computers and even gaming consoles used to be a whole lot more accessible and customizable than they are today, with home-brewed games being a HUGE part of it, and this harkens back to those fun days!
I'd love to see more videos about it! I pre-ordered mine roughly 10 months ago, and I'd be interested to see how much work is involved configuring this device for other Linux distros
Hey, on the website there is only direct buy now, do you think it’s now faster? They say something about 5 work days.
@@maxhouseman3129 I doubt it's any faster, they haven't fulfilled all the preorders yet and considering how slow they are (around 200 units per month) it will probably take until March next year before everyone gets their order. (Unless they dramatically ramp up production in the meantime, which could happen! I hope so at least)
Would love to see a DIY "Ruggedized" form of this. Would also be great if solar charging or crank charging could be added for outdoorsy purposes :P.
it probably wont be long, before *.stl for printable bumpers are up on thingyverse. and for solar/crank chargers, you just need something with a USB output or slot for 18650 cells. have fun hand cranking LiIon cells to full charge, tho! lol.
just dont hope for a waterproof version, unless you apply the conformal coating yourself.
@@Ucceah You got me curious thinking about how long it would take to crank charge something like this and I happened to have the stuff lying around (old vape with USB c charging w/ 2 battery slots and a hand crank). It took 30 minutes to get to 5% lol - that being said frantically cranking to get enough power to save a game/trading off between cranking and playing isn't out of the realm of possibilities and I find that novel and amusing.
Just coat the case in truck bed liner before you assemble it
@@Heowolf The trick would be to mount the handcrank charger on a stationary cycle with a gear attaching the crank to the chain. Then you could exercise and power the thing simultaneously. Imagine if kids had no option but to ride the bike to play the game...
@@BeyondPC Would be a "fun exercise" at least.. lol. Adding a flywheel to a gear ratio like that though would be a nice start.
finally something for IT technicians!
That's a great little device, and priced damn well too. Nice one dude.
call me crazy but as someone who used a blackberry I can only love the fact that there is a trackball instead of a touchscreen. It always worked great for sites/applications that where never made for small screens. Like my iphone 12 pro max is harder to navigate on desktop websites than the bold 9900 was. Seeing that this device comes with the default PiOS with XFCE DE the trackpoint seems like the right choice.
would be cool to see more older pc games running, definitely thinking of snagging one of these.
I ordered one of these a while back. Still waiting for it. Happy to see this review, it's even better than I expected it would be. I'm not sure how I missed it, but I had no idea the thing was aluminum!
Can you use home assistant in it??
Great video as always. Please do more on the uConsole as I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, ordered it nearly a year ago now and hope it will be with me soon!
Wow, this design brings back so many memories 😭
It’s crazy how history can repeat itself, and so do the prices 😅😂
No idea what I would use this for, but I want one!
All of Clockwork's devices are beautiful and I 1000% plan to buy one eventually. I really hope they do well, like a Teenage Engineering of Linux devices.
Ordered one as soon as i saw this video when it came out, unfortunately I believe orders are backed up but I waited a whole year for the analogue pocket. I have no issue waiting for this. Had to watch the video again cause I cannot wait til I get mine.
likewise
I imagine this with Kali would be fun. Depends on the WiFi module tho.
I've been looking for a handheld with a keyboard for DOS emulation and rougelikes for a while and, other than the fact that the RPI4 isn't great with 486/pentium emulation and some liberties with the keyboard layout maybe causing issues with a few games, this is probably the best option I've seen
The whole time I thought "I need this" - and now I know, why I want this! thanks :D
For DOS Emulation I use GPD 4 - it's on the expensive side, of of course, but it's simply stellar.
Can it run n64 games? The thumbnail shows mario 64 but he never played that in the vid
@@Henry-oe2tn I don't have this yet but it's a RPI4 inside so it should be able to run some of the easier to emulate games. But since there's no analog stick and this device is more focused around the keyboard, it's not really the best for this.
It's like a modern Pocket Chip, but it runs on a Raspberry Pi CM, uses a higher quality shell (Aluminium instead of plastic), comes with built in speakers, has a trackball, lacks a touchscreen and you *have to assemble it yourself.
I think this is really cool, it just needs a touchscreen and I'd get one.
*get to
This device is so intriguing but I’m struggling to find a use case for it. I feel if I were a developer, I would rather use a laptop. And for a retro game device, I would not want that style d-pad nor buttons. Yet, I would still love to have one lol
I ordered one as a portable computer to use when I am out and about and dont wanna lug out my laptop at work. I can use my phone for a lot but when I am entering information or trying to configure something really quick the keyboard always gets in the way and the mobile websites dont always like to cooperate. Hoping this will fix that and I have something else to tinker with.
I think this would be a good use if you were an Admin or Pentester
@@XakariahFox I was thinking of using mine (non CM4 edition) to possibly ssh into my phone, as I have Linux installed on terminus and I'm sure ssh server can be ran all without pulling my phone out, and the entering information mentioned with dedicated keyboard
If the problem is the keyboard on the phone, wouldn't a solution just be something like this that you slot into? Would be fantastic with Samsung Dex
@@XakariahFox isn't something like Samsung DEX, or native Android Desktop, better for this usecase? There is no extra device you carry, the power is similar, if not greater on higher end phones... It is true that on DEX you don't have as many professional tools, but then again, the the power limitations of the handheld device creates similar bottlenecks
uConsole is probably meant to be pronounced micro console since that's what the "u" is short for.
µ
I absolutely love this little design. I wish we could get a windows handheld with some of the more powerful hardware we've seen coming from AMD in this design. Then we just snap on a Bluetooth controller with telescoping on and we off to the races.
That's definitely a possibility for the future. Just needs someone to do it really as it is possible to make PC handhelds.
It is a pretty cool form factor, i'd been interested in a Windows version.
@@shaolindreamsThere have been several attempts at Windows based ultra mobile PCs, but as good as they have been, they never caught on. There are usually too many compromises in either size, form factor, battery life and performance. Not to mention they always cost more than people want to pay for them. Netbooks had the same problem. Personally I'd prefer a normal mobile phone with a decent physical QWERTY keyboad. I really dislike typing on touch screens. 😡
@@another3997 true but the hardware is always improving and it has got to a stage where we do have quite a bit of power that can fit in the palm of our hand. i had many of those older devices and the problem was always performance. Yeah i prefer a keyboard too, can barely type on touchscreen let alone touchtype. Bit unfortunate Windows Phones died.
GPD is where you should look.
@another3997 man I want hardware keyboards on Android phones to come back so bad too. I used my original Droid for *soooo* long because I loved the slide out keyboard. I could type 50 wpm on that thing. Wrote entire essays and term papers on it.
this rubs my brain in all the right ways. omg i think im in love with this device already. cant wait to get mines in the mail. im so excited!!!!!
This seems awesome. Please do more content on this thing, I’d love to know more. How bright is the screen? Can it easily be used outside? I’m curious how well different Raspberry Pi operating systems work with this hardware.
Can it run windows 11?
@@michaelbmw1931 I don’t think it can because of it’s ARM architecture. I can’t say fully for sure, but as far as I’m concerned, the answer is sadly no.
Screw the games, make this into a phone! Looks perfect!
Very neat. Would love to know what the battery life is like in practice.
I figure a big stumbling block for all rpi based handhelds is the lack of a proper low-power sleep or hibernation mode. It means you're stuck either leaving the machine sipping energy the whole time or having to wait for full shutdown when your done and a full boot when you want to get started again...
A definite barrier to using it on the go.
One nice thing about 18650s is you can get em with 3600mAH so you could have over 7200mAH on 2 of em. Not sure how much power the pi uses but pretty sure you could get good battery life off of that.
it really shouldnt take too long to boot. if its for emulated games, then simply save stating then powering it off should be very quick. a script to do all this for you would be pretty easy
Maybe it will run Mobian?
As much as I wanted to hate this console... this looks really sharp. Love it.
for years now, i swore you did voice overs! ....until you plunked the metal case. I don't know how you manage to sound so calm and collected, yet still knowledgeable and informative. (also, crystal clear)
It’s called a script.
@@nickcabrera3982exactly, it was pretty obvious
This is one of the most impressive Pi pieces I have seen in a while. My fingers are itching
If this had a 4:3 aspect ratio screen it would be an instant buy for me. Everything else is just perfect: 18650 cells, qwerty keyboard, metal shell, the design. I really hope a version with mentioned 4:3 (or at least 16:10) screen is coming in the future.
16:9
or widescreen
@@unpotatoedsalmon Yes that's my problem.
I'm sorry, but.. what do you use something like this for?
@@iFireenderI would actually use it to emulate old games, and also to run all sorts of programs.
i like how the boards snap together
cool little device.
hope they make one that is pocketable in the future
Now this is something I’d 10000% bring back to the 80-90s if I got to time travel. You’d own the world especially if you bring a Flipper Zero
I always love the look of these, but I can never think of good uses for them. I'd be curious to hear what you've been doing with it
I used to write blog posts on a BlackBerry while commuting via public transport, so that kind of use case may be great for people who spend a lot of time in transit (alongside gaming on it).
Make videos reviewing it on RUclips.
@@fennsk What's the difference of doing that with a phone?
I think this is first and foremost a hobby developer's device as it combines pocketability with ease of use.
@@DowneyMax IMO it is easier to type quickly and more accurately on a physical keyboard than a touchscreen.
As an older guy, these things remind me of the old Radio Shack portable devices. I really like the look.
Their Devterm looked like the Model 100 that I cut my electronic BBS teeth on (300 baud, 1983). That M100 was the device that opened up my mind. Even wrote a BBS program for it that had actual users for a time.
Hahaha looks fun, but I did crack up at the comment about a Blackberry track ball being a good thing! Hopefully is better than the actual BB one, the physical ball style ones went bad so quickly with normal use. Was a god send for me when they updated to the touch pad, cleaning the old ones for customers back then was hell.
Really REALLY cool !! I can’t believe all the cool stuff coming out these days. Reminds me of the 80’s and then advent of digital.
open standards really give me hope. like the fediverse, peertube, mastodon (read fediverse again), etc.
even dnd went that way with pathfinder reigniting the OGL (open gaming license).
Would be interesting to see how Twister OS looks on the hand held . Looks like fun.
I had seen this device on the web a month ago and even searched for it on youtube but there were not much quality unboxing videos of this beauty..until today when I saw one of my favorite youtube channel (spoiler: it's ETA PRIME) uploaded this! The quality of your video and detailed feedback on the initial impression convinced me and I ordered it just now. May be I will now have to wait for a year to get it delivered, who knows. But it's indeed a wet tech-lust for any linux enthusiast! I even got the 4G option just to get the complete UMPC vibe! Really hope it arrives soon!
4:57 rip headphone users
why?
If anyone needs some 18650s, Walmart sells them in store for their solar lights, but with it nearing the end of summer they might be on clearance now wherever they keep their end of summer solar lights isle. And yes, they are legit 18650s and no they are not only for solar light usage.
What did you think about the screen size? The only thought on my end was that it is too small for a computer and not as game friendly as some other items on the market. I like the idea of a portable linux box though. PopOs would be kinda cool to see.
I need this as a replacement of my phone!!!!
I want one of these so bad!! Hopefully I'll get to order one soon...
I have no real use for this but I want it!! Supercool hardware!
As a backed of the GameShell, I love their products!!
Although I gotta say that it wasn't very easy to assemble... but once I managed, I was very happy with the result!
I've been interested of making my own Handheld gaming device so this video about DIY the u console handheld is awesome. I have want's making my own console a long time because I really like technology and because of that Ive been trying find a good Rasperry pi what you need for make a handheld console. Thank you for this awesome video ETA PRIME. 🔥🔥
Most products use the prefix u as a shortening of micro since the µ (mu) is very similar.
It says "uConsole" not "μConsole", so I am going to call it the "U console".
sounds like a “u” problem
brings back memories of industrial handhelds running WinCE. Ah the 80's and 90's....
I’ve been waiting for this review 🎉
Very cool, and I love that they're using 18650s.
It does look pretty cool, although the battery type used seems to increase the thickness quite a bit. Also, the unit shown in the video appears to have a large scuff/chipped paint on the top cover out of the box.
I'm fairly certain these are just review units, so who knows how many people have handled it before. I daresay other battery types could have been implemented, but price and availability are factors to consider. If people want ultra slim devices, there are plenty available, but they too have their downsides. Horses for courses.
@@another3997 Good point with the review units. As for the batteries, pouch type Li-Ion batteries are pretty inexpensive, but it is possible that they had a valid reason for not using them.
I fell in love with this, I can see so many things I could do with it. Have to get one now.
It's a cyberdeck...
Pretty much
I ordered mine in Oct, can't wait to get it. Its nice to see the enter button is in the right place too
How long did your order take to arrive??
Still waiting on mine, almost been a year… my friend and I were only 100 orders apart and he got his months ago, I feel like order priority on most of these long term orders is skewed.
You might want to call them and see what's up.
It needs an ear bud so it can be a phone. You should update an old sidekick to work. That would be amazing
I have a feeling it is really a MU symbol for micro console.
I would love something like this, but as a crashcart. Plug in a video in an HDMI cable and a USB cable and take control of the system.
I wonder how it would run the RPi version of Renoise music tracker... could be a very cool little mobile setup.
Hells yeah 👍 id guess if you stick to mostly samples it could probably rock it quite nicely.
I'll get a uConsole asap and practice me some Leetcode. Love it.
Looks nice. It would be great to have compatibility with Orange Pi CM4 also. This will lower the final project price.
I'm obsessed with this already
Pretty reasonable prices compared to the Devterm and looks like it might be a bit more easy to hold in your hands, although it might be a workout being all aluminum.
It's not that heavy.
I'd rather have aluminium than plastic, even if it does weigh a bit more. Aluminium is pretty light and more durable than magnesium. But let's face it, if you struggle with the weight of this... you probably have problems with laptops and books too.
Do they state how heavy it actually is? I never saw any indication. I'm just going by metal products of similar size and potential density. It looks heavier than a steam deck to me, but I wouldn't mind clarification.
This looks really cool, I've always wanted a device like this
looks less like a emulation handheld and more like something to open bank vaults and hijack fighter jets 🤣 pretty cool though
They should redesign the back plate for split battery holders so you would get natural finger grip humps on the back.
that's a good idea
Im dead I thought this was a gpd console lmao
I'm still waiting on my rog ally to be delivered to my house by FedEx still haven't gotten it been almost 3 weeks
I'm CPR certified, I need to check and see if you soiled yourself sir
Your not dead
You’re not unfortunately
@@Keithyoung420as a delivery guy i am very grateful for free rog ally.
This would be 10/10 if they made accessible cover for 18650 cell for easy swap and a front cover for keyboard to avoid accidental press while using d pad for gaming.
Does the handheld itself come with an overcharge/overdischarge protection circuit? Or do you need to make sure that the 18650 batteries that you put in there have their own protection circuits?
I’d love this thick industrial build for a Linux tablet + Android apps
Can you use the Orange Pi Compute Module 4 instead of the Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module inside of the uConsole?
I don't think so. At least I've not seen anyone do it yet.
Thanks for the video, but funny comment, i was waiting for you to say "my name forest, forest gump" some voice
What I would find interesting is how using a cm4 pincompatible module like pines quartz64 or radxas cm3 would work out, since the cm4 is probably what slows the delivery process :)
Finally we can live in a sci-fi movie! Now all we need is a universal ("alligator style") connector so that it can connect into any type of port and we have scavenger level tech. For real though I can't wait for where this will be heading in the future!
It looks pretty modular, the first thing I would want is to fix the battery. Either have two cells at the sides vertical so you have some grips, or use a pouch cell. So the back is flat. But as it is modular its very doable. Sad it did not come that way however.
I really love this kind of things which is small and beautiful. Really cool!
Would love to see Tiny11 Windows 11 for ARM build running on the uConsole, that would make it a very awesome and capable device.
Interested to see how long the batteries last.
This is really beautiful. Id have one just to put on a shelf to display
So it's not the coolest console or even the coolest diy console. It's just the coolest all new DIY console? Are there any other all new, DIY consoles?
I bought it for its aesthetics. Hopefully I get it in three months!
I don't see the point in this whatsoever.
You don't see the application. Mobile gaming, computing, hacking/tinkering fun and a compact tool for people working in technology. It's a target audience kind of device. Not for everyone
on their website, it is marketed as
"A real "fantasy console" for indie game developers and bedroom programmers."
if you're not in this category, you won't find the point in this whatsoever as they didn't make it for you.
@@jj926 OH. Forget that. I programmed in basic from age 9-17, among other things. I decided that was not my path.
@@shanemitchell477😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 literally stop humiliating yourself already.
@@yesyes9698 How am I humiliating myself? Not that I even care. I'm 53 and was an explosives engineer for 10 years. That wasn't even what I did in the Army btw.
This thing is beautiful 😭 thank you for making this video. 100% going to buy it.
As someone who used a Blackberry for years, I'd buy this just for the nostalgic feel. Looks like a bigass Blackberry.
Cool gaming calculator
beautiful, but i would have liked the track ball on the left side, just felt that it would have been a tad nicer...
Need an FPGA version of this handheld. With an oled screen!
A very cool unit I can't wait to get my hands on it, I enjoy using BB type keyboard more than touch screen.
These new BlackBerry devices they've been making to get back into the market are insane.