I prefer the zero myself better for battery powered devices and the pi 3 is more useless sure it's small but with the extra power usage id just go all the way up to a matx desktop, laptop or a mitx.
I bought the PocketCHIP last year and it's such a cool little device. This isn't so much an out-of-the-box handheld games console, but a great little handheld Linux device. It's too under-powered to replace your tablet or smartphone, but a great little project. The fun is in hacking this little thing. I've 3D printed a new bezel for around the screen, and attached to that is a GameBoy style D-pad, which really improves the gaming experience. You can add speakers and a SD card reader yourself too, or even install some of the Kali tools for some penetration testing. Playing Doom on the PocketCHIP is a must too!
Pretty sure Lexaloffle is behind this. His earlier games like Chocolate Castle and Zen Puffle Garden are still some of my favourite indie games ever. He seem to have been super-sidetracked lately tho with stuff like this, and even opening a cafeteria in Japan. I mean, that seems supercool and all, but he's such a good game designer, I'd love to see what he can do with today's hardware and tools.
It was worth the cost. I learned so much about Linux using this thing. Sadly, 'Next Thing' went out of business. Reason? Well, I suspect it was due to hipsters not knowing what the hell they were doing. But It's early 2019 and I'm still using this thing. It's still on Jessie repo but thankfully you can still pull great programs from it. Using SM for RUclips works rather well but don't expect to comment or even add a like to a video. I'd pay good money to see this setup with a Raspberry Pi Zero W. This thing is awesome once you get use to it.
@KWC Coin It's long gone. I can't use my PocketCHIP because I need it to be flashed but the software they used was a browser extension where you could only flash from the website. After the site was gone, there was a web forum where someone figured out how to flash from your desktop using the image files but it was a torrent and I think the torrent is now dead. So now I have a SBC that is useless. I am going to figure out how to hook up the hand held to another device, I just need to find documentation on what all the pins do..
I got the PocketChip because at the time I was into Pico-8 and thought it would be nice to code and play all these mini games on a real handheld. But the keys are horrible.
I could imagine the PocketCHIP _addon_ for the use as a portable terminal when managing networks or just trying to learn some Python in your free time. The games look nice, remind me of what the GP32 community did back in the day, the only thing that really sucks as far as open source goes is the Allwinner chip. But then again, this thing is why the C.H.I.P. so low priced.
Very interesting new product, but you've got to wonder what they were thinking with that bare PCB keyboard…?! It seems like they've left space for modders or other companies to create clip-on keyboard covers that could incorporate things like real buttons or even thumbsticks or other gamepad type controls, but it seems very odd that they would even bother to include a keyboard in this case…
Someone suggested I install Hadoop on mine. So I did. Even got the newer NFS mounting for HDFS up and running. Why? No idea. It was a lot of fun though, and I can legitimately claim I have Hadoop in my pocket. Ultimately, that's where this device shines. It's a hacker's dream device, being everything I wanted out of a portable system back in the 90's.
Well my good sir. I must say. I have to tip my black hat to you for introducing me to this wonderful device. I can see the endless possibilities this opens up. 😉
if you want to do actual coding on the go I recommend looking at the GDP line of micro computers, they come in a variety of sizes and can run Linux and Windows out of the box.
look promising but first thing first we need casing forget the button, the pcb have many thing to hide for safety sake but overall its remind me of microsoft phone or blackberry which is good, still prefer press the real qwerty button than use touchscreen for texting
Great concept. A handheld device with a physical keyboard for testing code, doing math and use as a terminal. Bad execution. The keyboard requires the pressure of Thor and no external storage. I wanted to install SageMath and use it as a calculator also.
It's an Allwinner R8 as you can see @1:10 Basically an Chinese SoC that uses Linux variants with renamed GPL stuff for whatever reason. Essentially this is why Allwinner doesn't necessary enjoys the most reputation.
I came very close to getting a PocketCHIP for the sole reason I could code and run Pico-8 programs on it. Unfortunately from listening to owners of this system it is a real train wreck as far as the keyboard goes and if you can get past the glitz and glamor it runs Pico-8, then yeah it's not a good system at all interface wise.
$70? Damn, here it's probably >100€ with taxes, shipping and duty. I mean NextThingCo wants like 20€ extra at the time of purchase but then most countries also make you pay the local tax and duty as well for imports that are over ~30€ in value...
Hey Colin, quick question (I know it's an older video of yours) but I was interested in finding out what game you were playing at about 4:04. Think you could boot the old beauty up and check for me? It resembled that new hit indie title Celeste by Matt Plays Games. Thanks for the great content you create!
This Does Not Compute Aww now that's respect! Love it when they play homage like that! A friend of mine mentioned finding out there are C sides even! Who woulda thought! Thanks for the info so soon.
This would be kinda interesting for like a sysadmin to use for logging into something via SSH and something that can be pulled out of a suit jacket pocket.
Gaming could use a solid old-fashioned handheld console. Not like anyone is going to develop for 3DS or whatever PS has now. Nintendo handhelds are all so strange since they started going with the dual screen.
Lol, both of my CHIPs ceased to work almost immediately and they failed to respond to my emails and never shipped my HDMI adapters that I ordered during the Kickstarter. Pretty minor from a price standpoint, but CHIP was my introduction to Kickstarter disappointment.
Damn, that is really cool! If only it has even a trackball or something like that, for better web browsing or just using better gui programs! Do u know if something like this already exists? (with trackball/pad I mean)
Alessio Paffarini I suspect trying to do anything Web based on that would be really unpleasant. 1ghz arm is very slow, 512mb ram is very low, and the screen resolution is ridiculously low for Web.
Where can I get one of these? I heard about this a bit ago and I wanted a cheap micro controller like this, I have a project I need something like this for
@Anand Raj yeah i read up and found that after i wrote the comment, kinda sad tbh as it was an interesting product, but i read that they were not shipping product and that aint cool
I'd take the Chip out of this and stick it in a GB/GBA body. That way you have the nice D-Pad, buttons and form factor of the GB or GBA, while still rocking the power of open-source Linux!
they did the same to me but i was unfortunate enough not to buy from them because i was ignorant. the seller said sorry they never shipped the device. i payed 75+14s&h
Hey Colin I would like to buy a PocketCHIP. Will the store on the PocketCHIP website re-open sometime so I could buy it, or am I screwed for good? Great video :)
the appeal seems to be the dev kit and community. It's not for me though. i use a Gameboy advance with a flash cart. I am not getting into programming.
Callen what Bryan said. if youre a more casual gamer/user, id honestly say you might be better off running a PSP with homebrew software. but if youre a more creatively inclined person, and are looking to get involved with, say, chiptune, the pocket chip offers a lot of bang for your buck. Gruber's album, 'The Last Bot', is a good example of what can be achieved creatively with the pocket chip, and also proof that the product isnt for everybody.
I think I'd be much better off with an Apple Newton. Oh wouldn't that be cool? A raspberry Pi Zero Newton! If I knew how to code and all that junk I'd totally do that.
Stop making me want things. I'm poor, dammit!
A pi zero is a good option if you want a cheap micro computer.
Anonymous Idea I'd get the pi 3 for a bit more tho.
I prefer the zero myself better for battery powered devices and the pi 3 is more useless sure it's small but with the extra power usage id just go all the way up to a matx desktop, laptop or a mitx.
i feel ya
$9
Even this thing has an earphone jack.
my ti-84 plus has a headphone jack too
da epic supar roblox player69 lol
I wanna hug you kuroki san
ashik adak virtual hug initiated.
kilsnacks. Ayy that's some kinky shit m8 wtf
I bought the PocketCHIP last year and it's such a cool little device. This isn't so much an out-of-the-box handheld games console, but a great little handheld Linux device. It's too under-powered to replace your tablet or smartphone, but a great little project. The fun is in hacking this little thing. I've 3D printed a new bezel for around the screen, and attached to that is a GameBoy style D-pad, which really improves the gaming experience. You can add speakers and a SD card reader yourself too, or even install some of the Kali tools for some penetration testing. Playing Doom on the PocketCHIP is a must too!
You couldn't share the stl file for the bezel and dpad print could you?
@@rooty I'll have a look and see if I can find the file, been a while since I last saw it.
@@rooty www.stlfinder.com/model/pocketchip-d-pad-mod-QECTLAiy/1572066/
@@johngreenfield thanks!
@@johngreenfield send me too please
I love how most people seem to have missed the point of this entirely...
There to busy bragging about wasting $650 on there phone.
Pretty sure Lexaloffle is behind this. His earlier games like Chocolate Castle and Zen Puffle Garden are still some of my favourite indie games ever. He seem to have been super-sidetracked lately tho with stuff like this, and even opening a cafeteria in Japan. I mean, that seems supercool and all, but he's such a good game designer, I'd love to see what he can do with today's hardware and tools.
It was worth the cost. I learned so much about Linux using this thing. Sadly, 'Next Thing' went out of business. Reason? Well, I suspect it was due to hipsters not knowing what the hell they were doing. But It's early 2019 and I'm still using this thing. It's still on Jessie repo but thankfully you can still pull great programs from it. Using SM for RUclips works rather well but don't expect to comment or even add a like to a video. I'd pay good money to see this setup with a Raspberry Pi Zero W. This thing is awesome once you get use to it.
@KWC Coin It's long gone. I can't use my PocketCHIP because I need it to be flashed but the software they used was a browser extension where you could only flash from the website. After the site was gone, there was a web forum where someone figured out how to flash from your desktop using the image files but it was a torrent and I think the torrent is now dead. So now I have a SBC that is useless. I am going to figure out how to hook up the hand held to another device, I just need to find documentation on what all the pins do..
if you showed me this in the 80's when I was a kid id assume you were an alien
Hey, this is the first video I've seen from you! I just wanted to let you know that your intro tells a lot about you as a person! I love that!
Extremely well made videos, informative, excellent and composed narration and great photography. Subscribing for sure.
I got the PocketChip because at the time I was into Pico-8 and thought it would be nice to code and play all these mini games on a real handheld. But the keys are horrible.
pico-8 isn't open source. the games are, though.
I would love to have one of this. It would be great having a handheld Linux computer.
Awesome vidoe, thanks !
One of those things that I want, but wouldn't know what to do with... Very cool though, the 90s hacker kid in me is drooling.
I could imagine the PocketCHIP _addon_ for the use as a portable terminal when managing networks or just trying to learn some Python in your free time.
The games look nice, remind me of what the GP32 community did back in the day, the only thing that really sucks as far as open source goes is the Allwinner chip.
But then again, this thing is why the C.H.I.P. so low priced.
MegaManNeo
something to be said for SD card capability-- storing GCC for real development.
I've got one and it's good to use when I need to ssh into something quickly.
Chip is pretty cool. I was a backer, so i have the original one, its pretty cool
Emmy Farrell but EXTREMELY underpowered
How powerful of a computer were you expecting for 9 bucks?
this thing has nearly the same specs as my first android phone the lg optimus elite. funnily enough that phone cost me $70 back in 2012.
my galaxy s1 had same or similar that time. this is basically some warehouse clearance stuff, probably cost them close to nothing
If you still have this thing, get the 800 x 480 screen off ebay and try it.. its officially my go to msdos gaming device now.
Very interesting new product, but you've got to wonder what they were thinking with that bare PCB keyboard…?! It seems like they've left space for modders or other companies to create clip-on keyboard covers that could incorporate things like real buttons or even thumbsticks or other gamepad type controls, but it seems very odd that they would even bother to include a keyboard in this case…
Peanut Turner pretty sure that's the point, these devices are meant for people with a more crafty side anyways.
Someone suggested I install Hadoop on mine. So I did. Even got the newer NFS mounting for HDFS up and running. Why? No idea. It was a lot of fun though, and I can legitimately claim I have Hadoop in my pocket.
Ultimately, that's where this device shines. It's a hacker's dream device, being everything I wanted out of a portable system back in the 90's.
Sad that this is defunct now. I want to remake it. This kind of portable linux computing is extremely powerful.
Is there a good successor?
Don’t they make these anymore then?
But can it run crysis?
For $70 i feel like it should look more production quality than something you could possibly make yourself with a 3d printer and a custom PCB
I think it looks like a lot of fun.
Do you still use it or was it just fun when it was brand new?
Well my good sir. I must say. I have to tip my black hat to you for introducing me to this wonderful device. I can see the endless possibilities this opens up. 😉
This theme song is such a funky 80s style jam love it.
Sweet video. If you like this product you might also like the Pyra handheld which is near completion, but quite a bit more expensive.
At 2:28 it's basically a psp screen with a touch layer
the way you narrate your videos makes it sound like a "how it's made" episode.
Would this be ok for coding on the go? I'm looking for something handheld with a keyboard so i don't have to carry a laptop around everywhere
if you want to do actual coding on the go I recommend looking at the GDP line of micro computers, they come in a variety of sizes and can run Linux and Windows out of the box.
@@supercattelephone people scalping them for double the price so that's out of the question
@4:10
HOW DO YOU REACH THAT LEDGE?!!!!!!
this thing has a headphone jack but the iPhone 7 doesn't
Allen Flores shush…
Allen Flores the iPhone has built in speakers ...
true
to be able to play and make game on a portable device is completely innovative. i hope they do improve on the flaws mention in this video
look promising but first thing first we need casing forget the button, the pcb have many thing to hide for safety sake but overall its remind me of microsoft phone or blackberry which is good, still prefer press the real qwerty button than use touchscreen for texting
So an iPhone but with a powerful CPU?
6:00 That’s a bizarre price comparison considering the generous LCD screen, software installation and build. 😂
I remember when this was on Kickstarter and I almost backed it. Thanks for the vid!
MAN, THIS CHANNEL IS AWESOME
Great concept.
A handheld device with a physical keyboard for testing code, doing math and use as a terminal.
Bad execution.
The keyboard requires the pressure of Thor and no external storage.
I wanted to install SageMath and use it as a calculator also.
Huh. Which CPU does it have? ARM-V7 is just the ISA revision.
It's an Allwinner R8 as you can see @1:10
Basically an Chinese SoC that uses Linux variants with renamed GPL stuff for whatever reason.
Essentially this is why Allwinner doesn't necessary enjoys the most reputation.
I thought the R8 was a generic name for them, not a specific model. Oops.
Also had no idea Allwinner did that shit. Ugh.
if you think about mobile phones are handheld computers just with adreno GPUs and Qualcomm CPUs
Mine stopped powering on after the first day.
Check for the most obvious problem first. I.E discharged or disconnected battery. The battery is rated for five hours.
Colin, could you please check is that a Sony PSP screen? It's the same size and resolution, and I'm curious.
I came very close to getting a PocketCHIP for the sole reason I could code and run Pico-8 programs on it. Unfortunately from listening to owners of this system it is a real train wreck as far as the keyboard goes and if you can get past the glitz and glamor it runs Pico-8, then yeah it's not a good system at all interface wise.
I have one and it's not bad but it's definitely not great. 3D printing a keyboard for it now.
Mine's on back order. I can't wait!
$70? Damn, here it's probably >100€ with taxes, shipping and duty. I mean NextThingCo wants like 20€ extra at the time of purchase but then most countries also make you pay the local tax and duty as well for imports that are over ~30€ in value...
Hey Colin, quick question (I know it's an older video of yours) but I was interested in finding out what game you were playing at about 4:04. Think you could boot the old beauty up and check for me? It resembled that new hit indie title Celeste by Matt Plays Games. Thanks for the great content you create!
That actually is Celeste, it came out on Pico-8 originally. (And there's an Easter egg in the new version of Celeste where you can play it!)
This Does Not Compute Aww now that's respect! Love it when they play homage like that! A friend of mine mentioned finding out there are C sides even! Who woulda thought! Thanks for the info so soon.
This would be kinda interesting for like a sysadmin to use for logging into something via SSH and something that can be pulled out of a suit jacket pocket.
"Everything you need..."
I supported the fund raiser for this, but have not played with it yet.
nice little device and you can play games on it cool.
I have a pocket chip and I cant figure out what to do with it, I know how to use the Linux Terminal, and I wish there was a better Linux UI
Sell it to me?
Is there something like this, but with, I dont know, slightly better specs and expandable storage?
Gaming could use a solid old-fashioned handheld console. Not like anyone is going to develop for 3DS or whatever PS has now. Nintendo handhelds are all so strange since they started going with the dual screen.
ゆい714 Because the switch has two screens right...
The switch isn't a handheld, at least according to Nintendo's marketing team
Sabre MC:
You & Nintendo both know it's a portable unit that you can conveniently plug into your TV.
this looks like a very neat cyberdeck, the battery needs to be pimped tho.
I like the old intro but good video
Nice MiniDisc Walkman!
The racing game reminds me very much of a similar game back on my Game Gear in the early 90s...
Lol, both of my CHIPs ceased to work almost immediately and they failed to respond to my emails and never shipped my HDMI adapters that I ordered during the Kickstarter. Pretty minor from a price standpoint, but CHIP was my introduction to Kickstarter disappointment.
looks good. 8 bit rocks!
Great video !
Can you make a set of these devices work together?
.. Does it work on an external screen card?
Damn, that is really cool! If only it has even a trackball or something like that, for better web browsing or just using better gui programs! Do u know if something like this already exists? (with trackball/pad I mean)
Alessio Paffarini I suspect trying to do anything Web based on that would be really unpleasant. 1ghz arm is very slow, 512mb ram is very low, and the screen resolution is ridiculously low for Web.
Daniel G Yeah that would be frustrating for sure, but for emergency use is better than nothing I suppose
Good review, thanks!
all it needs is a better storage too and its golden
I have 2 of these 1 sealed with vga and HDMI adapters I'm selling
Correct me if I'm wrong but that looks a hell of a lot like a beaglebone with a breakout board and a case.
With a focus on gaming I'm surprised they didn't add a joystick, maybe someone can add one as a project?
It has a USB port. Working joysticks abound.
my first macbook pro in like 2008 had 512mb of ram too lol.
A recent update to the pocket chip up it's flash storage to 8gb.
Where can I get one of these? I heard about this a bit ago and I wanted a cheap micro controller like this, I have a project I need something like this for
@Anand Raj yeah i read up and found that after i wrote the comment, kinda sad tbh as it was an interesting product, but i read that they were not shipping product and that aint cool
this is cool but the gpd win lately is blowing my mind!
The no Mico SD port kinda kills this for me. 4gbs isn't NEARLY enough for what I want to use one of these for
Or. bbs.nextthing.co/t/gpio-sd-card-reader-tzatziki-dip/4536/40
Benjamin Rittgers nice
What pc is it at 0:06 ?? Btw awesome video
That's actually the CHIP board itself -- it plugs into the back of the Pocket CHIP housing, though it can be used separately too.
I've invested my 10 bucks in it for no revenue, just because the idea is awesome.
I'd take the Chip out of this and stick it in a GB/GBA body. That way you have the nice D-Pad, buttons and form factor of the GB or GBA, while still rocking the power of open-source Linux!
This is basically a commercial for some Ewaste
tfw you see your own game on the pico-8 market
this is such a great video!
Be careful.
They took my money last year and never shipped.
AirScholar so then why didnt you ask them ? or get ur money back?
they did the same to me but i was unfortunate enough not to buy from them because i was ignorant. the seller said sorry they never shipped the device. i payed 75+14s&h
AirScholar They took mine, and I got the PocketCHIP as promised.
AirScholar You guys know that this is illegal, and you can go after them for this, right?
Did you buy it on Kickstarter? Technically they don't have to send you anything, you really just donated you money.
could you get a usb hub and use a flash drive as storage while still having open usb ports?
Actually, it has access to the SPI bus, so put on a sd card reader and keep the USB port freed up.
Ok thx
Amazing video!
mali 400 gpu can do psx i believe. Or is that a 450?
Would love to see a same spec raspberry pie vs orange pie vid.
So its a TI84 color with wifi?
Nice little item but i would worry it would be tough to use with my fat fingers.
Hey Colin I would like to buy a PocketCHIP. Will the store on the PocketCHIP website re-open sometime so I could buy it, or am I screwed for good? Great video :)
That’s a question a lot of people are asking - it seems that Next Thing Co may be going out of business :-(
But does that mean I will never be able to buy one brand new?
That seems quite bizzare! On the product page at: getchip.com/pages/chip it says that the CHIP will come back soon! Is that true or not?
Is this a reupload? Looks like it belongs in 2003
Obviously not.
If it can't play GBA, it doesn't Compute.
Where can I buy one of these? The PocketChip store is closed!
eBay
ill wait till raspberry pies come out with there own implementation of his it would be nice
wot? I remembered when they announced the chip in kickstarter it was going to be like 19 dollars or something.
I want one, but I feel like that might be tough to fly with.
I was one of the people ripped off by this horrible company. They dissolved still owing me products.
There's a $20 handheld computer on Amazon right now... it's called a phone.
Cool. It looks good.
they released a software update that unlocks an extra 4gbs of storage bringing you up to 8gb
Lol, download more ram!
it's basically a Galaxy S2(even the GPU) minus a SD CarD
What is the purpose of this device?
the appeal seems to be the dev kit and community. It's not for me though. i use a Gameboy advance with a flash cart. I am not getting into programming.
Callen what Bryan said. if youre a more casual gamer/user, id honestly say you might be better off running a PSP with homebrew software. but if youre a more creatively inclined person, and are looking to get involved with, say, chiptune, the pocket chip offers a lot of bang for your buck.
Gruber's album, 'The Last Bot', is a good example of what can be achieved creatively with the pocket chip, and also proof that the product isnt for everybody.
I see this as a neat and handy tool for things like robotics, pocket computer hijacking, etc.
mrjanemba But what music software is available for the Pchip?
it's got a tracker. pico-8. There's also talk that they might try to convince Alexander Zolotov to make a version of PixiTracker for it.
I think I'd be much better off with an Apple Newton.
Oh wouldn't that be cool? A raspberry Pi Zero Newton! If I knew how to code and all that junk I'd totally do that.