7mo ago

let's discuss: non major systems

Taking inspiration from the let's discuss threads here. So. We all know PlayStation, Xbox. All that but what about systems from lesser brands? What do you like, dislike, what interests you?

For me, I've always found micro consoles interesting. Even if they suck in practice. Alps plug and play systems are cool. Was too young for both of those tho

I had thus Lexibook handheld. Imaging a GBA. Just shit. That's what it kinda was, generic games and stuffDied after a few years. I also had the leapster explorer and a leapster2 I got second hand, they were OK as a kid, but the hames are shit in kindsight. The explorer now has life as a crap emulator.

Currently I emulate on handhelds but not sure what that would fall under.

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I immediately wanted a Playdate when I saw it. It’s a little yellow handheld with a crank designed by Teenage Engineering and made by Panic, who’s also published Firewatch, Untitled Goose Game, and a bunch more games recently.
I’ve had it for a year and still use it daily, the screen works great most places I’m waiting in line and I have a book light for the evenings.
One thing I really like about it is that it’s not an emulation device. It comes with 24 games +2 free on the Catalog and the community has made a ton (over 1000 on itch!). They’re mostly bespoke little titles that aren’t available anywhere else. The Lua and C SDKs are easy to use and encourage homebrew, I’ve got a pomodoro timer launching in the on-device storefront next week and am currently working on a little suika-like. Definitely recommend if you’ve got the spare cash!
Plus it’s got a pizza case! I love it so
- I want one but it's way too expensive.
  
  I can see why, unfortunately it’s a little over $100 just to make the device so I can’t see it going down much. We can’t really get economies of scale for such a niche product
  Sometimes you can get a good deal used!
  
  Same sentiment
- I'm still considering getting one of these
  
  I do recommend it! The season (delivered over 12 weeks) is sometimes hit or miss, but that’s mostly because there’s something for everyone. And being so dev friendly is a huge bonus if you’re into that
- Oh man, I want one of these, but the price makes it hard to justify. One day I'll snag one up :)
  
  Someday! 🙏

I kick-started the Ouya, years and years back. Played a few games on it, but it was just too underpowered.
The GCW Zero was another similar story; just an underpowered handheld console.
I really like the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. It's a non-major console that is 1000% worth the money.
- I also have an rp4 pro. I also have an ambernic sp.
  I unironically want something like the ouya as a dedicated TV emulator box. For a 2013 device up to ps1 seems goob for the gcw. Tho open Linux handhelds are a dime a dozen now
  
  My GCW is too slow to play anything, honestly. It struggles with even GBA games. I love the idea of the Ouya as well, but I think that I'll probably just go with an rPi if I ever go that route again.

I recently got myself an Anbernic, it's the one which looks like the GBA, see through plastic and all. It's a surprisingly competent little console. It even comes preloaded with a shed load of retro games. I've been enjoying playing games from systems I missed out on growing up.
- I have that but the grey model, j also have an retroid 4 pro
- I got ab RG35XX Plus when it came out. Very nice little Game Boy style handheld. I played a bunch of GBA, GB, and Genesis games on it but it's capable of a lot more.

I have a bit of an obsession with handheld systems. I've always been on the lookout for cool handhelds. Probably started with some leapfrog devices I had when I was a kid.
Some of the more interesting ones include a piboy. A raspberry pi 4 stuffed into a gameboy dmg like shell to emulate games. More recently I've been very into my analogue Pocket. I play a ton of stuff on that as it can accurately recreate a ton of older systems. I'm also quite interested in getting a playdate at some point, but have yet to justify it.
I also have some modded GBC and GBA systems. With USB c charging and nicer screens
- I haven’t thought about my leapfrog in years! Was a fun little thing.
  The Piboy looks great! I’ll have to put it on a list of gift ideas for my partner
  
  Fair warning. If you are looking at the piboy by experimental pi, their website has been mostly down for months now. They seem to have abandoned the project :(
- Nice :3
  I do software emulation too. I used to want a GBA as a kid, little me would have loved emulation :3

I played so many games on my Palm Pilot back in middle school. My Palm Tungsten T3 was great, and there were a shitload of freeware or shareware games released over the years.
- Ooh PDA :3

souljiaboy game console is my jam :D
Jokes aside, I experimented with making my own pi handheld, but didn't gave me the same satisfaction as I did emulate those games on my phone.
- Lol :3
  Pi handhelds are cool. Tho pis aren't what they used to be :3
  You heard of the piboy pi case?

I had a Sega GameGear as a kid. Yeah it was a Sega system, which Sega was major back then, but the GameGear was nothing compared to the Gameboy. Very cool system, in that it had a full color screen and was backlit.
Now that was at the expense of being heavy as all hell and a monster eater of AA batteries. 6 of them at at time!
I think that was basically the only non-major system I had.
- Well, I'd still see it as major. That said it is cool :3

- You can still install Rockbox on many different MP3 players, that comes with little games like that...and Doom.

The 3DO.
I didn't have many games for it, and emulation I think is kinda sketchy last I checked (I think the main emulator is all in Russian?) But it was full of FMV's and all the fun that came with them.
Twisted: The game show is one of my favorite titles, but parts of it are definitely a product of its time (specifically the trivia)
- Cool :3

I don't know if the Atari Lynx counts as non-major. Anything from Atari should probably count as major, the thing supposedly sold 2 million units, but I can't remember the last time I've seen anyone mention it and that's still less than 2% of the Game Boy's 110m+.
I got the original model as a hand-me-down towards the end of the 90s and I wasn't super fond of it. The thing looks and feels like a brick and ate batteries for breakfast, the internet says 5 hour battery life but I remember getting like 2. The "left-hand mode" is a cool concept but putting two pairs of A/B buttons on the device feels like something they could've done better. It had color, a couple of arcade ports were really great games and there was Chip's Challenge, but younger me got exhausted just using the damn thing.
- Well, I guess its major, still somehow obscurish tho. I think people remember atsrit for 2600 stile games and nothing more (likely wrong tho)
  The lynx is weird but I love handhelds

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