Not quite a sizzle reel for the #handheld, but I’m going to start posting videos of games running on this thing. Again not sure how playable games will be over the course of a whole game start to finish but I’ve played each of these for about an hour and they’ve held up.
So I got DM’ed by a troll who claimed that since the #nintendoswitch can play #Skyrim I was really just wasting my time. Now he might be right (from a pure time perspective) but I’ve had fun making this…having said that…here’s some Skyrim since apparently for your #handheld to be “worth it” it’s got to play Skyrim. Started a new game, not sure how smooth it might be FPS wise later on but the intro wasn’t too bad. Note, video is sped up 200%. Sorry for the blue cast on everything, the lighting in my apt isn’t good for video.
I figured a #Zelda shot was long overdue…(even though wii emulation isn’t a feat)
TLDR; got done with version 2 of my portable #steammachine based on #florianrenner ‘s awesome #gameboy1up concept… now onto version 2.5!
Improvements/changelog:
-Managed to shave off a 1/4″ in the depth and about 1/8″ in the length and width. Unit now measures: 7 3/4″ (197mm) x4 3/16″ (106mm) x1 1/32″ (26mm)
-Installed battery. Version 1’s battery never fit right.
-Xinput instead of Dinput using Zachery Littell’s ( @msf_reaper ) awesome library for the TeensyLC.
-Switch between mouse mode and gamepad mode using a key combination. Similar to the steam controller’s reptile mode.
-Replaced analog volume control with digital
-Buttons locations and sizes tweaked
-Used UV glue to bond the LCD plexi to the screen. Didn’t protect it enough so some of the glue got into the backlight
TODO:
-Clean up all mistakes on the case
-Add battery management logic, low power notification, etc.
-Continue to tweak button ergonomics
-Create a simplified version to house a raspberry pi and model
-Speakers, I usually use headphones with handhelds so this has been a bit of a lower priority
-Rumble motors?
-Paint the inside of the case a dark color and mask LEDs so they don’t shine through.
Screen size is driving the overall size of the case. It’s pretty large as is but basing it on 5″ doesn’t actually give you all that much volume to work with. I’ve been thinking of making a 7″ version of this which would allow me to use beefier hardware. I’ve got a M7 board that’s dying to get used. Still based around an @intel m3 processor.
Working on version 2, already looking forward to version 2.5…
It’s so very hard to get anything done during the holiday season…still plugging away at it though
Had to take a break from working on stuff but back at it…the final version will have an integrated teensyLC
but I didn’t leave myself enough dimensional tolerance to stack it in the prototype…
Working on button tests, analog sensitivity, etc…should have version 2 done soon!
I know, I know, I should probably just give up on this now that the #nintendonx has been announced…but meh, obsession is as obsession does…got finished with revisions based on the V1 and have sent out for prints. Managed to cut 1/4″ from the overall thickness which I’m very excited about. For those of you that have asked about board specs, I still haven’t settled on a final board to put in there. Still benchmarking various #coreM3 boards.
On some of these builds the tolerances are so tight and space is at such a premium that the standard amount that a #USB extender or a flash drive sticks out is too great. In those cases the only recourse left is to solder straight to the pins in the connector itself… pic is of a USB3 flash drive with the housing removed with its pins directly soldered to the pins in the connector.
SPECIALIZATION IS OVERRATED 