Meet PicoSystem, the tiny hackable handheld based on RP2040
The hero product that Pimoroni developed around our RP2040 microcontroller chip is the latest in our commercial success stories, highlighting how businesses are integrating Raspberry Pi into their products and processes.
Pimoroni’s PicoSystem is a tiny, complete gaming handheld made from layers of step-milled PCBs and love. And our RP2040 chip is at its heart.
Pimoroni built an entire gaming API around RP2040. Our microcontroller’s unique PIO (programmable input/output) allowed them to design something which offered great display and audio performance. PicoSystem runs the full gamut of hardware, displays, accelerometers, LiPo/battery circuits, and various sensors. And there’s now a community-supported ecosystem around Pimoroni’s API.
PicoSystem is a game dev’s delight
PicoSystem’s API is a dev’s delight, intentionally designed to be lightweight and get out of your way when you’re developing games. Keep this handy API cheatsheet by your side for an easy ride.
Not sure what kind of game you want to develop? Play one of these readymade adventures on your PicoSystem:
- Super Square Bros. – a bouncy quadrilateral platformer.
- Dots – dot popping puzzler with a race to the biggest score.
- Rocks and Diamonds – dodge rocks and grab some diamonds.
- Geometry – smash space boulders with lasers.
- Rainbow Ascent – vertical jumping puzzles.
- Super Blit Kart – a “Mode7”-based racing game.
PicoSystem fans have developed tons of mini games for it on indie platform itch.io. Beloved classic Celeste is a particular favourite that’s been redeveloped for PicoSystem.
Purveyors of maker goods
Pimoroni is staffed by a 40-strong team of techies who create anything and everything you could think of to make the Raspberry Pi project-building experience funner, weirder, and wilder. Everything is designed and manufactured in house in Sheffield, UK, and shipped to 100 distributors worldwide.
Founded in 2012 by digital designer Paul Beech and “precision junkie” Jonathan Williamson, Pimoroni is one of our trusted Raspberry Pi Approved Resellers. After seeing how successful their Pibow Raspberry Pi case was, they saw a gap and adroitly jumped in to serve the emerging DIY electronics and computing market.
Pibow nostalgia
Hands up if you have one of Pimoroni’s Pibow cases. Loads of us have these lying about – I can see two from here on Helen’s desk, and I’ll wager there are at a good few more dotted around Pi Towers.
Paul and Jon designed it soon after we launched the original Raspberry Pi using just a laser cutter and a kettle. Pibow is where it all started for Pimoroni, and there now exists an entire suite of Pibow cases.
1 comment
Mike Garcia
Great little and solid device!
I’m a big fan of Pimoroni products, well designed and also good build quality.
These devices are geared to the to game programmers!
If you want to learn retro gamedev using C/C++/Python in a relatively simple and modern way.
Then I can fully recommend it!
Using their 32Blit SDK means write once and deploy on many many targets!!
I kept my notes and shared them on a blog post!
There are a lot of hobby game dev devices, and they’re all great in their own way…
I think picosystem’s greatest strength is the 32blit SDK, and it’s free on github!
But there’s is nothing like coding for an under powered console that you can pull out of your pocket and say “I made this!”
I’m not easily impressed, but their HW, SW and the supportive community, is really great!
Come along with this journey, if your interested!