Handheld C128

[Hydrophilic]

Here is something I thought of yesterday, this is gaming device that runs SNES games.  It has 320x240 resolution, an SD card slot, headphone jack and speakers.  Runs for about 7 hours after charging.  It has some CPU called Ingenic JZ4740 which runs at 400MHz.  I know VICE x128 will run fine without "true drive emulation" on a Pentium II at only 333 MHz


So maybe I could reprogram the device for C64 / C128 emulation... wouldn't that be cool?  Of course it would be a monumental undertaking, so if I could sell some for a small profit, it would be worth the effort... of yeah, it is also an MP3 player...


Of course for C128's 80-column mode, compression from 640 to 320 would be neccessary.  Since standard characters have lines of 2-pixel width, there should not be a problem for text applications, but graphic applications (like GEOS) would suffer distortion in 80-column mode... remember no problem with 40-columns.

Maybe I should consult Jeri Ellsworth... anyway, Thanks for voting!

If this already exists, I will feel really stupid... I see there is an attempt for C64 on GBA but the GBA doesn't have enough resolution.  See http://splam.emuhq.com/ ... or not... it seems they gave up!  At least the link doesn't work for me...

I also found about C64 emulator for Java-enabled mobile devices... try http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=187192.  It seems pretty technical... I think the smart ones here might figure this out, but most consumers would want an easy, ready-to-go solution like my idea...

I also found you can pay $4.99 to download C64 emulator for iPhone.  I do not have an iPhone, so no good for me.  Also, I am not promoting the product... I have no idea if it is good or bad...
Here is another link for C64 emulator on iPhone... maybe the same software, I don't know...

I also found you can pay $34.95 for C64/Vic-20 emulator for Windows Mobile Smartphone.  Again, I do not own Windows Smartphone and do not endorse the product because I have never tried it... somebody shoot me when I endorse Windows products...

[commodorejohn]

You could, I suppose, but there are a couple other similar systems that might be better choices. The Game Park 32 can be difficult to get ahold of, but it's very open to homebrew development and has a longstanding and devoted fanbase. The Pandora is even more powerful, is Linux-based so writing for it should be a snap, and has the support of most of the GP32 homebrew community, but its release has been delayed for a while, so it might be a bit before you can get one.

[saehn]

If this already exists, I will feel really stupid...

Don't feel stupid, but there are freely-available CBM emulators out there for most modern handheld gaming devices (Nintendo DS, PSP, GP2X Wiz, Dingoo). The Wiz in particular looks really interesting to me.

[Hydrophilic]

Thanks for additional links everyone!  The device I drew above is one that is almost identical to Dingoo A320 (maybe a Chinese clone).  I found Dingoo to retail for $99.  I can get that Chinese imitation only slightly less wholesale... The GP2X is very much like I'm thinking and I found it, but at a costly $179.  The Pandora would be super-cool if ever it were to be released, but I imagine it would be even more expensive.

Yes, I also thought of hacking PSP and Nintendo DS, but it is a bit of technical work for the lamer/gamer.  The DS can at least support SD memory with special "cartridge" but PSP's custom data storage is not very friendly.

Also, a friend of mine has iPhone and although games look good, they are not fun to play because of no joystick or buttons... the touch screen effect for controling games is WORSE than a chicklet keyboard... and we all hate chicklet keyboards, right?

[saehn]

The Wiz is ready to go out of the box (we all have SD cards lying around), but the DS requires additional hardware to hack. The PSP requires Sony's proprietary memory sticks. The three cost about the same new (DS a little cheaper). The DS resolution isn't conducive to CBM gaming (as well as a lot of other gaming resolutions). PSPs look like a pain to hack, if you manage to get one that is hackable. The Dingoo looks cool but isn't as capable as the GP2X Wiz. If I were to get one it would be the Wiz. There's a Dingoo vs. Wiz video on YouTube I think, you may want to check it out.

[xc8]

Check the 'Pocket Commodore 64' for windows mobile (from ClickGamer), its one of the best C64 emulators for mobile devices...

Chris

[cbmguy]

Hey I like that mobile one!  I'm doing mine on the Pandora, though.  It was well worth the wait.  Been playing with this dev unit and it kicks some serious hearts.  I hope ppl start to use it.

http://www.open-pandora.org/

Cheers,

C

[cbmguy]

Oops.  I gave the incorrect link (well, for Pandora and Commodore 128 emulation)

http://pandora.dcemu.co.uk/

C

[BloodyCactus]

vice on the gp2x is pretty awesome stuff. dont know about compressing 80col mode into a 320x240 screen tho...

cpm on a 320x240 screen would be...  interesting...

[Hydrophilic]

@saehn, I agree, the memory sticks are expensive and hacking in general seem troublesome on the PSP.

@BloodyCactus, I'm glad to hear VICE runs well on GP2X.  And yes, 80-column compression to 320x (for example CP/M) would be a neat trick.  The problem is I can only find these at cost > US $150.  Looking at poll results, (almost) nobody would pay for it...

So I will not be working on this now... maybe in the future something more economical will be available...

Thanks again for all opinions!

[Hydrophilic]

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I recently found a supplier of these devices.  I'm thinking I could make complete system to buy for $40~$49.  Such system would include:

Handheld device (with replacable / recharable battery)
Charger
USB Cable
TV Cable (play on your big screen)
SD memory card (with some public domain C64 games)

So it's kinda of like a C64 DTV, but you don't need a TV, and you can easily load new games with USB cable or memory card.  The device also has extra features:

Camera (2.0 megapixels)
Plays Nintendo games (NES, SNES)
Plays MP3s (like iPod)
Plays Videos (320x240 @ 15 fpgs)
E-book and photo album

The main problem is the device only plays NES / SNES games unless I re-write the firmware.  That would be quite a task, but if enough people are interested, I'll give it a shot in the new year.

This will only support C64 mode.  Maybe one day I'll find a battery big enough to make a "Laptop 128".  But until then, this is the best I can do.

So let me know what you think... thanks!

Edit
See previous posts for photos of $40~$49 unit.  I can also get a more stylish version, see photo below, but it would cost around $50~$59.

I remember at the end of Commodore's 8-bit area (late '80s, early '90s) that Atari came out with the Lynx.  It was a really great device except for batteries.  With standard (non-recharable) battery, it would only play for about 2 hours.  Recharable battery would only last about an hour(!!!)

These devices run for 6~7 hours on a single charge.

Slightly off topic: my friends (especially girl friends) tell me I need to get a cell phone and I tell them nobody makes one good enough for me!  I would like something which is easy to program / open source... like Android maybe? but which is also good for gaming, like photo below.

Any suggestions?  Please nobody recommend iPhone.  Touch screen sucks for games!!!  Need real d-pad and game buttons.  Thanks again!
/Edit

[Hydrophilic]

So far the polls show 50% would pay $40+ and 50% would not... so it is not a SURE THING... but it sounds like something to play with for the new year... Hydro loves new projects

Due to the lack of comments from my previous post, is it safe to assume that no company makes a cell phone good enough for me???

Good news for me (stupid cell phone companies) and bad news for my gilrs (no you CAN'T call me)

Anyway, if anyone knows of a good gaming cell phone, please advise... not only would my gals like it, but with some software devopement, I think it could benefit the entire Commodore community...

[Michau]

Slightly off topic: my friends (especially girl friends) tell me I need to get a cell phone and I tell them nobody makes one good enough for me!  I would like something which is easy to program / open source... like Android maybe? but which is also good for gaming, like photo below.

Any suggestions?  Please nobody recommend iPhone.  Touch screen sucks for games!!!  Need real d-pad and game buttons.  Thanks again!

Maybe Palm Pre? It's also open source / Linux. It has also a very nice gaming 3D library. I have played some 3D games and they were impressive. The only phone that can compete with Palm WebOS games quality is the iPhone.

And you could write a Commodore emulator for it, I would definitely use one

[Hydrophilic]

Thanks for the idea, Michau.  Although open source and sporting a keyboard (which could be used for gaming buttons), it doesn't have D-pad for gaming or app navigation.

Maybe it's just me, but I think people look stupid and waste a lot of time flipping through lists on an iPhone (or other touch screen device without a D-pad).  In my opinion it is easier, faster, AND looks less clumsly to simply scroll through a list by pressing DOWN.  So I ask: have I gone crazy, or has everybody else?

Something like the PSP GO would be ideal (despite hacking difficulties) if only it had a cell phone.

And why do cell phones always seem to have a camera?  I don't need a camera.  But a TASER.  Yeah!  Where's a cell phone with a TASER, gaming controls, and open source?  I would pay insane amounts of money for one...

As long as I'm dreaming, I would also like the phone to have IR transmitter that I can program to my TV, DVD player, stereo, etc...  IR transmitters have to be 10x cheaper than a CCD used for camera functions, yet I've never seen one...

Just imagine... You loose your remote (cell phone).  Well, just call yourself and you can find it!