Someone should make a new 16-bit console and put a big marketing push behind it. We keep seeing many new games being made today for our beloved 8-bit and 16-bit systems including #Amiga#NES#ZXSpectrum#GameBoy and other fan favorites, but the hardware is dying and it’s not easily obtainable, so games are being made out of pure passion and nothing more.
I wonder if such an idea has any chance of success… I would love a new 16-bit handheld in GameBoy format.
@darth The #Mega68k is just that. No current plans to make a real physical device (because we are two people and it's a hobby), but it's designed so you absolutely could. Would have sold for around the same price as a Genesis/MegaDrive in 1990.
@Elextra nice article, but from everything I discussed with people in replies maybe Analogue Pocket makes the most sense to me. However, it’s not* available in EU.
@darth
Not sure how important the 16-bit part is for you, but the playdate is worth looking into: it has what feels like a vibrant community, many interesting games that seem to even sell, and there is even a fan-based print (!) magazine. Even if the hardware (besides the screen) is quite a bit more modern, it certainly is in the spirit of retro systems and their games.
@darth
The screen is not backlit either. However, it looks good, especially in the sunlight when most other screens would be utterly useless. In a dimly lit room, on the other hand, it is hard to read. Iircsomeone has already designed a lighting add-on like for the original game boy, but I am not sure about that.
@hanno I wanted to play Pokemon Red yesterday (I have the game on GBC) but I quickly remembered how crap the non-backlit screen is indoors, so I ended up playing the same game on SteamDeck. Analogue Pocket would be a better fit for this game, but a seven-incher is fine as well. I might swap my GBC screen for a backlit one.
@darth Well, I think one of the main motivations for programming games on vintage computers is mastering the real hardware that influenced many people back then. So there is always a nostalgia factor. You can’t separate that passion from the memories the hardware create.
Why else should I live with the boundaries of dated hardware?
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