History of video games/Platforms/Pimoroni PicoVision

History

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The system was announced by March 2023.[1] Initially know as the Pimoroni DV Stick, with DV standing for "Digital Video",[2][3] by late 2023 the system was known as the Pimoroni PicoVision.[1]

Technology

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Production PicoVision

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Compute

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The system consisted of an original carrier board with an integrated RP2040 chip acting as graphics processor, as well as a Raspberry Pi Pico W board soldered on acting as CPU and offering wireless communications support.[4][5] The system included 16 megabytes of memory in twin PSRAM chips, each with 8MB of capacity in addition to the 264 kilobytes of RAM included directly on the RP2040 chip.[5][4]

Audio

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A PCM5100A DAC is included.[4] As HDMI audio is nonfunctional on this device, a seperate 3.5mm line out is provided.[5][4]

Hardware

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The system measured 87 millimeters (3.4 in) long by 38 millimeters (1.5 in) wide by 9 millimeters (0.35 in) thick.[4][6]

Early DV Stick

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Compute

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The system boasted twin RP2040 chips for compute, one acting as a CPU and the other dedicated to the display.[3][2] Two PSRAM chips are included, each being deidcated to one of the RP2040 chips.[3][2]

Hardware

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HDMI connectivity was included.[3] A single USB port was included.[2] A bluetooth radio was included for wireless accessories.[3]

Software

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The system was designed to be a devkit for itself.[3] The system is capable of booting to a MicroPython REPL environment.[2]

Games

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The system was compatible with Pimoroni Picosystem games.[3]

One notable port was a version of Doom when used with a specific firmware and WHX file.[4]

References

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  1. a b Pounder, Les (12 September 2023). "Pimoroni's Pi-Powered 'Pico Vision' Nears Completion" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/pimoronis-pi-powered-pico-vision-nears-completion. 
  2. a b c d e Piltch, Avram (11 March 2023). "Gaming Console on a Stick to Feature Dual Raspberry Pi Chips" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/pimoroni-stick-pi-gaming-console. 
  3. a b c d e f g Jeffrey, Cal (13 March 2023). "Dual Raspberry Pi chips power this HDMI gaming console stick". TechSpot. https://www.techspot.com/news/97917-dual-raspberry-pi-chips-power-hdmi-gaming-console.html. 
  4. a b c d e f King, Phil (4 December 2023). "PicoVision (Pico W Aboard) review" (in en). The MagPi magazine. https://magpi.raspberrypi.com/articles/picovision-pico-w-aboard-review. 
  5. a b c Pounder, Les (27 October 2023). "Pimoroni PicoVision Review: Two RP2040 Chips, Retro Video" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pimoroni-picovision. 
  6. "PicoVision (Pico W Aboard) - PicoVision Only". shop.pimoroni.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.