Remember something Clockwork Pi GameShell? We covered this open-source DIY handheld in 2018, mainly because it resembles the Game Boy and can run MAME, Game Boy Advance, and NES titles. It raised $290,429 on Kickstarter and we really enjoyed tinkering with it – so the news that Clockwork Pi released another product, similar to music to our ears.
Maybe we weren’t prepared for what actually appeared in the post, though; the DevTerm obviously not trying to clone a Nintendo-made mobile device or any other handheld game console for that matter; This ‘retrofuturistic’ design is inspired by TRS-80 Model 100 since 1983 and boasts dimensions of approximately 209×159mm (that is not included Game Boy Printer-like a 58mm 200 DPI thermal printer module on the back – yes, it has one of those). It has a full QWERTY keyboard, D-pad, trackball, and an ultra-wide 6.8-inch IPS 1280×480 pixel display, with a 16:6 aspect ratio.
As is the case with GameShell, DevTerm has many pieces and you really have to put everything together yourself, Laboratory-Style. It took about an hour to make, but no soldering needed – everything came together beautifully and it was quite a fun experience if we’re being honest. The only catch is that there are no batteries included, so you’ll need to supply a pair of 18650 lithium-ion batteries yourself.
DevTerm has many different packages, each with a different chipset powering. Base model cost $249while the top level spec (which we were sent to play with) is $339. Memory is handled via a MicroSD card slot, and a 16GB card is included containing a Linux-based Operating System. There’s 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and both dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 are included.
So what can you do with DevTerm? Well, unless you’re a coding buff, its appeal may be limited. The game controls work fine, so there’s always the option to take the emulation route (or install one of the many Pico-8 games it supports), but we argue that reality The appeal of this system is the nostalgia – to be honest, like is the case with GameShell.
If you’re of a certain age and remember a time when laptops were tablets of plastic rather than aluminum cases, this is sure to make you itch. For others, it might be something of a technological oddball – but again, Clockwork Pi products carry that perception as a badge of honor.
Thanks to Clockwork Pi for submitting DevTerm to be used in this feature.
