I want to make a small handheld device. Nothing fancy, just for playing simple games. Is the Raspberry Pi Zero good enough for that, or should I go with a larger model?
>>938617
>Nothing fancy, just for playing simple games
I don't own one and I can't answer your question, but you'll probably have to be a bit more specific than that.
>>938627
Sorry. I want to make a small handheld device that's able to play non-intensive games. Indie games, like Risk of Rain, or Binding of Isaac. Maybe emulate older games from the 80s-90s.
Yes it's good enough for that
>>938617
You'll have to provide little details like: what games, what your technical skills are, how much you want to spend.
Make handheld to play games is pretty vague.
The zero is new enough, and in low enough production counts, that I don't know anyone personally who's gotten their mitts on one. So we're stuck guessing at performance based on specs, instead of experience and tests. From the specs, it should be faster than the Pi A, slower than the Pi 2.
>>938631
Ahh ok.
So, the cheap displays use the GPIO pins, bypass the GPU, and use a lot more CPU to display than one that users the GPU. Playing an emulator that taxes the CPU, or even a remotely modern title is straight out with a GPIO display, but emulating old games like Bubble Bobble should be ok. These are between $7 and $50.
Displays that use the composite video are usually car monitors for shitty backup cameras and dvd players. The resolution is low, often lower than the nicer GPIO displays, and usually isn't that sharp. On the upside, it uses the GPU, so your CPU usage is lower. These are anywhere from $20 to $60.
All the other methods use the GPU, so you'll get 3d graphics, higher refresh rates, and drastically lower CPU usage.
There are car displays that accept vga, DVI and even HDMI, and they fall almost exactly in the same order range, IF you can find them. Better resolution and sharper than the composite video only models.
Displays that attach directly to the Pi's DSI video port are actually rare and expensive. There are maybe two models by two manufacturers, and closer to the $100 mark.
Actual tiny computer monitors are stupidly expensive, but will give the best picture.
>>938795
Op said pi zero, only reason I was focusing on that. There are some SBCs that use an LVDS port, which is more standard for video, and much easier to find cheap panels for. If I were to do a project like this, if probably go for one of those.
>>938631
>like Risk of Rain, or Binding of Isaac
Forget about those.
Those are Windows games written for x86.
Rbpi is ARM.
You'd have to emulate x86 to get them to work and believe me, ARM chips are not powerful enough to do that.
And especially not a budget single core one.
>>939181
Beg to differ. Dosbox does just that, and runs some GoG games fine on an android phone..... running an ARM processor.
Admittedly with a better GPU, double the clockspeed and maybe four times the cores of the pi. But still an ARM.
>>938617
>RPi Zero based smartphone
This what you after?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSBGk25Vamk
http://forum.odroid.com/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=6089
>>940076
Fuck, wrong link.
Looks like the actual site it was on is down, but a guy archived the files here:
http://host-a.net/u/frostedfires/Pi_SP.rar
Replace the odroid with a Pi Zero and you're good.
>>938617
>e Raspberry Pi Zero good enough for that, or sh
they call it zero because it has nothing on it.. or maybe because it has no uses.
it has a single usb port, thats it. sure the gpio are still there but if you want more usb or ethernet you're going to have to put one of those shield abominations and wind up with an even bigger clutter than you and they set out to avoid.
The only thing the raspberry pi had going for it was that "its a computer" thing, for anything else you should use a plan microcontroller and make your own board for it. The board doesn't have to be some fancy etched thing, plain old through hole with solder traces or spaghetti wire is fine.
>>939650
fucking hell, here we go..
>inb4 you see hipsters walking around with autism bricks at the mall like theyre hot shit
>>940267
>8031 based smartphone
