“Great little device! It feels super solid and high-quality, and looks fantastic. The RP2040 is very nice so far, and importantly, both the PicoSDK and the PicoSystem SDK are very easy to use, especially the examples in the PicoSystem repo.
If you've dabbled in retro console game dev, the PicoSystem is something like a GBA packed into the size of a GB Micro, and has similar limitations in RAM and ROM, just with a smaller screen (but roughly twice the pixels of the original GB at 240x240 vs 160x144), same button count as the original GB, a much faster CPU, and MUCH better documentation. Highly recommend it; it's a lot of fun.”
“The PicoSystem feels really amazing in your hands, and has a beautiful little screen. My only issue right now is that the power button is slightly inconsistent; I intend to open it up soon and see if I can fix that. Thankfully, it's specifically easy to do that sort of thing, which is a bonus.”
“A fantastic handheld device for those of us who want to learn how to program. Easy to assemble and disassemble, amazing in hand feel, clicky buttons. Just lovely.
The only think I am not completely in love with is the lack of protection for the screen. I think there should be transparent plastic on top of it. There could actually be a plastic addition with an L shaped bezel and foam adhesive. Additionally, a slightly better speaker - nothing crazy, but a bit better. Something Game Boy - like. The good thing is, Pimoroni made this system easy to use and modify, so all of this is doable!
Totally recommended. There already are fantastic guides on how to program for Pi Pico.”
