Unboxing 32Blit console by Pimoroni

I just received my own beta version of the 32Blit console by the wonderful people at Pimoroni. Basically, it is a homebrew console intended for users who want to make homebrew games using the tooling provided by Pimoroni. After more than 2 years of waiting for this console, I am glad the wait is over. Now I have to find time. To use it. Holding the thing in my hand reminds me instantly of the Game Boy Advance. It has the same layout, though the 32Blit does feel awkwardly small. But maybe that is because I have been using the Nintendo Switch for three years. The console itself feels both sturdy and cheaply made. It feels strong but it won’t win any beauty contests. There are already a number of games installed. I will see if they are any good before I start my own journey of creating games.

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The people at Pimoroni describe the 32Blit as a modern remake of the vintage game development experience. With coding against real hardware limitations described as fun. That is basically what I want to do. While I have made some games for PC, they were all made with either Java libraries or Unity. 32Blit games are made with C++ or Lua scripting. C++ is something I only use professionally so it will be interesting to see what that will be like. Currently I do not have any C++ projects so this way I can keep my skills up. Pimoroni offers various tools on GitHub for development. Games can be compiled for Windows and Linux as well, if you do not intend to use it with the STM32. Pimoroni offers a number of in-depth on games development, but they are still busy making the final touches to these.

I will keep you posted on the 32Blit

That is it for this Unboxing 32Blit post. Playing and developing games will come at a later date. There is a lot of ground to cover with the tooling, documentation and tutorials. Right now I am busy with my own startup company so this good thing could not come at a worse time. I think I will keep you guys updated about my use of the 32Blit on a monthly schedule.