Picade and MakeCode Arcade

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brenner
 
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Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by brenner »

Hi there! I’m a grade 5 teacher and my students have been coding their own games using MakeCode Arcade. I was wanting to run their games on a cabinet and think the Picade is the perfect size for my classroom. Would I be able to put their games on this unit? I’d like to order soon, but need to know if it’s possible. Thanks.

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blnkjns
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by blnkjns »

Do they run full screen in the browser? Then a Pi will be able to run them as well.
I use PyBadges LC in the class to have actual physical games that the students make.

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brenner
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by brenner »

I have their games on joy bonnets right now. I’d like to know if I can get this Picade to run them.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

What are you using as a display?

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brenner
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by brenner »

It comes with a display. So whatever that is.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

The only hardware you've mentioned so far is a Joy Bonnet, which doesn't have a display.

I need to know how the board is generating its video output before I know if the code is compatible with the PiCade.

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brenner
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by brenner »

I see what you’re saying. I have a joy bonnet with a pi 0 running kid’s games.

I’m thinking I’d run a pie 3 in the Picade with retropie. Makecode games, I’ve been told, will run on retropie.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Okay, so the video connection is the plain-vanilla "RasPi connected to an HDMI display".

That will work, and you don't even need RetroPie.

As far as the RasPi knows, the PiCade is just a Joy Bonnet and an HDMI display. The folks at Pimoroni developed their own HDMI driver for the display, and made everything fit in a well-designed cabinet enclosure, but the RasPi doesn't know any of that. Sneak in a USB cable for a keyboard and you'd have a plain-vanilla RasPi-and-display with excellent taste in clothes.

RetroPie gives the RasPi software for a wide variety of programs that emulate the hardware of old game consoles, so machine code pulled directly from the ROM of those consoles can think it's running on its original hardware. It also provides a well-done interface for selecting an emulator and connecting it to various kinds of user input devices. You don't have to put MakeCode in that system, though apparently it might be possible.. I've never tried it myself.

If that doesn't work, or is just too diificult, you can run your students's games the same way you're running them now.. just on snazzier hardware.

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blnkjns
 
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Re: Picade and MakeCode Arcade

Post by blnkjns »

Don't know if it fits, but lately I use Mac Mini's for my retro arcade projects and sold all my Pi's. They are so much better than Raspberry Pi's AND cheaper. Especially the 2009 models updated to High Sierra, Mojave or Catalina are really awesome, and play MakeCode games too (you basically need a small cheap system with a browser). You can find them sub 50 bucks nowadays.

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