The console even comes with multiplayer features

Nov 7, 2014 13:17 GMT  ·  By

eNcade is a portable Raspberry Pi-powered gaming tablet that is currently in the works. Its makers are looking for funding on Kickstarter and they are hoping to get enough money so that they can properly start this project.

The developers of this gaming tablet operate under the name Nzen Mods and they want to make a gaming tablet, or better yet, a handheld gaming tablet that is able to use the Raspberry Pi platform and an open source operating system. The entire project is still in the works, but its makers already have all the details figured out. All they need now is $6,500 (€5,200) and they should be able to complete the work.

This project has a few very interesting aspects. For one, if you back this project up, you are eligible to receive, for just a few bucks, the software developed for the eNcade, which will also feature "multiplayer support." Users will be able to load that software onto a memory card and use their own Raspberry Pi.

An actual eNcade gaming tablet will cost at least $160 (€130), and higher tiers than this will offer more colors, more features, and various discounts, including the operating system and games.

eNcade could be a real hit

The combination of a Raspberry Pi, Raspbian (the operating system based on Debian), and the funky controls might prove to be a real hit, especially if the games and the software stack behave perfectly. This type of setup has some advantages, the main one being the ability to easily upgrade the operating system when needed.

"We noticed a huge community for retro console gamers who we thought we could benefit by bringing something new to the table: A portable retro console with online multiplayer support. This sparked the idea for the eNcade, which allowed us to incorporate another great community into our product: The Raspberry Pi," write the guys from Nzen Mods.

eNcade features a USB Wi-Fi adapter, an HDMI port for larger screens, additional USB ports for many other peripherals, a TFT touchscreen display, buttons very similar to the ones found on the PSP, and their own software that should be able to allow users to play NES, SNES, and Genesis emulators (Atari 2600, N64, GB, and PS1 support will arrive later).

To make things even more interesting, users will be able to drop the regular interface and use the Raspbian desktop. This turns the console into a desktop PC that has the same capabilities of a regular Raspberry Pi.

If successful, the products are expected to ship in May 2015

Raspberry Pi Model B+ has an ARM processor with a clock speed of 700 MHz (Broadcom BCM2835 SoC full HD multimedia applications processor) and 512 MB of RAM, 4 USB ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and a Composite Video port.

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