Corresponding to the x86 high-performance handheld, the retro handheld is also quite marketable now. However, in addition to competing with the performance of analog old consoles, the form of handheld consoles has also become one of the competitive points. Citing Liliputing's news, a retro handheld with a special shape called Retro Gaming Watch has recently been launched on the Kickstarter platform. Although it can be seen from the ** below, it should be a tribute to Nintendo's GBA SP, but the size of the Retro Gaming Watch is much smaller than the GBA SP, and it can be known from the name that it is also a watch, the kind that can be worn on the wrist. And it does have the functions of a watch: its outer screen can display time, notifications and other information like the current smart watch, and the inner screen is dedicated to playing games. However, also because it is a watch, the specification of the LCD inner screen is 154 inches with a resolution of 320 x 320 and a refresh rate of 60Hz.
As for performance, the Retro Gaming Watch is also separated: Renesas' DA14706 chip is a low-power processor that is used to support the device's watch functions;The processor used for gaming is much more powerful, with an Efinix T20 FPGA chip designed to accurately emulate the performance of older consoles, which developer Jason Rogers says can handle any 16-bit console from the 90s, and even has the potential to play first-generation 3D games.
If you use FPGA to play 2D games, the battery life may only be 2 to 4 hours, but if you only use it as a smart watch, the battery life can be up to 2 days.
Retro Gaming Watch in development iterations
*The Retro Gaming Watch has an early bird price of $159, and since it's still in prototype condition, it is expected to ship in November 2024 at the earliest.