The BEST System You’re Not Emulating! (spoiler: it's PICO-8)

[@johnathananderson108]

A PICO 16 would be interesting....

[@arthurdurham]

Yah, I would be more interested in these games if they were emulating 16 bit games. 8 bit is just a bit too minimalist for me

[@3van1993]

And then they can make Pico64.

[@jamievandervelden]

@@3van1993pico 128 👀

[@SensibleChuckle]

They are soon to release the first beta for PicoTron which is PSP resolution and more colors, and merges their voxel game development platform with Pico-8

[@edtuckerartist]

Don't skip the 32.@@3van1993

[@martinh4982]

The other great thing about Pico 8 is that all the dev tools are built in. I made a simple racing game with it. Best $15 I ever spent.

[@TechDweeb]

Wish I knew how to do game making stuff.

[@Pax_Mayn3]

Is it something anyone can learn or do you need prior experience?

[@whanethewhip]

​@@Pax_Mayn3 Anyone, it's easy to get into and a great introduction to coding and development. Everything is built in including sprite and sound maker. And having you work with limitations is GREAT because it forces you to make lots of little games to learn more rather than trying to make an epic game right away. Plus you can see code from ANY game and that helps a ton. Also, lots of tutorials here on youtube and there is something VERY satisfying about handing your handheld to a friend to try out a game that you made.

[@edtuckerartist]

@@TechDweeb Lazy Devs and Nerdy Teachers have great tutorial videos on YT.

[@davedavenport8673]

@@TechDweeb There are a bunch of videos on making games or programming pico-8. I just got it a couple days ago and am having fun trying things out. Making sprites, moving them around, playing with music, and looking at the code for games like Celeste. The programming is very much like BASIC (PRINT"Hello World"), but with some modern commands as well.

[@TheRealTedNeal]

Thank you so much for including the games names! I’m always looking for more new games on PICO8!

[@kyleturner8597]

This video inspired me to check out Pico-8. In the last week or so I’ve been following tutorials and now I have a game to show for it. Thanks Tech Dweeb!

[@TheRealAlpha2]

Pico-8 games run great on the RGB30, Just about any system with the official engine runs them well because they're such small games, but made with incredible ingenuity. They are the epitome of "pick up and play" arcade games seeing as they don't have the baggage of needing to be cinematic masterpieces. My only issues is that because the code for many of them are available, there are a LOT of clones. I mean there's like 15 Celeste and 32 Tetris clones which makes it a bit hard to find the real gems without videos like this that actually show them playing.

[@bellytelevision]

You're the best, TechDweeb! Ahhh I finally got my very own red rgb30 and have set it up with JELOS and Pico-8. It's such a dream ❤

[@TechDweeb]

Niiiiice!

[@historymaker118]

Well the timing on this video is perfect. I'm working on my next Pico-8 game for a game jam this weekend, and now I have something to be inspired by to watch while I work! Great video as always!

[@TechDweeb]

Amazing! hope it goes well!

[@thedragonflytapes5727]

A lesser known PICO 8 game that I absolutely ADORE is called To A Starling. It's a short precision platformer that feels really good to play and looks beautiful.

[@TechDweeb]

I'll check it out!

[@thedragonflytapes5727]

@@TechDweeb If you do, see if you can beat it in under 2 mins. I may have gotten a little too obsessed trying to grind my time down.

[@svcross-do]

I love Pico-8 games. I wish they run better on Android. Regarding birds with guns, birds don't exist.

[@TechDweeb]

So I hear

[@anotherthing]

@@TechDweeb That's just what our bird overlords want us to think.

[@paperoverflow]

If you own an anbernic that runs emuelec or archos, it really is fun playing pico 8 on those. PC is what works best though.

[@kaczan3]

The real PICO-8 is the friends we meet along the way.

[@trynaskate7894]

THE ONE PIECE.. IS REEEAAAALLLLLL!!!!

[@bcretty606]

This is the most delightful and fun retro handheld video to date. Because of this I purchased Pico-8 and installed it on my Miyoo Mini Plus. Please make more Pico-8 content in the future!

[@superscatman4236]

This channel is great! Very funny, unique, and surprisingly high quality!

[@TechDweeb]

Thanks for saying so!

[@Biddymacp]

Shockingly high quality. Staggering really.

[@chriscastillo291]

Your videos have become something like comfort. Food to me before I go to sleep😅 it always wasn't like that, and now your videos have grown on me. Keep up the good work.

[@TheLexikitty]

Was looking for a good overview on the Pico-8, great video and thanks!

[@Pliskin1023]

As a new player from RGB30 I'm new on the system Pico-8, for me a Top 10-15-20 kind of it's worth it. Great video as alway, cheers mate

[@VladlustTV]

I've been meaning to take a look at this system for some time so this is a great introduction to it. Thanks Dweeb!

[@VeshSneaks]

I adore the Pico-8, I've had so much fun playing with games I found on there. There's even a demake of the Suica Game that's really fun to play, too. I'm curious where you nabbed those coloured face buttons for your RGB30 though. Kinda want some for mine now!

[@thomaschipman]

those are the new buttons. they changed the buttons around the time they released the yellow version. the all black button variant no longer exists.

[@MeatbagTTV]

Wow what a well put together video! Lighting, editing, script all on 10 good job dude

[@TechDweeb]

Thanks buddy!

[@Musicman27XX]

Absolutely!!! Make more Pico 8 videos! Also, I love the game recommendations. The Sega one you did, not to long ago was good. I would love to see what kind of whacky Pico 8 games you could come up with. :)

[@Bibvock]

Pico8 on rgb30 is insane fun! Great vid man!

[@brianhawk955]

I've only ever heard of Pico-8 in passing because I love arcade style retro gaming, but actually seeing these games in action completely blows me away. They kind of remind me of more advanced Wario-Ware type games, but with the same pick up and playability. Really appreciate this video TDweeb!

[@TechDweeb]

Yeah exactly. Quick pick up and play style games.

[@MJFallout]

Exactly, it comes from the good design of the little splore browser, too. You only get a few nibbles of information beforehand, but downloading games and jumping right in is near instantaneous, so there's this element of 'Okay, I'm in, what do? Let's figure things out here.'

[@disastrophi]

I can’t wait to dive into this world! Thanks TD, you rock

[@crystal_is_cozy]

I love pico-8 games. I’ve been playing Matchy Matchy and the Bun Bun Survivor game on my miyoo mini plus for days now

[@TechDweeb]

Matchy Matchy looks great!

[@PlanetSuj]

Right, thats it. I'm subscribed. This is just gold, I've not seen most of these games and have a spare RGB30 lying around. Time to try some of these out!👌

[@titiojack]

TechDweeb, I really love your reviews. There are very few retro emulation channels that attract my attention. I believe I only follow 4 foreign channels, which are excellent, including your channel (without wanting to belittle anyone). About the console, I love the RGB30 more than the Steam Deck. Furthermore, great video my fellow countryman. Big hugs from Brazil :) (It's not like me to comment on channels but I'm always here following and leaving my like)

[@TechDweeb]

Thanks for taking the time to say so, I really appreciate hearing that!

[@Sadtiric]

I'm glad you made this one, too! I've been curious about Pico-8 stuff more and more, as Russ mentions it. I'm sad my RGB30 is (metaphorically) collecting dust; the SSD case, also a Russ special, has been keeping it safe! I hope to use it more soon! I wonder if the Analogue Pocket will get Pico-8 someday..?

[@TechDweeb]

Oh man the Analogue Pocket would be an awesome Pico0-8 device!

[@Sadtiric]

@@TechDweeb We just have to ask the right people, right? It seems like a no-brainer to me. 💚

[@dzonc]

Would love more pico8 content. Could even be short form with longer videos covering multiple games?

[@TechDweeb]

More on the way!

[@whyserkan]

Thanks for the video. I think it was a bit hard to see the games from this distance. Otherwise great content again 👌

[@zinesis]

A list of top games on pico8 would be great.

[@ViBENo1]

are the ABXY correctly painted? i'm glad that you reviewing pico8 games cause even if i'm not a nerd of old handheld world i bought rgb30 because of pico8 games. there are tons but i have no time to check all. btw are there any worms armageddon/world party replica games for pico8?

[@richfrommitch]

I bought an RGB30 for this very purpose. It's great. The Pico version of Donkey Kong is a joy to play.

[@SensibleChuckle]

I'm learning to code for it and I bought the RGB30 for game previews and testing as I code because it's not real until it's on a console-- which is so fun too see your own game running that you dive back into the editor screen and tweak the game further... it's incredibly hard to stop!

[@Pax_Mayn3]

Play marble merge, trust me.

[@VRBug]

Installed Pico-8 natively on my Miyoo Mini + and I agree, it's awesome! Mai-Chans Sweet Buns it hugely addictive []-)

[@derekgeorgeandrews]

check out Harold's Bad Day, Scrap Boy, Quest for the Book of Truth, Porklike, Minima (need keyboard though), Lost Night, Witch Loves Bullets, Dusk Child, Ascent, UFO Swamp Odyssey, Berzerk (pahammond version) there are so many good ones. Invincible Run Gun Bot Tomatoworm pinballvania (all by same guy who made lil satans cake quest) I also made a few of my own, such as Hobobot , which is in the featured carts list. 😌 Thank you for the awesome videos. Love your content and humor good sir.

[@TechDweeb]

Solid suggestions!

[@Pax_Mayn3]

You forgot Marble Merge, how does nobody know about that one?

[@Killysunt]

I've had Pico 8 for years from an Itch Io bundle & never given it a spin, may have to try a couple games

[@yeyebalam2688]

I asked myself the sense of a handheld like that Powkiddy with that unusual squared screen until today. That handheld is just perfect for Pico-8. Need one.

[@MandyRosko]

I just got into Pico 8 Because of you and I keep downloading more games. I love this little system, and I finally got it working on my Retroid Pocket 3+ so now it's given my little device a new life. Can't wait to see your favorite games. Will you do a list of the free and paid Pico 8 games?

[@Pax_Mayn3]

Nobody ever mentions Marble Merge. If this was a real handheld that was released, it would be the systems tetris. That game is about as close to perfect as you can get, it's the best game i've played so far on it.

[@darthwolvi7428]

I am waiting impatiently for my RGB30. Ordered it after your review video. Pico8 will be fun to explore. Sorry about the imaginary veranda. Did it have an imaginary swinging chair on it?:) thanks again for the great content. Can you please do a top 20 games for Pico8? The handheld should be here within the week:)

[@TechDweeb]

Niiiice! Enjoy your toy!

[@darthwolvi7428]

Just arrived yesterday. Weird issue with sound. It goes away in games. I have to turn output off and back on to get sound in game. But then the volume is loud and I can’t lower it:( I’ll need to do some digging.

[@BortHog]

Never heard of this! Definitely interested

[@ryanbartlett672]

Thanks again. Laughed heartily at the olive garden farm accident!

[@siamese605]

Hello from South Dakota. I really enjoy your videos, man. You really pay attention to the esthetics and ambiance of the videos outside of the products themselves. Your narration is natural and engaging. I noticed in another video that you had placed a little paper cut-out of a cat next to the product and that's when I realized, "Damn, this guy is really great at what he does." Thanks for re-igniting my interest in retro games and handheld. Just curious, have you ever played Trap Gunner for PS1?

[@nextgm30]

Seeing this video a couple weeks ago not only had me discover the console, but I made my own game for it!

[@AlistairBrugsch]

5:53 "Indie Retro News Cracktro" by some guy called abrugsch 😂

[@alexmontanus]

I need a handheld with just a d-pad and 2 buttons, a square screen and has wifi. When you start it you directly go into pico-8 splore.

[@TechDweeb]

Not sure if you can have this boot directly into Splore, but there might be a way. The OS is open source so you could always do it if you learn how to tinker.

[@gmitchellfamily]

This has blown my mind. Can't wait to tinker and get it running on my r36s I'm getting any day now. Cab Ride and that taxi game look particularly interesting but do not show up in the Pico8 cart collection when I search. Is there another repository somewhere?

[@TechDweeb]

Most games are available on Lexaloffle www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=41332 You can also search in the Splore app

[@SquantoShinyShorts]

I love Katamari Christmassy, would pay money for more Pico-8 Katamari lol

[@F0r3v3rT0m0rr0w]

My retroid 4 just shipped. When it arrives ill be 100% sure to put pico 8 on it

[@MrCosmicVictory]

good video, really good. i didnt know any of this. now im curious, considering the graphics, could these games exist on atari? nes 8bit?

[@TechDweeb]

I don't think so. They are 8 bit games, so that would be NES/GBC era, but neither of those would have the processing power to be able handle most of these games. I'd say that even though they're coded for 8 bit architecture you'd need at least a Sega 32X level retro console to run them.

[@IcoKirov]

Techically there are new games for retro consoles as well. Not a ton, but there are some and they are good

[@charc144]

Loving the Pico8 stuff, give Dinky Kong and Marble Merger a go.

[@rethardotv5874]

Cool sweater. It matches well with the hands and the consoles

[@Blak22390]

Thanks for this, I found an amazing de-make of spelunky called delunky, it's just as fun and addicting as the original.

[@wweyler]

I want a top 100 pico-8 games list video!

[@okayman81]

Oh yeah! More pico8 fun for sure, I'm all for it 😊

[@DrewBerriesmusic]

So glad I found this video. I have this device and these games look amazing 🙏🏼🍓

[@TechDweeb]

Nice! Enjoy!

[@edtuckerartist]

There is also Voxatron - from the same dev (voxel based games).

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

Theree's also the pretty promising fantasy console Tic-80, though the budget emulation handhelds don't really run this platform that well.

[@TheRealTedNeal]

I’m running PICO8 on my RGB30. It’s great!

[@BogalaSawundiris]

Need more FPS and boomer shooters for Pico 8 ! ALSO TWIN STICK SHOOTERS !!!

[@RedCGaming]

Thank You for making this video, I wouldve never known about this! Now to go into this rabbit hole! lol

[@jessejayjones]

So funny, loved this intro, hahaha!

[@youzernejm]

Thanks for this vid, I've been interested in the platform for a while, but never spent time to investigate. Thankfully, I follow TechDweeb religiously.

[@TechDweeb]

Dweeby blessings upon you

[@aztekno2012]

Nice little story at the beginning. 😉

[@ChrisFooDeg]

I’m still on the fence on getting a rgb30 I feel like they’ll come out with a better version when I buy it lol

[@yochrisnelson]

My imaginary thoughts and prayers for your imaginary girlfriend’s imaginary hands 🙌🙏😢

[@bembelknecht]

I am curious to see what their other fantasy console Voxatron will be like; admittedly haven't got the time to get into it yet, but seems promising since pico is very pico

[@ArinoSeb_Gccx_QC]

thanks for the video about the pico-8 console. I was on the fence about getting a PKRGB30 from your last video review you did on this handheld. So should I get the model with the 256GB card with the official customized version to get the pico-8 n=menu to download the game directly on the handheld of all the card have it

[@Mogg_king]

This is a SUPER long shot! But you’re super rad and I feel like you could figure it out. How to emulate visual novels on some type of emulator engine ? I’ve been wanting to but it’s so tough with certain setbacks 😭

[@tristanheron4144]

Portmaster already has Rlvm. Is this what you are after?

[@Mogg_king]

@@tristanheron4144 I’m about to finish up eating and look at what you’re talking about! I haven’t heard of this so maybe this will answer my question!

[@i_DONT_get_IT]

Lexoloffle needs the assistance of maple syrup, do they not? I can not emphasize this more than I can already. Please? I’ll give you a root beer

[@TechDweeb]

100%

[@VariantNYC]

the intro was so funny i subbed 😂

[@TechDweeb]

Appreciate it!

[@juniorelizondo4144]

Awesome video! Are you going to review the rp4 pro?

[@vhsretrogamer1664]

Would be cool to have pico 8 pixel perfect device though. All these years digging into retro handhelds made me a pixel purist unfortunately. Maybe I should visit a doctor

[@TechDweeb]

True. Although at 720x720 it's basically impossible to notice that it's not pixel perfect. Even with non integer scaling the pico8 pixels are either 5x5 or 6x6, which is not noticeable at the resolution we have here.

[@thomaschipman]

you can integer scale and get nearly full screen.

[@RyonMugen]

These techdweeb stories get so deep and scary sometimes LOL. Your hilarious man.

[@ismaeljrp1]

I've been playing Celeste on it. Just came with my RG35xxh and was surprised by how much fun I've been having.

[@rjsprojects]

I run Splore on the steam deck and it's a great experience there, especially if you're using the OLED version.

[@TechDweeb]

Gotta try that!

[@dandelsol577]

Hey TechDweeb This PICO-8 stuff is very cool! Could you recommend a tutorial for getting PICO-8 running on RetroArch, on an Android device or handheld? The Retro8 core, in RetroArch, does not work for me. And I was not able to find a clear tutorial on the web to do this. Thanks for your help! :) Love the channel!

[@jumanjithemusical]

When running Pico 8 games on my RG35XX H it loads the "Fake 08" core/BIOS for emulating Pico-8 games. I'm not sure how to set up RetroArch, but thought this might help! Look into "Fake 08"

[@dandelsol577]

Hey TehDweeb I bought the Pico8 licence and it's super cool! I want to try to modify some games or make a new game. I am still however not able to have a decent working setup to play pico8 on my Android device... so I am pretty disapointed about that. That's probably where I would want to play pico8 games, the most, on the go. Since I bought the $15 licence, I used the pico8 IDE to export some carts to HTML format. I copied the HTML and JS files over to my Android device hoping to be able to open the HTML version in a web browser like Firefox or Chrome. But you can't open a local HTML files in Firefox, in Android. You can with Chrome, by going through the file manager. But when it finally opens the HTML page, the pico8 game does not work. Can anyone recommend how to get the HTML/JS exports to work in an Android browser? Or how to setup the Fake08 RetroArch (Libretro) core ? Thanks! :)

[@dandelsol577]

I figured out how to install the Fake08 RetroArch (Libretro) core. I tried to share the procedure but it seems to have been removed from the comment. I'm still interested if anyone knows how to run the HTML exports of carts, locally in a web browser of an Android device. Thanks. :)

[@Pridetoons]

One of my favorite Handhelds of 2023.

[@jmlitwiller]

I mostly just love hearing your voice

[@iamskipper]

hei @TechDweeb ! Great Videos as always =) . Can you demonstrate how do u download the PICO 8 games from the URL into the recent Anbernic devices ? Thanks man

[@mdstevens0612]

I prefer the TIC-80 myself, it's free and runs on more things, plus it lets you have four face buttons which is a godsend. Issue is the documentation and tutorials are so lacking. You could technically translate a Pico-8 tutorial since they use very similar languages and functions but that user experience is rough.

[@BdR76]

The amount of pico8 games can be overwhelming, but I can recommend Ascent, To A Starling and Arcane Nectar They're like bite-sized triple A games, excellent game ideas, large levels and sometimes even a great sound track

[@georgeogden1277]

Another fun video! I found a Pico 8 selection on my Pow Kiddy X55 but it doesn't contain any games. It has Splore but that doesn't seem to work? Any suggestions?

[@TechDweeb]

If you want to use Splore you'll need to add the official Pico8 app by downloading the Raspberry pi version and adding the files from the zip into your pico8 directory (that's a paid app btw). If not you'll be stuck with using emulation. You can run pico8 games through Retroarch. But you'll need to download them yourself because splore won't work unless you use the official software.

[@ruffnutts]

I was impressed to see a version of DOOM Pico-8

[@CheapOneLiners]

I took a shot of root beer every time T.Dweeb said the name, "Pico-8." Now my tongue burns like I'm licking a 9 volt battery. I wish I could make better decisions.

[@TechDweeb]

You're right where you need to be in life.

[@googaboogaloo]

Do I have to play pico 1-7? I don’t want to get lost

[@TechDweeb]

No. Those are technically not part of the same picoverse as pico-8, so you're good.

[@googaboogaloo]

@@TechDweeb good I’m glad

[@ROUFNA]

Great channel ☺️ omnipresent humor 👍👍

[@JordiLA]

Im watching your video from my imaginary phone and I love it ❤

[@TechDweeb]

I hearted your imaginary comment.

[@mirkodiciano4647]

these games look awesome really wanna try dank tombs great vid TD

[@colin458]

Thank you for making this

[@frankysour]

Just discovered that pico 8 exists like 2 weeks back. And one week into it I also discovered that it does not exist, but still enjoying it. I play it on an rg35xx plus, though, where I think it's not possible to have it run natively, correct? This is almost making me purchase an rgb30 only for this reason. Opinion: is rug it natively really that much better? What am I missing by using it into RetroArch?

[@TechDweeb]

Yeah I don't think there is a native version for the 35xx Plus yet. Yes running natively is much better. You'll notice that lots of games have stuttering issues in retroarch, or graphical glitches, or they won't launch. And most importantly you can't use Splore which is a very fun way to use Pico8 and discover new games. Don't buy this purely for Pico8, stick with what you got, but if you DO buy it for pico8 you'll get the superior experience.

[@frankysour]

@@TechDweeb Ehm... My dear TechDweeb... Though I appreciate the effort, honestly you are not very good in convincing me to avoid throwing money to this............ 😂😂😂

[@wills2652]

I love pico 8 on my miyoo mini plus!!! It’s amazing!!

[@KING_B00]

Great video TechDweeb! Interested in PICO-8 and I have an RG35xxPlus. Do you think this system can handle these games? I heard about performance issues with the og RG35xx

[@SensibleChuckle]

The best experience by a long shot is on the RGB30. It has a bigger display and sounds are exactly right. The Pico-8 emulators don't compare. For this interested in a Pico-8 emulator, it seems silly to emulate something already so simple anyways, why not just get Pico-8? Seems the emulator would be larger and clunkier than just buying Pico-8.

[@sethtoybes9392]

@@SensibleChuckle It also runs natively (and great) on the Miyoo Mini Plus!

[@SensibleChuckle]

@@sethtoybes9392 Lazy Devs Academy says otherwise. It works but not as well they say. I think image size and pixel averaging had a lot to do with it, irrc. I like the horizontal layout as my hands don't feel cramped. But I say go with what you enjoy! 👍

[@sethtoybes9392]

@@SensibleChuckle I wonder if they meant the Fake-08 emulator that is on the miyoo mini. Recently the full pico 8 was brought over. I haven't experienced any slow downs with the full fat version rather than the emulator (fake 08) which I have had some crashes and slow downs with. Either way totally possible. As for ergonomics you are 100% correct but I can't justify buying yet another device. As much as I'd love to have a dedicated pico 8 handheld. I love Pico 8 so darn much!

[@paperoverflow]

Pico-8 is dope, working on developing a video game myself. You should make one too✊️ 🤓👍

[@shinigamiauthor]

all that pico 8 footage has convinced me that i "need" an rgb30

[@TechDweeb]

Ha. Need.

[@nixie2462]

Hidden gems, pls!! I'm getting my RGB30 in yellow next month, and am already looking at things to play.

[@jamesodonnell8806]

Hi great channel. What handheld plug in and play would you recommend for dream cast Saturn n64 psp please I have a miyoo mini plus. Is there anything that’s that easy to pick up and get into thanks

[@TechDweeb]

If you want acceptable performance in those systems something like this would work well. Otherwise you'll want a T618 device like the RG405v or the RG405m.

[@lloydmilton9808]

Have you ever tried to make your own game on the Pico-8 architecture? I'm no coder, but I still have some ideas that I would love to impart on the community.

[@TechDweeb]

Nope. But I'd love to some day!

[@luckygreentiger]

I don't know if you mentioned it, but PICO-8 "roms" are just PNG files, the code of the game is in the PNG file itself.

[@TechDweeb]

Yeah isn't that neat!?

[@SocialistDog]

Hey buddy. Ya gonna get that mig switch thingy? I plan on installing the mig dumper to my steamdeck

[@jackdoobie]

Damn gun totin birds... they'll be the death of us all. Congrats on 50K TD.

[@TechDweeb]

Thanks JD