As mentioned in the recent TMNT RPG (see Kickstarter for Re-Release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1985 RPG Meets Goal 4 Hours After Release) I was wavering on joining that Kickstarter, but never did.
Now comes this Retro Gaming Watch Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/retrowatch/the-retro-gaming-watch) which looks ridiculous in the video mockup on an arm.
Like if I’m rolling around with that big thing on my wrist … as geeky as I am, it doesn’t seem a good fashion statement or very practical .. and yet it uses FPGA:
Besides its formfactor and custom high resolution display, the feature that really sets this platform apart is the inclusion of an FPGA to create custom video game hardware on the fly. Utilizing custom rendering cores, the “hard parts” of accurate emulation (tricky video and sound timing) can be offloaded from the main CPU, allowing most 8 and 16 bit systems to be emulated with unmatched accuracy and perfect lag free speed.
In a way this seems like something Nintendo might push out to us. And yet, it runs Doom! That’s the gaming litmus test. Heck, Doom runs on a pregnancy test, so why not a watch?
Not much FOMO for me here, but it did draw my attention enough to write about it and see what others think? Is a gaming watch something you’d buy for $179?