pouët.net

Pico 8 seems to be some kind of popular here, but there are some more:

Pixel Vision 8
https://pixelvision8.itch.io/game-creator

Liko 12
https://github.com/RamiLego4Game/LIKO-12/blob/master/README.md

TIC 80
https://tic.computer

PX8
https://hallucino.itch.io/px8

It's kinda weird that they have severe limitations for display and sound, but seem to run the code as fast as your i7 can handle.

iirc Pico-8 has a virtual cycle count for each command.

I guess the main goal is achieveing a retro audio/visual aesthetic ?

actually, one of them have this statement

Not limited enough. I want one that is a 1x1 monochrome pixel that you can only program in brainfuck.

I'd prefer a fantasy computer with just linear frame buffer for graphics and different resolutions and a fixed cycle count, maybe a modern RISC instruction set like OpenRisc ..

Too many, don't know what to pick (or rather make mine :)

forsaken did a tic 80 demo for last revision which has been largely passed unnoticed:
http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=75852

I remember another TIC 80 prod .. he should make a video capture ...

Why fantasy hardware when you can get the real thing? Have a look at the bitbox or the gamebuino :)

I think a standardized virtual platform could be an excellent demo competition machine since it were available at no cost for everyone who is interested in it .. I guess there is enough obscure real hardware outside so I don't see the point for new eeal platforms with very limited specs ..

perhaps developing the fantasy platform is a goal in itself :)

Can you have Fantasy Football on these? ;D ;D

re: the tic 80, it doesnt have a virtual cycle count afaik, and thats quite an issue when running it across devices. I ended up optimizing it for a rubbish PC, then coding the last bits of the demo on an android tablet it didnt run in realtime on, with the music stuttering and desyncing as it doesnt have a seperate process. very weird experience, i had no idea how it would run on the compo pc, which defeats the point of the fantasy platform. I don't know how pico-8 compares, but I choose tic 80 as it was free and runs on everything.

(also, there is a video capture of it on the resivion wild compo capture, that'll do for me :)

anyway, the point of coding on a fantasy console was that it was easy, i could do it in the various places/devices I'd be before and during the party, and the ascetic is what I grew up with. now that I know the platform a bit, I'm confident I could party code something quickly for fun in it on my phone in a few hours, and I haven't had something like that since the dos era..

That's why I stick with the original :)

And the great thing about what we do is that there is room for both of us ;)

Dig out some old threads with discussions about which platforms should be allowed for oldschool compos, and marvel at the consensus. I'm sure we could all agree on the specifications for such a platform. ;)

Many oldschool prods are developed with emulators, which are also available at no cost. For Overdrive 2 style hardware hacking you obviously need real hardware, but that's not the focus of prods for virtual platforms anyway.

... the cost argument was for PulkoMandys hint, that there are real hardware fantasy consoles ..

Well, the bitbox is sold for 40€ which about covers the manufacturing cost and time. I think that's ok. You can also assemble it yourself if you prefer (and have good enough soldering skills).

The Pico-8 runtime costs $15, so the cost argument doesn't even apply to it.

Wait, Pico-8 isn't completely free?

@PulkoMandy but a digital fantasy console is easier to get when you're on vacation in Fantasyland ;)

.. I think we're getting offtopic .. I started the thread just to collect available fantasy computers, which could be a prod target ...

Don't know anything about them but isn't the world full of electro-junk as it is?

@TheMechanist This is a good list that seems current https://github.com/paladin-t/fantasy lots more to choose from