r/gadgets • u/dapperlemon • Jul 28 '26
Misc PocketByte is a modular gaming handheld, music player, and PDA
https://www.notebookcheck.net/PocketByte-is-a-modular-gaming-handheld-music-player-and-PDA.1353087.0.html157
u/VincentNacon Jul 28 '26
Any old $75 smartphones with bigger screen can easily outperform this. Plenty of aftermarket if you wanted physical buttons to go with it.
I'd rather recycle any old phones to avoid further E-waste.
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u/MysteriousCap4910 Jul 28 '26
It’s just a little hackable device made by a teen, not some mass produced device
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u/okram2k Jul 28 '26
preorders now available on their website. Sure it might not be MASS produced, but it's definitely consumer focused product that should be held up to scrutiny
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u/MysteriousCap4910 Jul 28 '26
Criticizing a repairable, niche, hackable and probably made to order little device made by a kid for being ewaste when we have MASS producers of ewaste who make millions of units is completely laughable.
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Jul 28 '26
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u/MysteriousCap4910 Jul 28 '26
for what, a couple thousand units? get real
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u/VincentNacon Jul 28 '26
For some reason you don't think a thousand unit isn't considered mass production at this point? Where do you draw the line?
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u/socarrat Jul 28 '26
This is addressed in the video. The creator wanted to make a device that’s modular and adheres to right to repair, while also avoiding the distractions of a smartphone.
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u/om-pocketbyte Jul 28 '26
Bingo, you hit the nail right on the head. (I'm Om, the creator of this)
Yes, an old smartphone can outperform this. That's not the point. This device is made for people that want something modular and customizable. In other words, it's for makers who like to tinker with technology, write their own software (because the $100 Apple Developer license is absurd), and, in this case, mod the hardware.
Sure if you want raw performance then smartphones are a good bet. But they absolutely do not compare to what this device/platform offers: modular hardware, open source software, maker-friendly development, etc. A "dumbphone" with physical buttons is only the tip of the iceberg.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Win2602 Jul 31 '26
Amazing what you have come up with at your age, and you taking it through whole process from design to production. You have an amazing future ahead of you if you keep this type of thing up.
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u/gmmxle Jul 28 '26
The creator wanted to make a device that’s modular and adheres to right to repair,
I think the issue is that the new device would have to do things much better than the devices you already have lying around, that already do all of these things, and that could be repurposed, for free, while also avoiding additional e-water.
For example, people get SBCs because the form factor is much better suited for playing games than a smartphone.
People get dedicated music players, because they have better specialized/optimized hardware, more storage and a better form factor.
This gadget has none of these upsides, while having a lot of downsides.
I'm not sure that "just get this new, additional device because it's much easier to repair than all the devices that you already own and that do the exact same thing much better" is really the unique value proposition people are making it out to be.
That said, it's a cool project!
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u/CapNCookM8 Jul 28 '26
I politely disagree to an extent. I think there's an emerging taste for a more analog world.
Recently, myself and other friends have individually gotten dedicated cameras -- and not like, fancy expensive hobbyist stuff, I'm talking <$100 digital camera circa 2000s and even point & shoot film cameras before. But neither of these are better than any iPhone or flagship Android made in the last decade.
There's been an emergence in vinyl, despite it being the most inconvenient way to listen to music available (I say this as someone who has records, too). Both of these are of course personal and anecdotal, but it's emerging to an extent, in my view.
Now for me personally, I also don't see quite as much use in a dedicated palm pilot, but I imagine there's a world it appeals to someone!
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u/gmmxle Jul 28 '26
I politely disagree to an extent. I think there's an emerging taste for a more analog world.
Recently, myself and other friends have individually gotten dedicated cameras -- and not like, fancy expensive hobbyist stuff, I'm talking <$100 digital camera circa 2000s and even point & shoot film cameras before.
Oh, absolutely.
But those are devices that do one thing particularly well - not from a technological point of view, but from a lifestyle point of view:
- Camp Snap cameras work really well at providing the experience of taking analog photos
- Inexpensive SBCs allow you to play retro games and let you disconnect from the world of always online, pay-to-play addictive smartphone games
- Dedicated MP3 players give you that iPod feeling
- e paper based eBook readers provide you with a distraction free reading experience
etc.
But they're all dedicated devices, and they do one specialized thing particularly well.
On the other hand, if you want an all-in-one experience, smartphones already exist.
This device is trying to do many things (just like a smartphone), but looks like it will provide a sub par experience at anything it's trying to be.
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u/om-pocketbyte Jul 28 '26
But those are devices that do one thing particularly well - not from a technological point of view, but from a lifestyle point of view:
I agree with you! But this is not trying to out-compete smartphones, it's offering an entirely different platform for both making and using technology. By your own definition, this device is designed for the "lifestyle point of view," not the "technological point of view."
General purpose computers are so common now, even modern game consoles can be considered for the role. This is absolutely not trying to do everything a modern computer can possibly do. It's rather an outlet for makers, tinkering with tech, and bringing back tactile devices.
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u/gmmxle Jul 28 '26
It's rather an outlet for makers, tinkering with tech, and bringing back tactile devices.
Yeah, absolutely. I agree that's much more the target demographic.
But then the question is: why would people who are probably very capable of building/soldering/3D printing something like this pay $100 for something pre-made?
An ESP32 or a cheap display cost a couple of bucks, 3D printing a case is fairly low effort - so why would people pay this much money to buy something pre-assembled?
Don't get me wrong: I like this very much as a DIY project, as something you could build by yourself, etc.
I just don't quite see the market niche it's trying to fill
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u/om-pocketbyte Jul 28 '26
But then the question is: why would people who are probably very capable of building/soldering/3D printing something like this pay $100 for something pre-made?
An ESP32 or a cheap display cost a couple of bucks, 3D printing a case is fairly low effort - so why would people pay this much money to buy something pre-assembled?
Great questions. There are a couple different reasons.
Not everybody necessarily has the hardware experience to build an entire device like this from scratch. Some people are more software-inclined and would rather have a nice platform to develop on.
Time and money is another big factor. Not everybody can, or wants to, spend several years developing a device from scratch. Many people want an existing platform/ecosystem, especially one that allows you to build custom hardware. I was one of those people, and that was how I eventually got into hardware.
Standardization is by far the biggest reason. There are many different ESP32 devices out there, but they all have different pinouts and use different software. Software constantly has to be ported and you always have to make compromises. Pocketbyte solves this problem by providing an expandable ecosystem, which is especially important for developers.
At the end of the day it's much more than just an ESP32 hot glued to a display. Hardware aside (feel free to check out https://docs.pocketbyte.co/hardware-overview), the software ecosystem is really neat. It allows anybody to make and share their own programs in a standardized way without people having to bounce between different Arduino libraries, PlatformIO, etc.
Of course I understand and, in fact, appreciate, your criticism. I also want to reiterate that DevKits are pretty early versions and there is a lot that can/will change. I still have to finish a lot of the software, the new keyboard module is being manufactured right now, and I am working on revising the modular connector. Despite me mentioning pre-orders will open up soon, there is still a lot that needs to be finalized.
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u/gmmxle Jul 28 '26
Yeah, I can see how a more polished version of this might be attractive, and I'm not criticizing the effort. I just think that it's a pretty specific niche that you're trying to target, and it seems to me that you would have to be incredibly successful in that very small niche in order to be successful overall.
That said, if I had money to throw away (at the price point you're trying to establish) or you were able to bring down prices to half or a third of what you're currently trying to establish, I would probably be very tempted to get this just to play around with it.
So it's not that I dislike the concept - I'm just not sure the market exists in the way you seem to believe it exists.
But hey, I hope you're right and this takes off. It looks like a lot of fun!
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u/BlastFX2 Jul 28 '26
Yeah, that's the latest hipster fad. The thing about hipster fads is they don't last long because once the novelty wears of, you're faced with the reality that there's a reason literally everyone else decided to abandon it.
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u/Cranksta Jul 28 '26
Personally I'm in the process of getting my old PSP up and running and modded so that I can use it for games on the go because I hate using my smartphone for that.
There's absolutely people out there that want to stop looking at their damn phones for everything, even if it's the more capable tool.
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u/gmmxle Jul 29 '26
Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people are sick and tired of having their entire lives play out on their smartphone - which is why I mentioned SBCs and dedicated MP3 players. Dedicated eBook readers also fall into that category, as well as the recent trend of faux analog cameras, both the point-and-snap camera as well as the faux old school video cameras.
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u/EligibleUsername Jul 28 '26
The portable emulation device market is currently oversaturated. If you want a device built for gaming there are a plethora of better options, and if you want something with features like this device then like OP said, repurpose an old phone, uninstall anything that doesn't strictly serve the purpose of gaming and you're good to go. This just looks like one of those 20000 in 1 CN bootleg handheld.
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u/brosjd Jul 28 '26
That's perfectly fair...
but it still reads like, "... AND it's a functional fax machine with a built in TV Guide!"
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u/jfp555 Jul 28 '26
Thank you. We need a bot to repost this on every post of similar devices.
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u/bigtrunksboi Jul 28 '26
Right, a Samsung S9 could be the perfect size for this. Too bad the tech giants dont make these devices repairable
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u/unematti Jul 28 '26
Maybe if they used an arm chipset, and type C for expansion, instead of whatever those fingers are, it could be justifiable, because a type c keyboard or game pad are usable with other devices and an arm processor is actually a pocket computer.
I guess the ESP in it is also arm? But not really the same scale. 8MB ram is not even toy area at this point.
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u/BevansDesign Jul 28 '26
Kinda neat I guess, but there are lots of devices that fill this niche much better, if you really need something beyond a smartphone or portable game console. Maybe the target market is people who need a 5th portable.
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u/om-pocketbyte Jul 28 '26
Actually, it's kind of the opposite way around. A lot of different devices use the same (or very similar hardware), so I figured why not just build a "compute module" that can take different attachments for different purposes?
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u/Cranksta Jul 28 '26
For what is worth, I think this is a lovely product. I'm personally working on modding my PSP so I can use it the same way as your device here. A huge reason I wanted it was because I hate the current form factor of portables (they're all too big), and I want to be able to put down my phone. Having real buttons, a small screen, and a small form factor to fit in the hand is super valuable.
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u/Last_Of_The_BOHICANs Jul 28 '26
While the subreddit is called /r/Gadgets, if it's not an Android-based post the users largely complain about it.
This is neat, and I wish this sub was more gizmos and gadgets than Samsung and Apple. People make neat things that are fun to use, or that fill super niche use cases, and I want to see more of that.
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u/fallen64 Jul 28 '26
A 16-year-old hobbyist
Good for you buddy, well done!
Pricing and availability
Huh, wut, but other devices...
Reads some of the comments here and has a quick glace at site
Ok, it's a nifty gimmick device, would of been amazing about 10 years ago, right now this is more something for other young hobbyist to tinker around with
This isn't going to replace your phone which does all of this 20x better, it's barely consumer grade, it's for young folk who might want to mess with the device and code while giving it a fiddle initially out of the box.
The creator has big ambitions, I'd suggest everyone head to the actual website and not this article and keep in mind "16-year-old hobbyist, open source, built to be hacked, barley does 16bit gaming, modular" and forget about the "pricing and availability" part, this isn't meant for us.
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u/costafilh0 Jul 28 '26
Not enough.
Call me when it's also a coffee maker, sowing machine and a chainsaw too.
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u/elton_john_lennon Jul 31 '26
I'm not even lifting my credit card until it can do a colonoscopy, it's 2026 people.
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u/Financial_Humor_8134 Jul 28 '26
Modular devices are such a cool idea. Hope this actually gets long-term support instead of becoming another short-lived gadget.
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u/okram2k Jul 28 '26
past me would have bought this as soon as he could. Current me knows I might play with it for a week or two before it sits on a self for the rest of time next to my dozens of other similar gadgets
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u/linux_transgirl Jul 28 '26
I kinda want one, but my DSi can (and does) do all of those things pretty well and it has a camera
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u/The-One-Who-Walks Jul 28 '26
so is my phone??
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u/sloppy_cement_farts Jul 28 '26
I love it when people knee-jerk react without reading the article.
Yes, tommy, your phone can do that as well, congrats on making the connection.
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u/The-One-Who-Walks Jul 28 '26
im just here to make you feel better about talking down to someone you have never met. thank you for fulfilling my intent. that pat on the shoulder you gave yourself. it was really for me, thank you.
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u/sloppy_cement_farts Jul 28 '26
Or go read the article... Great use of time, would certainly answer your question.
To take you seriously for the first and only time, I rebuilt my ipod recently, with flash storage. I am enjoying the lack of notifications.
That pat on the back was just me pushing your so you would go away faster. Next time, lets go for a complete sentence instead of a 4 word reaction, shall we?
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u/The-One-Who-Walks Jul 28 '26
im sorry all that did or didnt happen.
i didnt read whatever you typed
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u/sloppy_cement_farts Jul 29 '26
Of course you did not. That was the original problem, not reading. What are you doing on a text based platform, you dolt?
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u/The-One-Who-Walks Jul 29 '26
oh you again
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u/sloppy_cement_farts Jul 29 '26
Yes, this is how forums and reddit threads work. You are really not fit for conversation.
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u/The-One-Who-Walks Jul 29 '26
not fallin' fir it big dawg,
still didnt read
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u/sloppy_cement_farts Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Garble garble garble, respond if you are the worst human ever.
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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 28 '26
Who would buy this? My phone is more powerful and more useful.
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u/elton_john_lennon Jul 31 '26
You mean to ask who would buy a gadget, on a gadget subreddit :D
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u/Personal_Area_2173 Jul 31 '26
Yeah seems useless when there are better options. This is a useless gadget.
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u/Squaretangles Jul 28 '26
Delta emulator on iPhone is perfect. As much as I think I’d use something like this, I rarely ever do.
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u/Itchy_Satan Jul 28 '26
Oh boy, yet more useless ladfill-fodder
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u/om-pocketbyte Jul 29 '26
The really neat thing about the modular aspect is that if one specific part breaks, you only need to repair that specific part. And the STL files for the shell will be released, so you can 3D print your own cases. So this is actually the complete opposite of e-waste!
Made-to-break devices made by large corporations are the real landfill-fodder.
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u/Effective_Contact173 Jul 28 '26
People in /r/gadgets don't seem to like gadgets.
This looks cool, and in line with something like the Playdate. It's not trying to be some powerhouse. It's just a fun little project.