Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ Released Today!
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it is the same cpu.. but with less usb ports and less RAM too.. beware.
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@hhromic thank you for clarifying that.
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check the official launch article linked by @obsidianspider here for details: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/new-product-raspberry-pi-3-model-a/
They also made a case for it.
Despite having less RAM, I don't think is a deal breaker for RetroPie, most emulators don't really need all the RAM in the full RPI3b+ -
I wonder how half the ram will affect retropie.
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@Darksavior It runs fine on a Pi Zero, which is 512MB RAM.
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What a complete waste of time, energy, and money.
I mean, it's not as if the Model B+ is expensive, for christ sake.
How about a more powerful Model B+ ? Heck, addon a few ££/$$ and give us 2Gb ram and a higher clock CPU. It's still cheap, it's still affordable. -
@John_RM_70 "Maybe" in February 2019...
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@John_RM_70 not exactly a waste. People who need a smaller form factor but dont want the lower power of a pi zero would want these. This will probably be popular with people making handheld builds.
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This part is interesting too from the original RPI foundation article:
In some ways this is rather a poignant product for us. Back in March, we explained that the 3+ platform is the final iteration of the “classic” Raspberry Pi: whatever we do next will of necessity be less of an evolution, because it will need new core silicon, on a new process node, with new memory technology. So 3A+ is about closing things out in style, answering one of our most frequent customer requests, and clearing the decks so we can start to think seriously about what comes next.
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@John_RM_70
How about a more powerful Model B+ ? Heck, addon a few ££/$$ and give us 2Gb ram and a higher clock CPU. It's still cheap, it's still affordable.
the current GPU architecture can't address more ram, and CPU clock increasing is pretty redundant for us. the pi4 will be a completely new architecture, which is much needed. this A+ model is cool for portable builds, certainly.
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@John_RM_70 How DARE they not consult you on their own products! The very NERVE!
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@GingerMcNinja How DARE I have a opinion on something.
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Remember what they say. Opinions are like belly buttons, every one has one and the all gather lint. ;-)
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@John_RM_70 What about the new Vero?
Quad Core ARM 1.6Ghz 64-bit processor 2GB DDR3 RAM and 16GB eMMC storage Built in 802.11 ac/n/g/b WiFi with Bluetooth 4.0 IR and RF receiver 2x USB 2.0 ports micro SD card slot 3.5mm analogue audio output Optical (SPDIF) audio output HDMI 2.0 with CEC (control your Vero 4K + with your TV remote) Dynamic Refresh Rate adjustment (with 23.976/24p support) Gigabit Ethernet 4K, H265, HDR10 ready Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 2cm / 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.75 inches Weight: 140 grams / 5 oz -
@Cederick It looks great. But when comparing the $25USD Raspberry Pi 3A+ to the Vero at about $150USD it's a bit out of my price range.
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John_RM_70 a day ago
What a complete waste of time, energy, and money.
I mean, it's not as if the Model B+ is expensive, for christ sake.
How about a more powerful Model B+ ? Heck, addon a few ££/$$ and give us 2Gb ram and a higher clock CPU. It's still cheap, it's still affordable. -
The more options we have the better, right? I'm not interested in the 3A+, but I'm not its target audience either. It could be pretty cool to fitting into some slim places, though. It would perform loads better than a Pi Zero for a handheld build, but it will drain the battery significantly faster.
I'm interested in hearing their plans for the Pi 4 and its new architecture. The Pi 3 really hits the minimum limit for what I consider playable emulation on 16bit or higher consoles. Even a modest ARM upgrade could allow some room for latency reducing features to be activated. 2gb of RAM and something better than GLES 2.0 support would be wonderful, but would that be able to remain under $40?
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It doesn't boot up with the standard RetroPie 2/3 image. Probably needs kernel update.
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Update.....for anyone who's interested :-)
Updated all packages, system, kernel, etc and it's looking very promising.
I had to enable autologin to console after update as it prompted for credentials. It is a faff trying to swap keyboard and game controller so needed USB Hub.
I played a game of ISS Pro Soccer 98 on PS1 (libretro emulator) and it seems to perform at the same level as a regular Pi 3. The first time I played it it had audio glitches/stuttering but I was running it off a memory stick via this very cheap (99p) USB hub. When I copied the ROM to the SD card and ran it from there it was absolutely fine.
I played the second half with enhanced resolution and there was no glitches or slowdown.
(I beat Scotland 6-1 with Alan Shellear getting a hat trick)
Will try some other games/emulators tomorrow. That said I can't remember what games are borderline on a regular Pi 3 (apart from 99% of N64 games of course but I don't bother with those).
Cheers.
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