PicoBoy Essentials V3.3

PicoBoy Communication Software now on Debian Linux! You can download it in the latest release on the GitHub.

Major progress with Picosystem/32Blit compatibility! You can find the examples/games at the link below.

PBOS V2.2 is compatible with the new version of Micropython, make sure to update!

PicoBoy Communication Software Updates:

• Debian Linux compatibility added
• PBOS V2.2 updated in format function in Windows and MacOS

Picosystem/32Blit Updates:

• 8 Fully functional programs/games have been completed
• 10+ Fully functional examples have been completed
• Picosystem SDK has full compatibility
• 32Blit SDK has full compatibility

Hardware Updates:

• The PicoBoy Mini has been finished. If more interest is shown in the PicoBoy, I will list it for sale.

Links:

• 32Blit/Picosystem Github: https://github.com/HalloSpaceBoy5/PicoBoy-32Blit-Picosystem-Compatibility
• Github releases: https://github.com/HalloSpaceBoy5/PicoBoy/releases

PicoBoy Essentials V3.2

New Game! Space Invaders is ready to play and is the most complex game written in the PicoBoySDK

New Hardware! I am currently in the process of prototyping a new version of the PicoBoy!

Notice: Make sure to update to the latest micropython release! This new OS version has full compatibility with the latest release of micropython

Notice: I will be taking a break from major PicoBoy development for the holidays. If I come across any bugs I will fix them, but I will not be working on new games/software/features until January.

OS Updates:

• Fixed issue where the display driver encounters issues running the backlight in newer micropython versions
• SDK updates

Game Updates:

• New game: Space Invaders
• Changed "PRESS ANY BUTTON" to "PRESS A TO PLAY" in games that was incorrect previously

SDK Updates:

• Added line drawing tools to the SDK
• fixed issue where PlayerObject.initx and PlayerObject.inity could not be called
• Added section to documentation documenting how to draw lines on the screen (line(), hline(), vline())

In the future:

• A PicoBoy Communication Software version on Debian Linux

PicoBoy Essentials V3.1

SDK Release! Download the SDK Package to get started!

Notice: All games must be completely reinstalled due to the updates to the OS.

New Software: PicoBoySDK Toolkit, It can:

• Compile Games
• Decompile Games
• Compile MIDI files to playable songs
• Compile sprite PNG files into usable sprite files
• Compile image PNG files into usable image files

Sadly, the PicoBoySDK Toolkit cannot run on MacOS as of yet. I will be working on this in the future.

Game Updates:

• All games have been updated for the new title images
• Scoreboard added to Minefield
• Pause screen added to Minefield
• Updated sprites for Minefield
• Changed movement for Minefield

SDK Updates:

• Documentation released
• Streamlined the getting of title images for the home screen
• Added pause screen (called using Pause_Screen())
• Added save/show scores function
• Fixed critical error where memory usage would slowly increase then drop off

Documentation Updates:

• User Guide updated to remove game limit.
• Build Guide updated to remove game limit.

PicoBoy Communication Software Updates:

• There is no longer a game cap. As long as you have the free space on your PicoBoy, you can add the game.
• Fixed critical error where PicoBoy Communication Software would freeze up when uploading a file

OS Updates:

• Home screen now looks for a better formatted title file.
• SDK Library is updated

PicoBoy Essentials V3

SDK now in beta! The PicoBoy SDK is now in beta, no documentation as of yet, but the basics are implemented. It will not be long until this powerful education/development tool is fully finished.

Notice: To use the SDK, you need to reformat your PicoBoy! This is a result of the new filesystem.

Game Updates:

• All games revised to support new filesystem

New Games:

• Minefield: A game where you avoid mines to get to the goal. Written entirely in the PicoBoy SDK. It is completely documented so all can understand it.

OS Updates:

• New revised filesystem that organizes games more efficiently
• Home screen updated to utilize the new filesystem
• Added support for the SDK
• With the new SDK, comes PBOS V2!

PicoBoy Communication Software Updates:

• Revised to support new filesystem
• All OS versions before V2 are not compatible with this version, make sure to update by reformatting your console with this version.
• Added redundancies to protect against corrupted PBG files
• PicoBoy Drawing Exporter revised to support new filesystem

PicoBoy Essentials V2.6

Game Updates:

• Fixed bug in Tetris where starting a new game would cause a crash
• Fixed bug in Tetris where lines clearing creates a long annoying noise
• Fixed bug in Pacman's title screen where "PRESS ANY BUTTON" does not animate.
• Added memory efficiency to Pacman
• Added new panicked ghost sprite in Pacman
• Fixed bug in Paint where crashes would occur when saving/loading/deleting a drawing
• Increased efficiency in Paint
• Decreased load/save time in Paint
• Added option to enable and disable the grid in Paint
• New color palette with new colors in Paint
• Option to toggle grid on/off added in Paint
• New user manual for Paint
• Completely redone Super Pico Bros
• New jumping/movement physics in Super Pico Bros
• New more efficient level loading in Super Pico Bros

New Tool! PicoBoy Drawing Exporter can offload your Paint drawings onto your computer as PNG files.

OS Updates:

• When you exit a game, the last game you were on will be pulled up
• If no title image is found for the home screen, an alternative image will be pulled from existing title images
• You can now directly put a binary image into the frame buffer, allowing for saved memory
• Get the new update here

PicoBoy Communication Software Updates:

• You can now offload scores from the PicoBoy to the computer

Notices:

• Old Paint drawings are not compatible the new Paint update because of the new drawing format
• Because of the PicoBoy's simplified sound hardware, volume control is not possible. If a PicoBoy Pro is ever made, it will definitely have volume control.

PicoBoy Essentials V2.5

Game Updates:

• Added stability to flappy bird
• Fixed pause death bug in flappy bird
• Modified all games to fit brightness controls
• Fixed bug in Tetris where music would stop randomly
• Fixed bug in Tetris where viewing scores would crash the game
• Lowered movement sensitivity in Tetris
• Added sound effects to tetris
• Made it so that blocks speed up as progreesion occurs in Tetris
• Fixed bug in Starship where game would freeze upon pausing
• Fixed bug in Starship where enemies would have a firing delay upon beginning a level
• Added difficulty progression to Starship
• Improved Starship efficiency
• Added difficulty progression to breakout
• Pac Man, Tetris, and Starship ALL require the new version of PBOS, make sure to update before playing.

OS Updates:

• Added channel selection to sound effects allowing all four channels to play sound simultaneously
• Added screen brightness controls. Press select+up to increase and select+down to decrease
• Added support for rotating sprites to save memory
• Added support for modifying the color of sprites to save memory
• Get the new update here: https://github.com/HalloSpaceBoy5/PicoBoy-OS/releases/tag/PBOS-V1.1

Game Releases:

• Pac Man
• Paint

Up Next:

• Saving scores from the PicoBoy to the computer
• Saving drawings from the PicoBoy to the computer
• Possibly an improved storage system to fit more games
• Volume Controls
• Space Invaders

PicoBoy Essentials V2.4

In this update many new games and software updates have been released including updates for Starship, Flappy Bird, and Breakout and new games such as Demo Program, Pac Man, and Super Pico Bros.

Game Updates:

• Fixed Breakout to use a ball instead of a square
• Fixed choppy framerate in Flappy Bird
• Fixed bug in Flappy Bird where it would randomly crash
• Added difficulty to Flappy Bird
• Added 2 new songs to Starship
• Fixed speaker bug in Starship
• New hit sound in Starship

New Games:

• Demo Program: A program that shows off the PicoBoy's capabilities. Very short and might be included in PicoBoy Communication Software.
• Super Pico Bros (Beta): A platformer that is still in development. The physics, levels, music, sound effects, and powerups still need to be added.
• Pac Man (Beta): A port of Pac Man that is still in development. The pathfinding for the enemies, powerups, and optimization still need to be worked on.

(More updates to come for Starship with plans for adding a new enemy and power-ups!)

PicoBoy Essentials V2.3

Notice: Both Windows and MacOS will flag this program as malware. It is not malware. I am currently working on a method of signing it so that it does not raise these false alarms.
Features:

• Added support for MacOS
• Added stability
• Fixed issue while updating the console where a random error would occur

PicoBoy Essentials V2.2

New feature - updating the console
Instead of reformatting the console, you can now update using a .pbu file. These files will be released as updates are required.
Other stuff:

• Bug fixes

PicoBoy Essentials V2.1

• Added stability to PicoBoy Communication Software
• Reduced game storage amount to save on internal storage
• Added boot screen
• Improved game stability
• PicoBoy software update contained in PicoBoy Communication Software
• Bug fixes