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Raspberry Pi Running Quake 3
First time accepted submitter phonewebcam writes "Here's something to liven up your weekend: a video of the Raspberry Pi running Quake 3. We're still working on ironing a few kinks out (specifically, there seems to be a library issue which means our framerate, while good, isn't quite as spectacular as we know it can be; we're working on it as I post this) – but this is what test boards are for, and we're making great progress getting the boards running smoothly."
From their FAQ.. I had no idea what this device was, so I figure a bunch of others don't either.. Essentially an ARM based tiny computer that can apparently play Quake 3 among other applications. Lots of Linux support too. (This is not the full FAQ)
When will the device be available to purchase?
We anticipate the device will be available to the general public later in 2011 – at the moment that looks like November.
How much will it cost?
We hope to be selling the Model A for $25 and the Model B for $35.
How do I connect a mouse and keyboard?
Mice, keyboards, network adapters and external storage will all connect via a USB hub.
What display can I use?
There is composite and HDMI out on the board, so you can hook it up to a digital or analogue television or to a DVI monitor.
What about audio?
There’s a standard 3.5mm jack, or you can use HDMI. You can add any supported USB microphone via a hub.
Does the device support networking? Is there Wi-Fi?
The Model B version of the device includes 10/100 wired Ethernet. There is no Ethernet on the Model A version (which we expect to be taken up mostly by the education market), but Wi-Fi will be available via a standard USB dongle.
What are the power requirements?
The device is powered by an external AC adapter, and the Model A consumes around 1W at full load.
Holy Crap I want one! Or a few!
And people barely notice. This computer is as powerful than anything I had 10 years ago. It can do almost anything you could need - and what it can't do is mostly down to bloated software. Sometimes I have a hard time shaking off the feeling that we've almost stood still for the last decade - but then again, that's a good thing, because it allows the rest of the world to catch up to the high-income countries, by benefiting from ever lower prices.
The real question, as after any dream that has become true, is: what's next? And I have no idea.
This thing isn't meant for playing "games of today". It's just a nice deminstration of the power of this incredibly cheap device. They were only getting about 20fps (albeit in 1080p) in the video, but it's still cool as a hobbyist project.
which is totally what she said
I regretted mentioning realism the moment I clicked submit, because I knew some people would latch onto that word and forget everything else I said.
I only meant that, because arcade-style games are much easier to make good looking than realistic games, Quake 3 can easily "look" like a relevant benchmark despite not properly using a modern GPU.
Modern engines people develop new games with, like Unity or Unreal 3, work very different from Quake 3 even if you're not going for realism. These would make a much more relevant benchmark.
(And I still play Quakeworld Team Fortress to this day, so don't lump me in with the graphics-are-everything crowd. Thank you.)
I reckon oolite will run on that.
"... and more and more now there are all kinds of electronic goodies available" -- Pink Floyd 1972
The colors are off because it's a mediocre camera recording a crappy monitor.
A Pentium MMX and a Voodoo2 will not fit in your pocket and didn't cost $25 at launch. There is more than one axis for improvement.
I'm a huge fan of this little device, It's basically a glimpse on the future of computing.
Imagine atrix-like devices where you can just carry around a core system in your pocket, it scales down to the smaller screen and you can do all kinds of activities on it. Plug it in to an dock and get a full desktop. Imagine work computers like this.
Also once windows 8 comes out, I see ARM really taking off. A system like this is already pretty much what 80% of offices really need for everyday tasks. A few additional connectors are naturally needed (plus practicality).
Imagine $60 or even sub-$50 office computer cases (Or small computers that you can carry in the pocket) that eat under 10 watts of electricity and run a full windows desktop. (Yes I know that ARM and x86 apps aren't compatible, but they are porting office over).
This time computing gets personal again, it's probably your own phone that powers your work-desktop in the future.
Sorry for the "market speech", but I am just so excited myself.
ARM is the future, plus it runs quake3.