History of video games/Platforms/Adafruit PyGamer

History
The Adafruit PyGamer was released on May 21st, 2019 for $39.95.

In July 2019 the system attracted media attention for a media player developed for the system that displayed GIFs of noted actor Keanu Reeves. The previous month Keanu Reeves had gained widespread attention in the gaming community for announcing his role in Cyberpunk 2077.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic Adafruit shifted focus to manufacture and distribute vital personal protective equipment under New York State Executive Order 202.6. As a result non-essential orders for products such as the PyGamer were routed through distributors such as DigiKey.

Though niche, the system had an enduring legacy, and was well known for it's good software support.

Compute
The PyGamer is powered by an 32 bit ARM Cortex M4 ATSAMD51J19 processor clocked at 120 megahertz with 192 kilobytes of RAM and 512 kilobytes of flash storage. The processor can be overclocked to at least 200 megahertz for increased performance.

The PyGamer has eight megabytes of flash storage. A microSD card slot is used for expanded storage.

Hardware
The PyGamer has a color 1.8" TFT LCD with a resolution of 160 by 128 pixels. This screen was backlit, and had adjustable brightness levels. The PyGamer also has five "NeoPixels", which are individually addressable RGB LEDs.

The PyGamer sports a 3 axis accelerometer and a front facing light sensor. This allows some motion controls for games, as well as to dynamically adjust screen brightness or use ambient light as a game input.

A feather socket is used for expansion wings. This gives compatibility with a number of feather add ons. Such wing add ons include things like IR cameras, or additional displays. Additionally the PyGamer has three JST ports for expansion through that standard.

The PyGamer board is compliant with the ROHS3 standard. The system includes hardware for managing LiPo batteries, but notably did not ship with a battery by default.

Instructions for a DIY crank controller add on were released.

Software
Programming environments supported include Arduino, Python, and Microsoft MakeCode Arcade. TensorFlow Lite was ported to the platform.

Games
The Adafruit PyGamer loads games from Makecode Arcade, including those shared by other users through the service.