History of video games/Platforms/Aquaplus PIECE

Launch
The launch of the system was planned for November 30, 2001, however it is unknown if this target was met. The system did release in 2001 for 11000 Japanese Yen. However the price was also listed as 9,800 Japanese Yen. The console was distributed in retail through PC software stores.

Legacy
The official main P/ECE website was last updated on August 20th, 2004. A small homebrew scene continued developing for the system long after it was released to the market. New commercial releases for the system occurred as recently as 2021.

This console was referenced in Episode 11 of the 2020 anime Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You.

The system is was noted by the blog of GingerBreadMan for it's similarities to a later console, the Playdate.

Compute
The system was powered by a 32-bit RISC CPU, the Epson S1C33209, which was clocked at 24 megahertz. The system had 256 KB of Volatile SRAM. Storage was non-expandable, and was based on 512 KB of flash RAM, about 320 kilobytes of which was available to the user.

Audio Visual
The system included a widescreen orientation 45 mm by 31 mm monochrome FSTN LCD with a resolution of 128 pixels by 88 pixels capable of displaying 4 shades of darkness. This display was acknowledged by Aquaplus as low specification for the time, and was selected specifically for improved battery life and size.

Audio was possible by using PWM through the CPU. Audio was output using either a single onboard monaural speaker, or through a headphone jack.

Hardware
The system measured 101 mm high by 65 mm wide by 17 mm deep and weighed 67 g without any AA battery inserted.

A 1 channel 16 bit timer was used to handle interrupts.

Software
Very unusually for a console of the early 2000's, but similar to other small handhelds of the era, Aquaplus released development tools without asking for a royalty and free as in gratis, and explicitly with no license. The primary development language was a variant of the C programming language, which was fully compatible with ANSI C. An educational story based course with three characters was released to help developers learn how to write software for the system. Additionally two official games were released with source publicly available to aid developers.

A contest with a number of prizes ranging from 50,000 Japanese Yen to 1 million Japanese Yen was distributed at various times and was held to develop software for the system.

Communication
The system supported Infrared based wireless communication, sporting both a receiver and blaster on the top of the console, for communication with other consoles. The system also supported wired USB communication with an onboard USB Type B port for use with a computer. This was the intended method of uploading software to the device. Unusually for the time, the system could also be used as a controller for PC games via USB. The possibility of operation with other consoles such as the PlayStation 2 was mentioned in the official FAQ.

Power
The system used one AA battery for around 8 hours of mobile operation, and a standby mode being available for when the system was not in operation. The system was designed for use with standard alkaline AA batteries, and the use of rechargeable batteries was explicitly mentioned as a gray area. It should be noted that documentation contemporary competing game consoles such as the [[/Platforms/GameBoy|GameBoy Color}} explicitly told users to avoid using rechargeable batteries.

When available and adequately powered, USB was automatically switched to as a power source for the system, an unusual feature for the time.

Accessories
The system included a attachment point for a strap or charm.

Games
The system was powerful enough to support complex gameplay features such as 3D environments or destructible environments.

Console Versions

 * Original "Silver & Black" - Features silver and black two tone casing and silver buttons. Original models included special software built in.
 * Other versions
 * "Pearl White" - Features opaque bright white casing and matching white buttons.
 * "Clear Blue" - Features translucent blue casing and black buttons.
 * "Clear Red" - Features translucent red casing and black buttons.

Note that all models have a black bezel around the display.