Picotron Explained

Picotron
Logo Alt:Pixel art: icon and the text "Picotron" in white on black.
Screenshot Alt:Picotron desktop
Collapsible:true
Developer:Lexaloffle Games
Released: (WIP)
(Alpha)
Ver Layout:simple
Latest Release Version:0.1
Operating System:Web, Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Platform:PC, Raspberry Pi, HTML5
Language:English, Japanese
Genre:Virtual machine, game engine
License:Proprietary

Picotron is a virtual machine and desktop environment created by Lexaloffle Games. Its a fantasy workstation that is aimed at making retro games and mimics the specifications of 16-bit computers of late 1980s.[1] Its said to be a successor to PICO-8 and Voxatron.[2] [3] [4] Alpha release of Picotron became available on March 14 (Pi Day), 2024.[5]

It has a virtual toy operating system and built in tools that allow software development, game development and customization of the system itself. It runs on top of Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, with support for Raspberry Pi and export to stand-alone binaries or Web apps planned. Similarly to PICO-8, programs made with Picotron can be shared directly with other Picotron users in a special 256k png cartridge format.[6]

Capabilities

Picotron has an embedded Lua editor compatible with both PICO-8 and Lua 5.4 syntax. It supports 480x270 or 240x135 screen modes with default 32 system colors and 64 definable colors in total. For audio, it has 64-node synth and a 8-channel tracker.[7]

All of the software consisting Picotron are written in Lua and are editable from inside the machine itself. System tools including the file browser, code editor and the terminal are implemented in userland, compiled just-in-time therefore changes in source code get into effect immediately. Custom tools can be created from scratch that run in fullscreen workspaces alongside the bundled editors. These additions and the subsequent shift in focus of the machine give Picotron the title of 'Workstation' rather than 'Console'.[8] [9]

Development

Development of Picotron started as early as 2017 with Lexaloffle working on an sfx editor reportedly for Voxatron.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Picotron by Lexaloffle. www.lexaloffle.com.
  2. News: Beschizza . Rob . Mar 22, 2024 . Picotron, a fantasy pixel-art gamedev demoscene workstation . Boing Boing.
  3. Web site: Picotron: a fantasy workstation for making pixelart games, animations, music, demos and other curiosities – OSnews . 2024-04-18 . en-US.
  4. Web site: Pierce . David . 2024-04-07 . AI is taking over your web browser - Crowdsourced. 2024-05-06 . The Verge . en.
  5. Web site: Picotron Roadmap . 2024-04-18 . www.lexaloffle.com.
  6. Web site: Picotron FAQ. www.lexaloffle.com.
  7. Web site: Picotron by Lexaloffle . 2024-05-29 . www.lexaloffle.com.
  8. Web site: JP . 2024-04-09 . Exploring Picotron . 2024-05-30 . moddedbear.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: Picotron (et Tic-80) - LinuxFr.org . 2024-08-07 . linuxfr.org.
  10. Web site: x.com . 2024-05-30 . X (formerly Twitter).