Portable x86 Device (size of PSP) to play MS-DOS games nativ

[andwan0]

I've been playing oldskool 1990 PC games on my PSP (via PSX ports or SCUMMVM or even Amiga ports). DOSBox and DOS emulation on PSP is way too slow. Even FreeDOS on bochs emulator is still slow (well it's not slow to run DOS and use DOS but it's slow to run the DOS games under DOSBox or FreeDOS on PSP).

So I was thinking... PSP is a 333MHz MIPS machine. Wouldn't it be cool if someone made a x86 portable device as small as PSP? Am not talking about laptops. If we took a x86 motherboard and shrunk it down to the size of a PSP... then using the Memory Pro Duo or MicroSD as the hard drive... and have USB or PS/2 ports for the mouse & keyboard... and the small LCD screen. then the power consumption would be similar to that of PSP... and can use a small 9V battery. Then can install/use MS-DOS natively and play all oldskool 1990 MS-DOS games like Alien Carnage, Duke Nukem series, and many more.

I read an article of some guy made a portable PS2 virtually similar size as the PSP. If he could do that then one could do a self project in making a x86 portable gaming device size of a PSP too.

Would this be feasible? Does anyone know about x86 motherboards, batteries, LCDs, storage (Memory Pro Duo / MicroSD), PS/2 or USB connections, etc)?

[markyb86]

I know this isn't what you wanted but give these a look
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bfc7/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bd6f/

The first one overclocks to 800mhz and has endless capability.

[Kyo]

if you can wait for it;

http://openpandora.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[andwan0]

I know this isn't what you wanted but give these a look
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bfc7/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bd6f/

The first one overclocks to 800mhz and has endless capability.

Yeah I knew about the GP2X. It uses the ARM processor and plays games via emulation. DOSBox is the only fully fledged MS-DOS emulator however the way that it's been developed and created requires a powerful machine/PC to run it smoothly. People have commented that DOSBox under GP2X is sluggish.. just like PSP.
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=30996" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/t ... -classics/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Two options.. either rewrite MS-DOS emulator (very unlikely) or... run it natively on a x86 device... if someone could geniusly make such portable pocket size device.

[andwan0]

if you can wait for it;

http://openpandora.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers for the links guys. Again, Open-Pandora is a GP32X variant.. and is again based on the ARM processor. This looks cool like a mini-portable linux PC... but not a mini-portable x86 MS-DOS PC that can fit in a pocket.

[Kyo]

yes, I do realize that, but it is very powerful and should run 486 flawlessly

[eagle5953]

There are x86 computers in small form factors (nothing PSP small though), but they are typically pretty expensive and have poor battery life.

[snowpenguin]

Check out the Clarion MiNd. It's an atom based computer built in a handheld formfactor with a touchscreen 4.3" display marketed as a GPS and web browsing device for cars. It can be made to run different OS's and then OC'd.

[vskid]

How about an OQO? Even one of the older versions would probably be plenty fast enough for DOS games. Sony has(had?) a line of UMPCs, I believe they were the VAIO UX series. There is also the Viliv S5, and, as mentioned, the Clarion Mind (which can be had for under $150 USD). Those are the only pocketable x86 computers I know of that you could easily get.

[DK]

Might find this link interesting

http://forums.modretro.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=1950" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[samjc3]

you may find this interesting too.

what you will want is an embedded industrial x86 based sbc (single board computer).
i looked at some awhile back, and found some tiny ones that were perfect, but now i cant find em.i will look through my history and see what i can find.

from what i found, though, you can get plenty of what you want, it just aint too cheap (cheapest was 195$, but it was a big atom sbc, way overkill for what you want. this is it
P.S., that has no real potential. its an intel gma-500 integrated graphics chip. which sucks for anything that was released after 2002)

i will see what i can find. also, a german company called beckhoff makes a sbc thats an intel core 2 duo extreme, 2gb ram, and full networking capabilities and stuff thats like 4"x6"x1", and runs off 3.7 volts. im gonna try to get my hands on one (prototype), and maybe i will make some uber portable gaming pc. sadly, thugh, they re gonna cost like 3000$. however, i have a backdoor to get ne free hopefully.

[andwan0]

Many thanks for all your advice and links. Yes, it might be pricey. The tiny x86 fanless motherboards look cool. All just need is a Sound Blaster Pro/16 compatible chip... and whether the hardware bits/pieces/chips are MS-DOS 6.2 games compatible.

[andwan0]

I might test try netbooks since they now should be USB bootable. Can easily setup a MS-DOS with games on a bootable USB ( eg. with help from http://blogs.sun.com/dragonfly/entry/do ... lash_drive" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) ... and see how it runs... ofcourse taking into account it might be a little sluggish when running off USB... but it's just to see compatibility and whether it REALLY can run without freezing or crashing.

Next problem is sound.... since most 1990 MS-DOS games mainly used Sound Blaster Pro compatible or Gravis Soundcards..... any ideas on sound? Can you get a Sound Blaster/Gravis PCMICA or USB? I think the last Sound Blaster Pro compatible was Audigy 1??

[tom61]

I might test try netbooks since they now should be USB bootable. Can easily setup a MS-DOS with games on a bootable USB ( eg. with help from http://blogs.sun.com/dragonfly/entry/do ... lash_drive" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) ... and see how it runs... ofcourse taking into account it might be a little sluggish when running off USB... but it's just to see compatibility and whether it REALLY can run without freezing or crashing.

Next problem is sound.... since most 1990 MS-DOS games mainly used Sound Blaster Pro compatible or Gravis Soundcards..... any ideas on sound? Can you get a Sound Blaster/Gravis PCMICA or USB? I think the last Sound Blaster Pro compatible was Audigy 1??

Look on the EEE User Forums. There was a person there that got DOS running off a SDHC card on a EEE PC 701, and even got sound from the onboard chip to work under it. My guess is that the chip inside is old enough to be used in the early PCI sound cards that had DOS drivers, but I don't think he put up a full how-to. I think it was under the alternative OS forums, but I haven't been active there in some time, so the forums may have been reordered.

Might find this link interesting

http://forums.modretro.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=1950" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wow, this really should have been cross-posted here, looks quite interesting! I need to look into this Clarion MiND thing more and finish reading that thread after I get out of class.

[andwan0]

<snip>
Look on the EEE User Forums. There was a person there that got DOS running off a SDHC card on a EEE PC 701, and even got sound from the onboard chip to work under it. My guess is that the chip inside is old enough to be used in the early PCI sound cards that had DOS drivers, but I don't think he put up a full how-to. I think it was under the alternative OS forums, but I haven't been active there in some time, so the forums may have been reordered.
<snip>

Yes, you are right. Any oldskool MS-DOS 16-bit programmer can just write a basic Sound Blaster compatible driver to work with the netbook's sound chipset. That's what they do in the linux world anyway, writing generic sound/video/etc drivers for linux.