
Check Out PC Classic, a $99 Adorable Tiny DOS Games Console - rbanffy
https://hothardware.com/news/check-out-pc-classic-99-tiny-dos-games-console
======
distantsounds
PC games of that era rarely used a controller, they were all mouse and
keyboard based. Beyond that, the form factor leads me to believe it's just an
RPi-like device running DOSbox, with a UI slapped on top. Not entirely out of
step with the console makers that started this trend, but still a bit of a
head-scratcher.

~~~
AKrumbach
It's not the form factor but the official FAQ page that really makes me think
this is a RPi+UI, especially when the last question/answer pair is:

> Can’t I just buy a Raspberry Pi, an enclosure, gamepad, keyboard, and mouse,
> 3D print a faceplate, install Armbian, buy 30+ games, build the source for
> ARM or install/configure in DOSBox for each and every game, create a menu
> system with game art, and tell everyone about it at parties?

> No.

With no other explanation or expansion on that answer, it reads to me like
"That was our idea, now go away". OTOH, if they manage to license a number of
classic games which aren't legally available elsewhere (like the original Sid
Meier Civilization, or Lemmings) this might be worth the surcharge.

~~~
jedimastert
I feel like that's too self-aware to not be tongue-in-cheek. I think that
question is hinting at the fact that real value of the product comes in the
effort and work into designing the thing, not necessarily the novelty of it.

Basically: sure, you could totally make something like this. But how much is
your time worth?

~~~
badgers
I agree; it reminds me of the Dropbox comment from 2007 [1]:

> I have a few qualms with this app: > 1\. For a Linux user, you can already
> build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account,
> mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted
> filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through
> built-in software.

1 -
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224)

------
ch_123
"From a design standpoint, I think Unit-E missed an opportunity to built a
vertical tower reminiscent of older PCs"

Am I the only one who remembers _most_ home computers from the 80s/early 90s
being 'pizza box' desktops?

~~~
isostatic
"Pizzabox" is a bit generous, many desktops would have at least 3x 5.25"
vertical bays -- they were limited by the height of a PCI card.

~~~
kalleboo
I always thought "pizzabox" was a Mac term - you had machines like
Centris/Quadra series where if you wanted expansion card you had to get a
riser card where you mounted the cards horizontally

~~~
NeedMoreTea
I always thought it came from the Sun SparcStations, along with SGI etc. There
were the pizzaboxes that were as deep as wide.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SPARCstation20_front_and_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SPARCstation20_front_and_rear.jpg)

Then there were the lunchbox IPX and IPC that were about half the width and
depth but twice the height.
[http://www.obsolyte.com/sun_ipx/ipx_portrait.jpg](http://www.obsolyte.com/sun_ipx/ipx_portrait.jpg)

~~~
kalleboo
You're probably right, I didn't come into contact with Sparc machines until
uni.

edit:

Actually I just followed the wikipedia link and there's even a page on the
pizza box form factor
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_box_form_factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_box_form_factor)

> _The Data General Aviion Unix server was advertised in 1991 with the tagline
> "Who just fit mainframe power in a pizza box?",[1] but most computers
> generally referred to as pizza box systems were high-end desktop systems
> such as Sun Microsystems workstations sold in the 1990s, most notably the
> SPARCstation 1 and SPARCstation 5. Other notable examples have been among
> the highest-performing desktop computers of their generations, including the
> SGI Indy, the NeXTstation, and the Amiga 1000, but the form factor was also
> seen in budget and lower-end lines such as the Macintosh LC family.[2]_

The Jargon File also specifically refers to Sun machines
[http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/P/pizza-
box.html](http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/P/pizza-box.html)

------
bikezen
Not sure if the functionality is worth the price tag, but I do love the
perfectly yellowed/beige plastic.

It almost looks like they made the form-factor fit in a 3.5" floppy drive bay,
which would be even cooler.

------
kowdermeister
They reacted to YT comments on their FAQ page :)

 _Can’t I just buy a Raspberry Pi, an enclosure, gamepad, keyboard, and mouse,
3D print a faceplate, install Armbian, buy 30+ games, build the source for ARM
or install /configure in DOSBox for each and every game, create a menu system
with game art, and tell everyone about it at parties?

No._

[https://unitetechno.com/dt_catalog/pc-
classic/#pi](https://unitetechno.com/dt_catalog/pc-classic/#pi)

------
yumraj
I'll buy it if it runs BASIC, and supports keyboard. It can be a great tool to
teach intro to programming with least distraction.

~~~
stevekemp
You should write your own BASIC interpreter! I'm still in the middle of mine,
but it is a lot of fun :)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18315292](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18315292)

------
AlexeyBrin
The only way I'd buy this is if it will let me install my own DOS software
(mostly old C, C++ compilers, Pascal ...). It would be great if it come with
something like FreeDOS.

~~~
mysterydip
Agreed. I have a bunch of games and utilities I'd love on something fast and
portable like this. The fact they will have games available for sale post-
launch seems to indicate a walled garden, though, but hopefully that's just a
convenience option.

------
djbelieny
"From a design standpoint, I think Unit-E missed an opportunity to built a
vertical tower reminiscent of older PCs, though the beige color scheme is
certainly a throwback, and the faux floppy drive is cool..." Nah. IMHO the
1980's PC-XT look is much much cooler than the 90's towers

~~~
rbanffy
An XT would require two colors of plastic and a higher manufacture cost.

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cooperadymas
This is exactly what I've envisioned, with BASIC, for teaching programming.

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peterb
What, no Turbo button??

------
cde-v
Or you can play everything on
[https://classicreload.com/](https://classicreload.com/)

Also, why Commander Keen 4, so much worse than the first 3.

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SmellyGeekBoy
If this doesn't come with a mechanical keyboard and a ball mouse I ain't
interested. ;)

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dlhavema
Nostalgia is king.

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ohiovr
Complete with that aged yellow plastic tinge!

