Spacewar!, originally released in 1962, is officially the first known video game to be played at multiple computer installations, and it’s now playable on the Analogue Pocket. This Game Boy-style handheld game console had a port created using public domain open source code for openFPGA by a 3rd party developer. The original game was written for the newly installed DEC PDP-1 minicomputer at MIT by Steve Russell in collaboration with Martin Graetz, Wayne Wiitanen, Bob Saunders.
Never played Spacewar!? Well, it basically features two spaceships, “the needle” and “the wedge”, both of which are engaged in a dogfight while maneuvering in the gravity well of a star. In addition to Spacewar!, the Analogue Pocket just got an OS v1.1 beta update that lets it play ROM files, or in other words, titles from other retro console, such as the Atari Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket as well as the TurboGrafx-16.
- Limited-edition design featuring elements inspired by Mario. Available while supplies last!
- Local co-op*, local wireless*, and online multiplayer**
- Detachable Joy-Con controllers
Spacewar! leveraged the PDP-1’s 1024 x 1024 CRT vector display to artfully make use of beautiful blue and green phosphors, trailing, bursting and decaying amidst modernist hexagons. Using openFPGA, a 3rd party developer ‘Spacemen3’ recreated the PDP-1 and Spacewar! using the original source code in the public domain,” said the company.
