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This looks delightful. Is it possible to get it to boot to BASIC? I really want to get my son something which looks like daddy's laptop but recreates some of the early joys of that level of computing.
If it is msx it boots to basic. By definition.
And it is because is not an MSX, it emulates one with an FPGA.
Why isn’t there today a computer with modern processors and GPU which can boot to a REPL, where you can easily interface with all the HW, for example audio and video?
I wanted to do something like that for the RP400. But is more difficult that it seems…
Wonder if it can run https://www.symbos.org/
Yes, it says "OneChipMSX" https://www.msx.org/wiki/1chipMS but IMHO it could be clearer.
If you go to http://www.8086cpu.com/MSX/103.html there's more information, but it definitely puts me off when considering one of these devices.
With the thickness it is, it is a pity they didn't just use 18650 cells for the battery which could be user-replaceable when they start to die.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If it is msx it boots to basic. By definition.
You need to provide the firmware, because they aren't free to distribute. There's an open source one, but it doesn't boot to BASIC and can only be used to run cartridges. And it is because is not an MSX, it emulates one with an FPGA.
My question is: why we have to be stuck in nostalgia? Why isn’t there today a computer with modern processors and GPU which can boot to a REPL, where you can easily interface with all the HW, for example audio and video? I wanted to do something like that for the RP400. But is more difficult that it seems…
I really wish these niche retro laptops fit an old Thinkpad keyboard or something. Even an old Inspiron keyboard or something similar would do.
My question is: why we have to be stuck in nostalgia? Why isn’t there today a computer with modern processors and GPU which can boot to a REPL, where you can easily interface with all the HW, for example audio and video? I wanted to do something like that for the RP400. But is more difficult that it seems…
I think Apple and Google both using their phone OS for smartwatches is one indication of lack of such capacity in the industry: Apple Watches come with ~300mAh batteries, old Nokia had 500-700mAh. Watches are rated for 36 hours in normal modes or 72 hours in low-power, whereas Nokia would ran for minimum 1 week, despite ~15 years of improvements in semiconductors.
We'd have to wait for maybe GPT-8y or DeepSeek-R4, probably on wheels, each given a cubicle to get it back down to human scale.
I find frustrating that this type of product (like the MSX VR some years ago), don't specify clearly what are they selling. Is it an ARM SoC? Does it have a Z80? Is it implemented with a FPGA? Yes, it says "OneChipMSX" https://www.msx.org/wiki/1chipMS but IMHO it could be clearer. If you go to http://www.8086cpu.com/MSX/103.html there's more information, but it definitely puts me off when considering one of these dev…