Itaca Innovation Goes Live with the uChip Simple VGA Console

A few months ago, Itaca Innovation unveiled its uChip Simple VGA Console, a portable 8-bit retro gaming platform. One of the board's notable features is that not only could users play a few games at 40 FPS, they could also create games, making it a teaching tool for those looking to get into coding as well. The company has now gone live with the uSVC on Crowd Supply and is marketing the platform as a DIY kit where you can learn some basic through-hole soldering skills.

All of the hardware has remained the same from the initial debut, including a SAMD21E18 (@48 MHz) microcontroller with 32kB RAM and 256kB of Flash. It packs a VGA port, USB, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot, seven 12-bit ADC inputs, 10-bit DAC output, an I2S port (for audio decoders), and 13 power pins. Itaca states that the platform can display up to 256 on-screen colors at a resolution of 320 x 200 pixels, with a 57Hz refresh rate, or it can render up to 400 lines with a pixel aspect ratio of 2:1. It even has four 8-bit PCM channels mixed to a 10-bit mono channel and samples at 30 KSPS.

As an educational platform, the uSVC comes with a comprehensive API and a series of guides to help users learn how to program. It also features a development framework that uses expansion headers to connect third-party peripherals that let users transition from a gaming console to a DIY project platform that can leverage VGA and USB connectivity. As mentioned earlier, the uChip Simple VGA Console is currently being crowdfunded on Crowd Supply, with pledges starting at $30 for the kit, along with a couple of add-ons, including a 3D-printed enclosure ($12) and power and data cables ($5).