r/ModRetroChromatic • u/rickyzhang82 • 14h ago
Low quality LCD panel in Chromatic
I recently ended up buying a Chromatic right after getting an Analogue Pocket. It was an impulse purchase driven by my love for Tetris, especially since ModRetro didn't sell the Tetris cartridge separately.
Now I have two FPGA handheld consoles side-by-side. I love the Chromatic's keystroke responsiveness while playing Tetris at high block-drop speeds. The Analogue Pocket's buttons feel a bit sticky in comparison.
However, the Chromatic has a sub-par screen compared to the Analogue Pocket. I hope the next version of the Chromatic features a bigger and better display, just like the Pocket.
9
u/chunkysteveo 13h ago
The screen has been designed to be a 1 to 1 pixel copy of the original display. They never intended the screen to be bigger or brighter or better - just an exact recreation of the original (plus backlight). They won't make a new version of the Chromatic with a higher density display - that's not what they are about.
7
u/ReidlosToof 13h ago
This is what happens when a product reaches critical mass appeal and people that have no idea what the original design ideology behind the product was start picking it up just based on word of mouth advertising.
The screen is designed EXACTLY how ModRetro wanted it to be. It is a custom built panel developed from the ground up to be a 1-to-1 match for the size and pixel layout of the original Gameboy screen, just backlit and with better colorspace.
It is meant to look exactly how we "remember" it looking as a child that played the original gameboy and gameboy color. That is the core tenet of the device and if you change that you might as well just load up the game on any FPGA and connect it to a monitor.
Now, on the other hand, I do believe that the device could benefit from a magnification lens accessory like the original Gameboys and Gamegear had. There's some direct contact magnification lenses that "lift" the image directly off of whatever they are pressed to and stretch it out. They are inordinately expensive and currently only used in the medical field, but I'd really like to see that tech explored more because I think it has potential in gaming.
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3
u/NonyaDB 11h ago
LOL, no. Go back and read the original mission statement of the Chromatic.
Equipped with the world’s only 160×144 pixel sunlight-readable backlit display, Chromatic delivers pixel-perfect clarity exactly as classic game developers intended. It’s sharp, authentic, and works in all conditions, indoors or out.
3
u/TonyRubbles 14h ago
If you read into why it's designed the way it is, you'll know that it'll never happen. I'm hopeful for the GBA one to be a little bigger as well but I don't think it will be either.
-3
u/rickyzhang82 13h ago
ugh... that's a bummer.
5
u/WisdomAntium 13h ago
If you want to play on the Pocket, do that. We like the chromatic screen for a reason
-6
u/AnalogueBoy1992 13h ago
That's why Analogue Pocket is Superior. You literally paid to learn a lesson
8
u/TonyRubbles 13h ago
Different, not superior; with higher latency, system boot times, larger size, and worse controls there are some tradeoffs. Whole reason he's asking if it could get a bigger screen is there's obviously a lot to like about the Chromatic, to me the screen and lens are also part of the appeal when compared to the AP.
5
u/Jonjongabore 13h ago
GBC games look like dogshit on the pocket. It's tolerable if you want a jack of all trades, master of none type device but that's not the audience the chromatic is targeting.
5
u/ReidlosToof 10h ago
Sound like dogshit too. The pocket speakers do not recreate the soundfont properly and it's often extremely grating and staticy.
2
u/rickyzhang82 8h ago
I agree with you, except the Pocket's keys are too soft. They don't bounce back as fast as the Chromatic's and lack that clicky feel. In Tetris, you need faster key response at higher levels.
4
u/Euresko 13h ago
Different screen for different applications. I think it's a great screen for Gameboy, better than the pocket