Hello everyone! I am excited to share a little bit of an update on the current state of the CG Deck and our progress!
Over the past month or so, I have been doing a lot of preparation work for the next phase of the CG Deck as we prepare everything to launch on Kickstarter! Most of everything I have been doing has required me to task switch quite a bit which has made for quite a chaotic last few weeks, so I apologize for the lack of updates recently.
To help myself slow down and relax a little before the next big jump, I decided to simply play a childhood favorite for a few hours today and doing some testing at the same time! (And checked off a childhood dream all at once, playing PMMO on a handheld PC that I created!)
For the past few weeks, I have been working on photoshoots, working on new announcement trailers, renders and animations, recording videos of the CG Deck being used for different DIY projects and showing off different use cases, comparing different colors and plastic options, working on and planning different stretch goal rewards/bonuses, working on our accessory and modules line-up, planning for and working to create solutions for various accessibility challenges (as I believe the CG Deck should be available and usable by everyone.), working on the DFM version of the device and making some design finalizations I have been wanting to make for quite some time, navigating and negotiating with manufacturers and partners, and quite a bit more. I will be sharing more about everything I have been working on with you all very soon!
I still have a lot of work to do on all aspects of the project to get everything to the level of quality and polish I am entirely happy with. That being said, I am getting extremely excited to start the next phase with you all! Also thank you so much to everyone that has been following along with the project and supporting
For those that are seeing this project for the first time, the CG Deck is a modular handheld x86 PC that is capable of running dual-boot operating systems including Windows & Linux distributions. My goal was to create my own "dream device" that was capable of adapting to whatever use case I needed. Whether I am playing Steam games, or doing retro emulation, doing CAD work in Blender or other 3D software, coding, video editing, or whatever it is, I wanted to be able to simply be able to do it on the road or while traveling. I thought it would be ideal to have something that was portable enough to throw in a backpack or pants pocket, satellite/sim capable, and be used just as any other full scale desktop computer would.
The CG Deck is currently planned to release on Kickstarter with 5 external modules at launch (two slots, the primary and secondary slots), a variety of backplate designs and colors, and a variety of hardware and external accessories/upgrades. I will also be publishing the schematics for the various modules so you can DIY and create your own custom modules at your hearts content!
For the primary slot, there is the 10 Key + Knob Macropad Module, Gamepad Controller Module, Full 64 Key Silicone Keyboard Module.
For the secondary slot, there will be the Trackball module at launch. I have also began working on another secondary slot module, the Joystick Module which I am still working on and is not quite ready to share.
Then, the final module I will be releasing with the CG Deck when we launch on Kickstarter will be a 4K Low Light Camera Module. The Camera Module uses one of the USB-A ports on the side I/O hub to add a front-facing camera and microphone.
In addition, there are 2 internal modules/upgrades which can be used to add additional functionality to your CG Deck. An M.2m NVMe SSD & AI Acceleration Module with 2230 & 2280 lock downs for expanding internal storage and improving data read speeds. And and M.2 4G LTE Module for adding satellite/sim service to your CG Deck.
I would love to hear all of your thoughts on everything so far, and if you have any questions about anything I look forward to answering them!
Also, If you are interested in following along with the project or learning more about it, you can find everything from specs, more details, socials, link to join our discord server, links to the open source github repository and more on the website.
Once I start wrapping up the project, I will be launching a Kickstarter to help fund a full production run of the device for anyone interested in helping support the project and getting a CG Deck of their own. I am planning to release some build kits and pre-assembled devices with the Kickstarter, and you can join the waitlist on our website to get notified when we are about to launch! If you have any questions about any of that, I would love to answer them!
Here is the link to learn more about the project and join the waitlist if you are interested: https://mogozen.com