As a hobbyist, I've always been fascinated with the idea of using tiny computers to build out game projects. I'm especially enamored with the idea of designing and constructing tiny arcade machines. I am a child of the 80s, and arcades were my first exposure to the world of video games. When I first heard of the Raspberry Pi, I was thrilled, and immediately started investigating how I could use it to drive a tiny arcade cabinet.
Sadly, I am not a low-level programmer. And I'm not an engine architect. While I've grown considerably as a programmer over the years, I just don't have the time or expertise yet to build an engine from the ground up. And usually, I haven't felt the need to. Engines like Unity, Unreal, and Godot have allowed me to experiment with development without having to drive that deeply into the tech side of things. But the smaller a computer you use, the more essential it becomes to squeeze performance out of it. After experimenting extensively with a Raspberry Pi (two different models, including the latest version 3) I have determined that this particular single-board computer is not viable for modern engine-driven games.
The RPi3 can handle games. But those titles have to be programmed specifically for it, using its native code or some manner of python engine. And even with those routes it's going to be sharply limited in terms of performance. The RPi3 GPU is simply not adequate. While the previous version of Godot could run on it, the new 3.0 deployment requires OpenGL ES 3.0, which the RPi3 just can't handle. Unity deployments are also sketchy at best. The RPi3 just doesn't have proper Android support, and the few distros that have been put out for it run sluggishly, with terrible support for controlling resolutions.
Thankfully, there are some alternatives now, even though they are a bit pricier. At the moment the two most likely candidates that I have my eye on are the ODroid XU4, and the Asus Tinker Board. The ODroid line has been around for a while, and the XU4 model is reasonably powerful, with some nice features available for it. It also comes with ARM Linux and Android support right out of the box. The Tinker Board has comparable features, with a general approach that seems like it will be very friendly toward hobbyists. Both boards come with a more capable GPU that DOES have OpenGL ES 3.0 support.
Is there any one else who is interested in the possibilities of such an approach, and does anyone have experience working with any of the alternative single-board computers?