Experience Classic Strategy: Command and Conquer Now Available on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2!

Electronic Arts made a surprising move a couple of months ago. They released several classic Command and Conquer games under the GPLv3 license. This opened up opportunities for enthusiasts to port these games to new platforms. One of the most exciting developments was seeing Command and Conquer: Red Alert run on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2.

Charlie Birks documented this amazing journey. Over a series of posts on Mastodon, he shared how he got the 1996 game up and running on this tiny microcontroller. His posts detail each step, from the game barely starting to missions being completed and even setting up multiplayer between two Pico devices.

Interestingly, Charlie uses the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W. This version has better specs than the standard Pico 2, with extra RAM and flash memory. These enhancements are crucial for running the game since it was initially designed for systems with more memory. To make it even smoother, he connected the Pico Plus 2 W to a VGA Demo Base, which provided both an SD card slot and VGA output.

This kind of project showcases the dedication of the gaming community. It’s a testament to how nostalgia can fuel innovation. In recent years, technology enthusiasts have been experimenting with retro games more than ever. For instance, a survey by the Entertainment Software Association found that over 60% of gamers enjoy playing older titles, often seeking new ways to experience them on modern hardware.

You can find Charlie’s code on his GitHub page if you’re interested in trying this out yourself. The mix of old-school gaming and new technology is exciting and shows just how creative people can get when they have the right tools. If you’ve tried it, share your experience!

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