"We are building it not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy."
This machine grew out of one idea: a retro-style, hand-buildable hobby game console that, despite every 8-bit limitation, always runs its games at a smooth 60 Hz — and by design will not allow anything less.
One bit per pixel is a consciously chosen limitation, taken so the hardware is free for other things. It is also a retro aesthetic that does not feel dull today — in 2026 it simply looks cool. Way cooler than 2, or even 16, colours.
A 400×300 mono framebuffer is also 15 kB, which two 65C02s can fill convincingly in a frame. Colour would have meant more memory, more bandwidth, and a machine that did the same things slower. The whole design falls out of that one decision.
CERN-OHL-S (hardware) plus GPL (firmware and tools)
mm{at}codepainters.com