The Raspberry Pi team has just launched the “RPi4b”, starting at $35 for the 1GB model and $55 for the 4GB version. The features are pretty impressive and quite a boost over previous models:
- A 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU (~3× performance)
- 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM
- Full-throughput Gigabit Ethernet
- Dual-band 802.11ac wireless networking
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports
- Dual monitor support, at resolutions up to 4K
- VideoCore VI graphics, supporting OpenGL ES 3.x
- 4Kp60 hardware decode of HEVC video
- Complete compatibility with earlier Raspberry Pi products
The spec bump will allow for many more features that were previously impossible, or mediocre at best. The ability to output 4K60 means we might be able to finally scale emulated games to a panel’s native 4K resolution! Heck, I’d even love to see a video player with “CRT modes”, so people can watch old movies through different CRT filters (I’ve tested this, it’s way cooler than it sounds!). Gigabit Ethernet + USB 3.0 means you can connect an 8TB HDD and have a reasonably fast, inexpensive NAS! The features are really just endless…even over the large variety of uses the RPi2 & 3 had!
It’s too early to tell if existing RGB hardware solutions such as the RGB-Pi or RetroTINK Ultimate will be compatible, but let’s keep our fingers crossed!
The RPi4 can be pre-ordered today and will ship in about a month (depending on your region). More information can be found here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-4-on-sale-now-from-35/
…and it looks like previous versions of the Raspberry Pi are on sale, so if you’d like to pick up an older one at a good price, maybe now’s the time?:
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