View source for DragonBox Pyra

{{short description|PDA and handheld game console}}
{{Notability|Product|date=May 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox Video game system
| title        = DragonBox Pyra
| logo         = [[File:Pyra_logo-full.svg|200px]]
| image        = [[File:Pyra-Render-frontside-new.png|250px]]
| caption      = Rendering of a red Pyra
| manufacturer = OpenPandora GmbH
| type         = [[Handheld game console]] / [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]] hybrid
| os           = [[Debian]]
| soc          = [[Texas Instruments]] [[OMAP|OMAP5432]]
| cpu          = 1.5&nbsp;[[Hertz|GHz]] [[multi-core processor|dual-core]] [[ARM Cortex-A15]] with NEON SIMD
| memory       = 4&nbsp;[[Gibibyte|GB]] 
| storage      = Dual [[SDXC]] slots, one internal microSD slot
| display      = 5" LCD [[Resistive touchscreen|resistive display]] 1280 × 720 ([[720p]])
| graphics     = 533&nbsp;MHz [[PowerVR]] SGX544MP2
| controllers  = [[D-pad]]
| connectivity = [[Wi-Fi]], [[Bluetooth]], [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] (all port sizes), MicroHDMI, headset port and 3G/4G/UMTS/GPS (optional)
| dimensions   = 139&nbsp;mm x 87&nbsp;mm x 32&nbsp;mm
| weight = 384 g
| predecessor  = [[Pandora (console)|OpenPandora]]
| successor    =
| website      = {{URL|pyra-handheld.com}}
}}

The '''DragonBox Pyra''' is an upcoming [[Linux]]-based [[handheld]] [[computer]] equipped with a keyboard and gaming controls. The project entered prototyping stage in 2015. [[Pre-order]]s began on 1 May 2016, with a final release date still undefined.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/5/2/11566148/dragonbox-pyra-now-available-preorder dragonbox-pyra-now-available-preorder] on [[The Verge]] (2 May 2016)</ref> In August 2020 the first production model had been shipped, but only to developers, as the software wasn't ready.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sha |first1=Dave |title=Production Pyra photos/videos/thoughts thread |url=https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/production-pyra-photos-videos-thoughts-thread.99139/ |website=Official Pyra and Pandora Site |date=22 July 2020 |publisher=OpenPandora GmbH |access-date=13 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mrozek ("Evil Dragon") |first1=Michael |title=It's software this time! |url=https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/its-software-this-time.99105/ |website=Official Pyra and Pandora Site |date=13 June 2020 |publisher=OpenPandora GmbH |access-date=13 August 2020}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Pyra-Proto-Full-4 crop.jpg|thumb|left|Pyra prototype with Debian, running a browser (3 May 2016).]]
The ''Dragonbox Pyra'' is the [[spiritual successor]] of the [[OpenPandora]] device, and shares some of the original Pandora team members. The Pyra is designed and developed in close connection with the OpenPandora community, taking their feedback and experience with the Pandora into account. The OpenPandora GmbH, residing in Germany, organizes design, prototyping and the production in Europe (Greece and Germany).

The Pyra was presented officially at the [[FOSDEM]] 2014 in [[Brussels]].<ref>[http://pandoralive.info/?p=2789 Pandoralive post about the FOSDEM news] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602123134/http://pandoralive.info/?p=2789 |date=2 June 2016 }}</ref> In 2015 several working developer prototypes of the Pyra have been produced and were given to software developers for evaluation and software creation. Development and fine tuning of the final specifications is still ongoing.<ref>[http://www.open-consoles-news.com/2015/09/dragonbox-pyra-les-news.html DragonBox Pyra : les news] on open-consoles-news.com (2015)</ref> Pre-orders of six Pyra variants (4&nbsp;GB RAM and 3/4G mobile options) became possible on 1 May 2016.

== Architecture ==
[[File:Pya-Render-Explosion small.png|thumb|[[Exploded-view drawing|Exploded-view render]] of the Pyra]]
Like the predecessor ''OpenPandora'', the Pyra includes features from several architectures making it a cross between a handheld game console, a [[subnotebook]], a [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]], and a [[smartphone]].

The Pyra design aims for modularity and openness in software and hardware alike. For instance the [[Printed circuit board|PCB]] is separated in three parts: CPU board (CPU, RAM and storage), mainboard (ports, [[Wi-Fi]] and Bluetooth) and the display board. The replaceable CPU board allows future upgrades of CPU and RAM. The Pyra is assembled with screws (not glued) and is therefore repair and modification friendly.

It was announced that the hardware [[schematics]] will be available (final license undecided), which make the Pyra a kind of [[Open source hardware]].<ref>[https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/ Pyra] on pyra-handheld.com ''"Full schematics will be available: You could. i.e. design your own custom mainboard and use Pyras CPU board to run it."'' (1 May 2016)</ref> For compliance with the [[Free Software Foundation]]'s "[[Respects Your Freedom]]" certificate the closed source SGX GPU driver was identified as the only remaining software roadblock ("would be good to have free drivers, but we can't achieve this for the GPU" but the device may or may not run without a 3D driver, possibly free 2D driver is available or either could be made).<ref>[https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/respects-your-freedom-certification.72124/page-32 respects-your-freedom-certification] on pyra-handheld.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/how-free-is-the-openpandora.65536/|title=How free is the OpenPandora? |date=8 February 2012 }}</ref> The certification is not only about bundled software, using proprietary software, or recommending it, such as non-free (including emulated) games, but also about naming, e.g. [[Linux]] vs. [[GNU/Linux naming controversy|GNU/Linux]]. In November 2016 a pre-release version of the Pyra schematics was made available under a [[CC BY-NC-SA]] license.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/power-memory-and-schematics.78631/ |title=Power, Memory and Schematics |publisher=pyra-handheld.com by |author=Michael Mrozek |quote=As promised, the Pyra will be more open than the Pandora and Nikolaus had some time to clean up the schematics! Attached to this post are the schematics for the current revision (5.1.3) of the Pyra. Unless a bug is found, these won't change anymore.[...] License is CC-BY-NC-SA |date=2016-11-20}}</ref>

=== Software ===
The [[operating system]] will be based on the common [[Open-source license|open source]] [[Linux distribution]] [[Debian]] which allows the use of already available desktop [[open-source software|open-source applications]] from the Debian ARM repository, for instance [[Firefox]], [[Mozilla Thunderbird|Thunderbird]], [[LibreOffice]], [[GIMP]], etc. The around 1,500 applications, created for the mostly open source OpenPandora software [[Software repository|ecosystem]],<ref>[https://repo.openpandora.org/ repo.openpandora.org] ''"Apps: 1583, Dl's: 1225287"'' (6 May 2016)</ref> are expected to be available for the Pyra in short time by [[source port]]s.

=== Technical specifications ===
The various model specifications are summarized as follows:<ref>[https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyratech/ Technical Specifications]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Specification !! Standard Edition<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dragonbox.de/en/45-pyra|title=Pyra - DragonBox|website=www.dragonbox.de|language=en|access-date=2017-12-01}}</ref> !! Mobile Edition
|-
| Dimensions || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | 139&nbsp;mm x 87&nbsp;mm x 32&nbsp;mm
|-
| SoC || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[Texas Instruments]] [[OMAP|OMAP5432]] (1.5&nbsp;GHz [[multi-core processor|dual-core]] [[ARM Cortex-A15]],  2x [[ARM Cortex-M4]], 533&nbsp;MHz [[PowerVR]] SGX544MP2, [[Vivante]] GC320 2D Accelerator)
|-
|Memory||colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | 4GiB RAM, 32&nbsp;GB internal eMMC
|-
| Screen || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | 5-inch LCD [[Resistive touchscreen|resistive display]], [[720p]], 20&nbsp;ms response time
|-
| Audio || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | High-quality speakers, analogue volume wheel, 3.5&nbsp;mm headphone jack, built-in-mic
|-
| Haptic feedback || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[Haptic technology|Force feedback]] vibramotor
|-
| Keyboard || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | Four-row [[backlit]] [[QWERTY keyboard]]
|-
| Game controls || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[D-pad]], 6 face action buttons, 4 [[shoulder buttons]], 2 clickable [[analog stick|analog nubs]]
|-
| Ports || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | Dual [[SDXC]] full size slots + one microSD slot underneath the battery<br>[[Micro-USB]] [[USB 3.0|3.0]] [[USB On-The-Go|on-the-go]] (OTG) port<br>Full-size [[USB 2.0]] host port<br>Full-size USB 3.0 host port (only 2.0 speed until a CPU upgrade) with optional [[eSATA]] adapter (full SATA speed)<br>[[HDMI]] output through Type D (micro) port
|-
| Battery || style="text-align: center;" colspan="2" | User-replaceable battery with 6000&nbsp;m[[ampere hour|Ah]] capacity
|-
| LEDs || colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | Fully configurable [[RGB LED]]s for notifications
|-
| Connectivity || Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 || [[3G]]/[[4G]] module including GPS, a 6-axis accelerometer, digital compass, pressure and humidity sensors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
|}

== Reception ==
In 2017, [[Salon (website)|Salon]] noted the Pyra in an article about the comeback of the [[netbook]].<ref>[http://www.salon.com/2017/03/12/remember-the-netbook-crowdfunding-is-bringing-it-back-at-least-in-a-few-limited-engagements/ Remember the netbook? Crowdfunding is bringing it back] by Matthew Sheffield on [[salon.com]] (March 2017)</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=packed style="text-align:left">
File:Pyra-Proto-Full.jpg|Pyra prototype with Debian, running a terminal, GIMP, and LibreOffice
File:Pyra-Proto-Comparison-MicroSD.jpg|Pyra prototype size comparison with [[MicroSD]]
File:Pyra-Proto-BacklightClose2.jpg|Pyra prototype with [[backlit]] keyboard and controls
File:Pyra-Proto-Bottom-with-battery.jpg|Pyra prototype backside with battery
File:Pyra-Mainboard-Nubs.jpg|Pyra prototype mainboard frontside with nubs
File:Pyra-Mainboard-Backside-without-CPU-Board.jpg|Pyra prototype mainboard backside without CPU [[mezzanine board]]
File:Pyra-CPU-Board-Prototype.JPG|Pyra prototype CPU [[mezzanine board]]
File:Pyra-Render-Backside-with-Ports-new.png|Back of a red variant with ports (rendered)
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Linux|Video games}}
* [[Comparison of handheld game consoles]]
* [[Comparison of open-source mobile phones]]
* [[Linux for gaming]]
* [[Pandora (console)]]
* [[GCW Zero]]
* [[Caanoo]]
* [[Dingoo]]
* [[Steam Deck]]
* [[Vaporware]]

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Pyra (console)}}
* {{Official website|http://dragonbox-pyra.org/}}
* [https://archive.today/20140514014640/http://pandoralive.info/?page_id=2828 Pyra Info Page on PandoraLive]
* [https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/ Discussion forum]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Linux devices}}
{{Handheld game consoles}}

[[Category:Handheld gaming computers]]
[[Category:Linux-based devices]]
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