Actually this is a good pointJeffB wrote:
So where does that leave......among other, similar type machines. They're not much more than a bunch of circuits not more glamorous than a matchbox, all without integrated chess boards, but they're all dedicated chess computers
- Novag VIP/Super VIP/Ruby/Sapphire/Sapphire II
Mephisto I/II/II/Junior
CXG (and other brands) chess card
Or are they...?
there were many handheld keyboard input models sold over the years
you needed a chess board to play them(unless you were a blindfold chess master)
in these instances they sold in housings of varying designs
with Pico the unit seems to be some see-through case where you can see the circuit board..and with all of the wires and cables its all a bit off-putting
i remember when Rudd Martin was thinking about selling his first Resurrection modules back in 2005
his first idea was to just sell a naked circuit board that you plugged into the Mephisto board
the idea was not well received and he switched to the idea of selling it in empty Mephisto module casings
perhaps if the Pico creators would redesign the housing a bit and hide the internal guts of the machine it would be welcomed with opened arms into the mainstream world of Dedicated Chess Computers
Cosmetic Regards
Steve