{"slug": "picotron", "name": "Picotron", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 5, "warners": 0, "score": 4.651, "rising": -1.64, "first": "2026-04-16", "latest": "2026-07-29", "why": "I recommend the Picotron, their newest fantasy software. It is a full fantasy workstation.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 6, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 4, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I recommend the Picotron, their newest fantasy software. It is a full fantasy workstation.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "lexaloffle.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Picotron"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 785574944, "item_id": 49098434, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098434", "by": "aquova", "date": "2026-07-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I would strongly recommend Picotron[0].", "excerpt": "If you're interested or nostalgic for these types of UIs, I would strongly recommend Picotron[0]. Not only is its UI very reminiscent of these types of programs, with its own music tracker software, but developers have been making their own software and utilities with their own custom design sensibilities. [0] https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php", "context": "", "use_case": "demo-scene style UI and tools", "switched_from": "", "story": "User Interfaces of the Demo Scene"}, {"id": 783105680, "item_id": 48944105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48944105", "by": "MommysGoodPuppy", "date": "2026-07-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I really love picotron", "excerpt": "I really love picotron, if I had more time I'd exploring the pico net lol, a fantasy internet that's only accessible on the picotron, and uses lua instead of js https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=148018 also all the recent 3D work is seriously impressive considering picotron has quite limited \"fantasy hardware\"", "context": "", "use_case": "fantasy computer and game dev", "switched_from": "", "story": "Voxatron"}, {"id": 782929184, "item_id": 48933074, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48933074", "by": "rtpg", "date": "2026-07-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it's a very fun environment to work in", "excerpt": "I've been working in Picotron to go through this \"program your own Puyo Puyo\" book Sega published... it's a very fun environment to work in. You can boot it up, fullscreen it and totally LARP programming... I guess an amiga with nicer color pallettes? https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=166998#p strawberry_src is a fun editor to use for all of this", "context": "", "use_case": "retro game programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "Voxatron"}, {"id": 782828448, "item_id": 48926778, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48926778", "by": "galleywest200", "date": "2026-07-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I recommend the Picotron, their newest fantasy software. It is a full fantasy workstation.", "excerpt": "I recommend the Picotron, their newest fantasy software. It is a full fantasy workstation. It has no upper limit on game size and can export native binaries for the big three OSes. You could, in theory, publish a full game with it. https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php", "context": "", "use_case": "making games", "switched_from": "", "story": "Voxatron"}, {"id": 772690625, "item_id": 48293164, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48293164", "by": "october8140", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Also check out Pico8 and Picotron.", "excerpt": "Also check out Pico8 and Picotron. https://www.lexaloffle.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "fantasy computer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mini Micro Fantasy Computer"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["demo-scene style ui and tools", "fantasy computer and game dev", "retro game programming", "making games", "fantasy computer", "fantasy workstation game dev"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48926053", "title": "Voxatron", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49093434", "title": "User Interfaces of the Demo Scene", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48291947", "title": "Mini Micro Fantasy Computer", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47798176", "title": "A Tiny Yellow Handheld Changed How Duke University Teaches Game Design", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 4}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 785574944, "item_id": 49098434, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098434", "by": "aquova", "date": "2026-07-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I would strongly recommend Picotron[0].", "excerpt": "If you're interested or nostalgic for these types of UIs, I would strongly recommend Picotron[0]. Not only is its UI very reminiscent of these types of programs, with its own music tracker software, but developers have been making their own software and utilities with their own custom design sensibilities. [0] https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php", "context": "", "use_case": "demo-scene style UI and tools", "switched_from": "", "story": "User Interfaces of the Demo Scene"}, {"id": 783105680, "item_id": 48944105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48944105", "by": "MommysGoodPuppy", "date": "2026-07-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I really love picotron", "excerpt": "I really love picotron, if I had more time I'd exploring the pico net lol, a fantasy internet that's only accessible on the picotron, and uses lua instead of js https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=148018 also all the recent 3D work is seriously impressive considering picotron has quite limited \"fantasy hardware\"", "context": "", "use_case": "fantasy computer and game dev", "switched_from": "", "story": "Voxatron"}, {"id": 782929184, "item_id": 48933074, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48933074", "by": "rtpg", "date": "2026-07-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it's a very fun environment to work in", "excerpt": "I've been working in Picotron to go through this \"program your own Puyo Puyo\" book Sega published... it's a very fun environment to work in. You can boot it up, fullscreen it and totally LARP programming... I guess an amiga with nicer color pallettes? https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=166998#p strawberry_src is a fun editor to use for all of this", "context": "", "use_case": "retro game programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "Voxatron"}, {"id": 782828448, "item_id": 48926778, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48926778", "by": "galleywest200", "date": "2026-07-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I recommend the Picotron, their newest fantasy software. It is a full fantasy workstation.", "excerpt": "I recommend the Picotron, their newest fantasy software. It is a full fantasy workstation. It has no upper limit on game size and can export native binaries for the big three OSes. You could, in theory, publish a full game with it. https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php", "context": "", "use_case": "making games", "switched_from": "", "story": "Voxatron"}, {"id": 772690625, "item_id": 48293164, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48293164", "by": "october8140", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Also check out Pico8 and Picotron.", "excerpt": "Also check out Pico8 and Picotron. https://www.lexaloffle.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "fantasy computer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Mini Micro Fantasy Computer"}, {"id": 764827888, "item_id": 47801743, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47801743", "by": "galleywest200", "date": "2026-04-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "With no technical upper limit on file size", "excerpt": "Also mentioning Lexaloffle\u2019s most recent project the Picotron which is a fantasy workstation instead of just a console. https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php With no technical upper limit on file size (as well as being able to export for other OSes) you could, in theory, publish a full game from this.", "context": "", "use_case": "fantasy workstation game dev", "switched_from": "", "story": "A Tiny Yellow Handheld Changed How Duke University Teaches Game Design"}]}