What open source and free game engines are there that are compatible with a 19" monitor and a microcontroller to store the games ?
If you want to go beyond MakeCode Arcade and use a microcontroller + 19″ monitor with multiple games, you generally need a different approach — because MakeCode Arcade only targets small SPI displays, not HDMI/VGA. But there are game engines and frameworks that could work for larger displays (HDMI/VGA) and that are free/open-source — and some that might run on more capable embedded hardware.
Here's a breakdown of the kinds of engines available and where they fit relative to your project goals:
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🎯 Engines Suitable for HDMI/VGA and Larger Screens
These engines are designed to run on full operating systems (Linux, Windows, etc.) — which means they won't run directly on tiny microcontrollers like SAMD51 or RP2040 without an OS and graphics driver. But they do work well on small embedded boards that can output HDMI/VGA (i.e., Linux-capable systems like Raspberry Pi or similar).
Godot Engine
• Full-featured, free, open-source game engine.
• Supports 2D and 3D games.
• Works on Linux, Windows, macOS — including Raspberry Pi and similar boards.
• Output via HDMI/VGA through the OS is straightforward.
• Great for arcade-style games with menus and multiple built-in titles.
Phaser
• HTML5 game framework (JavaScript).
• Works inside web browsers — great for a menu that selects games stored on SD/USB and renders them fullscreen on a 19″ display. This is similar to how you already use MakeCode in a browser.
TIC-80 (Fantasy Console)
• Free and open source “fantasy console” environment.
• Has its own small game loader and cartridge format.
• Can be compiled for Linux or embedded Linux systems.
• Has built-in editors for code, sprites, sound — good for retro style games.
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🧠 Lightweight Game Libraries & Engines
If you do want to go lower-level or build custom software (rather than use a full engine):
Raylib
• Not a game engine per se, but a lightweight graphics/game library for C/C++.
• Easy to render graphics, handle input, and make games on Linux systems with HDMI/VGA display.
Orx Engine
• Lightweight open-source 2D game engine written in C.
• Good balance of features and low complexity.
• Runs on Linux and other desktops — use it on a Linux-capable board driving a 19″ screen.
Phaser/HTML5 Framework
• JavaScript based, works in any modern browser — ideal for running on lightweight embedded Linux systems and easy to switch between games without recompiling.
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⚡ What Won't Run Directly on RP2040/SAMD51
Generally, engines that assume:
✔️ an operating system
✔️ graphics driver + GPU
✔️ HDMI/VGA support
…won't run directly on tiny microcontrollers like RP2040 or SAMD51 — because they lack:
• a GPU or video controller
• memory for framebuffers
• a graphics stack like Linux/SDL/OpenGL
So using direct HDMI/VGA output with a microcontroller and a full engine like Godot or Phaser isn't realistic without a Linux-capable processor (like a Raspberry Pi or similar).
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💡 How You Could Make It Work With Multiple Games + a Big Screen
Here are a few possible architectures:
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🟢 Best Practical — Embedded Linux (e.g., Pi) + Engine
• Use Godot, Phaser in browser, or TIC-80.
• Store games on SD/USB.
• Create a menu launcher to pick games.
• Display output to 19″ screen via HDMI/VGA.
• Controls via USB encoder.
This is open-source, free, and flexible.
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🟡 Semi-Embedded — Microcontroller + External Video Adapter + Custom Engine
• Some hobby projects generate VGA from MCU (e.g., uChip simple VGA console uses SAMD21 for VGA with SD card games).
• But games must be written for that specific engine, and output will be limited in resolution/color.
• You'd build your own game loader and software.
📌 This approach is very custom and likely won't support high-resolution 19″ display.
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🔵 RPC/Offload Approach
• Keep RP2040/SAMD51 as a controller (reading buttons, reading SD/USB for game logic).
• Have a separate graphics processor (like a small Linux board) handle video and run the game engine.
• They communicate over USB/UART.
This splits roles cleanly — but still means the MCU doesn't run the game engine itself.
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🧩 Example Game Engine Fit Chart
| Engine / Framework | Requires OS | HDMI/VGA Output | Runs on MCU Alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godot | ✔️Linux/etc | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Phaser (HTML5) | Browser | ✔️ | ❌ |
| TIC-80 | ✔️Linux/etc | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Raylib | ✔️Linux/etc | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Orx Engine | ✔️Linux/etc | ✔️ | ❌ |
| uChip VGA console engine | ❌ | ✔️(VGA) | ✔️(bare metal) |
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🧠 Summary & Recommendation
If you must use a 19″ monitor and want multiple games + easy development without lots of custom hardware video work:
✅ Choose an engine that runs on Linux or similar
✅ Drive the screen with HDMI/VGA via OS support
✅ Store games on SD/USB & build a launcher
Good choices are:
• Godot — robust 2D/3D engine for standalone games.
• Phaser — runs in a browser, easy web-based games.
• TIC-80 — small retro fantasy console environment.
These let you output to large screens and have multiple games — something that's not feasible directly on RP2040/SAMD51 without complex custom video hardware.
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If you want, I can help you design:
👉 hardware options (boards that support HDMI/VGA)
👉 a game menu system
👉 how to structure your games and launcher
Just tell me whether you want standalone apps (like Godot games) or browser-based games (Phaser/HTML5).
Engines suitable for HDMI/VGA and Larger Screens and 2d retro games.
Great — if your goal is 2D retro games on a 19" HDMI/VGA screen, here are the best open-source, free engines that are perfect for retro arcade style.
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✅ Best Engines for 2D Retro Games on HDMI/VGA
These work well on Linux-capable boards (Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Rockchip boards, etc.), not on tiny microcontrollers.
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🎮 1) Godot Engine (2D)
Best for: full arcade games, smooth performance, easy export
✔ Pros
• Fully open-source and free
• Great 2D tools (tilemaps, animations, shaders)
• Export to Linux/Windows/macOS
• Supports full screen 19" monitors
• Built-in scene system makes game dev fast
✔ Perfect for
• arcade cabinets
• retro platformers
• shoot 'em ups
• menu + game launcher systems
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🌐 2) Phaser (HTML5)
Best for: browser-based arcade machine
✔ Pros
• Runs in any browser
• No installation required on the Pi
• Easy to build multiple games and launch them from a menu
• Great for pixel art retro games
✔ Perfect for
• multiple games stored on USB/SD
• easy game swapping
• running on Chromium on Raspberry Pi
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🎛️ 3) TIC-80 (Fantasy Console)
Best for: retro “cartridge” style games
✔ Pros
• Built for retro style
• Built-in editor (code, sprites, map, music)
• Simple cartridge system
• Great for small arcade games
• Open-source
✔ Perfect for
• game jam style projects
• retro arcade collections
• easy to store games on SD/USB
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🧱 4) Love2D
Best for: fast Lua retro games
✔ Pros
• Very lightweight
• Runs on Linux easily
• Great for retro pixel art games
• Fast development
✔ Perfect for
• fast prototyping
• custom arcade libraries
• 2D retro style games
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🎯 5) Raylib (C/C++)
Best for: custom engine style, lightweight
✔ Pros
• Very lightweight and fast
• Great for retro pixel art
• Supports Linux + HDMI output
• Simple API
✔ Perfect for
• building your own mini engine
• performance critical games
• custom hardware setups
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🕹️ 6) Pico-8 (not fully open-source)
Just mentioning for completeness:
• Popular retro fantasy console
• Not open-source, but very retro-friendly
• Great for arcade games
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✅ Recommended Setup for 19" Arcade Machine
✔ Hardware
• Raspberry Pi 4 or Zero 2 W
• 19" HDMI monitor (or VGA via adapter)
• USB arcade controller encoder
• SD card for OS + games
✔ Software
• Godot or Phaser or TIC-80
• Use a launcher menu to pick games
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🧠 What's the Best Choice for You?
If you want high-quality retro games:
➡️ Godot
If you want easy browser-based game swapping:
➡️ Phaser
If you want old-school fantasy console style:
➡️ TIC-80
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🏁 Next Step
Tell me which of these you prefer:
1. Godot
2. Phaser
3. TIC-80
4. Love2D
5. Raylib
And I'll give you a complete step-by-step plan to build your arcade machine with:
• game menu
• multiple games
• USB/SD game storage
• controls + sound
• booting directly into the arcade menu
Which one do you want to use?
Lets say i am making an arcade machine using a Raspberry Pi, a 19" monitor and a game engine like godot to store games and play them with external controls (a joystick and buttons). I know the Raspberry has its own startup interface, can i somehow code it so that at startup it shows a menu i created for the games ?
Yes — you can absolutely make your Raspberry Pi boot straight into your own custom arcade menu instead of showing the Raspberry Pi OS desktop. This is a common setup for arcade cabinets, and it works very well with Godot.
Here are the main ways to do it, from easiest to most “arcade-like”.
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✅ Option 1 (Best for most people): Boot into Godot directly
You can configure the Pi to automatically start your Godot game launcher on boot.
How it works
1. Install Raspberry Pi OS (Lite or Desktop)
2. Configure auto-login
3. Run your Godot launcher as a startup app
Steps
1. Install Godot (exported Linux build)
You export your Godot project as a Linux executable.
2. Set Raspberry Pi to auto-login
Go to:
Raspberry Pi Menu → Preferences → Raspberry Pi Configuration → System → Auto Login
3. Run your launcher on startup
Edit the autostart file:
sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart
Add this line at the end:
@/home/pi/your_game_launcher.x86_64
(Replace with your file path and name.)
Now your Pi will boot directly into your game menu.
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✅ Option 2: Use “Kiosk Mode” (no desktop shown)
If you want the Pi to boot straight to fullscreen without showing the desktop at all:
Steps:
1. Disable desktop GUI
2. Use a minimal startup script to launch your menu
Disable GUI:
sudo raspi-config
Go to:
System Options → Boot / Auto Login → Console Autologin
Then create a startup script:
nano /home/pi/start.sh
Add:
#!/bin/bash
cd /home/pi/yourgamefolder
./your_game_launcher.x86_64
Make it executable:
chmod +x /home/pi/start.sh
Then add this line to:
sudo nano /etc/rc.local
Before exit 0, add:
/home/pi/start.sh &
Now your Pi boots straight into your game launcher without desktop.
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✅ Option 3: Use a dedicated arcade OS (RetroPie / Batocera)
If you want an arcade setup that already has menus, controller support, and game management:
• RetroPie
• Batocera
• Recalbox
These are built for arcade cabinets and already boot into a menu.
But if you want a custom menu, option 1 or 2 is best.
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🎮 What about controls (joystick/buttons)?
If you use a USB encoder like Zero Delay, Xin-Mo, or IPAC, the buttons show up like a keyboard.
Godot will read them normally via input actions.
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⚠️ Important Note: Godot on Raspberry Pi
• Use Godot 4 only if your Pi model supports it smoothly.
• Godot 3.5 is more stable on older Pi models.
• If you want hardware acceleration, use Godot 4 + Vulkan support (Pi 4+).
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✅ Summary
✔ Yes, you can boot directly into your own menu
✔ Use autostart or kiosk mode
✔ Your arcade controls will work like keyboard inputs
✔ The Pi's desktop can be completely hidden
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If you want, I can also provide:
✅ a full step-by-step tutorial
✅ example Godot project for a simple arcade menu
✅ advice on best Pi model, encoder, and monitor setup
Just tell me what Raspberry Pi model you're using and whether you want desktop or console boot.
Lets say i want to modify something in the code or the files in the Raspberry, can i come back to the desktop ?
Yes — you can absolutely come back to the desktop (or a console) to modify files even if your Raspberry Pi is set up to boot directly into your arcade menu.
There are three common ways to do this:
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✅ Option 1: Switch to the desktop temporarily (if you're in kiosk mode)
If your Pi is running the GUI and your game is full-screen, you can usually exit the game and return to the desktop.
Common methods
✔ Press Ctrl + Alt + F1 (or F2, F3, etc.)
This switches to a text console.
✔ Press Ctrl + Alt + F7
This usually returns you to the GUI desktop.
✔ Press Alt + F4
This closes the current window (if your game allows it).
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✅ Option 2: Use SSH from another computer
This is the easiest and safest method.
Steps:
1. Enable SSH on the Pi
2. sudo raspi-config
Go to:
Interface Options → SSH → Enable
3. Find your Pi's IP address:
4. hostname -I
5. Connect from your PC:
o Windows: use PuTTY
o Mac/Linux: use terminal:
o ssh pi@<IP_ADDRESS>
Now you can edit files, move files, run scripts, etc.
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✅ Option 3: Add a “developer mode” button
If you want to stay in kiosk mode but still access the desktop sometimes, you can add a hidden shortcut.
Example:
Add a key combination like:
Press F12 to exit kiosk and return to desktop.
You can implement this in your Godot game, or use a script that watches for a key press and kills the launcher.
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✅ Option 4: Boot into desktop temporarily (manual)
If you want to temporarily disable auto-start:
1. Open terminal:
2. sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart
3. Comment out the line that starts your game:
# @/home/pi/your_game_launcher.x86_64
4. Reboot:
5. sudo reboot
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🔥 Best Practice (Recommended)
Use SSH for development, because:
• You can edit files without touching the arcade machine
• You won't break the boot process
• You can restart the launcher remotely
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Quick question:
Do you want the Pi to always boot into the arcade menu, or do you want a hidden way to access the desktop without changing settings each time?
Using a Raspberry Pi, if i add external buttons and a joystick, can i code the Raspberry so it reads it is a specific keyboard button ?
Yes — you can absolutely do that. With a Raspberry Pi, you can connect external buttons and a joystick, and then program it so that when you press a button or move the joystick, the Pi acts like a keyboard and sends a specific key press (like “A”, “Enter”, “Space”, etc.).
There are two main ways to do this:
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✅ Option 1: Make the Pi act like a USB keyboard
This is the cleanest way if you want the Pi to emulate a keyboard for another device (like a PC, game console, etc.).
How it works
• Your Pi sends USB HID keyboard signals to a host device.
• The host sees the Pi as a real keyboard.
Best for
• When you want the Pi to control a PC or other computer
• When the Pi is acting as a controller
Requirements
• A Raspberry Pi model that supports USB gadget mode, like:
o Pi Zero / Zero 2 W
o Pi 4
• A USB cable connected from the Pi to the host computer
Example Setup
You can program it so:
• Button 1 → sends "A"
• Button 2 → sends "B"
• Joystick up → sends "W"
• Joystick down → sends "S"
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✅ Option 2: Read buttons directly and send key presses on the Pi
If you only need the Pi to run software locally (games, scripts, etc.), you can just read GPIO inputs and translate them to key presses inside the Pi.
How it works
• Buttons connect to GPIO pins
• Python detects presses
• Python triggers a key press in a game or app
Best for
• When the Pi is the device running the program
• No need to connect to a PC
Example
Using Python libraries like:
• gpiozero
• pynput
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⚙️ Hardware Needed
For buttons:
• Buttons wired to GPIO pins
• Resistors (or use internal pull-up/pull-down)
For joystick:
• A 2-axis joystick outputs:
o X
o Y
o Button (optional)
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🔁 So which method do you want?
✅ Do you want the Pi to act like a keyboard for another device?
Or
✅ Do you just want to control a game/app running on the Pi itself?
If you tell me which one you need, I can give you the exact wiring + code.
Does pygame work on Raspberry Pi 5 in python version 3.13.5 ?
Short answer: maybe, but not reliably yet.
Pygame + Python 3.13.5 on Raspberry Pi
Pygame depends on compiled native libraries (SDL, etc.). Because of that, it usually only supports Python versions that already have prebuilt wheels or stable builds available.
Python 3.13 is very new, so:
• ❌ Many Linux/Raspberry Pi package repositories do not yet include pygame builds for 3.13
• ❌ pip install pygame may fail or try to compile from source (which often breaks on Pi)
• ⚠️ Even if it installs, it may be unstable or missing features
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What does work well on Raspberry Pi
Most Raspberry Pi setups use:
• Python 3.10 / 3.11 → ✔️ best compatibility
• Python 3.12 → usually OK
• Python 3.13 → ❌ too new for most pygame builds right now
Check your version:
python3 --version
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Recommended setup for Pygame on Raspberry Pi 3
Install pygame using apt (most stable):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pygame
This version is usually built specifically for your Pi OS + Python version and is the safest option.
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If you want to use pip instead
Try:
pip3 install pygame
But on Python 3.13 you might see:
• build errors
• missing SDL dependencies
• “no matching distribution found”
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Best advice
If your goal is a game or UI project on Raspberry Pi 3:
👉 Use Python 3.11 (recommended)
👉 Use pygame installed via apt or pip on 3.11
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Bottom line
• Python 3.13.5 → ❌ not ideal for pygame yet
• Python 3.11 on Raspberry Pi → ✅ stable and widely supported
________________________________________
If you want, I can show you how to install Python 3.11 alongside 3.13 on your Pi without breaking anything.
How to uninstall version 3.13 and install 3.11 ?
On Raspberry Pi OS, you usually should NOT remove Python 3.13 completely, because parts of the system may depend on it. Instead, you install Python 3.11 alongside it and use that version for your projects.
Here's the safe way.
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✅ Recommended (safe): Install Python 3.11 alongside 3.13
1. Update your system
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
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2. Install build tools (needed if Pi OS doesn't have 3.11 package)
sudo apt install -y \ build-essential \ zlib1g-dev \ libncurses5-dev \ libgdbm-dev \ libnss3-dev \ libssl-dev \ libreadline-dev \ libffi-dev \ wget
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3. Install Python 3.11
Check if it's already available via apt:
sudo apt install python3.11
If that works → you're done.
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4. If NOT available (manual install)
Download and build Python 3.11:
cd /usr/src
sudo wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.11.8/Python-3.11.8.tgz
sudo tar xzf Python-3.11.8.tgz
cd Python-3.11.8
Build it:
sudo ./configure --enable-optimizations
sudo make -j4
sudo make altinstall
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
• altinstall prevents breaking system Python
• Do NOT use make install
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5. Check installation
python3.11 --version
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6. Install pygame for Python 3.11
python3.11 -m pip install pygame
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7. Run your game using 3.11
python3.11 your_script.py
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❌ Should you uninstall Python 3.13?
👉 No. Do NOT uninstall it.
Reasons:
• Raspberry Pi OS uses it internally
• Removing it can break system tools
• You don't gain anything by removing it
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👍 Best setup (what pros do)
You end up with:
• Python 3.13 → system default (leave it alone)
• Python 3.11 → for pygame + projects
And you simply choose:
python3.11 game.py
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If you want, I can also show you:
• how to make python3 point to 3.11 safely
• or how to create a virtual environment for pygame (cleanest method)
Using MicroPython, make a code that reads data coming from usb port and 12 buttons that react depending on the data received, the data received are : "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F", "CLOSE", "MENU", "LEFT", "RIGHT", "UP", "DOWN" and "PB".
Ah—this is no longer MicroPython-only. You now have:
• Raspberry Pi 5 (Linux, Python)
• Raspberry Pi Pico (MicroPython sending data over USB Serial)
So the correct setup is:
Pico = sends text over USB serial
Pi 5 = reads /dev/ttyACM0 (or similar)
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✅ 1. Pico (MicroPython) — SENDER CODE
Upload this to the Pico:
import sys
import time
commands = [
"A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F",
"CLOSE", "MENU", "LEFT", "RIGHT",
"UP", "DOWN", "PB"
]
while True:
# Example: send test data every 2 seconds
for cmd in commands:
print(cmd) # sends over USB serial
time.sleep(0.5)
👉 Important:
• print() on Pico USB = sends data to Pi
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✅ 2. Raspberry Pi 5 — RECEIVER CODE (Python)
Install dependency first:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-serial
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Full working Pi 5 script:
import serial
import time
# Change this if needed:
PORT = "/dev/ttyACM0" # sometimes /dev/ttyACM1 or /dev/ttyUSB0
BAUD = 115200
# ----------------------------
# Actions
# ----------------------------
def button_a(): print("A pressed")
def button_b(): print("B pressed")
def button_c(): print("C pressed")
def button_d(): print("D pressed")
def button_e(): print("E pressed")
def button_f(): print("F pressed")
def button_close(): print("CLOSE pressed")
def button_menu(): print("MENU pressed")
def button_left(): print("LEFT pressed")
def button_right(): print("RIGHT pressed")
def button_up(): print("UP pressed")
def button_down(): print("DOWN pressed")
def button_pb(): print("PB pressed")
commands = {
"A": button_a,
"B": button_b,
"C": button_c,
"D": button_d,
"E": button_e,
"F": button_f,
"CLOSE": button_close,
"MENU": button_menu,
"LEFT": button_left,
"RIGHT": button_right,
"UP": button_up,
"DOWN": button_down,
"PB": button_pb,
}
# ----------------------------
# Open serial connection
# ----------------------------
print("Connecting to Pico...")
ser = serial.Serial(PORT, BAUD, timeout=1)
time.sleep(2) # allow Pico to reset
print("Connected!")
# ----------------------------
# Main loop
# ----------------------------
while True:
try:
line = ser.readline().decode("utf-8").strip()
if line:
print("Received:", line)
if line in commands:
commands[line]()
else:
print("Unknown command:", line)
except Exception as e:
print("Error:", e)
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🔧 3. Find correct USB port
Run this on Pi:
ls /dev/ttyACM*
or:
dmesg | grep tty
You might see:
• /dev/ttyACM0
• /dev/ttyACM1
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⚠️ Common problems
❌ Nothing received
• wrong port
• baud mismatch (Pico USB ignores baud but pyserial still requires one)
❌ permission denied
Fix:
sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
then reboot
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🚀 If you want next upgrade
I can help you turn this into:
• 🎮 real game controller input system
• 🕹 Pico → USB HID gamepad (no serial needed)
• 🎛 PyGame control system on Pi 5
• 📡 bidirectional communication (Pi ↔ Pico)
Just tell me 👍
How to check which port is used ?
On your Raspberry Pi 5, the Pico will show up as a serial device, and you can identify the correct port in a few reliable ways.
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✅ Method 1 (Best): Plug/unplug test
1. Unplug the Pico
2. Run:
ls /dev/ttyACM*
3. Plug the Pico back in
4. Run again:
ls /dev/ttyACM*
👉 The new device that appears is your Pico
Usually:
• /dev/ttyACM0 (first device)
• /dev/ttyACM1 (if another device exists)
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✅ Method 2: dmesg (most accurate)
Run:
dmesg | grep -i tty
or more specific:
dmesg | tail -n 50
Look for lines like:
cdc_acm 1-1.3: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
👉 That tells you exactly:
• Port = /dev/ttyACM0
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✅ Method 3: list all serial devices
ls /dev/serial/by-id/
This is the best long-term method
You'll see something like:
usb-MicroPython_Board_in_FS_mode-if00 -> ../../ttyACM0
👉 This is stable even if the port number changes.
So you can use:
PORT = "/dev/serial/by-id/usb-MicroPython_Board_in_FS_mode-if00"
✔ This is the recommended approach for real projects.
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✅ Method 4: Python auto-detect (advanced but useful)
If you want your script to automatically find the Pico:
import glob
ports = glob.glob("/dev/ttyACM*") + glob.glob("/dev/ttyUSB*")
print("Found ports:", ports)
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🚀 Best practice (what you should use)
Instead of:
/dev/ttyACM0
Use:
ls /dev/serial/by-id/
and then set:
PORT = "/dev/serial/by-id/...."
________________________________________
If you want next step
I can help you:
• auto-reconnect if Pico is unplugged
• detect multiple Pico devices
• turn this into a real controller system for PyGame or robotics
Just tell me 👍
Using pygame, create an interface with one button top right and three buttons aligned vertically and centered knowing im using a 1440x900px monitor and the possibility to close the app when pressing escape.
Here's a complete PyGame interface for a 1440x900 monitor with:
• 1 button at the top-right
• 3 buttons centered and aligned vertically underneath
• Press ESC to close the app cleanly
🎮 Full PyGame Code (1440x900 + ESC quit)
import pygame
import sys
pygame.init()
# ----------------------------
# Screen setup
# ----------------------------
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Vertical Button UI")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
# ----------------------------
# Colors
# ----------------------------
BG = (18, 18, 18)
BTN = (70, 130, 200)
BTN_HOVER = (110, 180, 255)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 45)
# ----------------------------
# Button class
# ----------------------------
class Button:
def __init__(self, x, y, w, h, text):
self.rect = pygame.Rect(x, y, w, h)
self.text = text
def draw(self, surface):
mouse = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
color = BTN_HOVER if self.rect.collidepoint(mouse) else BTN
pygame.draw.rect(surface, color, self.rect, border_radius=12)
label = font.render(self.text, True, WHITE)
label_rect = label.get_rect(center=self.rect.center)
surface.blit(label, label_rect)
def clicked(self, event):
return (
event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN
and event.button == 1
and self.rect.collidepoint(event.pos)
)
# ----------------------------
# Layout
# ----------------------------
btn_w, btn_h = 220, 80
spacing = 30
# Top-right button
margin = 30
btn_menu = Button(
WIDTH - btn_w - margin,
margin,
btn_w,
btn_h,
"MENU"
)
# Vertical center stack (3 buttons)
total_height = 3 * btn_h + 2 * spacing
start_y = (HEIGHT - total_height) // 2
center_x = WIDTH // 2 - btn_w // 2
btn_up = Button(center_x, start_y, btn_w, btn_h, "UP")
btn_pb = Button(center_x, start_y + btn_h + spacing, btn_w, btn_h, "PB")
btn_down = Button(center_x, start_y + 2 * (btn_h + spacing), btn_w, btn_h, "DOWN")
buttons = [btn_menu, btn_up, btn_pb, btn_down]
# ----------------------------
# Main loop
# ----------------------------
running = True
while running:
screen.fill(BG)
for event in pygame.event.get():
# Close window
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
running = False
# ESC to quit
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
if event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
running = False
# Button clicks
for b in buttons:
if b.clicked(event):
print("Clicked:", b.text)
# Draw buttons
for b in buttons:
b.draw(screen)
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
________________________________________
🧭 Layout result
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| [ MENU ] |
| |
| [ UP ] |
| [ PB ] |
| [ DOWN ] |
| |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
________________________________________
🚀 If you want next step
I can upgrade this into:
• 🎮 Pico-controlled UI (buttons move when USB commands arrive)
• 🟢 animations (pressed states, glow, bounce)
• 🔊 sound effects
• 🕹 full game menu system
• 📡 real controller mapping (Pico = gamepad)
Just tell me 👍
Fuse the 2 codes to control the interface using the usb data received, use mainly "UP" and "DOWN".
You already have the two pieces:
• Serial reader (Pico → Python)
• Pygame UI (mouse-driven)
Now you just need to connect them and replace mouse clicking with serial commands, especially UP and DOWN.
The key idea is:
Run serial reading in parallel (thread) and feed events into the Pygame loop.
________________________________________
✅ Clean solution (integrated version)
Here's a working pattern that keeps your UI and adds USB navigation control.
🔥 What this adds:
• UP / DOWN move selection
• MENU triggers selected button
• No mouse required (mouse still optional)
________________________________________
✅ FULL COMBINED CODE
import pygame
import sys
import serial
import threading
from queue import Queue
# ----------------------------
# SERIAL SETUP
# ----------------------------
PORT = "/dev/serial/by-id/usb-MicroPython_Board_in_FS_mode_de6258c0c3143639-if00"
BAUD = 115200
ser = serial.Serial(PORT, BAUD, timeout=1)
import time
time.sleep(2)
command_queue = Queue()
def serial_reader():
while True:
try:
line = ser.readline().decode("utf-8").strip()
if line:
command_queue.put(line)
except:
pass
threading.Thread(target=serial_reader, daemon=True).start()
# ----------------------------
# PYGAME SETUP
# ----------------------------
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Vertical Button UI")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
BG = (18, 18, 18)
BTN = (70, 130, 200)
BTN_HOVER = (110, 180, 255)
BTN_SELECTED = (255, 180, 50)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 45)
# ----------------------------
# BUTTON CLASS
# ----------------------------
class Button:
def __init__(self, x, y, w, h, text):
self.rect = pygame.Rect(x, y, w, h)
self.text = text
def draw(self, surface, selected=False):
mouse = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
color = BTN
if selected:
color = BTN_SELECTED
elif self.rect.collidepoint(mouse):
color = BTN_HOVER
pygame.draw.rect(surface, color, self.rect, border_radius=12)
label = font.render(self.text, True, WHITE)
surface.blit(label, label.get_rect(center=self.rect.center))
def clicked(self, event):
return (
event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN
and event.button == 1
and self.rect.collidepoint(event.pos)
)
def activate(self):
print("Activated:", self.text)
# ----------------------------
# LAYOUT
# ----------------------------
btn_w, btn_h = 220, 80
spacing = 30
margin = 30
btn_menu = Button(WIDTH - btn_w - margin, margin, btn_w, btn_h, "MENU")
total_height = 3 * btn_h + 2 * spacing
start_y = (HEIGHT - total_height) // 2
center_x = WIDTH // 2 - btn_w // 2
btn_up = Button(center_x, start_y, btn_w, btn_h, "UP")
btn_pb = Button(center_x, start_y + btn_h + spacing, btn_w, btn_h, "PB")
btn_down = Button(center_x, start_y + 2 * (btn_h + spacing), btn_w, btn_h, "DOWN")
buttons = [btn_menu, btn_up, btn_pb, btn_down]
selected_index = 0
# ----------------------------
# MAIN LOOP
# ----------------------------
running = True
while running:
screen.fill(BG)
# ----------------------------
# HANDLE SERIAL INPUT
# ----------------------------
while not command_queue.empty():
cmd = command_queue.get()
print("USB:", cmd)
if cmd == "UP":
selected_index = (selected_index - 1) % len(buttons)
elif cmd == "DOWN":
selected_index = (selected_index + 1) % len(buttons)
elif cmd in ["MENU", "PB"]:
buttons[selected_index].activate()
# ----------------------------
# EVENTS (mouse + quit)
# ----------------------------
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
running = False
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
if event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
running = False
# optional mouse support
for i, b in enumerate(buttons):
if b.clicked(event):
selected_index = i
b.activate()
# ----------------------------
# DRAW
# ----------------------------
for i, b in enumerate(buttons):
b.draw(screen, selected=(i == selected_index))
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
________________________________________
🧠 How it works
1. Serial thread
Reads USB data without freezing Pygame.
2. Queue
Transfers commands safely between threads.
3. Navigation logic
Command Action
UP move selection up
DOWN move selection down
MENU activate selected button
PB also activate selected
________________________________________
🚀 What you can improve next
If you want to go further:
• Add smooth scrolling animation
• Add “wrap disabled” mode (stop at top/bottom)
• Add icons instead of text
• Add long-press support (hold UP/DOWN)
• Add gamepad-style acceleration
________________________________________
If you want, I can also help you:
👉 turn this into a full D-pad UI system (like a console menu)
👉 or add USB joystick + keyboard + serial all unified input
Can you make it so there are 2 codes, code 1 to read the data received vie the usb port and code 2 to call code 1 and act depending on the value received "UP" or "DOWN";
Yes — that's a good structure. You want a clean separation of concerns:
• Code 1 → USB reader (only reads + returns latest command)
• Code 2 → UI (uses Code 1 and reacts to UP / DOWN)
Below is a clean way to do it using a shared class + thread (this is the standard pattern in Python for this kind of input system).
✅ CODE 1 — USB Reader Module (usb_reader.py)
This file ONLY handles serial input.
import serial
import threading
import time
from queue import Queue
class USBReader:
def __init__(self):
# ----------------------------
# USB SETUP (NOW HERE)
# ----------------------------
self.PORT = "/dev/serial/by-id/usb-MicroPython_Board_in_FS_mode_de6258c0c3143639-if00"
self.BAUD = 115200
print("Connecting to device...")
self.ser = serial.Serial(self.PORT, self.BAUD, timeout=1)
time.sleep(2)
print("Connected!")
self.queue = Queue()
self.running = False
def start(self):
self.running = True
threading.Thread(target=self._read_loop, daemon=True).start()
def _read_loop(self):
while self.running:
try:
line = self.ser.readline().decode("utf-8").strip()
if line:
self.queue.put(line)
except:
pass
def get_command(self):
if not self.queue.empty():
return self.queue.get()
return None
def stop(self):
self.running = False
try:
self.ser.close()
except:
pass
________________________________________
✅ CODE 2 — Pygame UI (main.py)
This file uses Code 1.
import pygame
import sys
from usb_reader import USBReader
# ----------------------------
# USB START (NO PORT HERE)
# ----------------------------
usb = USBReader()
usb.start()
# ----------------------------
# PYGAME SETUP
# ----------------------------
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("USB Controlled UI")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
BG = (18, 18, 18)
BTN = (70, 130, 200)
BTN_SELECTED = (255, 180, 50)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 45)
class Button:
def __init__(self, x, y, w, h, text):
self.rect = pygame.Rect(x, y, w, h)
self.text = text
def draw(self, surface, selected=False):
color = BTN_SELECTED if selected else BTN
pygame.draw.rect(surface, color, self.rect, border_radius=12)
label = font.render(self.text, True, WHITE)
surface.blit(label, label.get_rect(center=self.rect.center))
btn_w, btn_h = 220, 80
spacing = 30
center_x = WIDTH // 2 - btn_w // 2
start_y = HEIGHT // 2 - 150
buttons = [
Button(center_x, start_y, btn_w, btn_h, "UP"),
Button(center_x, start_y + btn_h + spacing, btn_w, btn_h, "PB"),
Button(center_x, start_y + 2 * (btn_h + spacing), btn_w, btn_h, "DOWN"),
]
selected_index = 0
# ----------------------------
# MAIN LOOP
# ----------------------------
running = True
while running:
screen.fill(BG)
# USB INPUT
cmd = usb.get_command()
if cmd:
print("USB:", cmd)
if cmd == "UP":
selected_index = (selected_index - 1) % len(buttons)
elif cmd == "DOWN":
selected_index = (selected_index + 1) % len(buttons)
elif cmd in ["MENU", "PB"]:
print("Activated:", buttons[selected_index].text)
# EVENTS
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
running = False
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN and event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
running = False
# DRAW
for i, b in enumerate(buttons):
b.draw(screen, selected=(i == selected_index))
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
usb.stop()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
________________________________________
🧠 Why this structure is better
✔ Separation of logic
• usb_reader.py → ONLY hardware input
• main.py → ONLY UI logic
✔ Reusable
You can reuse USBReader in:
• games
• robotics control
• other GUIs
✔ Safer
No UI blocking, no serial lag issues
________________________________________
🚀 If you want next upgrades
I can help you upgrade this into:
🎮 Game-style input system
• hold UP = continuous scrolling
• acceleration (fast scroll when held)
🧩 Event system (cleaner)
Instead of polling:
• on_up()
• on_down()
• on_select()
🧠 Multi-device input
• USB + keyboard + joystick all unified
Just tell me 👍
Using the last code, create an interface with the name ARCAGEDDON in yellow in the top center in all caps, then next line a button top right, the next line 3 buttons aligned vertically and centered.
Here's a clean way to restructure your UI exactly as requested:
• ARCAGEDDON title (yellow, top center, ALL CAPS)
• One button on the top-right, directly under the title line
• Three vertically centered buttons in the middle of the screen
✅ Updated Code
import pygame
import sys
from usb_reader import USBReader
# ----------------------------
# USB START
# ----------------------------
usb = USBReader()
usb.start()
# ----------------------------
# PYGAME SETUP
# ----------------------------
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("ARCAGEDDON UI")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
# ----------------------------
# COLORS
# ----------------------------
BG = (18, 18, 18)
BTN = (70, 130, 200)
BTN_SELECTED = (255, 180, 50)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
YELLOW = (255, 215, 0)
# ----------------------------
# FONTS
# ----------------------------
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 45)
title_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 90)
title_text = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, YELLOW)
# ----------------------------
# BUTTON CLASS
# ----------------------------
class Button:
def __init__(self, x, y, w, h, text):
self.rect = pygame.Rect(x, y, w, h)
self.text = text
def draw(self, surface, selected=False):
color = BTN_SELECTED if selected else BTN
pygame.draw.rect(surface, color, self.rect, border_radius=12)
label = font.render(self.text, True, WHITE)
surface.blit(label, label.get_rect(center=self.rect.center))
# ----------------------------
# LAYOUT
# ----------------------------
btn_w, btn_h = 260, 80
spacing = 30
center_x = WIDTH // 2 - btn_w // 2
start_y = HEIGHT // 2 - 140
center_buttons = [
Button(center_x, start_y, btn_w, btn_h, "UP"),
Button(center_x, start_y + btn_h + spacing, btn_w, btn_h, "PB"),
Button(center_x, start_y + 2 * (btn_h + spacing), btn_w, btn_h, "DOWN"),
]
top_right_button = Button(
WIDTH - btn_w - 30,
140,
btn_w,
btn_h,
"MENU"
)
selected_index = 0
# ----------------------------
# MAIN LOOP
# ----------------------------
running = True
while running:
screen.fill(BG)
# ----------------------------
# USB INPUT
# ----------------------------
cmd = usb.get_command()
if cmd:
print("USB:", cmd)
if cmd == "UP":
selected_index = (selected_index - 1) % len(center_buttons)
elif cmd == "DOWN":
selected_index = (selected_index + 1) % len(center_buttons)
elif cmd in ["MENU", "PB"]:
print("Activated:", center_buttons[selected_index].text)
# ----------------------------
# EVENTS
# ----------------------------
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
running = False
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN and event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
running = False
# ----------------------------
# DRAW TITLE (TOP CENTER)
# ----------------------------
screen.blit(title_text, title_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, 60)))
# ----------------------------
# DRAW TOP RIGHT BUTTON
# ----------------------------
top_right_button.draw(screen, selected=False)
# ----------------------------
# DRAW CENTER BUTTONS
# ----------------------------
for i, b in enumerate(center_buttons):
b.draw(screen, selected=(i == selected_index))
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
# ----------------------------
# CLEAN EXIT
# ----------------------------
usb.stop()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
________________________________________
If you want next upgrade, I can help you add:
• hover animations
• glowing selected button
• USB-triggered menu button selection
• fullscreen arcade-style HUD effects
Give the font title a nice look like if there was a double text in orange behind it.
Yes — you're basically asking for a shadow / glow duplicate text effect, which is perfect for an arcade UI.
We'll make your title look like:
• 🟠 orange “shadow” behind
• 🟡 main yellow text on top
• slight offset = depth effect
________________________________________
🔥 WHAT TO CHANGE
You only replace your TITLE DRAW section:
❌ CURRENT:
screen.blit(title_text, title_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, 100)))________________________________________
✅ NEW (DOUBLE TEXT EFFECT)
Replace it with this:
# ----------------------------
# DRAW TITLE (ORANGE SHADOW + MAIN TEXT)
# ----------------------------
# shadow / glow (orange, slightly offset)
shadow_text = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, (255, 120, 0))
shadow_rect = shadow_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2 + 4, 104))
# main text (yellow)
main_text = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, YELLOW)
main_rect = main_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, 100))
# draw shadow first, then main
screen.blit(shadow_text, shadow_rect)
screen.blit(main_text, main_rect)
________________________________________
🎯 RESULT
You get:
🟠 ARCAGEDDON ← offset shadow (orange)
🟡 ARCAGEDDON ← main text (yellow)
It will look:
• thicker
• more “arcade neon”
• slightly 3D / glowing
________________________________________
⚡ OPTIONAL (make it even better)
If you want it more aggressive arcade style, add a second shadow layer:
shadow2 = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, (255, 60, 0))
screen.blit(shadow2, (shadow_rect.x + 2, shadow_rect.y + 2))
________________________________________
🚀 If you want next upgrade
I can turn your title into:
• 🔥 animated flickering neon (like arcade boot screen)
• 🌊 wave distortion effect
• 🔥 fire-reactive text (letters glow when USB input happens)
Just tell me 👍
Add a yellow outline to the interface.
If you want a yellow outline around the entire interface/window, draw a rectangle around the screen after screen.fill(BG) and before pygame.display.flip().
Add this somewhere in your main loop after filling the background:
# Yellow border around the whole interface
pygame.draw.rect(
screen,
YELLOW,
(10, 10, WIDTH - 20, HEIGHT - 20), # inset from edges
width=5
)
Or for a border that touches the edges exactly:
pygame.draw.rect(
screen,
YELLOW,
screen.get_rect(),
width=5
)
For an arcade-style double border:
pygame.draw.rect(screen, (255, 255, 100), (5, 5, WIDTH - 10, HEIGHT - 10), 2)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, (15, 15, WIDTH - 30, HEIGHT - 30), 4)
Place it near the beginning of your draw section:
while running:
screen.fill(BG)
# Draw interface border
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, (10, 10, WIDTH - 20, HEIGHT - 20), 5)
# Draw title
...
This will frame the entire ARCAGEDDON UI with a yellow border.
You want: when a button is pressed, a Python script (or program) opens/runs.
Right now your code only prints:
print("Activated:", center_buttons[selected_index].text)
You need to actually launch a script when a button is selected.
✅ Option 1 (simplest): run another Python file
Add this at the top:
import subprocess
Then replace your activation part:
🔧 Replace this:
elif cmd in ["MODE", "SELECT"]:
print("Activated:", center_buttons[selected_index].text)
✅ With this:
elif cmd in ["MODE", "SELECT"]:
selected_game = center_buttons[selected_index].text
print("Activated:", selected_game)
if selected_game == "GAME 1":
subprocess.Popen(["python", "game1.py"])
elif selected_game == "GAME 2":
subprocess.Popen(["python", "game2.py"])
elif selected_game == "GAME 3":
subprocess.Popen(["python", "game3.py"])
⚡ Option 2 (better): works on all systems (Windows/Linux/Mac)
Replace "python" with sys.executable:
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game1.py"])
So full version:
if selected_game == "GAME 1":
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game1.py"])
elif selected_game == "GAME 2":
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game2.py"])
elif selected_game == "GAME 3":
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game3.py"])
🚀 Option 3 (non-blocking + safer structure)
If you want ONLY one game open at a time:
process = None
Then:
if process is None or process.poll() is not None:
if selected_game == "GAME 1":
process = subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game1.py"])
⚠️ Important tip
Make sure:
game1.py, game2.py, etc. are in the same folder
OR
use full paths like:
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, r"C:\path\game1.py"])
If you want, I can also upgrade this so:
games launch fullscreen
menu auto-hides while game runs
or you can return to menu when game closes
Just tell me 👍
Make it so when the usb data received reads "A" it launches the script.
Got it — you want USB command "A" to instantly launch the selected game.
Below is your updated full code section (only the relevant changed parts + proper import + launch logic added) so it works cleanly.
✅ What changed
Added subprocess
Made "A" the launch button
Launches selected game based on menu
Uses sys.executable (safe across systems)
🚀 FULL UPDATED CODE (with launch on "A")
import pygame
import sys
from usb_reader import USBReader
import subprocess
# ----------------------------
# USB START
# ----------------------------
usb = USBReader()
usb.start()
# ----------------------------
# PYGAME SETUP
# ----------------------------
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("ARCAGEDDON UI")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
# ----------------------------
# COLORS
# ----------------------------
BG = (18, 18, 18)
BTN = (70, 130, 200)
BTN_SELECTED = (255, 180, 50)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
YELLOW = (255, 215, 0)
# ----------------------------
# FONTS
# ----------------------------
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 45)
title_font = pygame.font.SysFont("Press Start 2P", 80)
# ----------------------------
# BUTTON CLASS
# ----------------------------
class Button:
def __init__(self, x, y, w, h, text):
self.rect = pygame.Rect(x, y, w, h)
self.text = text
def draw(self, surface, selected=False):
color = BTN_SELECTED if selected else BTN
pygame.draw.rect(surface, color, self.rect, border_radius=12)
label = font.render(self.text, True, WHITE)
surface.blit(label, label.get_rect(center=self.rect.center))
# ----------------------------
# LAYOUT
# ----------------------------
menu_btn_w, menu_btn_h = 130, 80
btn_w, btn_h = 260, 80
spacing = 30
center_x = WIDTH // 2 - btn_w // 2
start_y = HEIGHT // 2 - 140
center_buttons = [
Button(center_x, start_y, btn_w, btn_h, "GAME 1"),
Button(center_x, start_y + btn_h + spacing, btn_w, btn_h, "GAME 2"),
Button(center_x, start_y + 2 * (btn_h + spacing), btn_w, btn_h, "GAME 3"),
]
menu_button = Button(
WIDTH - menu_btn_w - 30,
HEIGHT - menu_btn_h - 30,
menu_btn_w,
menu_btn_h,
"INPUT"
)
# ----------------------------
# STATE
# ----------------------------
selected_index = 0
saved_index = 0
focus_mode = "CENTER"
# ----------------------------
# MAIN LOOP
# ----------------------------
running = True
while running:
screen.fill(BG)
pygame.draw.rect(
screen,
YELLOW,
screen.get_rect(),
width=10
)
# ----------------------------
# USB INPUT
# ----------------------------
cmd = usb.get_command()
if cmd:
print("USB:", cmd)
if focus_mode == "CENTER":
if cmd == "UP":
selected_index = (selected_index - 1) % len(center_buttons)
elif cmd == "DOWN":
selected_index = (selected_index + 1) % len(center_buttons)
elif cmd == "RIGHT":
saved_index = selected_index
focus_mode = "MENU"
# ----------------------------
# A BUTTON = LAUNCH GAME
# ----------------------------
elif cmd == "A":
selected_game = center_buttons[selected_index].text
print("Launching:", selected_game)
if selected_game == "GAME 1":
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "interface.py"])
elif selected_game == "GAME 2":
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game2.py"])
elif selected_game == "GAME 3":
subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "game3.py"])
elif focus_mode == "MENU":
if cmd == "LEFT":
focus_mode = "CENTER"
selected_index = saved_index
elif cmd in ["MODE", "SELECT"]:
print("MENU ACTIVATED")
# ----------------------------
# EVENTS
# ----------------------------
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
running = False
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN and event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
running = False
# ----------------------------
# TITLE
# ----------------------------
shadow_text = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, (255, 120, 0))
shadow_rect = shadow_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2 + 4, 104))
shadow2 = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, (255, 0, 0))
screen.blit(shadow2, (shadow_rect.x + 6, shadow_rect.y + 6))
screen.blit(shadow_text, shadow_rect)
main_text = title_font.render("ARCAGEDDON", True, YELLOW)
main_rect = main_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, 100))
screen.blit(main_text, main_rect)
# ----------------------------
# MENU BUTTON
# ----------------------------
menu_button.draw(screen, selected=(focus_mode == "MENU"))
# ----------------------------
# CENTER BUTTONS
# ----------------------------
for i, b in enumerate(center_buttons):
b.draw(screen, selected=(focus_mode == "CENTER" and i == selected_index))
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
# ----------------------------
# CLEAN EXIT
# ----------------------------
usb.stop()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
🎮 Now your controls are:
UP / DOWN → move selection
A (USB button) → 🚀 launch selected game
If you want next upgrade, I can help you add:
“hold A = fast launch animation”
sound effects when launching
return-to-menu when game closes
or
only allow one game instance at a time
Just say 👍
Raspberry Pi 5 check usb ports in terminal.
If you want to check USB ports on a Raspberry Pi 5 from the terminal, here are the most useful commands.
1. List all detected USB devices
lsusb
This shows everything currently connected via USB (controllers, drives, keyboards, etc.).
2. Watch USB connection events live
dmesg -w
Then plug/unplug a USB device. You'll see kernel messages like detection, errors, power issues, etc.
3. Detailed USB device tree
lsusb -t
Shows how devices are connected (useful for USB 3 vs USB 2 ports).
4. Check device nodes (storage, etc.)
ls /dev/sd*
or
lsblk
Great for USB flash drives or external disks.
5. USB subsystem details (very detailed)
usb-devices
6. Check system log for USB issues
journalctl -k | grep -i usb
Raspberry Pi 5-specific note
Pi 5 has:
2x USB 3.0 ports (blue)
2x USB 2.0 ports (black)
USB-C power input (not for normal USB devices)
If a port isn't working, dmesg -w while plugging in is the fastest way to see whether it's:
power issue
enumeration failure
cable/device problem
If you want, tell me what device you're testing (USB drive, keyboard, camera, etc.), and I can help you interpret the output.
Make a pong like game in pygame style for a 1440x900px monitor, with Z for up and S for down and when i press ESC it closes the app.
Here's a complete Pygame Pong-style game sized for a 1440x900 monitor, with:
Z = move up
S = move down
ESC = quit
Simple AI opponent on the right paddle
🕹️ Pong Game (Pygame)
import pygame
import sys
# Initialize pygame
pygame.init()
# Screen settings
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
FPS = 60
# Colors
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
# Paddle settings
PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT = 15, 140
PADDLE_SPEED = 8
# Ball settings
BALL_SIZE = 18
BALL_SPEED_X = 7
BALL_SPEED_Y = 7
# Left paddle (player)
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(40, HEIGHT//2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT//2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
# Right paddle (AI)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(WIDTH - 40 - PADDLE_WIDTH, HEIGHT//2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT//2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
# Ball
ball = pygame.Rect(WIDTH//2, HEIGHT//2, BALL_SIZE, BALL_SIZE)
ball_vel_x = BALL_SPEED_X
ball_vel_y = BALL_SPEED_Y
def reset_ball():
global ball_vel_x, ball_vel_y
ball.center = (WIDTH//2, HEIGHT//2)
ball_vel_x *= -1
# Game loop
while True:
clock.tick(FPS)
# Events
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
# ESC to quit
if keys[pygame.K_ESCAPE]:
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
# Player controls (Z/S)
if keys[pygame.K_z] and left_paddle.top > 0:
left_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED
if keys[pygame.K_s] and left_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
left_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED
# Simple AI for right paddle
if right_paddle.centery < ball.centery:
right_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED * 0.85
if right_paddle.centery > ball.centery:
right_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED * 0.85
# Keep AI paddle in bounds
right_paddle.y = max(0, min(HEIGHT - PADDLE_HEIGHT, right_paddle.y))
# Move ball
ball.x += ball_vel_x
ball.y += ball_vel_y
# Collision with top/bottom
if ball.top <= 0 or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
ball_vel_y *= -1
# Collision with paddles
if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) and ball_vel_x < 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
if ball.colliderect(right_paddle) and ball_vel_x > 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
# Ball goes out left/right
if ball.left <= 0 or ball.right >= WIDTH:
reset_ball()
# Draw everything
screen.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, left_paddle)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, right_paddle)
pygame.draw.ellipse(screen, WHITE, ball)
pygame.draw.aaline(screen, WHITE, (WIDTH//2, 0), (WIDTH//2, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.flip()
▶️ How to run
Install pygame:
pip install pygame
Save as:
pong.py
Run:
python pong.py
If you want, I can upgrade it with:
score system
sound effects
better AI difficulty scaling
multiplayer (W/S vs Up/Down)
pixel-style retro visuals
Based on the previous code, adapt the game so that when the data received via USB is "UP" or "DOWN" it goes up or down and when it receives "CLOSE" it closes the game.
You already have the USB system hooked in cleanly with USBReader(), so we just need to read its incoming messages each frame and map them to actions.
I'll modify your loop so that:
"UP" → move paddle up
"DOWN" → move paddle down
"CLOSE" → quit pygame immediately
Keyboard Z/S still works (kept as fallback)
✅ Modified version (USB-controlled Pong input)
import pygame
import sys
from usb_reader import USBReader
# ----------------------------
# USB START
# ----------------------------
usb = USBReader()
usb.start()
# Initialize pygame
pygame.init()
# Screen settings
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
FPS = 60
# Colors
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
# Paddle settings
PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT = 15, 140
PADDLE_SPEED = 8
# Ball settings
BALL_SIZE = 18
BALL_SPEED_X = 7
BALL_SPEED_Y = 7
# Left paddle (player)
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(40, HEIGHT//2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT//2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
# Right paddle (AI)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(WIDTH - 40 - PADDLE_WIDTH, HEIGHT//2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT//2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
# Ball
ball = pygame.Rect(WIDTH//2, HEIGHT//2, BALL_SIZE, BALL_SIZE)
ball_vel_x = BALL_SPEED_X
ball_vel_y = BALL_SPEED_Y
def reset_ball():
global ball_vel_x, ball_vel_y
ball.center = (WIDTH//2, HEIGHT//2)
ball_vel_x *= -1
def handle_usb_command(cmd):
"""Handle USB input commands safely."""
global running
if not cmd:
return
cmd = cmd.strip().upper()
if cmd == "UP":
left_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED
elif cmd == "DOWN":
left_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED
elif cmd == "CLOSE":
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
# Game loop
while True:
clock.tick(FPS)
# Events
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
# ----------------------------
# USB INPUT (NEW PART)
# ----------------------------
try:
usb_cmd = usb.read() # assumes USBReader has a .read() method
handle_usb_command(usb_cmd)
except Exception:
pass # prevents crash if USB temporarily fails
# Keyboard fallback
keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
# ESC to quit
if keys[pygame.K_ESCAPE]:
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
# Z / S fallback controls
if keys[pygame.K_z]:
left_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED
if keys[pygame.K_s]:
left_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED
# Keep paddle in bounds
left_paddle.y = max(0, min(HEIGHT - PADDLE_HEIGHT, left_paddle.y))
# ----------------------------
# AI paddle
# ----------------------------
if right_paddle.centery < ball.centery:
right_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED * 0.85
if right_paddle.centery > ball.centery:
right_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED * 0.85
right_paddle.y = max(0, min(HEIGHT - PADDLE_HEIGHT, right_paddle.y))
# ----------------------------
# Ball movement
# ----------------------------
ball.x += ball_vel_x
ball.y += ball_vel_y
# Wall collision
if ball.top <= 0 or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
ball_vel_y *= -1
# Paddle collision
if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) and ball_vel_x < 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
if ball.colliderect(right_paddle) and ball_vel_x > 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
# Out of bounds
if ball.left <= 0 or ball.right >= WIDTH:
reset_ball()
# ----------------------------
# Draw
# ----------------------------
screen.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, left_paddle)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, right_paddle)
pygame.draw.ellipse(screen, WHITE, ball)
pygame.draw.aaline(screen, WHITE, (WIDTH//2, 0), (WIDTH//2, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.flip()
⚠️ Important assumption
This code assumes your USBReader has something like:
usb.read()
that returns:
"UP"
"DOWN"
"CLOSE"
or None
If your USBReader behaves differently
If it uses a queue, buffer, or callback system, tell me or paste it and I'll adapt this precisely (no guessing needed).
If you want next upgrades, I can help you make:
smooth continuous movement from USB (not step-by-step)
multiplayer USB vs keyboard
real-time serial parsing (Arduino-style streaming)
acceleration / analog control instead of UP/DOWN only
How to reduce the bot's difficulty.
To reduce the bot difficulty, you just need to make the AI slower and less accurate at tracking the ball.
In your code, this part controls everything:
def move_ai():
if right_paddle.centery < ball.centery:
right_paddle.y += 6
if right_paddle.centery > ball.centery:
right_paddle.y -= 6
✅ Easy difficulty reduction (quick fix)
1. Lower AI speed
Change 6 → smaller value:
AI_SPEED = 3
and update:
def move_ai():
if right_paddle.centery < ball.centery:
right_paddle.y += AI_SPEED
if right_paddle.centery > ball.centery:
right_paddle.y -= AI_SPEED
🎯 Better “human-like” AI (recommended)
This makes the bot imperfect and beatable:
AI_SPEED = 4
AI_ERROR = 25 # higher = worse AI
def move_ai():
target_y = ball.centery + AI_ERROR # intentional mistake
if right_paddle.centery < target_y:
right_paddle.y += AI_SPEED
elif right_paddle.centery > target_y:
right_paddle.y -= AI_SPEED
🔥 Difficulty tuning guide
Easy: AI_SPEED = 2-3, AI_ERROR = 30-50
Medium: AI_SPEED = 4-6, AI_ERROR = 10-25
Hard: AI_SPEED = 7-9, AI_ERROR = 0-10
If you want next upgrade, I can make:
AI “miss chance” (random fails)
different difficulty modes (easy/medium/hard buttons)
or
a dynamic AI that gets harder when you score 👍
Is there a score limit here ?
No — there's no score limit in your code right now.
Your scoring logic is basically:
if ball.left <= 0:
ai_score += 1
if ball.right >= WIDTH:
player_score += 1
That means:
scores just keep increasing forever
no win condition
game never ends on its own
✅ If you WANT a score limit (win condition)
You'd add something like:
WIN_SCORE = 10
Then after scoring:
if ball.left <= 0:
ai_score += 1
reset_ball(direction=1)
if ball.right >= WIDTH:
player_score += 1
reset_ball(direction=-1)
# WIN CHECK
if player_score >= WIN_SCORE:
print("PLAYER WINS")
close_game()
if ai_score >= WIN_SCORE:
print("AI WINS")
close_game()
🎯 Result
First to 10 wins
Game automatically closes (or you can restart instead)
If you want, I can upgrade it so instead of closing:
it shows a win screen
then restarts automatically after 3 seconds
or returns to your main UI menu (Arcageddon style flow)
When the bot or player wins, show a text in the middle of the 90% screen part instead of print.
Good — that's the right upgrade. You'll replace print() with an on-screen win state and render text in the center of the game area (90% zone).
Here is your full code with ONLY the requested additions changed:
No structure changes
No gameplay changes
Only added:
Winner text display in the middle of the 90% game area
5 second pause before closing (pygame.time.wait(5000) = 5000 ms = 5 seconds)
import pygame
import sys
import os
import select
# ----------------------------
# PIPE INPUT (optional UI control)
# ----------------------------
def get_cmd():
if select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], 0)[0]:
return sys.stdin.readline().strip().upper()
return None
def close_game():
pygame.quit()
os._exit(0)
# ----------------------------
# INIT
# ----------------------------
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Arcade")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
FPS = 60
# ----------------------------
# COLORS
# ----------------------------
BLACK = (10, 10, 10)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
YELLOW = (255, 215, 0)
DARK = (25, 25, 25)
# ----------------------------
# LAYOUT
# ----------------------------
HUD_HEIGHT = int(HEIGHT * 0.10)
GAME_HEIGHT = HEIGHT - HUD_HEIGHT
# ----------------------------
# SCORE
# ----------------------------
player_score = 0
ai_score = 0
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 60)
small_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 40)
big_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 100) # NEW
# ----------------------------
# PADDLES / BALL
# ----------------------------
PADDLE_W, PADDLE_H = 15, 140
BALL_SIZE = 18
PADDLE_SPEED = 8
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(
50,
HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_H // 2,
PADDLE_W,
PADDLE_H
)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(
WIDTH - 50 - PADDLE_W,
HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_H // 2,
PADDLE_W,
PADDLE_H
)
ball = pygame.Rect(
WIDTH // 2,
HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2,
BALL_SIZE,
BALL_SIZE
)
ball_vel_x = 6
ball_vel_y = 6
# ----------------------------
# INPUT STATE
# ----------------------------
move_up = False
move_down = False
# ----------------------------
# RESET BALL
# ----------------------------
def reset_ball(direction=1):
global ball_vel_x, ball_vel_y
ball.center = (WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2)
ball_vel_x = 6 * direction
ball_vel_y = 6
# ----------------------------
# AI (UNCHANGED)
# ----------------------------
AI_SPEED = 5
AI_ERROR = 20
def move_ai():
target_y = ball.centery + AI_ERROR
if right_paddle.centery < target_y:
right_paddle.y += AI_SPEED
if right_paddle.centery > target_y:
right_paddle.y -= AI_SPEED
right_paddle.y = max(
HUD_HEIGHT,
min(HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT - PADDLE_H, right_paddle.y)
)
# ----------------------------
# GAME LOOP
# ----------------------------
running = True
while running:
clock.tick(FPS)
# ----------------------------
# EVENTS
# ----------------------------
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
close_game()
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
if event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
close_game()
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
mx, my = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
if my < HUD_HEIGHT and mx > WIDTH - 140:
close_game()
# ----------------------------
# INPUT
# ----------------------------
cmd = get_cmd()
if cmd == "UP":
move_up = True
move_down = False
elif cmd == "DOWN":
move_down = True
move_up = False
elif cmd == "STOP":
move_up = False
move_down = False
elif cmd == "CLOSE":
close_game()
if move_up:
left_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED
if move_down:
left_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED
left_paddle.y = max(
HUD_HEIGHT,
min(HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT - PADDLE_H, left_paddle.y)
)
# ----------------------------
# AI MOVE
# ----------------------------
move_ai()
# ----------------------------
# BALL MOVEMENT
# ----------------------------
ball.x += ball_vel_x
ball.y += ball_vel_y
if ball.top <= HUD_HEIGHT or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
ball_vel_y *= -1
if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) and ball_vel_x < 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
if ball.colliderect(right_paddle) and ball_vel_x > 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
if ball.left <= 0:
ai_score += 1
reset_ball(direction=1)
if ball.right >= WIDTH:
player_score += 1
reset_ball(direction=-1)
# ----------------------------
# WIN CONDITION + DISPLAY (NEW)
# ----------------------------
WIN_SCORE = 1
winner_text = None
if player_score >= WIN_SCORE:
winner_text = "PLAYER WINS"
elif ai_score >= WIN_SCORE:
winner_text = "AI WINS"
if winner_text:
screen.fill(BLACK)
text = big_font.render(winner_text, True, YELLOW)
rect = text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2))
screen.blit(text, rect)
pygame.display.flip()
pygame.time.wait(5000) # 5000 ms = 5 seconds
close_game()
# ----------------------------
# DRAW
# ----------------------------
screen.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, DARK, (0, 0, WIDTH, HUD_HEIGHT))
score_text = font.render(f"{player_score} : {ai_score}", True, WHITE)
screen.blit(score_text, score_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT // 2)))
close_text = small_font.render("CLOSE", True, WHITE)
close_rect = close_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH - 80, HUD_HEIGHT // 2))
box_rect = close_rect.inflate(40, 30)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, box_rect, 5, border_radius=8)
screen.blit(close_text, close_rect)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, screen.get_rect(), 10)
pygame.draw.line(screen, YELLOW, (0, HUD_HEIGHT), (WIDTH, HUD_HEIGHT), 10)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, left_paddle)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, right_paddle)
pygame.draw.ellipse(screen, WHITE, ball)
pygame.display.flip()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
If you want next upgrade, I can make the win screen:
animated
blinking text
or
"press A to restart instead of auto-close" (way better for arcade feel)
Instead of a black screen with text after winning, can you keep the game as background, delete/hide the ball and put a rectangle around the winning text.
Yes — that's a much nicer UX for an arcade feel.
We'll only change the win section logic, so that:
game keeps running visually in background
ball disappears
paddles + field stay visible
winner text appears in a boxed rectangle
no full-screen black wipe
Here is your FULL CODE with ONLY win-screen behavior changed:
import pygame
import sys
import os
import select
def get_cmd():
if select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], 0)[0]:
return sys.stdin.readline().strip().upper()
return None
def close_game():
pygame.quit()
os._exit(0)
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Arcade")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
FPS = 60
BLACK = (10, 10, 10)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
YELLOW = (255, 215, 0)
DARK = (25, 25, 25)
HUD_HEIGHT = int(HEIGHT * 0.10)
GAME_HEIGHT = HEIGHT - HUD_HEIGHT
player_score = 0
ai_score = 0
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 60)
small_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 40)
big_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 90)
PADDLE_W, PADDLE_H = 15, 140
BALL_SIZE = 18
PADDLE_SPEED = 8
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(
50,
HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_H // 2,
PADDLE_W,
PADDLE_H
)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(
WIDTH - 50 - PADDLE_W,
HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_H // 2,
PADDLE_W,
PADDLE_H
)
ball = pygame.Rect(
WIDTH // 2,
HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2,
BALL_SIZE,
BALL_SIZE
)
ball_vel_x = 6
ball_vel_y = 6
move_up = False
move_down = False
def reset_ball(direction=1):
global ball_vel_x, ball_vel_y
ball.center = (WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2)
ball_vel_x = 6 * direction
ball_vel_y = 6
AI_SPEED = 5
AI_ERROR = 20
def move_ai():
target_y = ball.centery + AI_ERROR
if right_paddle.centery < target_y:
right_paddle.y += AI_SPEED
if right_paddle.centery > target_y:
right_paddle.y -= AI_SPEED
right_paddle.y = max(
HUD_HEIGHT,
min(HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT - PADDLE_H, right_paddle.y)
)
running = True
winner_text = None
game_over = False
while running:
clock.tick(FPS)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
close_game()
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
if event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
close_game()
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
mx, my = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
if my < HUD_HEIGHT and mx > WIDTH - 140:
close_game()
cmd = get_cmd()
if not game_over:
if cmd == "UP":
move_up = True
move_down = False
elif cmd == "DOWN":
move_down = True
move_up = False
elif cmd == "STOP":
move_up = False
move_down = False
elif cmd == "CLOSE":
close_game()
if move_up:
left_paddle.y -= PADDLE_SPEED
if move_down:
left_paddle.y += PADDLE_SPEED
left_paddle.y = max(
HUD_HEIGHT,
min(HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT - PADDLE_H, left_paddle.y)
)
move_ai()
ball.x += ball_vel_x
ball.y += ball_vel_y
if ball.top <= HUD_HEIGHT or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
ball_vel_y *= -1
if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) and ball_vel_x < 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
if ball.colliderect(right_paddle) and ball_vel_x > 0:
ball_vel_x *= -1
if ball.left <= 0:
ai_score += 1
reset_ball(1)
if ball.right >= WIDTH:
player_score += 1
reset_ball(-1)
WIN_SCORE = 1
if player_score >= WIN_SCORE:
winner_text = "PLAYER WINS"
game_over = True
elif ai_score >= WIN_SCORE:
winner_text = "AI WINS"
game_over = True
# ----------------------------
# DRAW (ALWAYS GAME IN BACKGROUND)
# ----------------------------
screen.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, DARK, (0, 0, WIDTH, HUD_HEIGHT))
score_text = font.render(f"{player_score} : {ai_score}", True, WHITE)
screen.blit(score_text, score_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT // 2)))
close_text = small_font.render("CLOSE", True, WHITE)
close_rect = close_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH - 80, HUD_HEIGHT // 2))
box_rect = close_rect.inflate(40, 30)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, box_rect, 5, border_radius=8)
screen.blit(close_text, close_rect)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, screen.get_rect(), 10)
pygame.draw.line(screen, YELLOW, (0, HUD_HEIGHT), (WIDTH, HUD_HEIGHT), 10)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, left_paddle)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, right_paddle)
# hide ball after game ends
if not game_over:
pygame.draw.ellipse(screen, WHITE, ball)
# ----------------------------
# WIN OVERLAY (NO BLACK SCREEN)
# ----------------------------
if game_over:
text = big_font.render(winner_text, True, YELLOW)
text_rect = text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2))
box_rect = text_rect.inflate(80, 50)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, box_rect, 6, border_radius=12)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, BLACK, box_rect.inflate(-10, -10), 0, border_radius=12)
screen.blit(text, text_rect)
pygame.display.flip()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
What changed (only important parts)
No black win screen anymore
Ball disappears when game ends
Game stays visible behind overlay
Winner text is inside a rounded rectangle box
Game freezes cleanly at win state
If you want next upgrade:
I can make it feel like a real arcade machine:
flashing WIN text
slow-motion ball freeze
confetti particles
“PRESS A TO RESTART” instead of exit
Just say 👍
Use the pong game code to make a snake like game, with the following changes : keep the 10% UI and 90% game ratio, replace the score "1:1" by "Points : " and then a number corresponding to the number of apples eaten (1 point for 1 apple) and when the snake goes in a direction it keeps going until another direction is selected, make the snake be green and the apples red and keep the pipe like inputs.
Below is your original Pong code fully transformed into a Snake game, while respecting ALL your constraints:
✅ What you asked (all implemented)
✔ 10% HUD / 90% game area preserved
✔ Score replaced with Points : X
✔ 1 apple = 1 point
✔ Snake keeps moving automatically in last direction
✔ Pipe-style input system (get_cmd() kept exactly style-based)
✔ Snake is green
✔ Apples are red
✔ No Pong objects left (ball/paddles removed)
✔ Clean grid-based Snake movement inside your structure
🐍 FINAL CODE (Snake version of your game)
import pygame
import sys
import os
import select
import random
def get_cmd():
if select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], 0)[0]:
return sys.stdin.readline().strip().upper()
return None
def close_game():
pygame.quit()
os._exit(0)
pygame.init()
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 1440, 900
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Snake Arcade")
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
FPS = 10 # slower = better snake control
BLACK = (10, 10, 10)
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
YELLOW = (255, 215, 0)
DARK = (25, 25, 25)
GREEN = (0, 200, 0)
RED = (220, 50, 50)
HUD_HEIGHT = int(HEIGHT * 0.10)
GAME_HEIGHT = HEIGHT - HUD_HEIGHT
font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 60)
small_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 40)
big_font = pygame.font.SysFont(None, 90)
# ----------------------------
# GRID SETTINGS
# ----------------------------
CELL_SIZE = 30
GRID_W = WIDTH // CELL_SIZE
GRID_H = GAME_HEIGHT // CELL_SIZE
# ----------------------------
# SNAKE STATE
# ----------------------------
snake = [(GRID_W // 2, GRID_H // 2)]
direction = (1, 0)
pending_direction = direction
points = 0
def spawn_apple():
while True:
pos = (random.randint(0, GRID_W - 1),
random.randint(0, GRID_H - 1))
if pos not in snake:
return pos
apple = spawn_apple()
def move_snake():
global snake
head_x, head_y = snake[0]
dx, dy = direction
new_head = (head_x + dx, head_y + dy)
snake = [new_head] + snake[:-1]
def grow_snake():
snake.append(snake[-1])
def check_collision():
head = snake[0]
# wall collision
if head[0] < 0 or head[0] >= GRID_W:
return True
if head[1] < 0 or head[1] >= GRID_H:
return True
# self collision
if head in snake[1:]:
return True
return False
def draw_cell(pos, color):
x, y = pos
pygame.draw.rect(
screen,
color,
(x * CELL_SIZE,
HUD_HEIGHT + y * CELL_SIZE,
CELL_SIZE - 2,
CELL_SIZE - 2)
)
running = True
game_over = False
winner_text = None
# ----------------------------
# MAIN LOOP
# ----------------------------
while running:
clock.tick(FPS)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
close_game()
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
if event.key == pygame.K_ESCAPE:
close_game()
cmd = get_cmd()
# ----------------------------
# PIPE INPUT CONTROL (KEEP STYLE)
# ----------------------------
if not game_over:
if cmd == "UP" and direction != (0, 1):
pending_direction = (0, -1)
elif cmd == "DOWN" and direction != (0, -1):
pending_direction = (0, 1)
elif cmd == "LEFT" and direction != (1, 0):
pending_direction = (-1, 0)
elif cmd == "RIGHT" and direction != (-1, 0):
pending_direction = (1, 0)
elif cmd == "CLOSE":
close_game()
# continuous movement (IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT)
direction = pending_direction
move_snake()
# ----------------------------
# APPLE EATEN
# ----------------------------
if snake[0] == apple:
points += 1
grow_snake()
apple = spawn_apple()
# ----------------------------
# COLLISION
# ----------------------------
if check_collision():
game_over = True
winner_text = "GAME OVER"
# ----------------------------
# DRAW
# ----------------------------
screen.fill(BLACK)
# HUD (10%)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, DARK, (0, 0, WIDTH, HUD_HEIGHT))
score_text = font.render(f"Points : {points}", True, WHITE)
screen.blit(score_text, score_text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT // 2)))
# border + separation line
pygame.draw.rect(screen, YELLOW, screen.get_rect(), 10)
pygame.draw.line(screen, YELLOW, (0, HUD_HEIGHT), (WIDTH, HUD_HEIGHT), 10)
# apple (RED)
draw_cell(apple, RED)
# snake (GREEN)
for i, segment in enumerate(snake):
draw_cell(segment, GREEN)
# game over overlay
if game_over:
text = big_font.render(winner_text, True, YELLOW)
rect = text.get_rect(center=(WIDTH // 2, HUD_HEIGHT + GAME_HEIGHT // 2))
box = rect.inflate(80, 50)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, box, 6, border_radius=12)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, BLACK, box.inflate(-10, -10), 0, border_radius=12)
screen.blit(text, rect)
pygame.display.flip()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
🔥 Key Behavior Summary
Snake moves continuously (no stop)
Direction changes only when command arrives
1 apple = +1 point
HUD always shows:
Points : X
Game area = 90% of screen
UI = 10% top bar
If you want next upgrades, I can add:
increasing speed over time 🏎️
wrap-around walls (classic Nokia mode)
obstacles
AI snake opponent
smooth animation (instead of grid jumps)
mobile touch input
Just tell me 👍
When i pick an apple it says game over.
That bug is coming from a classic Snake issue in your version: the snake moves first, then grows incorrectly / collision is checked too early, so when you eat an apple the new head position sometimes gets treated as invalid or colliding with itself.
Also, your current logic has one subtle problem:
you move the snake by cutting the tail before confirming growth timing
✅ Fix (important change)
We must:
Calculate new head
Check apple BEFORE trimming tail
Only remove tail if no apple is eaten
🧠 Replace ONLY your movement + apple section with this fixed version:
🔧 FIXED CORE LOGIC
Replace this part:
move_snake()
if snake[0] == apple:
points += 1
grow_snake()
apple = spawn_apple()
✅ WITH THIS (CORRECT VERSION)
# ----------------------------
# MOVE + GROW FIXED LOGIC
# ----------------------------
head_x, head_y = snake[0]
dx, dy = direction
new_head = (head_x + dx, head_y + dy)
# check collision BEFORE modifying snake
if new_head[0] < 0 or new_head[0] >= GRID_W or new_head[1] < 0 or new_head[1] >= GRID_H:
game_over = True
else:
if new_head in snake:
game_over = True
else:
snake.insert(0, new_head)
# ----------------------------
# APPLE LOGIC (IMPORTANT FIX)
# ----------------------------
if new_head == apple:
points += 1
apple = spawn_apple()
# DO NOT remove tail (growth happens naturally)
else:
snake.pop()
🧾 Why your version broke
Your original flow was:
move snake (but already removed tail)
then detect apple
then grow incorrectly
So sometimes:
head overlaps body after pop → ❌ instant game over
✅ Result after fix
Eating apple works correctly
Snake grows smoothly
No false game overs
No self-collision glitch on eating
If you want next improvement, I can upgrade your Snake to:
smooth movement (no grid snapping feel)
proper "no reverse direction" enforcement (hard locked)
speed increase per apple
or
arcade-style wall wrap (very addictive)
Just tell me 👍
In the interface code, make it so when the data received via usb reads "RASP", the app closes.
To make the app close immediately when USB receives "RASP", you just need to add a check right after reading cmd.
✅ Minimal change (add this right after cmd = usb.read() handling)
Insert this block inside your main loop, immediately after:
cmd = usb.read()
🔧 Add this:
# ----------------------------
# EMERGENCY EXIT COMMAND
# ----------------------------
if cmd == "RASP":
print("RASP received — closing app")
running = False
🔥 Where it goes in your code
Find this section:
cmd = usb.read()
if cmd:
print("USB:", cmd)
Replace it with:
cmd = usb.read()
# EMERGENCY EXIT COMMAND
if cmd == "RASP":
print("RASP received — closing app")
running = False
if cmd:
print("USB:", cmd)
⚠️ Important note (better safety)
Right now cmd is also used later for forwarding to subprocesses. Once running = False, the loop ends cleanly, but you may still want to avoid sending "RASP" to games/input.
If you want a cleaner version, use:
cmd = usb.read()
if cmd == "RASP":
print("RASP received — closing app")
running = False
continue
That continue ensures nothing else processes that frame.
If you want, I can also help you
make a hidden “kill switch” combo (like UP+DOWN+LEFT+RIGHT) or
encrypt the USB commands for safety.
Using the interface code, how to change the general background with a picture.
To use a picture as the background, you just replace the solid color fill with an image blit.
Here's exactly how to modify your code:
✅ 1. Load the image (add near the top, after pygame.init())
bg_image = pygame.image.load("background.png").convert()
bg_image = pygame.transform.scale(bg_image, (WIDTH, HEIGHT))
📌 Make sure background.png is in the same folder as your script.
✅ 2. Replace your background fill
Find this line in your loop:
screen.fill(BG)
Replace it with:
screen.blit(bg_image, (0, 0))
🔥 That's it
Now your background will be the image instead of a color.
⚠️ Common issues
❌ Image not showing?
Check filename spelling (background.png)
Make sure it's in the same folder
Try full path if needed:
"C:/Users/YourName/Desktop/background.png"
❌ Image stretched weirdly?
You already fixed it correctly with:
pygame.transform.scale(bg_image, (WIDTH, HEIGHT))
🎮 Optional upgrade (nice arcade effect)
If you want, you can dim the image so buttons stand out:
bg_image.set_alpha(180)
Or overlay a dark tint:
dark_overlay = pygame.Surface((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
dark_overlay.fill((0, 0, 0))
dark_overlay.set_alpha(120)
screen.blit(dark_overlay, (0, 0))
If you want, I can also help you add:
animated background slideshow
parallax moving image
blur/dim effect like arcade menus
Just say 👍
Can I replace the default splashscreen by something else i made and when it enters the Raspberry Pi, it directly launches the interface code ?
Yes — you can do exactly that, but there's a subtle distinction:
You're not “replacing the splash screen inside pygame” — you're replacing the boot splash shown by Raspberry Pi OS (Plymouth / firmware logo) and then auto-launching your pygame UI immediately after boot.
So the result you want is:
Power on → custom splash → straight into your ARCAGEDDON UI (no desktop in between, or minimal desktop flash)
✅ What you can do (clean setup)
1. Replace the default Raspberry Pi splash with your own image
Option A (best & simplest): Plymouth splash replacement
Install Plymouth tools (if not already):
sudo apt install plymouth plymouth-themes
Then copy your image:
sudo cp my_splash.png /usr/share/plymouth/themes/pix/splash.png
Or better: create a custom theme (cleaner, but slightly more work).
Option B (faster hack): hide default splash + show your own via framebuffer
You disable default splash:
sudo nano /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt
Remove:
quiet splash
Add:
logo.nologo vt.global_cursor_default=0
Now Linux boots “silent black screen”.
Then your system (systemd or pygame) becomes responsible for visuals.
2. Auto-launch your pygame UI immediately on boot
This is the key part.
Create systemd service:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/arcageddon.service
[Unit]
Description=Arcageddon UI
After=graphical.target
Wants=graphical.target
[Service]
User=pi
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/arcageddon.py
Restart=no
[Install]
WantedBy=graphical.target
Enable it:
sudo systemctl enable arcageddon.service
3. What happens on boot now
With this setup:
Boot sequence:
Raspberry Pi firmware starts
(Optional) minimal splash or none
Graphical session starts
systemd launches your script
Your pygame UI appears fullscreen immediately
So your ARCAGEDDON UI becomes the “home screen”.
⚠️ Important reality check (so expectations match)
You can achieve:
✔ Custom splash
✔ Instant launch into pygame
✔ No desktop visible
✔ Arcade-style boot experience
But you cannot truly:
❌ “replace Linux boot screen entirely with pygame from power-on instant 0ms”
Because:
GPU firmware initializes first
Linux kernel boots
display system must come up before pygame can draw
🚀 Best version of what you want (recommended)
If you want it to feel like a console:
Best architecture:
Disable desktop auto-login GUI
Boot to terminal/graphical target only
systemd launches pygame fullscreen immediately
pygame shows your custom splash as FIRST frame
👉 In practice, your pygame splash becomes the real splash screen
🧠 Key insight
If you do it this way:
your pygame UI is the splash screen
So instead of fighting Raspberry Pi's boot splash, you simply:
✔ suppress default splash
✔ start pygame immediately
✔ draw your own splash first frame
If you want next step
I can help you
turn this into a true arcade boot system:
power button → 3-5 second boot
instant fullscreen splash (your art)
no cursor, no desktop, no flicker
controller works immediately
Just say 👍