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PICO-8 VS Microsoft MakeCode Arcade

Compare PICO-8 VS Microsoft MakeCode Arcade and see what are their differences

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PICO-8 logo PICO-8

Lua-based fantasy console for making and playing tiny, computer games and programs.

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade logo Microsoft MakeCode Arcade

Drag n drop code to make and play games online and on various hardware
  • PICO-8 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
Not present

PICO-8 features and specs

  • Accessibility
    PICO-8 provides a user-friendly and accessible platform for beginners and hobbyists to learn and create games with its simple and comprehensive interface.
  • Creativity
    The constrained environment encourages creative problem-solving and innovative game design, sparking creativity among developers.
  • Community
    A strong and supportive community exists around PICO-8, offering numerous resources, tutorials, and forums for collaboration and assistance.
  • Portability
    Games developed in PICO-8 can be easily shared and exported to different platforms, including web browsers, increasing reach and accessibility.
  • Learning Opportunity
    PICO-8 serves as an excellent educational tool for understanding the fundamentals of game design and programming.

Possible disadvantages of PICO-8

  • Limited Graphics
    The intentionally limited resolution and color palette can be restrictive for developers looking for more sophisticated graphical capabilities.
  • Performance Constraints
    The fixed memory and performance limitations might pose challenges for more complex game development, requiring careful optimization.
  • Single Language Support
    PICO-8 primarily uses its own scripting language based on Lua, which can be a barrier for those who prefer other programming languages.
  • Closed Ecosystem
    Being a proprietary platform, PICO-8's development environment and features are locked within its ecosystem, potentially limiting more advanced customizations.
  • Cost
    PICO-8 is not free software, and the licensing cost, though relatively low, could deter some users, especially those just exploring game development casually.

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

PICO-8 videos

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Delightful Game Development with PICO-8

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade videos

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Microsoft MakeCode Arcade Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Beginners Review: Microsoft MakeCode Arcade || Lilithium

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PICO-8 and Microsoft MakeCode Arcade)

PICO-8

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade

Game Engine
86 86%
Game Engine
14% 14
Game Development
79 79%
Game Development
21% 21
Kids Education
0 0%
Kids Education
100% 100
Graph Databases
100 100%
Graph Databases
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using PICO-8 and Microsoft MakeCode Arcade. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade might be a bit more popular than PICO-8. We know about 4 links to it since March 2021 and only 3 links to PICO-8. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PICO-8 mentions (3)

  • Asking ChatGPT some questions about GameStop
    The particular game linked in the article is copyright 2014-2022 by Lexaloffle Games https://lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php and reading the FAQ page I see:. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • The Piconomicon
    Gander, if you dare, at the book that will teach you everything there is to know about the Pico-8. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • Welcome to the iiviiGames Devlog!
    I'm going to teach you a lot about GameMaker Studio, Pico-8, and Love2D. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade mentions (4)

  • Isometric Projection in Game Development
    Alternatively, get her an emulator of an old 8 or 16 bit system, I started coding at the age of 10 in these systems, with books that were oriented for kids. https://www.atariarchives.org/ http://redparsley.blogspot.com/2016/08/input-magazine-retrospective.html https://archive.org/details/input-hi-01 Or if you prefer something more up to date, https://arcade.makecode.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Yo wants to build a game, I'm lost. What can I do?
    Https://arcade.makecode.com/ Is great fun to use and made for kids. The forum (forum.makecode.com) is well moderated and safe too. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Copying Angry Birds with nothing but AI
    I'm not sure how this reduces the barrier to game developement. There are already lots of free assets and game engines designed for making arcade games that are a lot easier then say Unity or Unreal. Like https://arcade.makecode.com/ or https://microstudio.dev/ or https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
    For the game angle https://arcade.makecode.com may be more of a fit. You can even build a cabinet. Disclaimer: worked on both. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PICO-8 and Microsoft MakeCode Arcade, you can also consider the following products

TIC-80 - TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games.

Scratch - Scratch is the programming language & online community where young people create stories, games, & animations.

Pyxel - Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.

Snap - Snap (formerly BYOB) is a visual, drag-and-drop programming language.

WASM-4 - Build retro games using WebAssembly for a fantasy console

microStudio - microStudio is an all-in-one online game engine that enables you to create games, develop programming skills, have fun playing what you have created, share with others, and prototype.

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