Picoware - v2.6.0

This release adds Low Power Mode, a JavaScript (MJS) game engine, support for the Waveshare ESP32C5 2.8" IPS, 4 new apps (ADS-B Radar, GBrowser, Fish-Tank, and Valley Quest), and many optimizations (updated PicoSDK to 2.3.1, fixed Cardputer-ADV heap allocation failures, fixed Bluetooth pairing/syncing/UART, and fixed miscellaneous exceptions).

Low Power Mode

After 30 seconds of inactivity on the Desktop, the device will enter low power mode, which will turn off WiFi and Bluetooth and dim the display to 10% screen brightness. This helps the battery last longer while preserving the firmware state. After the mode is activated, you can press any button to deactivate it, which will reinitialize WiFi and Bluetooth and set the screen brightness to the previous level.

JavaScript Game Engine

Create and play games using JavaScript (MJS). This extends the Pico Game Engine with JavaScript bindings. There are two new JS examples (flappy-bird.js and engine-example.js) which show how to utilize the engine. The setup is consistent with the flow of C++ and MicroPython games, where you create a game → create a level → create entities -> add entities to the level → add the level to the game → add the game to the engine → run the engine in a loop.

MCP Server

Connect Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or any MCP client to Picoware's MCP so it can read app-creation context, files, and directories served directly from the project. You can use npx to install it easily:

npx add-mcp 'https://www.jblanked.com/mcp'

New Apps

ADS-B Radar is a flight radar app created by Christophe Daeninck. By default, the range is 25 kilometers. Increase the range by 5 kilometers by clicking Up, or decrease it by clicking Down. Press Left to exit the app and Right for setup.

GBrowser is an app created by Eric Couture that browses Gopher servers (menus and text files). Explore menus and open text files using Up/Down/Left/Right. Enter a Gopher URL to navigate directly to a server or resource.

Fish-Tank is a screensaver created by Qwen3.8:27b with fish swimming around in a "fish tank," inspired by the Aquarium screensaver.

Valley Quest is an adventure 3D RPG game, created by Claude Sonnet 5.5 + Picoware MCP, set in a procedurally generated valley, explored from a first-person view. Travel through towns, forests, rivers, and mountains; meet characters, shop, and battle creatures. Complete the quest by finding the shrine's relic and returning it to the elder.

Full Changelog

Added

• Added MCP Server: https://www.jblanked.com/picoware/mcp/
• Added support for Ctrl + numbers (by @Slasher006)
• Added ADS-B Radar app (by Christophe Daeninck)
• Added GBrowser app (by Eric Couture)
• Added LCD Mode option in the Settings app (for PSRAM-enabled devices only)
• Added shutdown support for Waveshare ESP32S3/C6 and CrowPanel 2.01 (by @Slasher006)
• Added Low Power Mode (auto-enabled after 30 seconds of inactivity on the Desktop)
• Added battery remaining functionality
• Added Timer class (by @jblanked @slickrick773)
• Added support for Waveshare ESP32C5 2.8" IPS (by @slickrick773)
• Added MJS game engine (by @jblanked @Slasher006)
• Added Fish-Tank screensaver (by Qwen3.8:27b)
• Added Valley Quest game (by Claude Sonnet 5.5 + Picoware MCP)

Updated

• Updated PicoDUO with storage support
• Updated Game Engine with Billboard and PSRAM support
• Updated SimpleRPN (@Slasher006)
• Updated Sprite3D Editor with modeling, centering, and custom pivots (by @Slasher006)
• Increased PicoCalc FPS (increased PSRAM chunk size to 120, increased LCD baud rate to 80 MHz)
• Updated PicoCalc game engine config to use PSRAM for Billboards/Images/Sprite3Ds
• Updated audio driver with force-inline
• Fixed Bluetooth pairing/syncing/UART + added Bluetooth instance to ViewManager
• Updated Agent class with static methods
• Updated Serial Terminal to decode responses and encode outgoing messages
• Fixed keyboard exception in the ViewManager's foreground/background color setters
• Updated Desktop to correctly show Bluetooth status
• Updated logging so the previous log file is cached before being overwritten
• Fixed Waveshare 1.28, 1.43, 1.69, and 3.49 battery initialization (by @Slasher006)
• Updated to the latest MicroPython (which updates the PicoSDK to 2.3.1 and adds many optimizations and bug fixes)
• Updated battery voltage to return in millivolts as intended (by @slickrick773)
• Fixed Cardputer-ADV C heap failures (by @Slasher006)
• Updated MJS to register retained Python instances with MP_REGISTER_ROOT_POINTER (@Slasher006)
• Fixed WiFi connection start-time None error (by @slickrick773)