While we were asleep, a new DSpico arrived — DSpico IR
The biggest change is the built-in infrared port. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver running from the flash cartridge can now work with a real Pokéwalker. The developers claim support for around six games with IR features.
The hardware has been heavily reworked too: the RP2040 has been replaced with the more powerful RP2350, USB-C has been added, and RAM has jumped from 264 KB in the original DSpico to 8 MB.
The extra memory also enables support for compressed ROMs in the .ndz format. For example, Pokémon White can be compressed from 256 MB down to 78 MB. A compressed game does take a little longer to launch, but once it starts there is no noticeable difference.
Power consumption has gone down as well. In the test shown, DSpico IR used roughly one-eighth as much power as the original DSpico, although a full comparison of console battery life is still needed.
The developers are currently choosing between two versions: a standard-size shell with 8 MB of RAM and a slightly larger shell with 32 MB. The expected price is around $30, with the first units due to ship in November.
Pre-order DSpico IR from Phenom Mod.
And as usual, that same damn question remains: how do I actually get hold of one? :D