Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Useful peripherals
As you grow more familiar with your Pi, you will think up much bigger ideas.
With such ideas, you might need a few more useful devices to help you out.
Internet 3G dongles
You can connect to the worldwide network by using a 3G dongle. These require a
lot of power, and they need to run from a powered hub to operate at full speed. But,
they are a really easy way to connect your Pi to the Internet, even in the most remote
places of your country. As long as you have the basic voice signal, you should
always be able to use GPRS (single channel 57.5 KBps or dual channel 115 KBps).
This can be enough to send plenty of logging data as text. Some countries offer free
text messages, and these can also be used to send and receive a minimum amount
of data. If you plan to run a server, it would be recommended to use LAN or Wi-Fi
connected to an ADSL/DSL connection instead.
Sound cards
The Pi has its own sound hardware, which is really good at giving you high
definition sound over HDMI or analog sound via its RCA connection (you cannot
use both). You might find yourself in a situation where you would like to record
audio from a line input or a microphone; you could then use any USB 1.1 or
USB 2.0 device.
IR receivers
Infrared (IR) receivers are a great way to control your Pi using conventional remote
controls. The FLIRC USB IR remote dongle is a great way for you to start doing this.
TV and radio receivers
This is the ultimate way to turn your Pi into a full DVR system. You can record,
playback, or pause live TV from HD satellite or Digital TV. You can also listen to
your favorite radio channels.
Webcams
The Pi has a port for its own dedicated HD camera module. Owning one of these
cameras is a real treat, but they do not have proper V4L (Video for Linux) support
like most USB cameras. This means that doing some easy tasks can be much more
complicated. There is a chapter dedicated to this later in the topic.
