Creoqode Lyra+ transforms Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 into a gaming handheld with a QLED IPS display

Creoqode has introduced the Lyra+, a successor to the Lyra that it announced three years ago. While the Lyra sold for £149, the Lyra+ will be available on Kickstarter for over double that. Specifically, the Creoqode Lyra+ will launch for £299, 35% lower than its eventual £459 MSRP. While the latter is significantly more expensive than the Steam Deck, the likes of AYA NEO and GPD have shown how difficult it is to for smaller companies to release an affordable handheld console.

For reference, Creoqode plans to sell the Lyra+ as a DIY kit or a Ready to Go (RTG) unit. Supposedly, the former will take 15 minutes to assemble and will not require soldering skills. Theoretically, the Creoqode Lyra+ will be upgradable too, thanks to its reliance on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) platform. Incidentally, the Lyra+ has a 7-inch QLED IPS display.

To recap, the Raspberry Pi CM4 features a Broadcom BCM2711 SoC with four ARM Cortex-A72 cores and a VideoCore VI GPU that peaks at 0.5 GHz. Also, the system-on-module (SoM) has 4 GB of LPDDR4-3200 RAM and up to 32 GB of storage. Hence, it will not match the performance of other comparably-priced gaming handhelds, such as the AYA NEO AIR, AYN LOKI or the Steam Deck. Still, the Creoqode Lyra+ should be powerful enough to emulate games from classic games consoles and will be compatible with game streaming services like Google Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Purchase the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 on Amazon