Let’s talk about strength. Commercial dedicated chess computers from the 80s and 90s (like the Mephisto or Fidelity Elite) rated around 2000-2200 Elo. Even early 2000s machines struggled to hit 2400.
| Feature | DGT Centaur | Millennium Genius Pro | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Price | $300 | $500 | $20 (software) + hardware | | Engine Updates | None (locked) | Rare | Daily (Stockfish dev builds) | | Engine Choices | 1 | 5 | Infinite (UCI compatible) | | Opening Books | 1 | 1 | Any Polyglot .bin file | | Remote Play | No | No | Yes (Lichess API integration) | | Screen | Built-in LCD | Built-in LCD | Your phone/tablet (better) | picochess v3
: Version 3.2 introduced a "Retro" mode featuring classic chess engine aesthetics, retro speeds, retro sounds, and a specialized display for engine information and artwork. Position Correction Let’s talk about strength
What makes v3 a monumental leap over its predecessors is and stability . Earlier versions often suffered from "contact bounce"—where a piece lifted slightly would register as a dozen moves, crashing the game. Version 3 introduced sophisticated de-bouncing algorithms and a revamped USB/GPIO interface that prioritizes interrupt signals. The result is uncanny: the moment you set your piece down, the red LED on the Raspberry Pi blinks, and within 500 milliseconds, the robotic arm (or a simple screen, or a voice prompt) tells you where the computer has moved. | Feature | DGT Centaur | Millennium Genius
However, earlier versions (based on Python 2) eventually faced obsolescence as the Raspberry Pi hardware evolved and software libraries updated. The project needed a complete overhaul to remain viable on modern hardware like the Raspberry Pi 4 and Zero 2 W.