Written by retrocat

1 minute read

Using VScode with retroPy’s console

retroPy is a retro game engine for the RP2040 chip. Here, we show you how to connect to it using Visual Studio Code and the MicroPico extension.

Assuming you already have VSCode installed and launched, head to the extensions tab and install MicroPico.

Plug in the retroPy hardware and connect to it by executing the command >MicroPico>Connect in the search bar.

You should see “Pico Connected” upon successful detection in the status bar at the bottom.

In order to view the files in the retroPy, we’ll need to create a folder to “download” the contents from the RP2040 in its entirety. A tip to do this is to go to File> Open Folder and using the prompt, create a new folder to work out of.

Once you have created a retroPy folder to as a working folder, of sorts, proceed to download into from the RP2040 using the command >MicroPico>Download project from Pico

It’ll take a short while, but you should now see files inside your folder under your Explorer tab that looks something like this.

You’re all set to explore the codes within! To test run your own code, click on Run at the bottom.

When you’re ready to save the code into the Pico, right click on your current working file in the Explorer tab, and select “Upload current file to Pico”