Dempa Shimbun's miniature recreation of the classic Japanese computer, the NEC PC-8801mkⅡSR, has been delayed for a third time, according to the company's Twitter/X account (as spotted by Gosokkyu)
The PasocomMini PC-8801mkⅡSR was originally announced back in May 2024 and is designed to be a 1/4 recreation of the NEC's PC-8801 mkIISR — the classic 80s computer that saw the release of several highly influential Japanese games like Ys, Xanadu, R-Type, and Popful Mail.
The new miniature machine has previously been described to cost ¥33,000 (roughly £163) at launch, and will apparently feature 10 built-in games at launch, two 5-inch floppy disk drives, and a micro SD slot, as well as an HDMI port for video output, and support for Yamaha's YM2203 and YM2608 sound, according to a Game Watch article from last August.
Initially scheduled to launch in the Spring of 2025, this date was eventually moved back to July 2025, and has since been delayed a further two times in the months following. It is now expected to be ready around March 2026, but its creators are hesitant to offer to provide this as a potential launch date, with Dempa Shimbun being reluctant to miss yet another release window.
Per an article in the Japan Audio Society's Autumn journal (as also highlighted by Gosokkyu), the main difficulty the team appears to be facing stems from the challenges of implementing audio, with the original PC-8801 mkIISR having multiple CPU operating modes and interrupt techniques that make implementing an emulator particularly difficult without experiencing sound delays or noise.
The team has apologized to potential customers in the wake of this news and is currently working behind the scenes on synchronizing the CPU and FM sound source operations.
It has also been stated that a proper release date will be announced on the company's website when they are finally ready to share more information.