Raspberry Pi gets its own app store, with games and tutorials

The dirt-cheap Raspberry Pi computer now has its own app store, granting owners an easy way to get their mitts on games and software for the tiny PC.

Unlike Android's Google Play, apps will undergo moderation before they're published to the Pi Store. The Raspberry Pi foundation says on its blog that it hopes youngsters will use its to "share their creations with a wider audience, and maybe to make a little pocket money on the side."

Sounds good. The app store will also have a 'tip jar' mechanism that lets you give money to apps even if they're free to download. That's a brilliant idea, and one I'd be keen to see Apple, Google and Microsoft add to their own app emporiums. When you visit the Pi Store, you can see apps or downloadable goodies that are 'in progress' as well as those that are finished.

As well as apps, you'll be able to download raw code, images, audio and video, which suggests the Pi Store will be a resource for programmers as well as a place to spend a quid or two on the odd game. Already on the store you can find sprite and sound effects packs for programming games.

There's also a handy tutorial on how to create a simple Space Invaders-esque game, alongside LibreOffice, an open-source document editing app. Despotify, a Spotify client for the Raspberry Pi, is also present, though this app requires a Spotify premium account to use.

The Pi Store runs as an X application in Raspbian, the modified operating system built for the British-built microcomputer. It'll feature a recommendation engine, and an app rating system is coming soon, as are achievements and leaderboards.

Do you think the Pi Store is a good idea? Will it encourage young developers to make games, or is the whole enterprise a little too Apple-esque for your tastes? Tell me in the comments or on our Facebook wall.