Bit of a difference between a cheap microcontroller board and a BeagleBone Black. Superficially the PRU and the PIO do indeed look similar. Look more closely a

Bit of a difference between a cheap microcontroller board and a BeagleBone Black. Superficially the PRU and the PIO do indeed look similar. Look more closely and you'll see the PRU is both more complex and more capable than the PIO. It's a small CPU core in its own right with predictable timing. PIO is significantly simpler, almost more of a programmable state machine than a proper CPU. So yes less capable but also integrated into a cheap micro-controller rather than a Linux booting SoC with all the complexity and cost that brings. That really is why the PIO is interesting, it's the significant capabilities they bring combined with the low price point and simple chip.