Modder creates retro console using Raspberry Pi & it looks incredible

A Raspberry Pi developer has created a tiny retro-inspired TV, which can play your favorite nostalgic cartoons and games.

If you’re a fan of retro-gaming, chances are you’ve kept a hold of an old CRT TV or two, to use alongside your older game consoles. While you could just pick up an adaptor to get your beloved older consoles working on a modern TV, nothing beats games at their native resolutions, along with the charming aesthetics of a nice old retro CRT setup.

For those who don’t have the space for a retro console collection, for years now Raspberry Pi PCs have been a great tool for emulation, and creating modern alternatives to playing older games.

Now, one Raspberry Pi developer has taken this even further, by creating a Raspberry Pi-powered miniature retro TV that actually works.

Small but mighty

Made up of a 3D-printed facsimile of a Toshiba Blackstripe TV, this Raspberry Pi project created by Fantasticmrdavid is capable of playing the likes of NES games, and even old cartoons. The Retro PC project is based on an old Retro TV model Fantasticmrdavid had previously created. However, this version utilizes a revised shell design to fit an audio module.

Through a supplied playlist of demos, this small but mighty Retro PC looks incredible as its 3.5 inch MPI3508 LCD plays the openings to classic cartoons such as Transformers, Silverhawks, and our personal favorite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Amidst the available short demo clips, is also footage of Mega Man 2, playing on the miniature TV display.

“I designed and built the first version about a year ago as the shelf piece to play cartoons on a loop. Since then I found an audio module that could fit without overhauling the entire model and used it as an opportunity to also add in quality of life improvements like external SD card access”, Fantasticmrdavid stated on a Raspberry Pi subreddit post.

Do-It-Yourself

The best thing about this Raspberry Pi-powered mini TV, besides how cool it looks, is that you can make one of your very own. Creator fantasticmrdavid has made all the 3D printed files for this Toshiba Blackstripe-inspired retro TV case available online entirely for free.

While the files are freely available, you will need a fair few supplies before you can have a mini retro TV of your very own. Fantasticmrdavid recommends having a 3B Raspberry Pi, as well as a 3.5 inch HDMI LCD display, Pi speaker expansion board, HDMI flat flexible cable, micro-USB adaptor, SD card with RetroPie installed, a wireless controller or keyboard, and a myriad of particular screws to put it all together.

Of course, you’ll also need a 3D printer and some filament to get started in the first place, so, likely, this entire project won’t come cheap. Yet, for such a neat way of displaying your love for retro games, and the hardware they run on, it looks like it’s worth every penny.