I find it helpful when pursuing a new DIY project to start with a list of needs and wants and go from there-possibly a leftover from my IT days helping the non-technically inclined (and actively technology-averse) make purchasing decisions. Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs. And by using the Raspberry Pi and freely available software, you can build something capable of doing a whole heck of a lot more than playing the same 30 NES games over and over again.
It turns out that the NES Classic Edition is just a little Linux-powered board inside a cute case, and it’s totally possible to build your own tiny Linux-powered computer inside a cute case without spending much more than $60. 3 again,” and “ Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest is probably the weakest of the three NES Castlevania games.” Since it’s not entirely clear if or when those little mini NESes will become readily available, I decided to funnel that small wad of expendable cash and the desire for some nostalgia-fueled gaming into a DIY project. In both cases, I failed.īut the dumb itch of nostalgia can’t always be scratched by logical thoughts like “do you really need to pay money for Super Mario Bros. Further Reading Hands-on: NES Classic Edition puts old games in a very small packageĪgainst my better judgment, I’ve tried a couple of times to snag one of those adorable little $60 mini NES Classic Editions-once when Amazon put some of its limited stock online and crashed its own site, and once when Walmart was shipping out small quantities every day a couple of weeks ago.