In my daily life as a professional product designer creating memorable products is my ultimate goal. So why not make a design based on a product that is already memorable?

I wanted to pay tribute to the ones that made me have so much fun when I was a kid and introduced me to the world of gaming.

Introducing, the PiConsole.

PiConsole

The PiConsole is a tribute to the legendary console, being a functional PS1-inspired Raspberry Pi case. The casing fits a Raspberry Pi 3 and with emulation software such as RetroPie or Recalbox you are able to play all the retro games from the past.

You can plug in your controllers in the front, the eject button gives you access to a hidden SD-slot and the power button will fire up the Raspberry Pi. The reset button will safely reboot your Raspberry Pi. All electronics work through a self-written script which can be downloaded through our website.

1st prototype

Features



On to the technical side of things, what features are build into the PiConsole?

Raspberry Pi 3 compatible

The Raspberry Pi 3 is a powerful computer that enables us to play retro games from the past. The casing is compatible with both a Raspberry Pi 3 model B and B+. The connectors of the Raspberry Pi 3 are easily accessible through the side and back of the PiConsole. The kit does not come with a Raspberry Pi, but this gem is easily obtained through the power of the interwebs.

Ethernet and USB accessible

USB, HDMI and Audio accessible

Front USB controllers

When it comes to gaming on consoles, the controller plays an essential role. That’s why the PiConsole comes with USB connectors in the front so you can plug in your controllers simple and easy like you’re used to. Any USB controller will do, plenty of them available!

Front USB for controllers

Oldskool game inserting

You used to open the lid by pressing the eject button, put your CD in and closed the lid again when you wanted to play a game. To recreate this nostalgic feeling, we designed a functional eject button that actually opens the lid. When the lid is open, a hidden SD-slot is revealed in which you can insert your SD card with all your favorite games.

Power Up!

How many times did you press the power button and hear that magical sound? How awesome would it be to fire this baby up the same way? Yes you can.

Unlimited amount of games

Did we say unlimited? Yes! The Raspberry Pi 3 is perfectly capable of emulating PS1 games, as well as other retro games, with emulation software such as RetroPie or Recalbox. You can download emulators and ROM files online, as long as you are not infringing any copyright.

GAME OVER!

Everyone can have a bad day, but when you do, just reboot the PiConsole by pressing the reset button. This will safely reboot the Raspberry Pi through the self-written script.

Ventilation

To help your Raspberry Pi achieve the same gaming hours, the PiConsole comes with specific designed vent holes and a fan mount to keep it as cool as it looks. The fan mount works with standard Pi fan sizes.

Vents on the side

What can I do besides gaming?

Anything you want! The Raspberry Pi is a powerful computer which you can use as a desktop pc, media center or web server just to name a few. Don't be shy to hack your way around, how will you pay your tribute?

Rewards

The PiConsole comes as a DIY kit, which is easily assembled. You will receive the plastic injection-moulded casing including all custom PCBs, screws, screwdriver and rubber pads.

We tried to keep the rewards as simple as possible. We have a more attractive pledge for the Super Early Birds and Early Birds. Besides the regular PiConsole we also offer a stealthy Black edition as a tribute to the development kit.

Software to run the kit is included and will be available for download on our website, including a short tutorial how to implement the script. Software for emulation or ROMs and the ROMS itself will not be offered, these can be found online. It is no problem downloading ROM files for gaming, as long as you are not infringing any copyright.

!!Please note that the Raspberry Pi, SD card or Pi Fan are not included, as these can be widely purchased online!!

Add-ons

If you want to buy more PiConsoles please increase your reward pledge with the following amount:

€ 27,- for the normal PiConsole, shipping charged per two items

items € 32,- for the black PiConsole, shipping charged per two items

items € 210,- for the bulk option, shipping charged per bulk item

Look in the FAQ for more information!

My story, my team

Most of my freetime I spend with gaming and making music. It all began when I got my first console. Gaming can give excitement, happiness and even fear or sadness. It’s like playing your own character as the lead role in a movie. I was a pro skater in my youth, for example, in the world of Tony Hawk’s pro skater 4. And when I was tired of my career as a skater, I began fighting my way through the ranks of becoming a Duel Monsters master in Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories. I have a lot of good memories playing these games and I can imagine I’m not the only one with such fond memories. That’s why I didn’t want this homage to be a one off product only for me to enjoy. I wanted to share it with everyone who feels the same way as I do. Why not pay the same respect to the one I love?

In my daily life I'm a professional product designer for a small engineering firm in The Netherlands, designing products for mass production. I work together in a team of 5 mechanical- and electrical engineers. We have over 10+ years experience in product design projects, which often includes plastic injection molding, some in the gaming industry. My team supported me by working on this project together, providing me the time, resources and production facilities. Retro Geeks is our playground for in-house developed geeky creations. We like to be creative, have fun in what we do, but most of all, we try to make the world a better place with the products we develop.

We now have a working prototype, finished CAD models and production standing-by. The only thing missing are the funds to mass produce this product.

Why kickstarter?

With a project of this magnitude, the costs will grow huge as well. Sure I could have made this just for me, but what would be the fun in that? Sharing a good time with others is what gaming is about, having fun together. So I wanted this project to be of a bigger scale, but how do I get the funds? Et voila, in come you guys. The Kickstarter community seems to be the best addition to the team, when I look at what you’re capable of. I have seen projects launch, which could never have gotten lift off if it weren’t for you, so it was the obvious choice to make this Kickstarter page. The best part is that it’s just for the production. Everything has been finished and is ready to go, all that is needed are the funds to start it all up.

Timeline

Ok, so you’ve pledged for a certain enormous amount of gold, silver and gemstones to buy your way into this quest. Now what? We’ve done some calculations to see what our minimum of needed funds is to give you the base product. If the funding is a success, the first step is to call the production facilities to tell them the game is on. Everything will be set in motion and soon the products will be ready for shipping. All that’s left after that is having fun assembling the PiConsole and play some games.

The rebirth of a legendary console (Dec 3rd)

Production preparations (December - January)

Manufacturing (January - End May 2019)

Production & assembly (June 2019)

Shipping (July 2019)

Gaming (Mid July 2019)

We’ll be keeping you posted of the progress so you know what’s happening behind the scenes. If you have any questions during the wait until your reward arrives, feel free to send an email and we’ll be happy to reply.

Thank you!

I just wanted to say thank you to the people that helped and made it possible to even start this project. I may know a bit about product design, but there is so much more to think about and do before a product can hit the shelves. My engineering team helped me from start to finish and without them it wouldn't be possible. I also wanted to thank you, because you will be the reason this product will come to life. Thank you in advance and have fun reliving your memories.