Nintendo’s new Mini NES is a cool, tiny little Nintendo console that’s on its way in November, but you don’t have to wait that long to get one for yourself. With a 3D printed case and a Raspberry Pi, you can easily make your own.




The best case we’ve found comes from Thingiverse user jrepeiro. It’s made so you can use the case with Raspberry Pi Model B+ or with a Model 2/3. If you have an older model B, the original case from tastic007 will work nicely. Unless you feel like pulling out a set of model paint, you’ll miss out on the Nintendo branding, but otherwise the case is a surprisingly well-made little replica that you can get 3D printed from Thingiverse directly for about $30. From there, you’ll just need a couple of controllers like these ones from Amazon, the Raspberry Pi (we’d recommend the Model 3) as well as a power supply. All told, the whole project should cost around around $85, but unlike Nintendo’s official option, you’ll get far more games.

Once your materials are collected together, you can follow our guide to setting up the Pi with emulators and you’ll be playing classic NES games in no time. Head over to Thingiverse for the case and printing options, or if you’ve got no DIY skills in your bones, you’ll find a variety of case options on sites like Etsy.


BabyNES Raspberry Pi Case | Thingiverse