Fan-made mini-SNES puts Nintendo’s official hardware to shame

By Jon Martindale September 12, 2016

SNES MICRO : Smallest Super NES - Raspberry pi Zero

Nintendo showed it was really listening to its retro-infatuated fan base when it announced the Nintendo Classic Mini — a micro-NES console with 30 built-in games. However, it turns out that you can go much smaller, as a fan has proved with the unveiling of his mini-SNES, which is far more minute than Nintendo’s own hardware.

Created as part of the Rated-E Mods show on YouTube, developer lyberty5 put together the micro-games console with a combination of emulator hardware, a USB hub and a plastic/clay shell. It was built using a Raspberry Pi Zero, a generic USB hub for controllers and a seductively gravelly voice.

Once the interior of the casing was carved from plastic, lyberty5 shaped clay on top of it to great the physical design of the original SNES, but in micro form. It gets several sanding jobs, epoxy fillings, and eventually a spray coat to make it look the part.

Once the case is created, the electronics needed to be constructed. There was a bit of soldering and gluing involved, and everything was bathed in epoxy resin to give it all a little more strength to prevent the internals being yanked around when plugging in and unplugging controllers.

And from there it’s just a case of installing emulator software on to the little device. That sort of programming has been available for years already, so there was no issue with getting that up and running. There is also a much larger library of games that could be placed (admittedly with dubious legality) on such a mini-emulator, giving the owner access to all sorts of games.

Of course you’d need to have a few technical skills of your own to follow along at home, but this is far from the most complicated build we’ve seen come out of lyberty5.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Coordinator

Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…

Gaming

Leaker obtains alleged concept image of rumored Nintendo Switch mini console

A Nintendo Switch being slid into a dock

Source: WinFuture Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo’s Switch is a hybrid console that splits the gaming experience down the middle with a device that can be docked for home gaming and also taken on the go for mobile play. Nintendo continues to deny the existence of a Switch mini or any other new model but a notable leaker may have revealed what one of the rumored refreshes of the Switch looks like.

Gaming

Should you play Hades 2 in early access or wait for the full game?

Melinoe fighting under a full moon in Hades 2.

After what felt like a much longer wait than it really was, Hades 2 is out now in early access. PC players can dive into the roguelike sequel right now and start their war against Chronos. Not everyone is rushing to buy their copy, though. Since its release, I've seen a common question across social media and my own personal circles: "Should I play it now or wait for 1.0?"

It's a great question. Personally, I rarely ever play games in early access. I'd much rather prefer to wait for a game's full release so I can play the feature-complete version all at once. I intended to do the same with Hades 2, especially since it's more narrative driven than your average roguelike, but I made a rare exception here. Call me weak, but the good news is that I can now answer that burning question: Should you play Hades 2 now or later? You won't be let down either way.
Should you play early access or not?
If you're skeptical about early access, I don't blame you. The term generally implies that a game is incomplete in key ways, which can lead to an unfulfilling experience. This year's surprise hit Palworld is an extreme example of that. While it hooked players right out of the gate, the early access version was fairly bare bones. That led to a major player drop-off as developer Pocketpair, Inc. looked to staff up to keep up with demand. Roguelikes tend to be especially unsatisfying in early access too. Rogue Legacy 2 initially launched with a limited taste of a full run, including only four character classes. You were better off waiting for 1.0 unless you actively wanted to help shape the game.

Gaming

The best Arcana Cards in Hades 2

The arcana cards menu in Hades 2.

Fitting right in line with the new more magical and "witchy" tone of Hades 2, Arcana Cards have been introduced as a new upgrade system to further customize your runs.

These unique cards grant you new abilities and buffs on whatever run you take them on, but the system isn't as simple as activating them and reaping the rewards. Like all things in this game, you will need to slowly unlock them and make choices about which ones you want to equip and which to leave off. The system isn't as complex as reading real tarot cards, but there are enough of them that it wouldn't hurt to have a little help deciding which ones are the most effective.
How to unlock and equip Arcana Cards