Since the first official release in May of 2009, Minecraft has become more than just a video game. As a cultural movement, its clout is akin to Magic: The Gathering or Lego toys, and the fan devotion is just as large. That devotion is shown through massive in-game creations, community feedback and troubleshooting, and objects that have found their way into the real world.
In that spirit, Minecraft fan Spencer Kern created the Redstone PC, a Mini ITX computer that was designed exclusively to play the game. But that’s not the fun part. Instead of just slamming the parts in a prebuilt case and slapping a Mojang sticker on it, Kern designed, cut, and 3d-printed his own Redstone block to mount it into, and the result is a unique PC that’s sure to be the envy of any tree puncher.
The build was inspired by a small, light-up toy Kern came across that’s a model of the block you harvest Redstone from in game. Redstone is the dust that allows you to paint working circuits and wires, so it only makes sense that he would base the computer off of it. Red LEDs inside the case light up the 8.5-inch cube when it’s turned on, for that extra touch of customization that makes it pop.
To round out (or square out) the whole project, Kern created a set of peripherals specifically for the Redstone PC. He took apart an Xbox 360 controller, repainting the buttons and case, and applying a creeper face to the Xbox Guide button. He rebuilt a mechanical keyboard with custom-printed keycaps and repainted a mouse as well.
Kern laid out his whole process for creating the machine in great detail in a post on his website, and if you’re into PC building, or Minecraft, it’s worth a read.
