In the end, the case arrived too. Reading the parcel tracking feels like an epic: shipped from Hong Kong, stocked in London, arrived at Fiumicino, then Peschiera Borromeo and finally… here. Incredible when you think about it, in an era where all of this is considered perfectly normal.
The NesPi Case: Unboxing and Assembly
Perfect packaging, also in keeping with the retro NES-style design. Once opened, the case — plastic, just like the original NES — presents itself as well-built: no rough edges, solid despite the small dimensions. The instructions, minimal but complete, quickly guide you through fitting the Raspberry inside. The package even includes a small screwdriver. In just a few minutes the case is assembled.
I test the power and reset buttons before closing the case for good — just to be safe. But even this precaution proves unnecessary: the power button clicks satisfyingly into place, the reset does its job, all USB and Ethernet ports work perfectly. Fantastic.
The Ultimate Retro Console Is Complete
All doubts about any kind of malfunction disappear and there it sits: the mini retro console finally complete. It’s almost touching, seen next to the PlayStation — 2017 software and hardware capable of over 4 teraflops alongside a little box full of incredible software written in the 1980s, when a teraflop wasn’t even used as a unit of measurement…
And with this, the ultimate retro console is done. What can I say? Now there’s only one thing left to do: play!
Actually, even building it, one component at a time, learning everything there was to learn, was a journey as much as it was fun. And like all journeys, however small, once finished it leaves you with that slight bittersweet feeling where you find yourself asking: is it really over?
Technology always leaves you room to change it. But I’d say that’s enough for now. The dream retro console may have cost little, but we’ve placed enough Amazon orders. Stop! Now we play.
A Well-Deserved Thank You
I just want to say a huge thank you to all the people who put together the RetroPie project and to that army of passionate programmers around the world who wrote all the emulators — from MAME onwards — that nearly forty years later still run these little software gems on hardware that was once unthinkable. You’re all brilliant, every last one of you!
For anyone who wants to see how we got here and wants to build their own retro console at home for very little money, I refer you to the earlier posts on the blog. Enjoy the journey!
