Readers who are fans of retro gaming will love the Picade, the tiny desktop arcade machine, powered by Raspberry Pi, which was released back when Pimoroni was in short trousers. With its powder-coated MDF frame, clicky buttons, and proper joystick, the Picade is the executive toy of choice for anyone who still has the Dragon Punch joystick movement from Street Fighter 2 burned into their muscle memory.

Alternatively, if you have access to a soldering iron and a drill, you can build your own home arcade setup. This build by SrGamer is based on a Raspberry Pi 5, and features two joysticks, loads of buttons and a gloriously chunky red power switch built into the case. The case was bought from Etsy rather than handmade, as the maker didn’t have much space to work, no woodworking experience and no access to workbenches, table saws, and other tools. We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants. All SrGamer had to do was see the potential, then bring it to life. We’re slightly worried by the choice of an MDF case, as it’s not the strongest material, and if you spill beer on it then it’ll swell up and deform, so if you use it in any of your project, be sure to finish with a coat of paint.

From The MagPi store

Subscribe

Subscribe to the newsletter

Get every issue delivered directly to your inbox and keep up to date with the latest news, offers, events, and more.