Tag Archives: nintendo

This Fan Made the Sony-Nintendo Handheld the Companies Never Would

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The retro handheld market has a strange problem. The hardware keeps getting better, the screens get sharper, the processors get faster, and yet most of these devices land looking like prototypes someone forgot to finish. Generic shells, forgettable proportions, and LED lighting as a substitute for actual design thinking. For a category built entirely on nostalgia, very few of these devices actually look like they belong to any era at all.

That tension is what one Reddit user decided to address. Starting with a Retroid Pocket 5, a $199 Android handheld running a Snapdragon 865 and a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, the mod layers Sony and Nintendo branding onto the same shell. Vinyl decals, translucent polycarbonate, a 3D-printed volume rocker from Etsy, and a cable replaced in PS2 color. The result looks less like a sticker job and more like a concept render from an alternate 1999.

Designer: Mitchieyan

The translucent shell is doing most of the work. It pulls from the visual language of the N64’s Funtastic series, those clear and atomic-purple controllers Nintendo released in the late 1990s, where showing the circuitry was the design choice rather than concealing it. Over a piano-black grip body with PlayStation-colored face buttons, the frosted polycarbonate shifts from grey to near-white depending on the light. It shouldn’t feel considered. It does.

The branding placement is where intent becomes clear. The Sony wordmark sits centered on the upper face, exactly where it appeared on a PSOne. Below it, the PlayStation four-color logo. At the bottom bezel, the Nintendo badge mirrors its position on a Game Boy Advance SP. None of it is licensed, of course. These are adhesive vinyls placed by someone who grew up with both systems and wanted their coexistence on one device to feel inevitable rather than absurd.

Not everything here reaches backward. The analog sticks are translucent caps over hall-effect sensors, lit teal on the left and purple on the right, owing nothing to 1999. That generation didn’t have RGB anything. The lighting reads as a concession to the present; the one feature announcing this is still an Android device in 2025, not a prototype from some alternate Sony-Nintendo licensing meeting. Whether it sits comfortably alongside the retro shell is a fair question.

The rear view shifts the frame again. A large dual-grip body in smooth black rubber dominates the back, a clear plastic hinge connecting the screen to grip in full view, structural and unapologetic. The 3D-printed volume rocker at the top edge puts a physical control where fingers naturally land. The back half feels closer to a DualShock than a Game Boy, which is either the point or the problem, depending on what you wanted this thing to be.

Flip to the front screen, and the emulator grid makes the whole thing literal. DuckStation for PS1, Dolphin for GameCube, PPSSPP for PSP, melonDS for Nintendo DS, and a live PS2 wallpaper cycling behind all of it. This device runs both companies’ libraries simultaneously without asking permission from either. The branding on the shell, in that context, stops being a novelty and starts reading as a plain statement of what the hardware already does.

The retro handheld category is large enough now that sameness has become its default. The Retroid Pocket 6, the current flagship from the same manufacturer, drew community criticism for being indistinguishable from competitors: glass front, LED sticks, rounded edges, and no particular character. A fan mod building identity out of borrowed logos is one response to a problem the manufacturers haven’t solved. It’s also just someone enjoying a hobby and being honest about what they want.

The hardware to play PS1, PS2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance all on one screen already exists and costs under $200. What the market hasn’t resolved is what that device should actually look like, or whose name should go on it. This mod doesn’t answer either question. It just makes the gap between what’s technically possible and what anyone has bothered to design feel a little harder to dismiss.

The post This Fan Made the Sony-Nintendo Handheld the Companies Never Would first appeared on Yanko Design.

This $959 Mini PC Looks Like an NES But Runs 70B AI Models

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There is something quietly absurd about building a serious PC in the shape of a 1980s game console. Not absurd in a dismissive way, but more in the way that a very good idea sometimes sounds ridiculous until you see it sitting on a desk. The ACEMAGIC Retro X5 is exactly that kind of object: a compact Windows 11 Pro machine dressed in the rectangular geometry of classic cartridge-loading hardware, with a red power button where the reset button probably lived in your memory.

At 138mm x 128mm x 45 mm, the Retro X5 occupies roughly the footprint of a thick paperback. The body follows a black, white, and gray palette, with mechanical-style grilles cut into the cooling vents. A removable snap-fit panel lets you access the internals without tools, which signals something deliberate about the design: the whole thing is meant to be touched, handled, and opened rather than just admired from across a shelf.

Designer: ACEMAGIC

Inside that nostalgic shell sits AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, a 12-core, 24-thread processor paired with the Radeon 890M GPU running at 2,900 MHz. The base configuration ships with 32 GB of DDR5 5,600 MT/s memory and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. For anyone who has watched mini PCs ship with soldered RAM and single storage slots for years, the two M.2 2280 slots, expandable to 4TB total, are a more practical detail than the retro styling gets credit for.

The port selection makes the Retro X5 less of a novelty and more of a credible desk workhorse. The front has two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a USB4 Type-C, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The rear adds two more Type-A ports, a second Type-C, dual 2.5 GbE Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort 2.0; altogether, the machine supports up to four screens at once, with both HDMI and DP capable of 8K at 60 Hz.

ACEMAGIC also positions the Retro X5 around local AI workloads, citing support for models like DeepSeek R1 70B and LLaMA. The HX 370’s neural processing unit makes that plausible on paper, but running a 70B-parameter model on 32 GB of shared memory depends heavily on quantization levels. That distance between the spec sheet and actual large-model performance is the part that the product page, understandably, does not get into.

At $959 for the 32 GB and 1 TB pre-order configuration, the Retro X5 sits at the upper end of the mini PC category, where other AMD Strix Point machines without the retro treatment tend to start closer to $600 or even $700. The premium covers partly the HX 370’s stronger GPU tier and partly the design itself. Whether that casing reads as a charming object worth the difference, or just a clever coat of paint on familiar hardware, is probably the right question to ponder before hitting that Checkout button.

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Nintendo’s Game Boy Jukebox Plays Pokémon Music on 45 Swappable Cartridges

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Thirty years after Pokémon Red and Blue launched in Japan, Nintendo is celebrating the anniversary with something that looks almost exactly like a Game Boy — except it will never, ever play a game. The Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue Game Music Collection: Game Boy Jukebox is a miniature sound toy that slots mini cartridges to play the original games’ iconic 8-bit soundtrack, and it’s already selling out across regions.

The device is a faithful shrunken replica of the original Game Boy, complete with the grey shell, D-pad, A/B buttons, and a screen. None of those controls do anything. All the action happens through the cartridges: pop one in, and the player outputs the corresponding track, whether that’s the hauntingly spare Lavender Town Theme, the adrenaline-spiked Gym Leader Battle music, or the quietly triumphant Pallet Town Theme. All 45 tracks from the original games are represented, covering everything from the Title Screen to the Ending Theme, with Jigglypuff’s Song and the Pokémon Center jingle tucked in between.

Designer: Nintendo

Junichi Masuda, composer of the original soundtrack, was involved in tuning the product. “We took particular care to make the audio sound just like Game Boy,” he said, which goes a long way toward explaining why the format (one cartridge, one song) makes a certain kind of sense. It’s tactile, deliberate, and forces you to actually choose what you want to hear rather than shuffling through a playlist.

That said, the jukebox comes with some genuine limitations. There’s no headphone jack, meaning the music plays out loud only, which caps its utility as background listening. The three required LR44 button cell batteries are included for demonstration but not for ongoing use. And at $69.99 (£59.99 in the UK, 489 yuan in China), it’s priced squarely as a collectible rather than an everyday gadget.

Nintendo is selling the jukebox exclusively through PokémonCenter.com in North America with a one-per-customer limit. The UK has already sold out. Fans in mainland China can enter a lottery-based purchase system starting March 6. Gotta catch ’em all, right?!

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Could a Nintendo “Switch 2 Lite” Be Closer Than We Think? The Rumors Hint At A 2027 Date

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The Switch 2 barely celebrated its first birthday and yet here we are already whispering about what comes next. That’s the “Nintendo Effect”, really. The company trains us to speculate obsessively, and honestly, the rumor mill right now is giving us plenty of material to work with. So let’s lean into it: is a Switch 2 Pro or some kind of premium hardware revision actually on the horizon sooner than expected? The signs are quietly pointing toward yes, and it’s worth getting excited about.

The most tantalizing breadcrumb dropped just last month. A sharp-eyed Bluesky user going by the handle Dootsky.re dug through Nintendo’s Account Portal and found an unused hardware model code labeled “OSM.” For reference, the Switch 2’s own model code is “BEE,” and the original Switch used “HAC,” with “HAD” reserved for its later battery-upgraded variants. The fact that “OSM” already exists in Nintendo’s backend infrastructure, and that requesting it actually returns an image of a Switch 2, is the kind of detail that quietly screams “something is cooking.” Nintendo doesn’t register model codes for fun.

Designer: Nintendo

What could OSM stand for? Speculation has been predictably wild. One theory floating around Reddit suggests it means “Ounce Small Model,” pointing toward a Switch 2 Lite with a reduced footprint and lower price point. That theory makes a lot of sense given the Switch 2’s $450 launch price, which stung more than a few buyers and left a sizeable chunk of Nintendo’s potential audience watching from the sidelines. A leaner, cheaper variant that strips out the dock functionality but keeps the core gaming experience intact would be a very Nintendo move, and it would open up the platform to an entirely new demographic.

But another theory carries just as much electricity. Some observers are reading “OSM” as a pointer toward an OLED model, a Switch 2 that finally gives the people what the Switch 2’s launch arguably should have delivered from day one: a proper OLED display. The current Switch 2 runs a 7.9-inch LCD, which is perfectly fine but feels like a missed opportunity when you consider that the original Switch OLED was basically the definitive version of that console. An OLED-equipped Switch 2 with a refined chip process could genuinely be the “Switch 2 Pro” that players have been quietly hoping for, one that offers a noticeably upgraded portable experience without requiring an entirely new software library.

And that’s the thing: a hardware revision in the Switch family has always been more of a premium upgrade than a generational leap. Nintendo’s historical cadence backs this up beautifully. The original Switch launched in 2017. The Lite arrived in 2019. The OLED landed in 2021. Apply that roughly two-year rhythm to the Switch 2 timeline, and a revised model somewhere in 2027 sits right on schedule. But here’s where it gets interesting: the “OSM” code is already sitting in Nintendo’s systems, which suggests development is well underway. Hardware doesn’t appear in account portals by accident. If Nintendo is already assigning codes, the pipeline for a new variant is real, active, and potentially closer to announcement than anyone expected.

Meanwhile, the Switch 2’s software trajectory is also telling. Nintendo is loading up 2026 with big titles to keep the current hardware thriving, with Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Splatoon Raiders, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Rhythm Heaven Groove, and a rumored new 3D Mario all either confirmed or heavily anticipated for this year. That’s a lineup designed to sustain momentum, not wrap things up. And a premium hardware revision landing in late 2027 alongside whatever monster franchise entry Nintendo saves for that window? That’s a product launch that practically writes itself.

A Switch 3, for comparison, feels genuinely far away. Nintendo doesn’t abandon a platform that’s selling at record pace, and the Switch 2 already smashed records to become the fastest-selling console of all time globally. You don’t walk away from that kind of commercial velocity. A generational successor needs years of runway, a clear technological leap, and a reason for consumers to start over. None of those conditions exist right now, and the software library is too young and too rich to justify anything close to a hardware retirement.

So what’s the realistic picture heading into 2027 and beyond? A Switch 2 Lite targeting the budget end sometime in late 2027 feels very probable, with an OLED or performance-focused “Pro” variant following close behind, potentially the crown jewel that finally gives the Switch 2 the premium screen it deserved at launch. The “OSM” code is just the first breadcrumb, but if Nintendo’s history has taught us anything, those breadcrumbs tend to lead somewhere worth following.

The post Could a Nintendo “Switch 2 Lite” Be Closer Than We Think? The Rumors Hint At A 2027 Date first appeared on Yanko Design.

Functional LEGO Nintendo controller that you can also make

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Gaming on your consoles with your preferred controller goes a long way in having an in-game strategic advantage. When you do want to go a bit casual, experimenting with a different-looking controller is a refreshing change. All the better when thegaming setup is built out of LEGO bricks. Take, for example, the detailed LEGO PS One console kit that emulates everything from the controller and CDs to the memory cards. But being a non-functional LEGO set takes away some of the charm. However, we’ve come across a build that may not be extensive, but sure is impressive with its complete functional approach.

The Nintendo Pro controller line-up comes at a premium price tag, and that prompted creator Brux to make one of his own in LEGO flavor. To keep things simple, the DIYer adapts the Nintendo controller’s original design. Piecing together the choice bricks to come up with the controller shape is hypnotic, and the best thing is that you can also make one for yourself. That’s because the DIY is not as complex as some of the other builds we’ve seen in our time.

Designer: Brux

The brain of the LEGO controller is the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Zero development board, which lies just beneath the thin brick layer. The sorcery is done by converting the button action into Switch understandable input, letting you play games just like you would with the official controller. If we go more technical, the DIY gamepad acts as a USB HID device. To make the button inputs precise, he put a lot of time into crafting the A, B, X, Y cluster, the D-pad, Home, and Capture bricks.

Similarly, the analog joysticks have bespoke circuit boards connected to the potentiometers for smooth in-game movements. The shoulder buttons get the potentiometers and the analog trigger pull for precision input, like the variable acceleration in racing games. Getting all the electronic components and the wires inside the limited space needs to be appreciated here. To add a bit of spice to the whole build, the controller docks the minifigure right beside the USB-C port that connects to the Switch.

The controller is wired to keep the technical complexity to a minimum. Brux has been kind enough to provide all the details of the DIY, and we would categorize it as a “Medium” difficulty project if you fancy the LEGO controller’s prospects. Of course, you can put in your input to make it compatible with other consoles or handhelds as well.

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LEGO recreates iconic battle from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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The LEGO Group has carried over the momentum from last year, introducing sets that the community wants, as well as some releases that are their own brainchild. Last year, LEGO hinted at a Legend of Zelda collaboration with Nintendo, and now the official set is releasing. This one joins the likes of the three Pokémon sets and the Harry Potter set released by the group this month.

The LEGO set will replicate one of the most iconic boss battles in the title’s history, depicting the Ocarina of Time bash taking place among the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town, as Link and Princess Zelda take on the monstrous Ganon. The official set is even better than initially anticipated by community experts, adding to the numerous options LEGO fans have at their disposal.

Designer: LEGO Group

The 1,003-piece set dubbed the Ocarina of Time: The Final Battle is a faithful diorama of the most iconic arcade games for the Nintendo N64 console line-up. Ganondorf, in his final boss human form (that’s buildable piece by piece), takes up the most territory of the set, as minifigures of Link and Zelda are depicted taking on the monster. The base of the set shows Ganon’s ruined castle and damaged tower, as the rubble masks the three recovery hearts. Other inclusions of the set include the Master Sword, a couple of fabric capes, dual honking swords of Ganon, and the Hylian Shield.

When the set depicting the intense scrap in the ruins of Hyrule Castle is put together, it measures 6.5 inches high, 11 inches wide, and 7 inches deep. That makes it ideal for your gaming desk setup or work shelf to display your love for the title. If you look closely at the official pictures, the base recreates the arena of Hyrule from the N64, and has the Triforce-badged display base. LEGO has paid attention to detail in the creation, as one can spot the little elements of the Ocarina. Things like the pile of rubble, the Megaton Hammer, or Navi the fairy floating among the chaos. In fact, a hidden button activates the lid mechanism, as the ruins erupt and the super villain announces his presence for ultimate supremacy.

Compared to the 2-in-1 Great Deku Tree set, this one is smaller since it represents only a single title. The price tag of $130 is also accommodating for fans who don’t want an elaborate set to fit in their scheme of things. Ocarina of Time: The Final Battle set is up for pre-order right now, and the official launch is slated for 1st March. Even for a neutral fan who loves playing arcade games for fun, this LEGO build is one to consider.

 

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This Nintendo Switch-inspired concept morphs gaming DNA into track performance

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When Nintendo introduced the Switch in 2017, it reshaped modern gaming by merging handheld convenience with living-room power in a single, modular device. Its detachable Joy-Cons, bold color accents, and instantly recognizable silhouette turned the console into both a functional tool and a design icon. That same philosophy now takes an unexpected leap into automotive design with the Nintendo Switcher, a concept car that reinterprets the Switch’s playful yet purposeful identity as a low-slung, track-ready performance machine.

Created as a concept design project, the Nintendo Switcher imagines an alternate reality where the Japanese gaming giant channels its design language into motorsports-inspired mobility. Rather than simply applying branding to an existing vehicle shape, the concept approaches the car as if it were designed from the ground up by the same team that shaped Nintendo’s hardware. The result is a vehicle that feels expressive and unmistakably influenced by gaming culture while still reading clearly as a high-performance car.

Designer: Anton Kulakov and Florin Ivan

The exterior design makes the connection immediately obvious through its use of color blocking and contrast. Red, black, and white dominate the bodywork, echoing the Switch console and its Joy-Con controllers. These colors are applied in sharp, deliberate sections rather than blended gradients, reinforcing the idea of modular components coming together to form a cohesive whole. The body itself sits low and wide, with exaggerated proportions that emphasize speed, grip, and stability, giving the Switcher the visual stance of a track-focused machine.

Aerodynamic intent plays a major role in shaping the car’s surfaces. Long, flowing lines guide the eye from the front toward the rear, while aggressive wheel arches and sculpted side panels suggest functional airflow management. The front end appears compact and assertive, with lighting elements integrated cleanly into the body rather than treated as separate components. From every angle, the design strikes a balance between sharp geometry and smooth transitions, mirroring the way gaming hardware often combines angular forms with ergonomic curves.

While interior details are presented more subtly, the concept hints at a driver-focused cockpit influenced by digital interfaces. The layout suggests a minimalist and immersive approach, prioritizing essential controls and visual clarity, much like a gaming interface designed to keep players engaged without distraction. The emphasis appears to be on interaction and responsiveness rather than luxury, reinforcing the car’s performance-oriented character.

The Nintendo Switcher is a creative exploration of how deeply ingrained product identity can travel across industries. By translating the Switch’s modular thinking, bold visuals, and user-centric design into an automotive context, the concept shows how gaming culture continues to influence design far beyond screens and controllers. Though it remains purely conceptual, the Switcher feels like a convincing glimpse into a world where entertainment brands shape mobility with the same confidence they bring to interactive experiences.

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This PokéDex Wallet Holds 3 Pokémon Cards Along With Your Cash And Childhood Nostalgia

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More like Gotta Cash ‘Em All, am I right?! Say hello to by far the nerdiest wallet I’ve ever had the pleasure to set my eyes on. Made for clearly Pokémon lovers, this wallet takes inspiration from one of the most crucial gadgets in the Pokémon universe – the PokéDex. Designed to look almost identical to the flip-based device used to identify the Pokémon you see around you, this wallet comes from the mind of Jalonisdead, with slots to hold (and display) your Pokémon cards along with your banknotes.

The wallet comes in a bifold format in that unmistakeable red finish, with a design to match the PokéDex perfectly. When shut, it looks like a red PokéDex waiting to be opened. Flip the lid open and you’re greeted with a card window on the left that you can use to store the card of your choice. The window lines up perfectly with the card’s graphic, making it look like you’ve ‘spotted’ that Pokémon. Meanwhile, faux graphics on the wallet look almost identical to the gadget from the game/series.

Designer: Jalonisdead

There’s space for multiple cards, although the one front-and-center is clearly for a Pokémon card. Two other slots on the right side can be used for payment and I’d cards too – this is a wallet after all. A slot on the top holds banknotes, although I wish there were place for coins too. The unusual shape lends itself perfectly to wallet use, and I’m surprised nobody at Nintendo thought of cashing in on this idea.

Each wallet costs in the ballpark of $56 USD, and ships in authentic Pokémon card-style packaging, along with 4 Pokémon cards in mint condition. Jalonisdead (the maker) isn’t a massive company, so each wallet is made-to-order and probably by hand too. This means the turnaround time for delivery is anywhere up to 2 months, but for a Pokémon aficionado, I’m sure it’s a small price to pay for perhaps what might be the coolest wallet I’ve seen in years!

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SN Operator Brings the Cartridge Ritual to Steam Deck and PCs

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Retro gaming has mostly split into two camps: ROMs and emulators on one side, original cartridges and aging consoles on the other. A lot of people have boxes of SNES games they love, but end up playing downloaded copies on a laptop because it is easier. The Epilogue SN Operator tries to bring those physical carts back into the loop without dragging a CRT out of storage or rewiring your living room.

The SN Operator is a transparent dock that adds a Super Nintendo or Super Famicom slot to a computer or handheld over USB-C. You plug it into a Windows, macOS, Linux machine, or a Steam Deck, drop in a cartridge, and play through Epilogue’s Playback app or your emulator of choice. It behaves like a cartridge slot for your computer, not a black-box ripper, keeping the ritual of inserting a physical cart alive.

Designer: Epilogue

The Playback app handles the heavy lifting, running an in-app emulator that keeps saves synchronized between devices, supports co-op play, modern controllers, cheats, and integrates with RetroAchievements. You are playing from the original cartridge with your own save file, but you get achievements, soft reset, and fast forward layered on top. That turns a 30-year-old game into something that fits a 2025 setup without losing the tactile connection.

The handheld angle is where the SN Operator starts to feel unexpectedly useful. It plugs into a Steam Deck or similar device and effectively turns it into a portable Super Nintendo with a real cartridge slot. Setup is simple: install Playback, connect via USB-C, and you are playing carts on the couch or on a train. Saves stay in sync with your desktop, so you can bounce between screens without juggling files.

The preservation side lets you back up game data and save files from cartridges in a couple of clicks, archiving them on your computer before backup batteries die. Epilogue frames this as keeping titles and personal progress alive for decades, not as a piracy tool. The device is meant for legally owned cartridges and personal, non-commercial use, with no game ROMs included, and it protects cartridge integrity during reads.

Counterfeit detection analyzes cartridge data to help you spot bootlegs in a market where fakes are getting harder to identify by eye. It is not perfect, and results are informational only, but for collectors spending serious money on rare carts, having a hardware tool that can flag suspicious boards is useful on top of the play and backup functions, helping you know exactly what you are putting on the shelf.

The transparent design feels right for this niche. A clear polycarbonate shell shows off the PCB and connector, with dust flaps keeping things clean. Transparent tech is a staple of 1990s gaming, and SN Operator leans into that nostalgia without feeling kitschy. It is a piece of hardware you want on the desk, a little window into the circuitry that is quietly keeping your Super Nintendo library alive on modern machines, whether you plug it into a tower or a handheld.

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