Since its release a decade ago, the Raspberry Pi has been the perfect host for retro gaming projects. But this may be the most impressive yet.
Taking full advantage of the Pi 400’s improved power over earlier models this build (by YouTuber Block After Block) has an odd aspect: it’s housed in 3/4″ Radiatta Pine Plywood: “Plywood edge grain is a favorite of mine and I love how it looks on this project.”
Fair enough.
If you know about the Raspberry Pi, you’ll know the Pi 4 and 400 models have dual HDMI, but that isn’t used for this build. As the project is running RetroPie (which has issues with dual HDMI) the builder employed a HDMI splitter instead. The results, as you’ll see in the video above, are really good, with the Pi 400’s keyboard housing a useful element that can be easily put back inside the chassis, out of sight.
Another builder might have opted for a more powerful Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of RAM and a Bluetooth keyboard, but I think this does the job perfectly.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
