Some of us find ourselves drawn to the unique charm of retro hardware. One new creation that captures this sentiment is Game.Work by Abe Haskins - an innovative piece of art inspired by the vintage aesthetic.

Abe Haskins has meticulously crafted a retro gaming console that harkens back to the days of yore when plastic hardware and chunky cartridges were the norms. The Game.Work system, built around a Framework mainboard, showcases a custom case inspired by the TurboGrafx-16 while still integrating modern functionality.

The console also features cartridges that serve as storage media for games, with labels flaunting game artwork to replicate the retro experience. These cartridges are connected through a custom slot on top of the machine.

The console’s case is primarily 3D-printed but boasts additional hardware like an acrylic board for the motherboard attachment, a metal back plate for stability, and rubber feet to keep it stationary during gameplay. The entire project has been made open source by Haskins, allowing enthusiasts worldwide to recreate or further develop their versions of this nostalgic gaming system.

The Game.Work console integrates the Framework mainboard, from a modular laptop specialist with easy upgradeability.

For those eager to dive deeper into this unique project and witness it come to life, Haskins has shared an official project video on YouTube. Follow him for more updates.

It’s a testament that sometimes, you really can’t escape the plastic nostalgia!

  • Th4tGuyII
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    5 months ago

    True, but if you’re already replacing the mobo (say for an upgrade, which Framework laptops are designed to let you do), then you can use your old one for this rather than having to buy a Pi clone or some such

    • DacoTaco
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      35 months ago

      Still overkill and uses way to much power. Now, as a server that just happens to also be a retroconsole… :')

      • Th4tGuyII
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        115 months ago

        If you have access to the BIOS, you could always just underclock and undervolt the system to give more power efficiency.

        Though a small server with a retroconsole attached is also not a bad idea for the excess juice.

      • @ExperiencedWinter
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        45 months ago

        Your concern is power consumption, but then want to use the same board as a server running it 24/7?

        • DacoTaco
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          5 months ago

          It all depends on your needs tbh. I personally think the framework mobo is perfect for a powerful 24/7 server. Smb, router, media center, …

          I personally dont need something like that and just have an sbc running pihole and smb 24/7 ( +/- 8w@230v power usage )