Ever thought the Raspberry Pi would make a great processor for building your own retro arcade box, but weren’t quite sure how to put one together? Not a problem, as somebody did the job of figuring things out for you. Called the Porta Pi, it’s a DIY video arcade cabinet built around the popular $25 computer.Â
We know, seeing “DIY” is scary as heck. This set is designed to be put together with ease, though. No measuring lines on wood, no working with saws, and no soldering whatsoever — just follow instructions, piece everything together like a LEGO set, and you’re good to go.
The Porta Pi kit contains a ready-to-assemble laser-cut wooden cabinet, a 7-inch LCD screen, a commercial-quality arcade joystick, eight commercial-quality arcade buttons, speakers with amplifier, a 16GB SD card preloaded with software and games, and a variety of small components (wires, adapters, connectors, and more). When put together, the mini-cabinet measures 13 x 9 x 10 inches (h x w x d), which should make it ideal for setting up by a workdesk, a coffee table or even the kitchen counter (so you don’t have to travel far to get another beer and heat another pizza slice). All the wooden parts are bare, so you can paint over them to customize the cabinet with the arcade box art of your dreams. According to the product page, assembly should take around two hours, although you’ll need to give the glue time to dry (at least 24 hours) before going into button-mashing mode.
Currently, the Porta Pi is collecting funding from Kickstarter. Pledge to reserve a full unit is $225, although you’ll need to supply your own Model B Raspberry Pi.