It’s not often you see a retro gaming console that is a 65″ magic mirror. In fact, I can count on one hand and indeed one finger the number of times that I’ve seen one in my 34 years on this earth.
I was doing my usual Monday evening trawl of nerdy news items and came across this incredible magic mirror mod created by David from Element 14 over on Tom’s Hardware. The concept of evolving the magic mirror might be a little ‘overdone’ in usual channels, but I still feel like I’m walking through Hogwarts whenever I see one, so that’s probably why I’ve taken such a shine to David’s work. And, if there’s something retro being made, you just know I’m going to cover it!
To give you an idea of what a magic mirror is if you haven’t ever seen one, it’s essentially a mirrored screen that can then show information behind it when fired up. So, one minute you could be checking out your visage and getting a full-length snap of yourself, and the next you could be playing some SNES games!
And how has David managed this feat, I hear you cry? He’s used a Raspberry Pi 5 and Emulation Station to bring this project to life.
Admittedly, the end result would leave us with a permanent crick in our neck, but the idea is really clever. Can you imagine having one on your wall that could double up as a ginormous gaming device? I’m not sure I could convince my mum to get rid of her framed Renoit in favour of one of these, but I’d be up for having one!
Retro Gaming, Raspberry Flavoured
We’ve seen some incredible Retro Gaming accessories being produced using Raspberry Pi of late. From this tiny Game Boy Mini to a device that unlocks a broadband connection for your GameCube, it would seem that Retro Gaming and Raspberry Pi are becoming like two great friends that never want to leave each other’s sides.
The number of ingenious creations that are being created thanks to Raspberry Pi devices grows by the day, and we’re continually surprised by the ideas the community thinks up while we’re tapping away on our keyboards.
David’s choice of using Raspberry Pi 5 creates a powerful device more than capable of turning a 65″ monitor into a nostalgic gateway to retro brilliance. If he can figure out a way to flip it, then we’ll maybe pop round to have a go. Until then, we’ll be sticking with horizontal handhelds!
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 34 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
