A builder named Emmet constructed a CD-based retrogaming console from scratch, centered on an Intel N150 single-board computer running Batocera Linux, a distribution built specifically for x86 retrogaming. The machine reads standard CDs formatted to the Orange Book spec. Each disc stores an actual ROM file alongside a shell script that routes it to the correct emulator.
The controllers are custom wireless gamepads built on ESP32-S3 microcontrollers communicating over BLE. The full build includes a 3D-printed enclosure and hand-designed jewel case art and CD labels, details that push this past hobbyist novelty into something that reads as a coherent consumer product. The original article digs into how each of these layers was built, not just that they exist.
The piece is worth reading in full because the implementation choices are specific and replicable: the ROM-on-disc approach is a functional alternative to the cartridge emulation projects Hackaday has covered previously, and Batocera's x86 support means the software stack is well-documented. CDs are cheap, the toolchain is open, and Emmet's build proves the format is viable for exactly this use case.
[READ ORIGINAL →]