Homemade Nintendo Switch Runs On Raspberry Pi, Plays All Your Retro Games

If you want to enjoy the experience of playing classic Nintendo games on modern gaming hardware, your choices are either to buy a Nintendo Switch, and hope the company sells the games you want via its digital store, or buy the new SNES Classic. Modder Tim Lindquist has combined the best of those two options with a homemade take on the Switch that runs any classic game imaginable via a Raspberry Pi.

Dubbed the "NinTIMdo RP," Lindquist's creation features a Raspberry Pi cleverly housed in a 3D-printed case designed to resemble Nintendo's console/handheld hybrid. There's a microcontroller inside that connects the physical button inputs to the Pi, a 10,000mAh battery that charges via MicroUSB, and even LED lights to show the volume and battery levels. Oh, and it includes a 7-inch touchscreen that tops the real Switch's in size.

Other neat touches include the two standard USB ports for connecting accessories, and a HDMI port emulates the Switch by turning off the device's display and sending video to a TV screen when connected. As for the software, the Raspberry Pi is outfitted with RetroPie and EmulationStation for running games with an authentic console feel.

You can check out the time-lapse video above of the building process, while Lindquist has also shared the 3D models and source code of his creation on his website and Github, with a detailed build tutorial coming soon.

SOURCE Tim Lindquist