So, I’ve been getting back into gaming in a big way these last few months, after a low back injury left me sidelined from my other, more physically active hobbies.

The silver lining (or I suppose cat nip) for my ASD brain is modding. In the past 6 weeks, I’ve modded a ds, a dsi, a wii u, a wii (which underrated as a “turn it on and play the classics” machine), several Android TVs… yeah…

While I’ve loved all of them (the Wii especially brought me great joy), I wished there was a way to play everything in one spot. A curated console, as it were.

Of course, you know where this is going - emulation.

Through the wonders of Ebay, I was able go score a Lenovo M93p tiny for around $80USD (a SFF pc from around 2014, about same dimensions as wii).

Throw in a faster processor, lobotomise windows, throw on Playnite, Dolphin Emulator and a bunch of personal classic and… well…let me introduce you to my SuperPretendo 5 :)

PS: ChatGPT gen art (and typos aside), I kinda love what it came up with for this.

  • SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    0·
    4 days ago

    PPS: dunno where the PS4 logo came from. I think because I told it I used xbox 360 and Wiimotes to play SoC. The blurb it made (per below) is sufficiently more coherent that it made me want to buy it :)

    (Hope this ok to share; just fun / not trying to spam)

    Super Pretendo 5 — Retro Reinvented

    Front of Box

    Logo: Super Pretendo 5™ Tagline: Don’t spend $80 to play Mario Kart. Do more with less.

    Hero art: Rico parachuting in JC2 + Mario Kart Wii chaos.

    Badges:

    1. Xbox 360, PS4 and Wiimote Ready 2.Playnite Console UI
    2. Optimized for Wii / GC / PS2 4.PC Prestige Collection

    Back of Box

    Headline: Your old games. New life. One tiny box.

    Features:

    🎮 Console Feel – Couch-ready, controller-first, TV-native.

    🧠 Smart Power – i7-4785T + Intel HD 4600 wrung dry for HD.

    📦 Backlog Optimized & Upscaled – Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart, Shadow of the Colossus, Fallout 3, Just Cause 2 … and many more

    ✨ Switch Modes:

    Crunchy Mode → Wii-like smoothness @ 60 FPS.

    Cinematic Mode → 1366p sharper fidelity.

    🔧 Thrift Engineered – A$200 (~US$130) total build cost → complete console-like system.

    ≈ 3× cheaper than PS5 / Xbox Series X (~A$800).

    The Prestige Collection™

    PC Ports Tested & Couch Ready on the Super Pretendo 5

    60 FPS Locked

    • Portal 2

    Deus Ex: Human Revolution

    Dead Rising 2

    Assassin’s Creed II

    Superhot

    Firewatch

    Half-Life 2

    Mass Effect 2

    30+ FPS

    • Metal Gear Solid V

    Grand Theft Auto IV

    Bayonetta

    Fallout 4

    Witcher 2

    Bioshock Infinite

    Dishonored

    Prey … and many more

    Special Note

    Just Cause 2 → Crunchy Mode: Locked 60 FPS @ 960×540 (VSync on — 84 FPS with VSync off). Cinematic Mode: ~45 FPS @ 1366×768.

    Screenshots Panel

    Mario Kart Wii — native vs. 2× IR

    Just Cause 2 — 60 FPS wingsuit chaos

    Fallout 3 — Remastered & Upscaled, 60 FPS

    Fine Print

    Super Pretendo 5™ is a DIY build. Capable of playing thousands of retro titles + select modern/indie games from the 2015–2025 era, including Superhot, Firewatch, Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, Cult of the Lamb, and more.

    Thousands of 6th gen console classics at 2× upscale. Prestige ports tested for couch play.

    Comparison Chart

    System Cost (AUD)

    Super Pretendo 5 ~A$200 Xbox 360 (2005) ~A$700 Nintendo Switch ~A$470 PS5 / Series X ~A$800

    Footer Slogan

    “Don’t spend $80 to play Mario Kart. Do more with less.”