Here’s Your Weekend DIY: Make a Retro Gaming Table!

Level up your DIY skills this weekend and build a retro gaming table out of old computer parts and a $10 IKEA table. For about $100 you’ll get to live out your childhood dream of playing Pac Man at home all ay for free and it will look super cool in your living room. Get your supplies together and get to work!
Ok, so you are going to need brains for this thing. We love the highly versatile and powerful Raspberry Pi for the processor, but let us know what works for you in the comments. The Raspberry Pi starter kit look like it’ll run you something like $50-$70 if you buy it new and the basic model is $35.

And since you probably don’t have vintage arcade style joysticks or buttons lying around (unless you do, in which case: I like your style) you can pick them up pretty inexpensively online. Joysticks are $10 and push buttons cost about $20 for a dozen. Spring for the LED buttons and joystick for some real pizzazz!

Look at it. It's beautiful.
Look at it. It’s beautiful.

You’ll also need a 17 inch monitor to mount of the table, USB wireless speakers and a table. We recommend the LACK, but ambitious DIY-ers have used dinner tables to make seriously impressive arcade tables. There’s a full step-by-step tutorial here.

If you make a gaming table, tag us on Twitter (@VideoGameDJ and @bethanneboyle) so we can check it out and tell you how awesome it is!

Post a Comment!