We've seen some all-in-one Raspberry Pi gaming rigs before but this one definitely takes the cake. Maker and developer ConsciousFish6170 has put a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W inside of a video game controller. Everything you need from the games to the emulation software is contained in one, handheld device. This setup makes it easier than ever to emulate games and keep all of your hardware in one convenient location.
The project is built around a broken Sony PlayStation 4 controller so don't worry— no working controllers were harmed in the making of this project. According to ConsciousFish6170, the controller was big enough to house a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, so it won't be able to play PS3 games like the Raspberry Pi 5 but you can still enjoy quite a bit of emulation for more simple consoles from the NES to the original Sony PlayStation.
It wasn't enough to fit the Pi inside, however, he wanted the controller to look as functional as possible so certain components, like the analog sticks, were left in place. That said, some of the broken hardware had to be removed to make enough room for the Pi and respective cables that allow for external connections and peripherals to be connected.
As we mentioned before, the main board powering the system is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W which is small enough to fit but also has the added benefit of WiFi support along with low power consumption. It's connected to a couple of USB Type-C mini adapters which lets ConciousFish6170 attach both a USB hub and a power supply.
ConciousFish6170 opted to use RetroPie as the main emulation platform for this project, successfully testing a handful of emulators for consoles like the NES, PlayStation 1 and GameBoy Advance. However, you could totally get away with using other systems as well like Lakka or just plain RetroArch.
If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project in action, you can check it out over the project thread shared by ConciousFish6170 to Reddit.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
