This Awesome Enclosure Makes a MiSTer Build Look Like a Real Retro Console

MiSTer is a really cool open-source project that takes advantage of an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) to recreate retro consoles, computers, and other hardware. That is fundamentally different than the standard software emulation that you’re probably familiar with if you’ve ever run an NES emulator on your PC or completed a RetroPie build. But as amazing as MiSTer is, the project lacks a bit of the implementation polish that we see in consumer products and very well-established open-source community projects. Maker WhoIsLudwig solved part of that problem by designing this awesome enclosure that makes a MiSTer build look like a real retro console.

MiSTer is unlike conventional software emulation, because it uses an FPGA to literally recreate the hardware of retro consoles. It isn’t just processing games on modern hardware, because the FPGA is capable of actually recreating the transistors and circuits of the target hardware. When running the Nintendo 64 core, for example, it is making a physical recreation of the N64’s NEC VR4300 processor on demand. That’s neat in its own right and also provides a better gaming experience, as compatibility and performance issues are non-existent. You are, after all, running the retro games on real hardware.

But that doesn’t necessarily look very nice. Depending on the build you choose to do, you might just end up with what looks like a stack of random PCBs. The case designed by WhoIsLudwig will make that much, much more attractive, while also protecting the hardware. WhoIsLudwig certainly isn’t the first person to design a case like this for MiSTer builds, but their design is one of the best-looking that we’ve come across. It kind of channels the Sega SG-100 and Nintendo Famicom, with a dash of generic MSX thrown in there.

WhoIsLudwig designed this case to work specifically with the official DE10 Nano sandwich-style build (based on the Terasic FPGA dev board) and it probably isn’t worth trying to use this enclosure if you’re doing another build. All of the parts, aside from hardware and fasteners, are 3D-printable. The front panel hosts three USB ports and a power switch, while all of the other ports are on the back. And there is room inside for a 2.5” SSD, connected via a USB adapter.

All of the parts fit on a 180×180mm 3D printer bed and were designed with multicolor printing in mind, so it is perfect for people that own a Bambu Lab printer with an AMS.