This PS One Sleeper Build Packs a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 for Emulation and More

Pseudonymous maker and retro-gaming enthusiast "MrNiceThings" has taken Sony's compact PS One and turned it into a sleeper system hiding a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 — and boasting a fully-operational DVD drive to boot.

"[I use it for] Emulation, Kodi, and also desktop," MrNiceThings explains of the sleeper build. "Mainly it will be used for Kodi, Netflix, and stuff. The desktop mainly to be able burn DVDs, not that it would make much sense these days but who else can say they burn DVDs on a [PS One] LOL! Oh, and also Steam Link to my gaming PC."

Released in 2000 and discontinued six years later, the PS One was Sony's redesign of the popular original PlayStation — dramatically shrinking the size of the console while retaining full software compatibility. While MrNiceThings' version looks identical to Sony's original from the outside, the innards have been completely revamped — though, thanks to the power of emulation, it's still technically capable of playing PlayStation games.

Taking off the lid of the system reveals a custom carrier board for a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, cooled by a chunky passive heatsink. The board brings out a single full-size HDMI connector, two USB Type-C connections, and a DC jack for power, all at the rear of the console — while what MrNiceThings calls a "weird octopus" of a hand-wired Arduino Pro Micro compatible microcontroller board connects the front gamepad ports to a third USB connection.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the project is the optical drive. While many sleeper builds ditch optical drives in this era of direct digital downloads, MrNiceThings retained it — upgrading it, in fact, from the CD-ROM of the original to a DVD burner.

More information is available in MrNiceThings' Reddit post; "I will make this public on GitHub later," the creator promises, "but it does require some time and serious soldering skills."