A maker-built living-room console uses an Intel N150 single-board computer, Batocera and a USB CD drive to make physical discs part of the retro-gaming experience. Its custom CDs carry both a game file and a shell script that places the file in Batocera’s emulator library—rather than simply launching a game already installed on the system.
What makes this console different
Hackaday’s September 30, 2026 report describes a retro-gaming build that brings back the ritual of choosing a disc without relying on optical media as the game’s direct runtime source. The discs are home-authored data CDs: each holds a game file and a script intended to copy that file into the appropriate Batocera library. Once the file is in the library, Batocera can display it for launching.
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The builder reportedly could have used an autorun approach but chose the script method. The report does not publish the script, exact library paths, disc filesystem or format, or complete build instructions, so this is a description of the design rather than a reproducible tutorial. Hackaday’s project report explains the concept.
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What is in the build
- Computer and software: an Intel N150 x86 single-board computer running Batocera, a retro-gaming operating system.
- Optical media: a USB CD drive and custom CDs containing game files plus the script that moves each file into the relevant emulator library.
- Controllers: ESP32-S3 wireless gamepads communicating over Bluetooth Low Energy.
- Enclosure and presentation: a 3D-printed case, custom disc labels and jewel-case artwork.
A secondary account identifies the board as a ZimaBoard 2 and adds details including 32GB of onboard storage, DisplayPort output and a 500GB SSD. It also reports that the creator used a 700MB CD-R for a game file and script. Those specifics come from TechEBlog’s secondary write-up, which cites Hackaday; they are not independently confirmed in the primary report. The reported CD-R capacity describes this build, not a guarantee that every disc will offer that much usable space.
#1 Best Overall
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- Separated Joysticks -The design of two joysticks separated make 2 players have enough space playing together. One players can take the P1 joystick to play games only, no need of P2.
Why use CDs instead of loading games from storage?
The disc makes selecting a game feel tangible: choose the disc, insert it, and let its included script add the game file to the system’s library. It is a distinct workflow from mounting an original game disc and playing directly from it, and from browsing a library of files already stored on the console. The reported build uses ordinary CDs, not DVDs or Blu-ray discs.
That distinction matters for anyone trying to recreate the idea. The project’s defining feature is not simply that the console has an optical drive; it is the pairing of a data CD with a file-placement script. Batocera still needs to support the game’s system and file format for the title to appear and run. The report does not provide a compatibility list or establish that every game file will work automatically.
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What performance and compatibility are established?
The coverage presents the Intel N150 build as a retro-gaming project, not a machine designed for modern AAA games. It includes no measured frame rates, comprehensive emulator compatibility matrix or reported compatibility test results. Treat performance for any particular game as unverified unless you find testing for that exact system and configuration.
A separate Raspberry Pi Official Magazine guide covers a different setup: DOS CD-ROM mounting and original PlayStation discs on a Raspberry Pi 4. Its examples show that optical-disc behavior and configuration can depend on the emulator; they are not instructions or test results for the Intel N150 console.
Rank #3
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Check the drive’s power and behavior
Optical drives can add integration issues beyond whether the connector fits. In its Raspberry Pi 4 build, the magazine warns that some bus-powered USB drives may draw more power than the Pi readily supplies, and that a portable reader’s spin-up and spin-down behavior may not suit emulated consoles. Its worked example uses an internal SATA DVD-ROM drive with an externally powered SATA-to-USB adapter, naming the Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7203S and StarTech USB2SATAIDE. These are examples from that build, not tested alternatives for the featured Intel N150 system.
The guide also cautions that drive speed settings or spin-down behavior can contribute to stutter in its PCSXR setup. When choosing a drive for another host, check the host’s power budget, the drive’s power requirements and the target emulator’s behavior rather than assuming a Raspberry Pi setup will transfer unchanged.
Rank #4
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Legal considerations depend on where you live
The technical workflow does not establish that any game files on a particular disc were copied or used with permission. Copyright and backup rules vary by jurisdiction, so check authoritative local guidance before copying or distributing game software.
The Raspberry Pi magazine article describes UK restrictions on copying software, video or music discs, including the absence of backup or transcoding exceptions in its account. It also warns against downloading disc images or BIOS files from others. That is the publication’s account of UK law, not legal advice for readers elsewhere; it does not establish the rights status of files in the featured build.
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