Retro gaming builds. The whole library, on hardware that feels right.
MiSTer FPGA recreates classic consoles at the circuit level; RetroPie turns a small board into a machine that plays almost everything. Both start as a pile of parts and a configuration rabbit hole — we take the pile and the hole off your hands. Assembly, configuration, video output tuned for a CRT or a modern display, controllers mapped and tested. Every build is quoted after we look: parts plus labor, one flat quote before anything starts. Walk in or ship it in from anywhere in the U.S.
What we do on the retro gaming bench
Quoted after we look. The number comes from the parts the machine actually needs, not from a menu.
Diagnosis
$49The $49 diagnosis answers the real questions first: which platform fits the room and the screen it will live in, what the parts list looks like, and what the whole job costs. Free when you approve the work, and free when the honest answer is that your parts won't get there.
MiSTer FPGA builds
Quoted after we lookCycle-accurate recreation, not approximation: the core board, the I/O boards, storage, cooling, and a case that suits the shelf. Assembled cleanly, updated, configured, and burn-in tested before it leaves the bench. Parts + labor.
RetroPie builds
Quoted after we lookA Raspberry Pi, a case for the room, a controller or three, and a front end configured so it just works when you sit down. Set up around your own game collection, loaded by you. Parts + labor.
Output tuning
Quoted after we lookCRT or modern display, it changes everything: resolutions, scaling, scanlines, lag. We tune the machine's video output for the screen it will actually live with and prove the picture on the bench before it goes home.
Controller setup
Quoted after we lookPads, adapters, and arcade sticks mapped and tested on the machine itself — including your fight stick if it's part of the setup. Dead zones, latency, and button maps sorted before the machine ships.
Why build instead of buy
The shelf machine is a compromise. A build isn't.
FPGA or emulation, honestly
MiSTer plays at the hardware level and costs more; RetroPie stretches one small board across decades of systems for less. We build both and will say plainly which one fits what you want — no upsell, ever.
The config rabbit hole
Video modes, shaders, controller mappings, per-system quirks. The gap between "it boots" and "it feels right" is measured in evenings — unless someone who does this every week closes it for you.
A pile of parts with no manual
Boards, heatsinks, power supplies, cases, SD cards: real assembly and real solder work, done in the right order with the right precautions — the same bench hands that repair consoles all week.
Walk in or mail it in
Boards and parts travel well: padded, boxed on all sides, and labeled. However it reaches the bench, the quote comes before the work.
How a build goes
- 01Walk in. 2224 Sunrise Dr, Longmont · Mon–Fri 9–6, Sat–Sun 10–3. Or ship it in from anywhere in the U.S.: request an RMA number online first.
- 02We look. What you have gets checked, the parts list gets specced, and one flat quote covering parts plus labor goes out by email or over the counter. You approve before anything starts.
- 03The work. Assembly, configuration, output tuned for your screen, controllers mapped — then a burn-in test on the bench, not a five-minute boot check.
- 04Home. Shipped back or picked up, with a 90-day labor warranty and the straight story of what was done.
What we don't do
Scope stated plainly, so you know before you ship anything.
Honest limits
- Games are yours, plainly. We set up the machine; games are your own legal dumps — we don't supply those, never have, never will. Bring your own legally-dumped games or your own game collection, and the machine we build plays your library and only your library.
- No clone-handheld repairs. Building a MiSTer or a RetroPi machine is build work, and squarely in the lane. Repairing the pocket emulator handhelds is a different animal and stays out of it. Consoles and handhelds have their own benches: console repair and Game Boy mods.
- No custom PCBs. We assemble established kits and configure established software. Designing or manufacturing our own boards is not the lane.
- Full one-off commissions are the custom bench. A build this page can quote is a build this page builds; the commissioned showpieces live on the custom bench, quoted per project.
Retro gaming build questions
The things people ask before they box up a pile of parts.
Straight answers
They answer different questions. MiSTer recreates classic console hardware at the circuit level on FPGA, which is as close to the original machine as anything gets. RetroPie is software emulation on a Raspberry Pi: one small box that covers a huge span of systems for less money. We build both, and the $49 diagnosis starts with which one fits the room, the screen, and the budget you actually have.
Quoted after we look. A build is parts plus labor: we check what you already have, spec the parts list the machine actually needs, and hand you one flat quote before anything starts. Diagnosis is $49 and free when you approve the work.
No, and we never will. We set up the machine; games are your own legal dumps — we don't supply those. Bring your own legally-dumped games or your own game collection, and the machine we build plays your library and only your library.
Yes. Output tuning is half of what a build is: the right resolutions and scaling for the screen it will live with, scanlines if you want them, low-lag settings where they matter. We tune for a CRT or a modern display and prove the picture on the bench before the machine goes home.
Yes, anywhere in the U.S. Request an RMA number online, pack the boards and parts on all sides in a padded box, and ship it. We look within 3 to 5 business days of arrival and email one flat quote covering parts plus labor. You approve before any work starts.
Both. Bring a box of parts and we assemble, configure, and burn-in test the machine; bring a working unit and we take over at configuration and tuning. We assemble established kits — designing or manufacturing our own boards is not the lane.
That shelf deserves a machine that feels right.
Call the shop any time: our AI receptionist answers around the clock and a human follows up. Or run the repair wizard for a first-pass assessment before you commit to anything. Walk-ins welcome at the Longmont bench, and the mail-in lane reaches every state.