You were so sure you’ll find plenty of uses for that $300 netbook when you bought it last year. Turns out you were wrong. Don’t worry, the Nanocade Kit can help you turn that underpowered computer into something absolutely delightful: a tabletop arcade box.
Do note, this won’t be a plug and play solution. In fact, the instruction manual for the build racks up a full seven pages — you’ll have to do a lot of unscrewing, screwing and working with cables before all’s said and done. The finished product looks glorious, though, and we can’t imagine a better way to put a decaying netbook that’s merely gathering dust somewhere in your bedroom to good use.
The Nanocade Kit will come with all necessary parts to build yourself a portable arcade rig. That’s barring the CPU, RAM, hard drive, mini-ITX motherboard, 10.1-inch display, speakers and PSU, of course, which you should be able to scrounge up from that Atom-powered computer of yours that’s fallen just a tad out of fashion in the last few months.
The actual parts for the MAME cabinet (laser-cut acrylic), connectors and arcade controls will come as part of the kit. Just make sure to stock up on glue and clear a few hours from your calendar — it doesn’t look all that difficult if you’ve got a little tech in your background (if you don’t, then clear a lot of hours).
When finished, your new Nanocade will measure a compact 10.8 x 8.8 x 11.4 inches, making it a perfect bedside companion for all those lonely nights you spend alone. Shipping is slated for the end of February, with pricing set at $350.