The Nintendo HTPC Combines Advanced Computing With Retro Styling
Michael Hines — March 6, 2011 — Tech
References: nintendo-htpc.blogspot & engadget
Finnish modder-extraordinaire Ana-5000 has managed to cram the guts of a fully functional home theater PC into an old NES. The result is the Nintendo HTPC, a home theater unlike any other.
While the exterior may be retro geek, the heart and soul of the Nintendo HTPC are as advanced as it gets. The Nintendo HTPC is powered by "an Asus AT3IONT-I Deluxe motherboard with an Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor and an NVIDIA Ion GPU provides the computing power and offers HDMI and VGA ports, six USB 2.0 ports, optical and RCA audio connections, integrated 802.11b/g/n wireless and Gigabit ethernet, and Bluetooth connectivity," according to Engadget.
I'm no tech-head, but those stats sound pretty beastly to me. Gamers might be noticing that the paint job on the Nintendo HTPC looks a little different than its gray counterparts. Ana-5000 sanded off the gray and painted it white to match the apartment's color scheme. That may sound sacrilegious, but when you consider that the Nintendo HTPC can still play NES games through an emulator and still uses the original controller as a mouse, it isn't so bad.
While the exterior may be retro geek, the heart and soul of the Nintendo HTPC are as advanced as it gets. The Nintendo HTPC is powered by "an Asus AT3IONT-I Deluxe motherboard with an Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor and an NVIDIA Ion GPU provides the computing power and offers HDMI and VGA ports, six USB 2.0 ports, optical and RCA audio connections, integrated 802.11b/g/n wireless and Gigabit ethernet, and Bluetooth connectivity," according to Engadget.
I'm no tech-head, but those stats sound pretty beastly to me. Gamers might be noticing that the paint job on the Nintendo HTPC looks a little different than its gray counterparts. Ana-5000 sanded off the gray and painted it white to match the apartment's color scheme. That may sound sacrilegious, but when you consider that the Nintendo HTPC can still play NES games through an emulator and still uses the original controller as a mouse, it isn't so bad.
Trend Themes
1. Retrofitted Home Theaters - There's a growing trend in retrofitting old gaming consoles to serve as home theater PCs for a unique blend of retro styling and advanced computing technology.
2. Fan-made Gaming Setups - Fan-made creations like the Nintendo HTPC provide an opportunity for businesses to tap into the creativity of their consumers to generate new products and ideas.
3. Hybrid Gaming/entertainment Systems - Integrating gaming consoles and entertainment tech into hybrid systems like the Nintendo HTPC opens up disruptive innovation opportunities for businesses to cater to the changing needs of tech-savvy consumers.
Industry Implications
1. Home Theater Technology - Home theater technology companies can benefit from exploring retrofitted gaming consoles like the Nintendo HTPC and improving the current offerings in this niche market.
2. Gaming Hardware - Companies in the gaming industry can look into fan-made retro gaming setups like the Nintendo HTPC to see what features and technology users are interested in for future hardware releases.
3. Custom Electronics - Custom electronics providers can find new business opportunities by catering to the growing demand for unique retrofitted gaming and entertainment systems like the Nintendo HTPC.
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