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BrickStation Turns Lego's PlayStation Set Into a Working PS1 Emulator, Hidden in One Side Tray
BrickBoy's BrickStation swaps the left side tray of Lego's PlayStation set for one that holds a small computer, HDMI out, original memory card support and a speaker that fakes a disc spinning up. It's a prototype headed for Kickstarter.
The build swaps the left side tray, the one with the Ape Escape scene, for a tray of BrickBoy’s own. It adds exactly 83 Lego pieces, including a display memory card, which brings the whole set to 1,994 pieces, according to Time Extension’s Damien McFerran.
Inside that tray is the whole computer. Retrododo describes it as “a custom-built Raspberry Pi that features an HDMI output.” Controllers connect over Bluetooth or USB. An original PS1 controller works through a USB adapter, which Retrododo says isn’t included.
The details are what make it feel like a console. A speaker and a vibration motor imitate the sound and shake of a CD drive spinning up. And the set’s own Lego power button turns it on: a magnet in the button is read by a magnetometer inside.
“With BrickStation, that meant fitting a whole console, with a speaker and a vibration motor, into the space of one side tray,” Thomas Bertani, BrickBoy’s inventor and technical lead, told Time Extension. On the button: “We wanted the set’s own Lego button to switch the console on, not a hidden switch somewhere else.”
Price and ship dates aren’t out. Time Extension says a low-price tier is planned for early adopters, and Retrododo reported “no information regarding pricing or shipping times as of yet.” The pre-launch Kickstarter page is where those numbers will land.
The next thing to watch is the price. BrickBoy put a Game Boy in a Lego Game Boy; if BrickStation lands at an early-bird price close to a used PS1, it’s a shelf piece that pays for its space. If it lands far above it, it’s a collector’s toy for people who already own the set.