[typing] [piano jazz music]
Now this is the kinda thing
I really love covering on LGR every so often!
This is the Retrotube,
a made-to-order all-in-one Raspberry Pi case
by Dan Michel, who's putting these together himself
and selling them one by one online.
And man, I love the look of this thing.
As this nifty logo implies,
it's styled after mid-20th century tube televisions.
Although instead of a CRT,
it uses a more modern eight-inch LCD panel.
And yes, it is a 4:3 aspect ratio display,
which makes ideal for emulating retro game systems
and playing old TV shows and movies alike.
Above the volume and power knobs
are two 3-watt, 1 1/2-inch speakers for stereo sound
and a convenient headphone jack around the side.
And around back is a spot to plug in the 5-volt power supply
alongside the openings to access both the LCD panel buttons
and the ports of the Raspberry Pi.
This particular review unit was sent to me by Dan
with the Raspberry Pi 3 pre-installed,
which adds $40 on top of the $275 base price he's asking.
I really like the way he's put this all together,
with the separate audio amp
going through the 3.5 millimeter audio instead of just HDMI,
as well as a convenient micro SD-to-SD card extender.
It also has these cute little removable legs on the bottom
which I enjoy probably more than I should.
About the only thing I'd change aesthetically, maybe,
is adding a faux rabbit ear antenna setup on top
and maybe another finish on the wooden case
besides the classic Shellac look this one has.
I'm quite fond a nice walnut woodgrain, personally.
And I also wish the opening for the LCD
was just the tiniest bit larger near the corners,
since the first character of certain lines of text can get covered.
Still, seeing as this is made to order,
there's nothing stopping you from asking Dan to customize it a bit
or even leave it unfinished so you can do what you want with it.
And that's why I love projects like this.
Absolute niche customization.
Some setup is still going to be required, of course,
seeing as you'll have to provide your own SD card,
operating system, software and ROMs, and any other media.
But really, who doesn't have a few SD cards lying around these days,
and setting up the system with free stuff,
like Rasbian or a spinoff system like RetroPie,
is a piece of cake.
Or pie. You know what I mean.
I went with RetroPie for mine
since I mostly want to use it as an emulator/video player.
And I've used it in the past, too,
so I know how dead simple it is to set up.
In fact, you might remember that I reviewed another homebrew kit
kinda like this in the past,
the Porta-Pi desktop arcade.
But where that had integrated arcade cabinet controls,
the Retrotube really is just a fancy case
with a display and sound for the Pi to do with as you please.
I ended up using a PS4 controller
over Bluetooth to control most of the games
and a wireless Logitech keyboard and touchpad combo
for doing pretty much everything else.
Being that it's a Pi, though, your options are
almost unlimited at this point.
It works just fine for playing your favorite YouTube channels,
watching movies and TV shows through Kodi or your media player of choice
And it's strangely satisfying hearing everything
through those cloth-covered little speakers.
- [Techmoan] This particular model is from Sharp.
It's the JC-AV1,
and the alternative device came out around the same time
and that was from JVC.
- [LGR] It's also a compact emulation setup
as you'd expect for a Pi-based system.
And seriously, props to Dan for going with a nice 4:3 display here
because I've seen too many of these kind of things
that go with a widescreen 16:9 LCD instead.
It's been running at 800 x 600 throughout this video,
and it seems solid enough to me with no notable lag,
some nice, rich colors
and a picture that's more than sharp enough for my tastes,
considering its size.
I do kinda wish it was an eight-inch CRT still
because I mean, of course I do.
I mean, I'm the dude that paired an HDMI conversion box
with a black-and-white Goldstar TV so I could play Fallout.
But yeah, I know a CRT is
not exactly the best decision in any way, shape or form,
considering the technical and resource challenges involved.
Maybe someday that'll happen but even if not, whatever.
The Retrotube is just really neat,
and I can't help but enjoy its company.
It's small and lightweight enough to make it convenient
to set up just about anywhere and
I'm pleased with the overall fit and finish.
If you're interested, it's currently available for sale
on Etsy by Dan for the aforementioned $275.
He's also open to customization options
and lists some on the product page,
like a Pi 3 installation and a soft power switch,
and you can get it in kit form if you want to assemble it yourself.
Heck, you could even skip the Pi altogether
and plug in other HDMI devices directly, if it suits your desires.
To sum things up,
the Retotube is a lot of fun if you're a dork like me
who enjoys little retro-inspired computery things in his house.
Or you're looking for a unique gift idea.
Or you've had too much to drink and had little impulse control at the moment.
Whichever of these situations you may find yourself in,
Dan's Retrotube has the LGR stamp of approval.
(chill R&B beat)
Thanks again to Dan for sending this my way.
He didn't have to; he didn't pay me or anything.
He was just like, "Hey, if you wanna cover it, here it is."
And this is just neat.
It's a cool little device and if you like seeing cool little thingies like this,
then I cover them here on LGR.
New videos every Monday and Friday.
And as always, thank you very much for watching.