Since the release of the NES classic edition, we’ve seen numerous retro-consoles, all following the same basic idea. A tiny device, dedicated to and shaped just like a classic console or computer of yesteryear, preloaded with a selection of games. So far the SNES, Megadrive/Genesis, C64 and Playstation have all gotten the retro treatment, also the Neo Geo (I never understood what that was, so subtract 50 points from my geek score).

I suppose it was inevitable, then, that someone would try and get the PC onto the bandwagon. Behold the PC Classic:

You might think we should be all fired up about this. It’s a neat little box that you can plug into the TV, and it outputs classic PC games packed full of adlib music and pixelly graphics. Surely it can provide hours of nostalgic fun playing Doom and Commander Keen. It’s even the right shade of beige.

In fact last year we posted a couple of articles few articles speculating about the games we would put a hypothetical MS-Dos box, were it ever to exist. Now that concept is going to become a reality (if the Kickstarter works out) so I guess I should have my wallet on standby?

Yet I’m actually not feeling particularly enthused.

Let’s quickly recap the appeal of retro consoles: They’re novel little tributes to gaming machines of yesteryear. They make classic games from those systems instantly accessible, with none of the fuss of setting up emulators or hunting dodgy websites for illegal ROMs. They are literally plug and play devices, an instant blast of nostalgia for people with limited time.

Many MS DOS games, however, are already easy to play in a way that’s totally above board. You simply buy them from Gog.com, where they usually retail for $10 or less. They come bundled up with dosbox, and running them on windows 10 is (usually) no more trouble than playing a modern PC game.

That just leaves the charm of having a recreation of a classic device, and I’m not sure that’s enough for me. I’m not so attached to 90s beige that I want it adorning a separate emulation box, yet another gadget plugged into the TV. If I did want a “classic PC” I’d forsake the ease-of-use criteria, and instead hunt ebay for an actual 386, for the sake of preserving original hardware. (not that I have room in the house for such folly).

This doesn’t mean I’m about to disown our previous articles. For one thing, at the time I floated the idea of using a Raspberry Pi to build a Mini PC. I’ll stand by that because the Pi is a wonderfully versatile device that can be put to many different uses; it’s not a rather unnecessary piece of single-purpose hardware.

Also, our interest in idea of a PC Classic was mostly about the games we would put on it, so the hardware implementation is rather secondary. Probably the best way to do it would be to forget hardware entirely, and simply release a bundle on gog.com. Call it “best of the PC 1990-1995” or something similar, stick a handy front-end on it, price it attractively. That’s all that’s required.

That said, let’s try and look at this from a more positive angle. I’ve noticed it has an sd card slot, allowing users to add more games. That’s a welcome sight when other retro consoles are often stuck with whatever comes preloaded (unless you hack them). Now if you could boot this thing to a DOS prompt, and basically just use it as if it’s an actual PC, that would also add to the feeling of authenticity.

Also, even I don’t see a use for it myself, it could still be a gateway to classic games like Doom for more casual users. So I will at least keep an eye on further developments; I’ll report back when we know what games are included.

Hey, we could try and blag a free unit if we sign up on the website as an “infuencer”. We’re very influential.