TechTuber Mumbo Engineers Game Console Using VHS Player and FPGA

TechTuber Throaty Mumbo has engineered a functional video game console using a VHS player as the primary hardware, moving beyond the limited interactivity of the 1987 ActionMax system. By integrating a DE1-SoC FPGA board and a Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller, Mumbo created a system capable of running versions of Doom and Super Mario Bros., according to a report by Telset.id.

Modern Hardware Replaces 1987 VHS Limitations

The project was prompted by Mumbo’s dissatisfaction with the ActionMax, a vintage console that relied on VHS tapes for gameplay. Mumbo found the original system’s interactivity to be imprecise and outdated for modern standards. To overcome these limitations, he developed a custom setup that utilizes a VHS deck as a source for video streams while offloading processing tasks to modern components.

The DE1-SoC FPGA—a programmable logic chip—manages the graphical overlays and handles the switching between eight distinct video streams recorded on the VHS tape. Meanwhile, the Raspberry Pi RP2350 MCU acts as the system’s controller, managing input timing and tracking user scores. This architecture allows the system to respond to player actions in real-time, marking a significant technical departure from the static nature of original VHS-based games.

Gameplay Mechanics for Doom and Super Mario Bros.

The system adapts classic game titles into an on-rails format. In the version of Doom created for this hardware, the gameplay functions as a Full Motion Video (FMV) experience. Players must press the controller button at specific times—indicated by an on-screen timer bar—to shoot enemies. If the input occurs before the timer reaches zero, the system records a successful hit and increments the player’s score.

The Super Mario Bros. implementation uses a different approach. The Raspberry Pi runs a version of the classic Nintendo title while replacing the standard in-game background with footage played back from a VHS tape. This technique mirrors methods historically used by early CD-ROM games to enhance visual fidelity beyond the capabilities of standard consoles at the time.

Technical Precedents in Retro Experimentation

This VHS project is in a series of unconventional hardware experiments by Mumbo, who previously gained attention for running Sega games using vinyl records. That earlier project functioned by adapting the way software was historically loaded from cassette tapes on retro computers.

Mumbo sendiri mendeskripsikan dirinya sebagai pencinta “teknologi aneh dan tidak praktis”.

Telset.id

The current system demonstrates that legacy media formats remain viable for technological experimentation when paired with modern FPGA and microcontroller boards. While the ActionMax served as the initial inspiration, Mumbo’s implementation successfully repurposed the VHS medium to support interactive gameplay that the original 1987 hardware could not achieve. The full documentation of the build process, including the transition from the original console to the FPGA-based system, is available on Mumbo’s YouTube channel.