Kazeta: An operating system that brings the console gaming experience of 90s
77 comments
·September 2, 2025vunderba
vanderZwan
> It's an OS that mounts/searches all drives (such as an SD card reader) for the first available KZI file which is a format that describes how a specific game is run (the runtime, additional gamescope options, etc).
I hope it also supports putting multiple games on one cartridge and choosing between them at boot time? Don't see a reason to waste a multi-gigabyte SD card on a single ROM of a few megabytes.
cout
Is it still possible to buy smaller SD cards in bulk, maybe 8mb or 16mb? The smallest I could find was 128mb for about the same price as a 2gb card.
While I like the idea of physically separate cards for each game, at $10 per card it seems economically limiting.
jnaina
<$3 bucks for 16GB on AliExpress
null
anal_reactor
Practicality is exactly why we abandoned the old designs.
stuaxo
Yep, but we didn't realise what we were throwing out.
Having a tangible thing somehow makes it mean more, think about picking out a record or CD to play and leaving it to play as opposed to scrolling through infinite music to choose what to play.
deadbabe
It’s more romantic to have each game on individual cards that you can touch and feel rather than cramming a bunch of them onto one card.
When you hold a game cart in your hand, you can close your eyes and imagine holding that entire game’s essence in the palm of your hand, you can see it and picture it, and in this sense it’s no longer just bits of data, but rather an entire world just waiting to be explored.
These people who don’t want carts and just want everything downloaded straight to a device and packed in an NVME can fuck off, I see now that it was this kind of min/max thinking that killed a lot of the fun rituals that made the gaming experience more magical. The practicality and instant gratification wasn’t worth the trade off, that’s why games suck today and we get micro-transactions and subscriptions shoved down our throats.
probably_wrong
It would be 90s accurate, though, as pirate multi-game cartridges [1] were very common (and very cheap) at the time.
Same goes for the Atari 2600, with the difference that the game selection was made with physical switches instead of a menu screen.
GlacierFox
I have fond memories of looking at all my GameBoy Advance games stacked up on the shelf as a kid now and then. The idea that there's a little world in each individual one I can dive in to brought great joy. I totally get you. Sure there were custom carts back then to stuff 100 games into one cart but I didnt ever feel like getting one even back then, sucked a little of the joy out of it for me.
npteljes
That's a flawed premise, as games totally don't suck today. There are so many to choose from, and people create new ones all the time, experiences where you can clearly feel that they poured their hearts and sweat into it.
For me, the practicality of gaming doesn't get in the way of the same enjoyment that you described feeling. I love it that I can have my favorites and current ones loaded in a single console, which I hold exactly as dearly as you described with the game cartridge. To me, most games are experiences though, and therefore I have no use for the media, packaging etc after I have experienced it. When I want to refresh my memories, I rather look at the screenshots and videos I took of the game, rather than the box or cartridge, as the media I created is much more personal.
electroglyph
i can't say i totally agree with you, but i love your opinion nonetheless =)
lproven
This sounds potentially interesting, but the website is so vague it's criminal.
I have absolutely no idea what the "console gaming experience of the 1990s" was. What console? What experience?
I've only owned 3 games consoles in my life.
An original XBox, a gift from a friend which I immediately hacked to be an XBox Media Centre and used daily for years but never played a game on again.
A PS2.
And now a Wii for my kid.
For any website or any publicity material it is always a mistake to rely on shared experience, because whatever your experience, there are billions of people out there who do not share it.
So don't rely on it. Say what your product is and does and how it does it.
This page does not.
mulletbum
I have to say, this is not targeted at you. I know exactly what a 1990s gaming experience is like and xbox is the console that killed it completely.
carra
Not saying that you are wrong about that, but if you don't know about 90s console gaming and you only used the XBox as media center you are likely not the target audience for this project anyway.
ninetyninenine
Makes sense. If you bought a Wii for your kid recently you should know that the console is obsolete. People use the switch 2 now.
As a kid I would be pissed off. Or maybe you got mixed up and you’re referring to your kid from a long time ago who is now likely closer to an adult.
ofrzeta
I am currently working on something like this for audio, basically just like a MP3 player with full size SD cards that plays automatically when you insert them (for kids). It's actually quite hard to find full size SD cards these days and when you do they are comparatively expensive (opposed to current micro SD cards).
Also I wanted to have low capacity like 128MB, so the concept "one album, one card" (as in the OP - "one game, one card") makes sense. These are even harder to get and more expensive (in terms of money per storage). Naively I thought that obsolete hardware should be cheap.
112233
Super interested in something like this. Currently there is no easily operated audiobook player for elderly or people with severe arthritis.
My eventual workaround was cheap bluetooth speaker (because expensive ones did not remember playback position inside a track) and a whole heap of super low capacity usb drives.
pipes
https://uk.yotoplay.com/yoto-mini
My wife bought this. I was deeply sceptical. But it's lovely, you can put story cards in it. My 6 year old daughter loves it. And we listen to a daily yoto podcast at dinner every day.
Edited, found link to version we own
ofrzeta
Neat. I wonder if the files are stored on that card (and if yes, how) or if it works like the Toniebox where you have some kind of token that triggers a network download.
hmry
Happy to see they're actually putting the games onto the cartridges. Most projects like this just use pieces of plastic with an NFC/RFID tag containg the Steam game ID. For me, the fact that the data is actually right there in my hand is half the appeal.
imiric
I appreciate that as well, but SD cards still aren't the same as old game cartridges. On consoles up to the Nintendo 64, plugging in a cartridge expanded the physical memory of the system, and the CPU read data directly from the ROM on the cartridge. This is why there were no loading screens.
On SNES, and I believe N64 as well, cartridges could also expand the graphical capability of the system, which made some games really special.
Replicating this on a modern indie console would, of course, be prohibitively expensive and impractical. The speed of modern hardware and physical media, along with more sophisticated game engines, has also practically eliminated loading screens. And this likely wouldn't be an issue on small indie games either.
Still, this is not strictly about loading screens. There was something magical about game consoles before roughly the fifth generation which we're unlikely to ever experience again. Nostalgia probably plays a role in that feeling, but the way they worked was truly different from what we have today. Modern game consoles are essentially small PCs within a walled garden.
murderfs
> I appreciate that as well, but SD cards still aren't the same as old game cartridges. On consoles up to the Nintendo 64, plugging in a cartridge expanded the physical memory of the system, and the CPU read data directly from the ROM on the cartridge. This is why there were no loading screens.
SD Express is just NVMe over a PCIe lane, so you'll get to do all sorts of fun DMA tricks when it starts becoming more popular.
GTP
What you said is true, but this project is about replicating the experience, not the hardware. Maybe it will feel less magical, but the hacks you described were cool but needed due to HW limitations of the time. Using commodity hardware not only makes economic sense now, but also makes the project much more accessible by not requiring a specific console.
carra
Though it may be impractical I can definitely see the appeal of something like this. I'm not a fan of the current gaming model. Games we buy should be something we can own, preserve and control. It would be enticing to have a physical collection of actual, working games and to be able to use them without internet connection, user accounts, EULAs, launchers, stores, etc.
brabel
Before reading this I didn’t realize how today gaming is different from 80’s and 90’s gaming , to the point Kazeta is a thing! I thought that mostly, CDs had replaced cartridges and loading games became slow, but apparently subscription plans, online chat and “micro transactions” are now accepted as standard gaming?!
npteljes
Of course. Physical media is long out. What was the last time you saw a laptop with a DVD drive?
On PC especially, online is first. Games come with update managers, "launchers", and that's the absolute standard - publishers either roll their own, or submit to established ones like Steam.
Micro-transactions are accepted, but far from universal. People bemoan them for some reason, but I'd say that the vast majority of games don't have it.
Subscriptions normally come with games with a managed online gaming experience. How else are supposed to be funded, I wonder? I think it's normal to pay for a service, be that gaming, or a gym membership.
sgbeal
> Micro-transactions are accepted, but far from universal. People bemoan them for some reason, ...
Because, for one, with them came "Pay to Win". Nothing good comes from Pay to Win except that someone lines their pockets.
A professor once told us that something like 1/3rd of people have personalities which are prone to become truly addicted to something. Microtransactions, regardless of their justification[^1], actively target personalities which are especially prone to instant gratification and the endorphins triggered by spontaneous purchases.
[^1]: They _are_ fundamentally justified - it costs money to keep any digital service going, and tons of it for a service like an MMORPG.
ZaoLahma
Yep. Most games nowadays are released broken and incomplete. Being able to patch a game after release truly is both a blessing and a curse. Then they throw microtransactions on top of the already rather ugly mess.
Microtransactions were supposed to finance free to play or "live service" games where they paid for new content over several years, but (of course) they've found themselves into what's solidly not... that.
opan
>Being able to patch a game after release truly is both a blessing and a curse.
Very true. We got stuff like Minecraft, Terraria, and Core Keeper that got updates to improve the game at no additional cost for years after release, but we also got early access games that sell you on a potentially good future game, and only sometimes deliver. Starbound is a disappointment that often comes to mind.
voidfunc
Have you been living under a rock for the last 15+ years?
I haven't touched a CD since the late 2000s.
rkagerer
Have you been living under a rock for the last 15+ years?
Yes, and I'm not coming out until projects like this finish scooping up all the crap MBA's have excreted all over the place in that time.
pansa2
CDs specifically are obsolete, but games on optical media are still a thing. Unlike ROM cartridges, which AFAICT died with the GBA in 2008.
sgbeal
> Unlike ROM cartridges, which AFAICT died with the GBA in 2008.
Look up the Gameboy 3DS :).
masklinn
While they’re flash rather than rom, the switch 2 still supports physical distribution media.
carra
Also, don't forget there are now launchers (you can't run your game yourself, it has to go through us) and EULAs (you can only play what you buy in our terms). Nice times indeed...
reactordev
My children have only known micro transaction riddled games. When I show them old school games, they scoffed at the graphics and returned to their phones.
alex_suzuki
I had to explain to my kids (10 and 6yr old) recently what this shiny round thing was that they got from the library…
sgbeal
Back around 1990 my youngest brother, who had always seen CDs, asked me one day, "what are those things in your closet?" "What things?" "They look like CDs but they're big and black!" He had never seen a record before.
Gabrys1
They got a coaster from the library?
hulitu
> apparently subscription plans, online chat and “micro transactions” are now accepted as standard gaming?!
And looong download/update times (Delta Force - almost 4 hours). Makes a ZX Spectrum which loaded games from cassettes pale in comparison.
robbbbbbbbbbbb
Such a cool concept! For anyone who didn't slog through their docs, the recommended hardware system (and the box in their product shots) is the Geekom A5 https://www.geekom.co.uk/geekom-a5-mini-pc and the 8BitDo Wireless controller https://www.8bitdo.com/ultimate-2c-wireless-controller/
Those + some SD cards and a spare evening for setup makes this a really tempting £400 project.
SomeoneOnTheWeb
For the same price you have the Minisforum UM760 Slim which should be 100% compatible and provide VASTLY superior performances. Or you can check cheaper models that would have the same level of performance as the A5.
Geekom make nice products but they are usually both very expensive and very noisy compared to competitors. Their selling point is mainly their top-notch design, but I find these to be function-over-form most of the time.
robbbbbbbbbbbb
I guess the lack of a built-in SD card slot might make the Minisforum options less attractive
Waterluvian
My kids play the N64 more than the Wii because the Wii is quite frustrating to set up and maintain batteries and controller connections. The Switch is even more awful, but they’ll play it handheld. The PS5 is complex but generally straightforward. It helps that the controllers are big and we have a nice, clean charging dock for them. The Switch charging dock is finicky and annoying with the tiny controllers.
I think my immediate feedback is that the game cards could be a lot bigger. Anyone out there want to make a ridiculously beefy SD card adapter and corresponding slot? Or maybe even one that interfaces like a puck/block with some keying and locking.
But overall this is 100% on target for my 6 and 8 year olds. They want to play games, not operate a console.
We take them to a Retro Gaming night every few months and I’ve noticed that the X-in-1 consoles (even the brand names) are rarely touched, and all have laminated cards desperately attempting to tell kids how to get into a game. The console UX is paramount.
cornholio
> They want to play games, not operate a console.
I've gifted my decade old development laptop (after a beefy RAM+SSD upgrade to the best modern version it supports) to my 7 y/o nephew and he seems satisfied. It cold boots Windows 10 in less than 30 seconds and he can play Minecraft, Roblox, BeamNG, watch Youtube etc. in the living room where he can be supervised, without hoarding the family TV with their console.
Sure, a lower friction device is preferable, but the ultimate thing is that it plays the games they and their friends play.
morsch
Neat. Couldn't find a video of it booting up. But here's some background info: https://github.com/kazetaos/kazeta/wiki/Technical-Details
reactordev
>When accessing the terminal/tty, the default username and password is gamer. Because /etc is read-only, this password cannot be changed.
Oh noes! A little further down they say you can get it online using an Ethernet cable and a command. Let’s just hope its never able to be an ssh host. These kind of things scare me from a security standpoint. I feel like the users and /etc/passed should probably be writable so people can change the default to something not published online.
serf
sd card contact wear is pretty radical on constant insert/removal.
second: one of the things that made cartridges great was that they were human-sized. as were CDs. An sd card inserted into a more handle-able/human 'cartridge' would be cool, maybe gameboy sized was about perfect imo.
fiddling with sd cards and slots isn't great.
an snes/genesis cartridge falls into the thing, you can't miss or do it backwards without reeally trying to. They give an affirmative 'clunk' when fully engaged.
(also the contact wear on those was horrendous too.. maybe the SD card IS authentic..)
ThinkBeat
This does indeed look cool but is should say:
"A Linux distribution focused on console gaming".
Whenever I see OS I get excited to see a new operating system but end up disappointed when it is yet another distro.
judge123
It's less about nostalgia for the 90s and more about a cure for the modern "too much choice" anxiety.
Neat concept. I had to dig through a lot of the docs before I could get a good grasp of exactly how this works, though. It's an OS that mounts/searches all drives (such as an SD card reader) for the first available KZI file which is a format that describes how a specific game is run (the runtime, additional gamescope options, etc).
While the idea of essentially mimicking old school carts by having a dedicated SD card per game is intriguing, I'm not sure I personally see the appeal of something like this over a Steam Deck + EmuDeck installed - particularly since you'll probably need to build/buy a miniPC that is compatible with Kazeta.
Another concern would be controller compatibility, from what I can see only one controller is listed as being officially supported (8Bitdo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller).
https://github.com/kazetaos/kazeta/wiki/Requirements