A modern FPGA development board built for retro computing and gaming. Run authentic hardware cores for the Atari 2600, Commodore 64, SNES and more — with WiFi OTA updates and wireless Bluetooth controllers, right out of the box.
The Retrocade system is built from three modular boards that work together.
The expansion daughterboard. Provides dedicated SDRAM, HDMI, audio, USB-C power, PMOD connector, and WS2812B RGB LED.
The FPGA core module. Houses the Gowin GW2A-18 FPGA, 128 MB DDR3, and 27 MHz oscillator. Plugs into the Retrocade header.
The wireless brain. Handles WiFi OTA updates, Bluetooth gamepad pairing, OSD menu, SD card management, and USB HID.
FPGA emulation runs authentic hardware logic — not software simulation. Every pixel, every clock cycle.
A2600Nano — full TIA/RIOT/6507 implementation. Play your ROM collection from SD card.
C64Nano — accurate 6510, SID, VIC-II. The breadbox, in an FPGA.
SNESTang — SuperFX, Mode 7, full audio. Coming soon.
NESTang — 2A03, PPU, mapper support. In development.
GBATang — portable classics on the big screen.
MiSTeryNano / NanoMig — 16-bit home computing.
Update firmware and bitfiles wirelessly. No programmer cables, no drivers — just your local network.
Pair Xbox Series, PS4, or PS5 controllers over Bluetooth. USB HID keyboards and gamepads also supported.
Store multiple FPGA cores on a single SD card. Switch systems from the on-screen menu without reflashing.
Clean digital video to any HDMI display. No scan doublers, no converters needed.
Analog stereo audio output. Plug into speakers or a headset for authentic retro sound.
Standard PMOD connector for hardware expansion — add peripherals, debug with logic analyzers, or prototype new modules.
No external programmer needed. Onboard JTAG gets you into the FPGA immediately.
WS2812B RGB LED for visual status feedback — see at a glance what core is loaded.
| FPGA | Gowin GW2A-LV18PG256C8/I7 |
| Logic Elements | 20,736 LUTs |
| On-Module Memory | 128 MB DDR3 SDRAM |
| Flash | 32 Mbit NOR Flash |
| Clock | 27 MHz |
| I/O Pins | 117 available |
| Board SDRAM | Winbond W9825G6KH-6 (32 MB) |
| Video Output | HDMI (differential pair) |
| Audio Output | 3.5mm stereo jack |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Expansion | PMOD connector |
| LED | WS2812B RGB |
| Programmer | Onboard JTAG |
| MCU | Espressif ESP32-S3 |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz |
| Bluetooth | BLE 5.0 |
| Gamepad Support | Xbox Series, PS4, PS5 (BLE) |
| USB HID | Keyboard & Gamepad |
| Storage | SD card (FAT32) |
| Daughterboard only | Papilio Retrocade PCB |
| Full Kit | Retrocade + Tang Primer 20K + ESP32-S3 |
| Software | FPGA-Companion firmware (open source) |
| Cores | A2600, C64 included; more via OTA |
