The small but powerful AYANEO AM02 merges early 80s Nintendo nostalgia with cutting edge mini PC specs that fondly recall the past.

Nostalgia plays a powerful influence upon the realm of technology, a sway visible across the resurgent popularity of “before the internet” devices like the turntable, cassette tapes, early digital cameras, tactile mechanical keyboards, and of course, gaming consoles of the 8-bit and 16-bit era. The AYANEO AM02 Mini PC certainly rates as one such device, a compact personal computer packing in a range of impressive modern days specs paired with design cues linked to the past.

A convincing homage to the iconic 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System (aka the NES) ? the North American edition of the original 1983 Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) ? AYANEO’s design team includes tactile design details evocative of the original beloved 8-bit console. The mini PC features a push button release and flip front panel design hiding away a USB4 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The sum is a design sure to evoke a sentimental response amongst gamers of a certain age, but is also contemporary enough to attract the the curiosity of younger PC enthusiasts who might not remember when “blowing on cartridges” or “unplugging and plugging back in” devices were commonly known practices.
The AM02 is undeniably inspired by the industrial design of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, but...