PunkStation is a next-generation gaming console with zero compromises and powered by high-performance Raspberry Pi Pico hardware (up to 133 MHz, 264 KB SRAM, 2 MB QSPI Flash).
While other platforms rely on 4K, ray tracing, online services, and unnecessary features like color, media reading, or comfort, PunkStation goes straight to the point:
- black-and-white OLED display
- a few buttons
- a buzzer
- no patience
- maximum fun
This is not PlayStation.
This is PunkStation.
Smaller. Tougher. Louder. And probably cheaper than an HDMI cable.
PunkStation runs a collection of arcade-style games on a Raspberry Pi Pico with a SH1106 128×64 OLED display.
Included hits:
- Snack Rider – a pixel adventure full of monsters, traps, and survival
- King of Space – a space shooter where diplomacy is not an option
- Pong – proof that humanity peaked technologically a long time ago
- Lunar Module – gravity, panic, and poor decision-making
- Full Speed – a racing game where everything is fast except the processor
-
Monochrome graphics
Because colors only distract from pure gameplay. -
No media reader
Discs? Cartridges? Blu-ray?
PunkStation refuses to be limited by physical formats. -
Audio output through a buzzer
Every sound effect feels like a hardware failure, but it is actually a feature. -
Ultra low-resolution experience
If you cannot tell what killed you, that just means the difficulty is higher. -
Instant loading
Because there is basically nothing to load.
This project uses:
- Raspberry Pi Pico / Pico-compatible board
- SH1106 128×64 OLED over I2C
- buttons for controls
- piezo buzzer
- MicroPython
Pins used in the project:
| Function | Pin |
|---|---|
| OLED SDA | GP0 |
| OLED SCL | GP1 |
| Up button | GP3 |
| Back / exit button | GP4 |
| Right button | GP7 |
| Down button | GP11 |
| Left button | GP15 |
| Buzzer | GP16 |
Note: Lunar Module also uses GP20.
Controls are fully hardware-based.
No touchscreen, no gestures, no AI trying to play the game for you.
In general:
- left / right – movement
- up – action / jump / fire depending on the game
- special button – return from the current game
Each game interprets the controls a little differently, because PunkStation believes in personal growth through confusion.
- Flash MicroPython onto the Raspberry Pi Pico.
- Connect the SH1106 OLED display over I2C.
- Wire the buttons and buzzer according to the pinout above.
- Upload:
- the main Python script
- the
sh1106.pylibrary
- Run the project.
- Prepare for a handheld revolution.
This project uses the following modules:
machinetimerandomframebufsh1106
PunkStation was not created to impress with raw performance.
It was created to prove that:
- a game can still be great without a GPU the size of a radiator,
- a beep is a valid soundtrack,
- 128×64 pixels are more than enough if you have imagination,
- and a PlayStation competitor does not need to cost hundreds of dollars.
All it needs is a few wires, a Pico, and enough attitude.
There are currently no screenshots, because the true PunkStation experience cannot be captured.
It must be survived.
Maybe:
- better menu
- more games
- score saving
- fewer bugs
- more bugs, but stylish ones
Definitely not:
- 3D graphics
- 8K output
- Blu-ray support
- media reading
- unnecessary luxury
Because it can.
And because the world needed a console brave enough to say:
“No, it absolutely does not need colors.”
Built with love, irony, and probably a minor electrical incident.
Use it, modify it, play with it.
Just please do not turn it into a corporate product with subscriptions and a battle pass.