# Maker turns original NES console into Linux desktop PC via FPGA cartridge

> **Key takeaway:** Throaty Mumbo used an Everdrive N8 Pro FPGA flash cart to run a custom Linux distro on an x86 processor, using the original NES hardware solely for input and output.

**Published:** 2026-10-24T00:37:08+00:00 
**Source:** Hackster.io News 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/maker-turns-original-nes-console-into-linux-desktop-pc-via-f.html 

## Summary
Hardware modder Throaty Mumbo has converted an original Nintendo Entertainment System into a functional desktop PC. The project exploits the NES cartridge slot's direct CPU connection, using an Everdrive N8 Pro FPGA-based flash cart to host a custom Linux distro running on an x86 processor. The NES's own CPU handles only keyboard, mouse, and video output duties. A custom adapter translates USB keyboard and mouse input into the NES controller protocol, and a Wi-Fi adapter provides network connectivity. Graphics remain constrained by the NES's native capabilities, resulting in low resolution and limited color depth, but the system is reportedly usable for web browsing.

## How the NES becomes a PC
- **Cartridge as system bus**: Unlike optical media, NES cartridges connect directly to the CPU; the Everdrive N8 Pro FPGA reproduces full cartridge hardware and bridges to an x86 processor
- **Linux on FPGA**: The custom distro runs on x86 silicon inside the flash cart, not on the NES's 6502-derived CPU
- **I/O translation layer**: A custom adapter encodes USB keyboard characters and mouse movement into the single-byte controller protocol the NES expects
- **Video passthrough**: The FPGA sends display output through the cartridge connector to the NES's native graphics hardware, limiting resolution and color depth
- **Peripheral additions**: Wi-Fi adapter adds network connectivity despite the NES having no native networking support