Designer Transforms Nike Sneakers into a Playable Super Nintendo Console
Imagine a pair of Nike sneakers that not only look like a video game but also let you play Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games, bringing back the fun and nostalgia of classic Nintendo consoles. Well, it's now a reality, thanks to Singaporean designer Gustavo Bonzanini.
For the 35th anniversary of the SNES launch in Japan, Bonzanini crafted a custom pair of Nike Air Max 90 sneakers that fit a fully playable Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) inside. The design is heavily inspired by the '90s aesthetic, featuring the iconic gray and purple color scheme of the SNES. The best part? It doubles as a fully playable console, a unique and innovative creation.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was introduced in 1990 in Japan and 1991 in North America, becoming one of the most iconic consoles in the history of video games. It was a follow-up to the hugely successful NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and marked a significant milestone in technology and game design. The SNES featured a 16-bit processor, enabling superior graphics, sound, and more complex games compared to its predecessor. It was released with popular games like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Mario Kart.
Bonzanini's challenge was fitting the electronics and cartridges of an SNES into a shoe. He opted for an emulation approach, using a Raspberry Pi Zero W running the RetroPie emulator, which fits snugly inside the shoe's tongue. The designer even included a battery with enough capacity for 30 minutes of gameplay. He told Engadget, 'The idea came after looking at collaborations between sneaker brands and video games. I always asked myself: wouldn't it be cool if these shoes that look like a video game actually doubled as a console?'
To allow Air SNES games to be played on a TV, Bonzanini incorporated video outputs in the design. He added a small analog converter on the shoe's tongue, enabling the Raspberry Pi Zero W's mini-HDMI output to connect to a TV via RCA cables, maintaining the '90s aesthetic. The AIR SNES can work with the original SNES gamepad, but Bonzanini modified it with an 8BitDo kit to enable wireless Bluetooth play.
The sneakers are a one-of-a-kind creation for the SNES's 35th anniversary and will not be mass-produced. This innovative project showcases the fusion of fashion and gaming, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
