Taki Udon has rolled out the long-delayed “Console Mode” update for the SuperStation One, an ambitious FPGA-based PlayStation 1 console that doubles as a multi-system powerhouse thanks to its MiSTer FPGA foundation. The update, originally slated to arrive last month, was pushed to late July so the team could polish the build. According to Taki Udon, “We delayed this release to fix issues and to cook.”
The big draw for retro enthusiasts is that the SuperStation One supports original PlayStation 1 hardware — discs, controllers, memory cards, and other accessories — while also being able to tap into the broader MiSTer FPGA ecosystem for other classic systems. MiSTer, for the uninitiated, is an open-source hardware project that uses field-programmable gate arrays to recreate the behavior of vintage chips at the silicon level, generally considered a more accurate approach to retro gaming than software-based emulation. Taki Udon’s project repurposes that foundation inside a PS1-styled shell with its own dock.
A New Interface Built for the Living Room
Alongside the Console Mode rollout, Taki Udon pulled back the curtain on the SuperStation One’s custom user interface, which aims to make navigating multiple systems feel closer to using a real period console than digging through FPGA core menus. The UI supports user-created themes, so owners can dress up the front end to match their personal collection. There’s also built-in support for box artwork, letting each title in a library appear with its original cover art rather than a generic cartridge or disc graphic.
Why It Matters for Retro Gaming Fans
The SuperStation One arrives at a moment when FPGA-based hardware has moved from a niche curiosity to a respectable alternative to software emulators, with dedicated kits, pre-built boards, and increasingly polished software layers all vying for attention. Taki Udon’s pitch is more focused: deliver a single, console-shaped device that already feels like the original PlayStation hardware while quietly inheriting the multi-platform muscle of the MiSTer scene. For collectors who still own PS1 discs and peripherals, the promise of plugging them straight into a modern FPGA recreation — and then pivoting to other supported cores through a unified launcher — is a particularly appealing pitch, especially as working original hardware ages and replacement parts grow harder to find.
Console Mode’s debut also signals that the SuperStation One project has crossed from concept hardware into something end users can actually configure and personalize. With themes and box artwork baked in, the device is leaning into the same presentation polish that modern retro handhelds and home consoles have made standard, while still leaning on FPGA accuracy as its selling point. For more on FPGA hardware drops and other retro gaming releases, keep an eye on the RetroArcade news section as early adopters begin putting the new mode through its paces.
Source: Time Extension