If you’ve been tempted to visit Pinterest and look for cool ideas for recycling old gaming cartridges, don’t do it quite yet. (Although we have to say we’re fond of the DIY Nintendo cartridge urinal.) The RetroBlox gaming system is a new piece of hardware where you can plug in and play your old gaming cartridges. It’s still in the development phase, but it’s one of the cooler ideas going.

How RetroBlox Works

You’ll be able to use your old cartridges for systems like Atari 2600, NES, and SNES in the RetroBlox. And the company plans to include support for optical disc based (CD/DVD) games, such as for PSOne and Sega.

The system uses Element Modules to make the interface work between the cartridge and the gaming system. RetroBlox developed and patented the Element Modules, which allow for full hardware compatibility with the games, as well as top-end performance levels.

You’ll be able to run the games at their original resolution using a virtual display, or RetroBlox will upscale the graphics to work on new HDTVs.

The system will allow you to download and store the data from the cartridges on the system, so you aren’t putting wear and tear on the old cartridges. (The RetroBlox gaming system will use encryption to ensure users can’t make unlimited copies of the cartridges.)

The system will include connectivity options similar to what’s available in new gaming consoles. Finally, developers will be able to sell newly developed games through RetroBlox.

At this point, the company is hoping to provide support for more gaming systems in the future, but there’s no guarantee it will happen.

RetroBlox is running a Kickstarter campaign beginning in April to fund the development. More information will be available on the RetroBlox web site as it’s announced.

Now, there’s no guarantee RetroBlox will actually make it to the market successfully. And there are a couple of gaming systems on the market already that can play old NES cartridges, RetroUSB AVS and Analogue NT.

But the RetroBlox gaming system sets itself apart with the ability to play cartridges from multiple gaming systems. And with an expected price point of less than $300, RetroBlox will fit well in the market for those who haven’t yet turned their gaming cartridges into some sort of folk art piece.

New Life for Old Game Cartridges With the RetroBlox Gaming System

Conan O’Brien is turning back the clock, all the way back to 1982’s E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial the Video Game.  But that’s not all.  Conan and Team Coco’s Clueless Gamer have already cut their teeth on today’s big-time games like Resident Evil 6 and HALO 4, but what happens when things get vintage?  Vintage as in the classic burger grill-looking Atari 2600.

Armed only with controllers that look like “the defibrillators that they used on Elvis,” Conan first gets warmed up for his funtastic E.T. foray with a smattering of Atari classics. Journeying through early ’80s hits like Combat, Golf, and River Raid merely seems to dash any of Conan’s hope as the fan-selected E.T. approaches.  Even Pitfall denies Conan, before his game-riffic breakthrough with Space Invaders.

After playing the Atari 2600, Conan drew a conclusion:”I can go look at an old-butter churner or turn-of-the-century car and appreciate the beauty of it… this is awful.  This is just America on its knees.”

Finally, Conan took on the one game that still manages to captivate audiences in an all-time disappointing and landfill-filling manner, E.T.  The experience of E.T. and its ever-present lack of redeeming worth so jaded Conan, that upon finding a flower in-game, he pretty much needed to have his mind rebooted in order to continue.  One can only guess that having looked back on the vintage console this one time was enough… until next time.

Conan O’Brien Gets Clueless with the Atari 2600 and E.T.