- Have both of the caseʼs controller ports functional to all standard SNES peripherals, and have them work as they would on a stock console.
- Design the console to have a fully functioning cartridge port to read Game ROMS, and game saves, and to have the ability to write new game saves back to the cartridges.
- Minimize the cosmetic changes to the case, so that viewing the modified SNES next to a stock console would not throw off an untrained eye. Namely, I did not want to have PC ports cut poorly out the sides.
- Keep the hardware as simple, and solid state as possible. (Use the K.I.S.S method)
- Utilize the Power and Reset buttons as one would intend. Namely, donʼt require the user to shut down the computer using the display. Have the Power button set up to safely shut down the computer. Also, have the Reset button reset emulation, and re-read the cartridge port.
- Set up an intuitive gaming interface. What is great about classic gaming consoles is you plug in a game, turn it on and play. One should not need to turn on the computer, wait until you boot into Windows, or a command line, and need to use a mouse, or console commands to find an emulator. The machine should turn on, and play a game, or load a front end. The SNES gaming portion should be front and center.
- Attempt to fully emulate the speed, and functionality of the original hardware. Where possible, allow for the improving of the original experience by offering image filtering, the use of save states, and other modern emulation goodies. With the base system being the base gaming experience of the original hardware.
The DOS emulation through rpix86 v0.03 will allow you to play such classics as Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Ultima Underworld, Day of the Tentacle, and more. Many of these games no longer run on modern hardware, so emulation is the only way to play them, short of finding a 15 year-old PC laying around.