"The world’s smallest gaming PC": These games run on a $15 machine

A look at modern gaming smartphones shows just how much computing power can fit into small devices today. But how much smaller can it get? Tech YouTuber Lecctron recently explored that question. His goal was simple: to find the smallest PC capable of running Minecraft. Finding the right device turned out to be harder than it sounds, as Lecctron first had to define what actually counts as the “smallest gaming PC.”

Tiny boards such as the VoCore 2 or NanoPi NEO Air might qualify as mini PCs on paper, but Lecctron quickly ruled them out for his gaming experiment because they cannot be connected to a monitor without workarounds. In the end, he chose the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. It is extremely small, yet still supports a monitor, input devices and an operating system. The single-board computer measures 65 × 30 mm and uses a quad-core CPU, VideoCore IV graphics and 512 MB of RAM. The kit shown in the video is currently unavailable, but a similar kit is available on Amazon for around $40.

Which games can the "world’s smallest gaming PC" run?

Can a PC barely larger than a pack of chewing gum really play games? To find out, Lecctron tested the tiny computer with several games and emulators. Minecraft Pi Edition reached around 60 FPS, although only in Creative Mode and with a short render distance. Still, the experiment was a success. The single-board computer also performs well with PlayStation 1 games. In the video, titles such as Doom, Wipeout XL, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider Chronicles and Final Fantasy IX run surprisingly smoothly.

Nintendo 64 and PSP emulation are more difficult. Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask run, but suffer from regular stutters and frame drops. With PSP games, performance depends heavily on the title: LocoRoco and LittleBigPlanet PSP run well, while Wipeout Pulse only manages 15 to 20 FPS on the Zero 2 W.

Of course, the mini computer is no substitute for a real gaming PC. Powerful hardware needs space, power and, above all, cooling. That is why gaming PCs are still much larger than smartphones or single-board computers. But as this example shows, anyone who only wants to play simple retro games can get a suitable gaming PC for around $15. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W should also be interesting for DIY projects.