3 Minutes
Imagine lacing up your sneakers and booting a classic Super Nintendo game from inside the tongue. That unusual—yet delightful—idea has been realized by an art project that merges retro gaming with sneaker culture: meet AIR SNES, a custom Nike Air Max 90 fitted with a working SNES console.
When sneaker culture collides with gaming nostalgia
The AIR SNES started as a playful question from designer Gustavo Bonzanini: if shoes can look like video games, why not let them play games too? The result is less about mass-market appeal and more about making a cultural statement—an eye-catching mashup that celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Super Nintendo.
How a console fits inside a shoe
Under the tongue of the custom Nike Air Max 90 sits a compact module: a Raspberry Pi Zero W running RetroPie. That tiny board provides a full emulation environment capable of running classic SNES titles such as Donkey Kong Country. A built-in battery supplies roughly 30 minutes of continuous play, and an integrated HDMI output lets you hook the shoe up to an external display.
Old-school hookups and modern wireless options
- Analog lovers will appreciate the RCA converter built into the shoe for connection to vintage displays.
- The original SNES controller is supported, and wireless play is possible via an 8BitDo Mod that pairs over Bluetooth with the Raspberry Pi.
- Everything is configured for a plug-and-play, nostalgic experience—albeit short-lived due to the compact battery.
Art, not a product: why AIR SNES is conceptual
Bonzanini frames AIR SNES as an art piece that riffs on the growing overlap between footwear branding and gaming collaborations. It’s a conversation starter—part tech demo, part wearable sculpture—rather than a commercial item. The shoe-console was built as a conceptual tribute for SNES' anniversary and isn’t intended for retail.
Still, the project sparks questions about the future of wearables and collectible tech. Could we one day see functional, approved hardware built into limited-edition sneakers? For now, AIR SNES stands as a playful peek at what happens when design, nostalgia, and DIY electronics meet.
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