If you’re a fan of modding and custom projects, then you’re in for a treat. This summer, starting May all the way to September 2021, Raspberry Pi is offering free PDF downloads of Custom PC Magazine. That’s right, free!\

Best of all, these are not previous issues. They’re giving away all the latest issues of the magazine featuring game reviews, tech opinions, and step-by-step project guides – so computer hobbyists will have no excuse not to make it a fun summer indeed

Retro-Tech and Gaming Are Front and Center 

At the forefront of this offer is Raspberry Pi 400 and retro gaming trends. Many of the articles you’ll find in the Custom PC magazine this summer will cover retro-tech and retro gaming.

Think along the lines of a blast from the past from the golden age of 80s computer gaming. You will learn about Commodore AmigasZX Spectrums, BBC Micros, EGA cards, and the good old Color Graphics Adaptor complete with 16 colors.

Why all the fuss about retro gaming? It’s because the creation of Raspberry Pi 400 was inspired by old-school computing technology. With that comes the often hilariously horrendous and yet very entertaining genres of games that people remember and love.

Of course, the issues of Custom PC magazine that you will be getting for free won’t always be about retro hardware and software. They will also cover topics such as overclocking, the most anticipated games to be released this year, and reviews of the latest PC hardware.

But for now, let’s focus on all the fun retro stuff and take a drive down memory lane. As we do, you’ll also see how all of this fits with the goals and design of the new Raspberry Pi 400.

Celebrate Color—80s Style!

The PCs of the early 80s were revolutionary. They allowed small businesses and home users to make the most of computer technology. The big downside, though, was that the graphics weren’t so great – especially when compared with the high quality graphics we’ve come to expect from 21sr century tech.

The 80’swere limited by the technology of their time.

For a time, IBM’s monochrome display adapter was at the forefront of everything graphics. The next great tech advancement was the EGA or enhanced graphics adapter. It was the time of expansion cards and increasing memory modules. It may not seem much now, but back then, 192 kilobytes of memory were a big enhancement. EGA brought in more colors to the games we played.

This new hardware at the time paved the way for many of the PC role-playing games. Some of the most memorable titles were Might and Magic, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and all of the Ultima game installments.

With the help of EGA, a genre of games was introduced including the point and click action genre. Don’t remember these games? Think along the lines of SimCity, Maniac Mansion, and all the other games developed by LucasArts.

Later on, another game genre was introduced—2D platformers. No, we’re not talking about Mario Brothers—they’ll come by several years later. In those early days, you messed around with the likes of Prince of Persia, Commander Keen, and others.

Believe it or not, this was also about the time when first-person shooting games were introduced. They’re not as good-looking as Fortnite, PubG, and Free Fire, but they were pioneers of the genre.

To Infinity and 256 Color and Beyond

As the people waved goodbye to the 80s and welcomed a new decade, a flood of new hardware came along. PCs were then able to offer 256 colors. This was the time when the 286, 386, and 486 PCs rolled in.

From there, video games were never the same again. They’re cooler now and have better graphics. But nothing beats the nostalgia of 80s games complete with funky graphics and out-of-this-world gameplay.

Flashback with Raspberry Pi 400 

If you love the nostalgic retro look, but want the processing power available to cutting edge computing devices of 2021, then you need to check out the Raspberry Pi 400. It’s a complete top-of-the-line Raspberry Pi 4-based personal computer that’s integrated into a keyboard. Plus, you can get accessories to match all your favorite old retro games.

Will you be downloading your free issues of Custom Pc Magazine this summer? Let us know which of the retro games or other features of the issues you’re most excited to see!

And to find out more news and updates regarding your favorite products from Raspberry Pi and Arduino, don’t forget to check out more articles here on our Vilros blog!