You can play classic Nintendo games on these custom SNES-inspired Nike sneakers

AI Summary3 min read

TL;DR

The AIR SNES sneakers, a custom Nike design, function as a retro console using a Raspberry Pi to play SNES games. They feature a 30-minute battery and connect to TVs via RCA cables, but are a one-off creation with no plans for sale.

A person plugs RCA cables into Gustavo Bonzanini’s custom AIR SNES sneakers. — The AIR SNES sneakers double as a functional retro console. | Image: Gustavo Bonzanini

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Super Nintendo’s launch in Japan (where it was called the Super Famicom) designer Gustavo Bonzanini created an homage that blends ‘90s fashion and technology. The AIR SNES are a heavily customized version of the Nike Air Max 90 inspired by other gaming-themed sneakers like Bull Airs’ ShoeBoys, but Bonzanini’s creation doubles as a functional retro console.

Given the size of the Super Nintendo, and the chunky cartridges it used, Bonzanini decided against trying to trim down and shrink the console’s electronics to fit inside a shoe that was still wearable. They instead opted to go the emulation route and used a compact Raspberry Pi Zero W. It has more than enough processing power to play 16-bit SNES games using the RetroPie emulator that Bonzanini customized to match the look and feel of the sneaker.

A short video clip showing Super Mario World playing on a TV connected to an AIR SNES sneaker.

But you won’t find the microcomputer hidden away in the sole of the Air Max 90. All of the electronics, including a battery with enough capacity for up to 30 minutes of gameplay, can be found inside the sneaker’s tongue. The Raspberry Pi Zero W includes an integrated Mini HDMI port, but to “make the design feel like it could exist in 1990,” Bonzanini added a small analog converter so the AIR SNES connects to a TV using retro RCA cables.

Gustavo Bonzanini’s custom AIR SNES sneakers next to an upgraded Super Nintendo gamepad.

The sneakers even work with an original SNES gamepad, but to keep the cable wrangling to a minimum Bonzanini upgraded the controller using an 8BitDo Mod Kit so it connects to the Raspberry Pi wirelessly over Bluetooth. Given the ever-growing popularity of retro gaming nostalgia and sneaker culture there’s little doubt Bonzanini could sell as many pairs of AIR SNES as they could make. But unfortunately they’re just a one-off creation with no plans to commercialize the design.