RooK Console RooK-Letter March 2026 – The Retro Gaming Console Levels Up Again
Our first Newsletter in English: and watch out! the image is generated with Nano Banana and there is SO MUCH WRONG with it, that we had to keep it, because it’s fun. We were just joking: Who finds the most errors in the pic wins something 🙂
What’s been happening, what’s coming next?
Hey there and welcome to the very first RooK Newsletter!
From now on we’ll be dropping a monthly update right here a little peek behind the curtain, the stuff we’re currently working on, and all the things we’re planning for the future.
The year has already kicked off in style with our first ever official RooK Tournament. Lots of games, even more people, and an absolutely great vibe all around. For us it was also a chance to introduce the RooK project to a wider audience. Usually it’s just us passing the console around, so we were genuinely curious what people outside the core team would think. It was also a fantastic opportunity to hunt down quirks and bugs that we can squash in the next iteration.
But before we get into the new hardware version “Mk4” – let’s rewind a bit:
What even is RooK, and how did this whole thing happen?
It all started with us organizing retro gaming tournaments (on original hardware, with CRT monitors) because old games are quick to pick up and perfect for competitive play. Seriously, even if you’re holding the controller upside down: anyone can join in. At one of our more recent tournaments though, we realized that the high-pitched whine of the monitors and the loading times were actually becoming a problem.
So we asked ourselves: could we build our own console from scratch, custom electronics and all? Against all expectations, that very first prototype “Mk1” actually worked. Cue an immediate and very passionate debate about what the console should be and how it should work, including the decision that games should run on cartridges.
The first design was built out of LEGO bricks, and the second and eventually functional third prototype followed. A small tournament served as its baptism by fire. The response was so good that another iteration was inevitable – the current version, Mk3.1.
Here’s our Konstantin with a tongue-in-cheek breakdown of the setup and the original design idea:
One thing is clear: there will be a Mk4, and it’s being designed and sketched out as we speak. Power supply has been our biggest headache so far, and the Mk4 is finally going to tackle that head-on. We’re staying loyal to the round power connector, as is tradition, but if you want to use a modern power supply, adapters will make that happen. We’re also adding a USB port to the back. And a network port. We’re going full speed on the Mk4 and want to finish it this year – and of course put it through its paces properly.
Community & Content
- A quick look back at our first tournament with 24 players – the Mk3.1’s trial by fire
- For a deep dive into all things RooK, check out our Konstantin’s blog – the person most responsible for why the RooK looks the way it does today
Events
A little overview of cool (retro) gaming events coming up:
- Local Area Nerds e.V. in Osnabrück – at least one retro gaming event every month
- Until 9 May 2026 – Indie Game Fest in Cologne – not exactly retro, but hey, it’s basically on one of our doorsteps
- 9 May 2026 – Lange Nacht der Computerspiele in Leipzig – the 20th edition!
- Until 16 May 2026 – A MAZE Gaming Festival in Berlin
- 16 May 2026 – Retro Börse in Oberhausen. Sounds like we should show up with an empty van and see what happens 🚐
- 24 May 2026 – Looking for Group in Hof – a gaming convention spanning retro, cosplay, and contemporary games
- Retro Games Con – happens at least monthly, sometimes more, somewhere in Germany
Games
Topic of the month: kid-friendly beat-’em-ups. Brawling, scrapping, and general mayhem – but without the blood. All virtual, all in good fun!
ClayFighter (SNES, 1993) Charming animations and completely unhinged characters. The fighting feels a little clunky sometimes, but honestly? That’s part of the fun.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Turtles in Time (SNES, 1992) When it comes to violence-without-blood, the Turtles are basically the gold standard. They carry deadly weapons everywhere and somehow never actually use them. Perfect.
The Sword Fighting Sequence from Monkey Island (PC, 1990) Not a fighting game, strictly speaking. But still. The pen is mightier than the sword.
Got a suggestion for next month’s game theme? Let us know!
Until next time, The Rooksters