# MiSTer FPGA

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/mister-fpga/

20 people recommended MiSTer FPGA in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 12 months, in 14 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for accurate, fun retro gaming on a TV, backed by an active community. Main caveat: it is an expensive way to start.

Summary written by Claude from 31 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong, active community and ecosystem (4 comments in the sample): "the community's well done BBC core already largely gets us to where I want us to be but the platform chiefly lacks the SID" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49535326)) "the MiSTer game system community actually patched their FPGAs to output digital signals from 16-255" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48796028)) "Damn there is a whole ecosystem around that" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49722229))
- Many systems run via cores (4 comments in the sample): "I booted my MiSTer into TI-99/4A mode and began typing programs in TI BASIC" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50080736)) "I love the platform, and the more stuff I can run on it, the better." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49782311)) "it's awesome especially for the Amiga and C64" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45980709))
- Authentic period behavior and feel (3 comments in the sample): "does a good job of recreating period appropriate load times and quirks" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48196669)) "I have to admit that it's better than using my A500/A1200s." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45979311)) "The experience is also much better than emulation IMHO." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45980764))
- Fun to play with family (2 comments in the sample): "I bought a MiSTer for me and my son and we played the heck out of Mario Kart 64 and Mario Golf" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49194717)) "Many, many hours of fun playing games with my son on the it, I got my money's worth." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49721194))

## Other game consoles people recommend

- [Valve Steam Machine](https://hackerapproved.com/p/steam-machine/): 221 recommend, 79 mixed, 207 criticize
- [PlayStation 5](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-5/): 73 recommend, 35 mixed, 168 criticize
- [Xbox 360](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xbox-360/): 31 recommend, 7 mixed, 18 criticize
- [PlayStation 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-2/): 31 recommend, 9 mixed, 6 criticize

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=MiSTer+FPGA+DE10-Nano+board+kit)
- [Official site](https://mister-devel.github.io/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "MiSTer FPGA", https://hackerapproved.com/p/mister-fpga/ (20 recommend, 3 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.