The Retro Handhelds community…as the name suggests, we’re all about the handhelds around us. But sometimes, the tiny screens of retro devices are a bit too small, and we need something a little bit larger to satisfy us. So rather than take the route of emulation on a mini PC, I’m going a step further, and building out my own dedicated space for retro gaming on PC. And thanks to Flexispot, who was kind enough to send out their E6 standing desk, I think I’ve got a nice space that I plan to keep around for future use and testing.
So join in as I cover the basis of retro gaming on my little comfort OS, Windows XP.
The Plan
The plan is pretty simple, and shouldn’t require too much explanation. Utilize a small PC that can run Windows XP natively to get all of my favorite old games running. Pair that up with some wireless peripherals that can be moved out of the way when I need to do other work, and we’ll be off to the races. And do my best to make it look decent since it’ll always be in view from somewhere in my apartment.
And if I have some cool accessories to throw in, I need to do that as well.
The PC
With the PC, I needed two things. 1: It needs to be small so it doesn’t take up a ton of space. 2: It needs to be able to run Windows XP natively. And with that? Well the Dell Wyse Z90D7 would likely work well. Running Windows 7 Embedded Edition, the specs inside were enough that a quick flash drive to Windows XP and a Drivers Pack later would set everything up.
And as for specs, you were looking at a tiny monster:
- CPU: Dual-Core AMD G-T56N at 1.65ghz
- GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6320
- RAM: 2GB DDR3
- Storage: 4GB (Upgraded to 16GB)
- Ports: 1x DVI-I, 1x Display Port, 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0
- Dimensions: 7.9” x 8.8” x 1.8”
Also, there’s also an iMac G4 I had placed in here just in case. It’s running Mac OS X 10.1 and is mostly just to look cool. And test the strength of the desk.
The Desk
Which, speaking of the desk, again, I first have to thank Flexispot for sending over its E6 Standing desk. I picked the model with a white base and a bamboo top. Which has been a really nice and clean look, and helped bring the setup together in the end.
You get QUIET dual motors that can take the desk from as low as 24.4-inches all the way up to 50-inches, while supporting a maximum of 352 pounds. Which, if I brought out my Compaq Presario, I would find myself quite quickly reaching that maximum, though the E6 carries that thing a lot easier than I would.
While the four-height settings are great, and the wheels that were installed keep this thing mobile if I need to move it in my apartment, I do think the best part is the warranty. 15 years on the desk frame and motor make this a solid value. I mean if you think about it, 15 years ago was 2010, and we were living in the golden age of Windows 7. Time flies, but that doesn’t mean the desk you use should either.
The E6 has been way better usability-wise when compared to the older Ikea model I had prior, and you can check out the link below to see what sizes and wood finishes are available for you.
The Accessories
What kind of desk setup is complete without a few accessories? Landing on a mix of modern and retro, I’ve grabbed a few peripherals that look the part, but wind up wireless. Mostly.
The Logitech M570 trackball and 8BitDo Retro Mechanical keyboards fit the bill of feeling and sounding like a retro set of devices. But both of these feature battery lives that don’t give me the anxiety that they have a smaller endurance than my running ability.
As for controls, I’ve run my way down to one controller specifically. The submarine special; is the Logitech F310. While most games I play focus on keyboard and mouse, if I want to toss in something controller-specific, having something that’s just plug-and-play makes the experience even better.
Using this thing sure was an experience.
The Experience
When it came to setting the whole system up, it was mostly straightforward. Get an XP Service Pack 3 flash drive, run it as the boot drive, and install. And then all that was left was filling in the dozen missing drivers using a tool called Snappy Driver Installer Origin. After that, it was as simple as using my DuckDuckGo searching capabilities to find old game files to pull up some XP-compatible games, and we’re off to the races.
Most of the games I played brought little to no issues, but some of them were a bit more of a problem. 1996’s Diablo was, unfortunately, coming up as a mostly black screen that produced sound, but not much more.
Trying out some of the more basic games, I had no issues. Backyard Baseball? Ran perfectly, though it had its own ScummVM launcher. Midtown Madness? Yeah, I’m really not good at the game, but you’d be surprised. It ran and sounded pretty good. And thanks to a recommendation from Bill over on the RH Discord, I even got a chance to try out Battlefield 1942. Before then, I had never played the game, but after setting it up on the XP Machine, I can see why he likes it.
The biggest success for me was a game people regularly play today. Half-Life. It boots, it runs, it sounds great, it plays great. Yeah, I could play it on my standard Windows 11 machine, but it just feels right in this setting. And having a dedicated space to play the game, makes it even better.
Final Thoughts
Is this something I think everyone should do? Absolutely not. You’d likely be better off setting up a virtual machine on your PC and running Windows XP, 95, or something similar through that. Better yet, you could likely just emulate these old games through Scumm, or Winlator on handhelds if you really hate yourself.
But for me, I wanted the full experience of playing games like I did on my parent’s old Dell Dimension. The days when I didn’t have to worry about anything outside of getting a high score in Space Cadet Pinball was the type of life I wanted to live again.
In a small apartment like the one I’m in now, carving out a dedicated space for something like that can be a bit complicated. Especially when the workspace is at a premium, and it needs to look good, function better, and not stub my toe when I walk around a corner.
But again, thanks to Flexispot and its E6 Standing Desk, I have a setup that can be rolled around thanks to the wheels. And because of that, I don’t completely have to worry about things getting in the way. So I’m happy, and I can continue to play Oregon Trail Deluxe whenever I want.
Oh and if you’re curious. This entire article was written on the Dell Wyse, in OpenOffice for Windows XP. Yeah, I’d do it again.
Flexispot E6 Standing Desk on the Amazon
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