ChimeraOS dev announced Kazeta, a new Linux OS aimed at recreating a classic console experience
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/09/chimeraos-dev-announced-kazeta-a-new-linux-os-aimed-at-recreating-a-classic-console-experience/Open linkView original on lemmy.world
The title doesn't really do this justice, it's an OS that boots directly into PC games loaded onto SD cards, like loading a cartridge in an old console. Really cool, makes me want to buy something to put it on
Seems like a silly idea.. its not like an nvme drive takes up a ton of space so eveb a small form factor pc could have a massive drive and an interface for multiple games. Ehats the point of loading them onto sd cards if you have to already download or acquire them elsewhere? Just make a good interface that lets you scroll through a list of games. My steamdeck already does that, and lets me boot right back into a game where i left off, but doesnt make me constantly change the SD card to play a different game.
The point is to change physical media per game, just like a classic console.
According to the creator, that's too complicated for some people:
Personally, I find it hard to believe that any meaningful amount of people could struggle with that. If they do, they'd probably also struggle to use any other gaming machine.
You could definitely pare down steamOS alot for a more user friendly but less powerful environment. Get rid of all the steam specific shit like the storefront and friends list and all the bells and whistles and just have a launcher that displays game art and title. That would still be leagues better than having a single game on each flash card.
If you want something that runs like an old console, why not just...buy an old console? This just seems like "let's buy a modern PC and pretend". It's like a Easy Bake oven or some shit.
Sounds like it could be a cool novelty for a little while, but ultimately it's a waste of SD Card to make them for every game you have. Also, isn't it not great for SD Cards to constantly read or write from them?
Reading has never been a problem for any solid state media. Once it's written you can read it as many times as you'd like with almost no wear. Writing can be a problem, but they say the SD cards are read only once they're made so unless you're constantly swapping software on the card then you'll be fine.
Makes sense (I think what put that in my head was someone advising against booting Windows from SD Card on Steam Deck.)
I think the boogeyman of failing sd cards is mostly ridiculous. I’ve literally used micro sd cards in 24/7 Raspberry pis for 4-6 years straight no problem. Some of those with things like syncthing and a bot that constantly downloads YouTube videos, and others that capture and record data. I’ve absolutely never had an SD card fail in any device since I started using Pis in 2014.
Buy quality cards. My favorites have been the Samsung Evos, I have multiple that are still running and I haven’t bought a card in years, excepting a 128gb one for my switch.
Yeah my brain went immediately to "that's why we have batocera". I mean more is good, but also, it's tight there and already very mature
I’m always a retropie/emulation station person
Lots of people seem to forget that the evercade is still a thing.
You mean like Batocera, there are a few Os' that boot straight from usb/sd and let you run emulated games.