a hub for vibe coding retro games for original hardware

RETRO
GAME DEV

Always open source. Always credit original developers and content creators. Foster creativity.

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Latest Episodes

YOUTUBE VLOG

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Series

SERIES 01

Genesis Dev

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8 episodes · Ongoing

SERIES 02

NES Dev

12 episodes · Complete

SERIES 03

GBC Devs

6 episodes · Ongoing

SERIES 04

Chiptune Sessions

5 episodes · Ongoing

SERIES 05

Gaming Sessions

Ongoing

SERIES 06

Hardware Reviews

Ongoing

ls -la /resources/retro-dev --group-by=category

SDKs & Compilers

GENESIS

SGDK Sega Genesis Dev Kit

The go-to C framework for Mega Drive development. Full hardware abstraction for VDP, sound, DMA, and input.

→ github.com/SGDK

GENESIS / ASM

MDStudio

Assembly-focused IDE and devkit for Sega Genesis / Mega Drive development. A great alternative to SGDK if you want to work closer to the metal in 68000 assembly rather than C.

→ github.com/MDStudio

NES / 6502

cc65 6502 C Compiler

Cross-compiler suite covering NES, C64, Atari, and Apple II. The standard for 6502 homebrew development.

→ cc65.github.io

GAME BOY

GBDK-2020

Actively maintained C SDK for GB and GBC. Modern tooling, VS Code integration, and solid documentation.

→ github.com/gbdk-2020

SNES

PVSnesLib

C library for SNES development. Covers Mode 7, sprites, tilemaps, SPC700 audio, and DMA transfers.

→ github.com/pvsneslib

32X

Chilly Willy's 32X DevKit

Community-built SDK for the Sega 32X one of the only viable development kits for the add-on. Covers the SH2 processors, VDP overlay, and PWM audio. Essential if you're brave enough to target the 32X.

→ github.com/32XDK

Emulators & Debuggers

MULTI-SYSTEM

Mesen2

Cycle-accurate emulator for NES, SNES, GB, PC Engine. Best-in-class debugger essential for dev work.

→ mesen.ca

GENESIS

BlastEm

High-accuracy Mega Drive emulator with excellent debugging tools. Our go-to for Genesis development.

→ retrodev.com/blastem

GAME BOY

Emulicious

Accurate GB/GBC/GBA/SMS emulator with a powerful tile viewer, memory editor, and debugger built in.

→ emulicious.net

32X / N64

ares

Multi-system emulator with high-accuracy cores for the Sega 32X and Nintendo 64 among others. The best option for 32X and N64 dev testing cycle-accurate and actively maintained.

→ github.com/ares-emulator

Graphics & Audio

PIXEL ART

Aseprite

The standard pixel art tool for retro dev. Palette-indexed mode maps perfectly to hardware sprite constraints.

→ aseprite.org

CHIPTUNE

DefleMask

Multi-system chiptune tracker. Supports YM2612 (Genesis), 2A03 (NES), Game Boy APU, SN76489, and more.

→ deflemask.com

ASSETS

itch.io Game Assets

Massive library of community-made art, audio, and sprite packs many free or pay-what-you-want. A great source for placeholder assets and retro-style tilesets while you're deep in the code.

→ itch.io/game-assets

TILES

Tiled Map Editor

Free, open-source tilemap editor. Exports to formats compatible with SGDK and other retro SDKs.

→ mapeditor.org

Hardware & Flashcarts

FLASHCART

Krikzz EverDrives

The gold standard for testing ROM builds on original hardware.

→ krikzz.com

GB FLASHCART

GB Operator

Simple USB flashcart reader/writer for Game Boy cartridges. Easy ROM flashing for testing on real hardware.

→ epilogue.co

CAPTURE

RetroTINK-4K

High-quality upscaler for recording retro console footage. Preserves authentic signal characteristics for video.

→ retrotink.com

FPGA

MiSTer FPGA

Open-source FPGA platform that replicates retro hardware at the gate level cycle-accurate NES, Genesis, SNES, and more with zero software emulation overhead. Ideal for verifying ROMs behave on true silicon.

→ MiSTerFPGA.org

FPGA / GB & N64

Analogue

Premium FPGA-based hardware consoles that run original cartridges with pixel-perfect accuracy. The Pocket covers Game Boy / GBC / GBA and the 3D covers N64 great for testing homebrew ROMs on authentic silicon without modding original hardware.

→ analogue.co

FPGA

RetroRemake MiSTer Pi

Raspberry Pi-based MiSTer FPGA compatible board a more affordable entry point into FPGA retro hardware. Runs MiSTer cores across a wide range of platforms without the full DE10-Nano setup cost.

→ retroremake.co

IDE & Platforms

IDE

Visual Studio / VS Code

Our primary development environment. VS Code pairs perfectly with SGDK, cc65, and GBDK via the C/C++ extension and custom build tasks. Full IntelliSense and integrated terminal for make workflows.

→ code.visualstudio.com

EMULATION FRONTEND

RetroArch

All-in-one emulation frontend that runs libretro cores for nearly every retro platform. Great for quickly testing ROMs across multiple systems from a single interface without switching emulators.

→ retroarch.com

CAPTURE

OBS Studio

Free and open-source screen recording and live streaming software. Used on every Cartridge Stack episode to capture emulator and real hardware footage. Works seamlessly with capture cards and RetroTINK output.

→ obsproject.com

AI & Documentation

AI ASSISTANT

Claude Anthropic

Our primary AI coding partner. Handles 68000 ASM, Z80, C, SGDK, and retro hardware quirks with surprising depth.

→ claude.ai

NES DOCS

NesDev Wiki

The canonical NES hardware reference. PPU timing, mapper info, APU registers all community documented.

→ nesdev.org/wiki

GENESIS DOCS

Awesome Mega Drive

Curated community list of Mega Drive development resources tutorials, tools, docs, and reference material for VDP, DMA, YM2612, and more.

→ github.com/awesome-megadrive

DISPLAY

RetroRGB

The definitive resource for running retro hardware on modern displays RGB cables, upscalers, capture cards, CRT guides, and hardware mods. Essential reading if you're recording original console output for video.

→ retrorgb.com

N64 DOCS

Awesome N64 Development

Comprehensive curated list of Nintendo 64 development resources SDKs, tools, tutorials, hardware docs, and community references for getting started with N64 homebrew.

→ github.com/awesome-n64-development

Getting Started Guide

BEGINNER FRIENDLY

New to retro game dev? Here's the exact workflow I follow on the channel from zero to running a ROM on real hardware.

Pick your target platform

Start with the console you love. NES and Game Boy have the gentlest learning curves. Genesis is more powerful but more complex. Don't try to target everything at once. → Watch: Choosing Your First Retro Platform

Install the SDK and toolchain

Download your SDK (SGDK for Genesis, GBDK-2020 for Game Boy, cc65 for NES). Install VS Code and run make on the hello world example to confirm the build works. → Watch: SGDK Setup from Scratch

Set up an emulator with debugger

Install Mesen2 or BlastEm. Learn to open the tile viewer and memory editor. You'll spend a lot of time here catching bugs before they hit real hardware. → Watch: Emulator Debugging for Retro Dev

Start vibe coding with Claude

Open Claude and paste your SDK documentation as context. Describe what you want to build in plain English. Use it as a tutor, not just a code generator. → Watch: Vibe Coding a NES Game with AI

Flash to real hardware

Get an EverDrive for your target console. Flash your ROM and test every feature on the actual machine. Emulators lie sometimes hardware is the ground truth. → Watch: Flashing Your First ROM to Cartridge

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Membership

// CARTRIDGE STACK PATRON

STACK MEMBER

$5 / month

Cancel anytime. No commitment.

Access to the patron Discord channel
Vote on upcoming projects & platforms
Access to exclusive merch drops
Working source code before it's pushed publicly
Your name in the credits of every published game

[ JOIN FOR $5/MO → ]

DISCORD

Patron-Only Channel

Direct access to a private Discord channel chat with me between videos, share your own retro projects, and get early peeks at what's coming next.

SOURCE CODE

Pre-Release Repos

Get access to working source code while it's still being developed before it's cleaned up and pushed to the public GitHub. See the messy, real process.

GAME CREDITS

Your Name in Every ROM

Every game I publish has a credits screen. Your name or handle is in it permanently baked into a ROM that runs on 30-year-old hardware. That's forever.

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Patreon Campaign

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Your support helps keep the channel running.

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FAQ

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes Patreon memberships are month-to-month with no commitment. You can cancel or pause at any time from your Patreon account settings. No questions asked.

When do I get access to source code?

As soon as you join you'll be invited to a private GitHub repo where working code is pushed continuously often days or weeks before a video publishes and before the code is cleaned up for public release.

What does "your name in game credits" mean?

Every game I finish and publish has a credits screen baked into the ROM. Active patrons at the time of publishing are listed by name or handle. That ROM then runs on real hardware permanently. It doesn't update, it doesn't change. Your name is in it forever.

How does the Discord access work?

After joining Patreon, connect your Discord account in your Patreon settings. You'll automatically get access to the patron-only channel where I post updates, share early work, and chat between videos.

What's the exclusive merch?

Patrons get first access to merch drops things like limited print runs, stickers, and other physical stuff tied to the channel and the games I build. Details announced in the patron Discord first.

the channel, the mission, the stack

Burnt out by my corporate finance job. I decided to quit and pursue my dream of game development. I created Cartridge Stack to document my journey and creat a community at the intersection of modern AI tools and vintage game hardware. I develop retro games with AI assistance to write code in real time, then verify everything runs on the original hardware it was designed for.

No pre-written scripts. No fake demos. Just raw AI-assisted development, live bugs, and the satisfaction of a ROM booting on a 30-year-old console.

cat /about/mission.md

Mission & Philosophy

// Why Retro

Retro hardware forces you to understand its limitations. Every pixel, every cycle, every byte of VRAM is your responsibility. The constraint breeds creativity and innovation.

I also just enjoy playing classic games.

// Why AI

I grew up near .com-era Silicon Valley. I built my first website when I was 8. However, my life led me to a degree in Corporate Finance.

In a different timeline, I would have pursued a career in CSE but alas, we are here. I'm not trying to remove the craft. I just want to lower the barrier so more people can experience it. The curiosity is what matters most.

// The Rules

Every game I build follows three rules: code is written through AI-assisted prompts with live debugging, the final ROM runs on original hardware (not just emulators), and the full process is documented on camera including the failures.

I don't hide the clean takes. If Claude gives us broken code, that's part of the video.

// The Community

The Discord server is where the channel lives between uploads. It's a mix of retro devs, AI enthusiasts, and people who just love old games. All skill levels welcome lurkers, beginners, and greybeard assembly hackers alike.

Patreon patrons get access to additional channels, source code repos, and exclusive merch.