The CNET article was titled “Nintoaster stuffs a Nintendo console into a retro toaster.”
The story was celebrating — virtually gushing — over the creation of a unique hybrid that allows classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games to be played by inserting them into the slot of a toaster. The author treated this chrome-and-orange invention as the greatest thing since, well, sliced bread.
As delightful a piece as this particular Nintoaster is, it isn’t a brand-new idea. Not that the Nintoaster’s original creator minds that other people have begun putting their own stamp on his concept, though. Far from it.
In fact, when modder and games enthusiast Richard DaLuz first made one — over six years ago — that was exactly what he wanted people to do. He even made an incredibly entertaining YouTube video offering viewers instruction on how to build their very own.
“My first impression was, I see this Nintoaster and I was like, ‘Wow! This is good! Good on ’em. This guy built a really nice looking Nintoaster,’” DaLuz said of the CNET article, in an interview with Toledo Free Press. “This is exactly what I hoped would happen when I released the instructional video — kinda like, boom, this is how you make it. And they turn around and make their own, put their own spin on it and make a better version of it. So I’m not mad at the guy that built it — absolutely not. Quite the opposite.
“The way that the article was handled, though, I think was a little — I felt like there was a lot of praise being heaped on this one guy. … I don’t know how much research they did, but it doesn’t sound like a whole lot. They kinda glossed over the fact that this is in no way a new thing at this point.”
Indeed, the CNET article does give DaLuz a bit of credit for originating the idea — in the last paragraph, by linking to his page (stupidfingers.com) but never actually mentioning him by name. Saying that the model they’re discussing is “arguably the best looking,” the writer even wonders aloud when someone will make a Nintoaster that still makes toast — ignoring (or ignorant of) the fact that one modder, following DaLuz’s lead, has already done so.
For DaLuz though, it’s not about credit or monetary gain. He doesn’t make Nintoasters to order or anything; it’s really about the joy of creating. He first began tinkering with old consoles around the turn of the century, inspired by a desire to revisit the beloved games of his youth.
“I guess I wanted to relive some of my childhood,” he said. “I remembered the Nintendo that broke a decade previous, and I wanted to get one back again and start a collection. This is still around the time where you could walk into a GameStop and they’ve got the huge bin full of cartridges,” DaLuz said.
“I bought a system from them …it kind of worked as good as you remember them working back in the day. And I thought I would be kind of clever and go buy a replacement connector on eBay. Which I installed, and it worked great for about a week, and it started acting up again.
“And it sort of clicked, like, ‘OK, here’s the problem. This is clearly the problem, is this connector. Why?’ So I started thinking of ways this could be redesigned.”
Next thing he knew, DaLuz was not just tinkering with classic consoles but improving upon them and creating new ways to experience them, like a gaming version of Dr. Frankenstein. He modified an original NES into a handheld model he called the “Fatboy.” He created the ultimate all-in-one system — the “Super Genintari” — which played Atari 2600, NES, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games.
But his most popular creation came about, perhaps fittingly, in the midst of a drunken rant.
“I was working on the Fatboy, the portable, was just about done with that. And with all the learning that I had to go through to rework all that crap, by the time I was finished with it, I was joking with friends, like, ‘Man, at this point, I could build anything. … I could build an NES into anything. I could build it into a shoe; I could build it into a toaster.’
“And then, I kind of stopped and said, ‘Wait a minute. That’s actually doable. The toaster chassis is actually big enough that you could fit the full-size board in there. And then, there are those slots, it’s already there.’ If you were going to build it into something, that would be the kitchen appliance to do it with.”
Although it started as a joke, DaLuz said he’s thrilled that the Nintoaster continues to make people smile — and inspire them to try their hand at making one themselves.
“I’m so glad that people have taken off with it on their own. It’s perfect. Just take this idea — like, I don’t own it, I don’t have any copyrights on it. Just take it and build one! They’re going to learn so much in the process. Take my idea, improve upon it, make it yours.”
