A developer called Throaty Mumbo has built a working VHS-based video game system that goes far beyond the ActionMax, the 1980s light-gun console that played the same tape loop every time. The new hardware uses a DE1-SoC FPGA board paired with an RP2350 MCU to decode composite video from a physical VHS tape, read binary game data encoded directly on that tape, and process controller input in real time.
The tape carries both game bytecode and multiple video streams simultaneously. The FPGA handles composite decoding, the RP2350 acts on the extracted game logic, and the result is actual interactive gameplay. Demos shown include Super Mario Bros. with prerecorded background video, Night Trap, and a Doom variant that triggers action events keyed to specific button presses. The GitHub repository at ThroatyMumbo/GCVHS is live and in progress.
The bytecode architecture is what makes this worth reading in full. It means the system is not just a novelty player but a small game development platform. The original piece walks through exactly how binary data coexists with video on a standard tape, which is the technical core most summaries will skip.
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