BrickStation Mod Kit Adds HDMI Output, Memory Card Support, and Disc Caching to the 1,994-Piece LEGO Set
After raising more than €1 million from over 5,600 backers on Kickstarter with the BrickBoy kit that turned the LEGO Game Boy into a playable handheld, Swiss hardware team Substance Labs,led by inventor and technical lead Thomas Bertani,is bringing the same treatment to the living room. Dubbed BrickStation, this plug-and-play electronic module drops straight inside the official LEGO PlayStation (Set 72306) to transform the 1,911-piece display model into a working PlayStation 1 console with HDMI output, without cutting, gluing, or permanently altering a single brick.
Replacing the Ape Escape Tray: A Reversible Module That Brings the Build to 1,994 Pieces
When Sony and the LEGO Group released the $179.99 (€159.99) LEGO PlayStation 72306 set in early October, builders quickly noted that opening the spring-loaded CD lid revealed two removable micro-dioramas celebrating Gran Turismo and Ape Escape rather than an optical pickup assembly. Working from early set leaks before the official retail launch, the Swiss engineering team designed the BrickStation enclosure to occupy that exact internal footprint.
Built around a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W housed inside a custom injection-molded ABS shell, the BrickStation slides directly into the left-hand compartment normally occupied by the Ape Escape side tray. Because no LEGO bricks are modified or removed from the structural shell, collectors can revert the console back to its stock display configuration at any time. In a fittingly obsessive nod to PlayStation history, the kit includes exactly 83 additional LEGO pieces (including a brick-built display Memory Card), bringing the combined part count from 1,911 to 1,994 pieces,matching the original PlayStation's December 1994 launch year.
LEGO PlayStation (Set 72306)
- Near 1:1 scale replica of the 1994 PS1 console (10.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 in)
- Tactile Power button and spring-loaded Open lid mechanism
- Compatible with the drop-in BrickStation console module
How to Play Original PS1 Discs, Use Real Memory Cards, and Boot via the Magnetic Power Button
Rather than routing an awkward toggle switch out the back of the console, Bertani's team embedded a small magnet inside the original LEGO Power button paired with an internal magnetometer sensor. Pressing the LEGO Power button physically boots the console and illuminates the green LED indicator, while a built-in miniature speaker and vibration motor recreate both the iconic Sony startup chime and the tactile mechanical whirr of a 2x CD-ROM drive spinning up.
With the internal dioramas removed, collectors can finally place an authentic black-bottom PlayStation CD underneath the opening lid for display. While the brick-built housing does not physically spin the disc inside the tray, BrickStation lets players use their physical libraries legitimately: by plugging an external USB CD-ROM drive into the module, you can read and cache your original PlayStation game discs directly onto the system's internal MicroSD card. Alongside HDMI output for modern TVs,much like the historic PlayStation hardware prototypes recently unearthed from Sony's archives,the kit also reads and writes save data directly onto original 1994 PS1 Memory Cards:
| Feature | Stock LEGO PlayStation (72306) | With BrickStation Conversion Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Total Piece Count | 1,911 pieces (static display build) | 1,994 pieces (+83 included LEGO pieces honoring 1994) |
| Core Hardware & Video Out | No electronic components | Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W core with full-speed HDMI TV output |
| PS1 Disc Support | Internal Gran Turismo & Ape Escape dioramas | Fits a real PS1 CD under the lid + caches original discs to MicroSD via external USB CD drive |
| Memory Cards & Controllers | Decorative brick-built slots and wired pad | Reads/writes original PS1 Memory Cards + supports Bluetooth & USB controllers |
| Power & Sensory Feedback | Mechanical lever raising a green brick | Magnetometer LEGO Power switch + speaker & vibration motor simulating disc spin |
Kickstarter Launch Window and Early Bird Pricing
Currently in its final prototype stage, the BrickStation pre-launch page is live now on Kickstarter ahead of a full crowdfunding rollout slated for late 2026. While Substance Labs has not yet locked in final retail pricing across every tier, Bertani confirmed that the campaign will feature a discounted Early Bird tier for initial subscribers, mirroring the rollout structure of the original BrickBoy kit.
My Take
From a mechanical packaging standpoint, fitting an emulation board, HDMI output, a magnetometer, a speaker, and a haptic motor inside the exact footprint of the Ape Escape side tray without shaving a single LEGO stud is genuinely impressive engineering. Plenty of hobbyist mods gut a shell to cram a Raspberry Pi inside, but supporting real 1994 PlayStation Memory Cards and allowing players to dump their own black-bottom discs via a USB optical drive elevates BrickStation from a novelty prop into a legitimate living-room retro console. We have not yet had a physical unit on our desk—if the manufacturer's team would like to send over a review sample so we can put it through our full real-world testing protocol, our lab doors are wide open.
PC hardware enthusiast and competitive gamer, Arthur 'Heimdall' splits his time between France and the UK working in enterprise B2B software solutions. A business school graduate passionate about component benchmarking, he has been building, modding, and tuning PCs since childhood, optimizing every thermal degree and millisecond of display latency. An avid gamer across Assassin's Creed and sandbox titles, he forged his alliance with Grimtag and Chaya during late-night World of Warcraft raids before joining Pro-Gamer.
