Custom retro PC project uses a compact x86 SoC to run DOS games with native hardware

In context: For those looking to build a retro gaming PC in a tiny form factor, Eivind Bohler's ITX-Llama could be a perfect DIY project for you. He recently dropped an introductory video on YouTube and a user/build guide on GitHub. And yes, it runs the original Doom without the need for emulation.

First proposed by retro enthusiast Eivind Bohler on the VOGONS forums a year ago, the ITX-Llama project can run DOS, or even early Windows games, on an x86-compatible system-on-chip design. The Vortex86EX module, manufactured by Taiwanese company DM&P Electronics, includes a "true" x86 ISA hardware implementation with a clock rate between 100 and 500MHz.

Bohler says the SoC's CPU speed is roughly comparable to a Pentium 233 classic CPU, which should be more than enough to run every DOS game ever created. The ITX-Llama motherboard was designed to closely mimic Bohler's "dream PC" during the late DOS era, and it should work pretty well with PS/2 mice and keyboards, old joysticks, and other peripherals sold during the 1990s.

The motherboard also includes a custom BIOS based on the Coreboot/SeaBIOS project, offering control over CPU speed, disk configuration, audio, fans, and more. Hilariously, there is an "HDD clicker" feature to emulate the typical noise of old hard disk drives while using a much more modern SD card for storage.

Bohler familiarized himself with the Vortex86EX SoC "pretty well" while developing its previous retro-PC project, TinyLlama. However, the ITX-Llama is a much more capable system in a tiny, standardized case with full ATX power support, USB 2.0, and Ethernet connectivity. Bohler finalized the computer a few months ago.

He doesn't plan to organize another "group-buy" initiative but has now provided all the relevant information about the hardware through an open-source license. The official GitHub ITX-Llama page includes the documentation needed to build a custom Vortex86EX-based system, although purchasing the required hardware components could prove difficult.

Thanks to emulation, virtualization, and custom hardware projects like ITX-Llama, running old PC games or building a retro system with modern(ish) components is relatively trivial. If you don't want to mess with wacky hardware or modern DOS copycats like FreeDOS, DOSBox still provides a highly compatible MS-DOS environment with everything a DOS game would need to feel at home.