About Us

Hey! I'm Wizzo

I run the Zaparoo project, and I'm on mission: bring back the excitement of flipping through your game collection without fighting against digital media.

Remember the satisfaction of inserting a cartridge into your console and jumping straight in? That's the magic I want to recapture with Zaparoo.

How It All Started

Zaparoo began in 2023 as a simple tool for the MiSTer FPGA community. Someone showed me a clip of an NFC reader launching a game, and I was totally blown away, it was so clever and unlike anything I'd seen before. I knew I had to build something with it.

I discovered later that many people had attempted similar projects over the years, but Zaparoo would be different. Instead of remaining a hobby project for tinkerers, I wanted to make this technology truly accessible to everyone.

The project exploded in the MiSTer FPGA scene almost immediately. With each update adding more awesome features and polish, people genuinely fell in love with this thing! The community response was incredible and contributions poured in featuring artwork, code, and entirely new applications supporting the core project.

Not Just NFC Readers

What I discovered quickly was that accessibility and community support were the main barriers holding similar hobby projects back. Zaparoo couldn't just be a way to launch games with an NFC reader, it needed to become an entire ecosystem.

Today, the Zaparoo project includes:

  • A companion mobile app for easy setup and card creation
  • A web-based design tool for creating custom game stickers
  • Support for diverse hardware like CD drives, DIY microcontrollers, and barcode scanners
  • Extensive free artwork and 3D models for complete customization
  • Support for many platforms besides MiSTer FPGA like Windows and Batocera

For many people, Zaparoo's appeal lies in its flexibility. You can customize your setup exactly how you want, or keep things simple if that's your preference.

Community First

I'm a strong believer in community development and open-source software, and I try to reflect these values in every aspect of Zaparoo.

Are you on a tight budget or have an unusual setup? I don't want you to miss out. That's why we provide comprehensive guides for building everything from scratch.

All Zaparoo software is developed under open-source licenses, meaning anyone can contribute or adapt the software for their own projects. Our models, artwork, and guides use permissive licenses too, giving you complete freedom to create.

When you purchase from the Zaparoo Shop, you're directly supporting my ability to keep contributing back to the community.

Check Us Out

The Zaparoo community spans creators, tinkerers, families, and hardcore gamers. We're united by a simple belief: the future of gaming doesn't have to abandon the best parts of its past.

Join in the fun on your favourite social media platform and show us what awesome Zaparoo stuff you've been building!