Kazeta developers offer a return to the "golden age" of gaming with simplicity, autonomy, and cartridges.
Kazeta is a new Linux distribution developed by the ChimeraOS team to convey the spirit of 1990s game consoles on a modern PC and offer the simplest possible format: "insert cartridge, turn on power, play."
The main idea behind Kazeta is to turn any DRM-free games from platforms like GOG, itch.io, and emulator projects into physical "cartridges." SD cards are used as media, which can be labeled and used as game modules.
Installing and configuring the system requires some preparation, but in the end, users get an autonomous experience: without online binding, accounts, or subscriptions. Games launch instantly, without unnecessary menus and loading screens — just like on "golden age" consoles.
If you launch Kazeta without a cartridge, a retro-style BIOS menu loads, where save management and statistics viewing are available.
According to Kazeta developer Alesha Slovak, the system was conceived as "purely gaming." Among the reasons for its appearance, he cited the difficulties faced by users without technical training in ChimeraOS and SteamOS, fatigue from digital stores, interest in collecting old physical games, and the desire to preserve the digital library in a convenient and durable form.
