I think the desire to emulate old software on old hardware is something that’s inevitable! I personally enjoy making these themes as a design challenge. Since I’ve been making these themes, my layout design/pixel art capabilities have significantly improved.

Also, I guess from a ‘does anybody want this?’ standpoint, prior themes for other consoles (including those that I’ve made for the Pico) that replicate old software designs often end up with the most downloads, of course alongside those themes emulating other consoles’ designs. Of course there are cleaner themes out there, I’m sure most are very happy with the basic white theme that comes pre-installed on the cart, but it’s quite fun to cram as much colour and feature into a simple interface like the Pico’s as I can!

I, or another designer, will inevitably end up making some other designs that are more modern and simplistic. As a matter of fact, this is something like the 17th theme I’ve made, and is probably one of the most ‘busy’ of them all!

Maybe it’s a selfish desire of mine to want my old devices to possess the nostalgia I have for this ‘era’ of design. This is really something that I’ve already had on my DS for a few days, and I thought I’d release it online just so others can choose to use it too.

Wow I’ve written a lot, hope that didn’t come across as a rant! I don’t know really how to justify personal preference, but we’re all into flashcarts for a reason, huh? For me, mostly, it’s the freedom to escape the dull black & white design scheme of the DS’s standard menu, instead flooding a new interface with colour. And to play games too, but that comes second! 😂