May 3, 2026
Lisa rises from the chip grave
I recreated the Apple Lisa computer inside an FPGA [video]
Retro fans are losing it as one hobbyist brings a beloved Apple relic back to life
TLDR: A creator rebuilt the classic Apple Lisa inside a modern chip and gave it modern ports and storage, making a once-rare computer far easier to use. Commenters are split between pure nostalgia and amazement that a single hobbyist can now revive a machine that once belonged to computer history.
A YouTuber spent eight months rebuilding the old Apple Lisa — one of Apple’s earliest personal computers — inside a modern programmable chip, then gave it today’s creature comforts like USB, HDMI, and built-in storage. On paper, that’s already catnip for retro-computing fans. But in the comments, the real show is the mix of nostalgia, awe, and nerdy one-upmanship. One person practically got emotional, saying it “brings back memories” of their first Apple encounter, while others treated the project like a dream machine: old-school charm, none of the dust, decay, or repair bills.
The hottest take? This isn’t just a cool rebuild — commenters are framing it as proof that one determined hobbyist can now do what used to take a whole company. That sparked a mini flex-fest, with people chiming in about their own vintage-computer resurrection projects and war stories about painfully tricky timer chips and old industrial systems. Another thread turned into a wish list, with one fan already begging to see a Xenix hard drive image running, which is basically retro-computing speak for “okay, now do an even nerdier trick.”
There’s not much outright fighting here, but there is a classic comments-section divide: some are just here for the warm fuzzy memories, while others are obsessed with whether these recreations are “close enough” to the real machine. The vibe is less scandal, more geeky victory lap — with a side of “I can’t believe a person did this in their spare time.”
Key Points
- •The video presents a project that recreates the Apple Lisa computer inside an FPGA.
- •The creator says the project has been in development for eight months and is nearly finished.
- •The FPGA-based Lisa is described as fully functional.
- •The implementation includes modern features such as USB peripherals and HDMI audio/video output.
- •The system includes onboard hard-disk emulation, with possible future floppy-disk emulation and USB-to-serial support.