The Art of Turning a Video Game Jacket into a Wearable Tech Marvel
Cosplay has always been about bringing fictional worlds into reality, but every so often a project comes along that redefines what is possible. A robotics and animatronics enthusiast known as Zibartas recently completed a real-life version of the NUSA Infiltrator jacket from Cyberpunk 2077. This is not a simple fabric replica. The bomber jacket features a tall collar lined with four flexible OLED displays that cost around $1,200 in total. Driven by a pair of Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computers, the screens can show custom animations. To prove the system’s versatility, Zibartas even connected a Steam Controller and played Cyberpunk 2077 directly on the collar display. This cyberpunk cosplay jacket demonstrates how far DIY wearable tech has come when passion, programming, and prototyping collide.
The Vision Behind the Cyberpunk Cosplay Jacket
Zibartas has been inspired by Cyberpunk 2077 since its release. The game’s dense visual language and futuristic wardrobe offer endless creative fuel. The NUSA Infiltrator jacket, a bomber-style garment with a distinctive high collar, caught his attention early. In the game, the collar functions as a digital display panel. Recreating that effect in the physical world required a blend of electronics, sewing, and structural engineering. The final piece is built in the “super rare white version” of the jacket, a color variant that makes the glowing collar stand out even more.
For anyone who has dreamed of building a cyberpunk cosplay jacket with integrated screens, the journey Zibartas documented is a masterclass in problem-solving. It is not enough to buy flexible OLED panels and glue them on. The screens must bend around a curved collar, stay synchronized, and survive the movement of a person walking through a convention hall or striking a pose for photos.
From Game Screen to Real Fabric
The first question Zibartas faced was how to power and drive multiple flexible displays in a wearable format. Flexible OLED screens are notoriously delicate. They can curve along one axis but are vulnerable to twisting forces. The collar of the NUSA Infiltrator jacket is tall and wraps around the back of the neck—an area that experiences a lot of motion. Initial tests with Raspberry Pi 5 boards looked promising, but after a week of pixel wrangling, the Pi 5’s hardware decoders did not handle the multi-display synchronization as smoothly as needed. The Pi 4, with its mature video pipeline, turned out to be a better fit for this particular task.
The $1,200 Flexible OLED Collar – A Work of Engineering
The collar alone accounts for a significant portion of the project budget. Each of the four flexible OLED screens costs roughly $300, totaling $1,200. These are not ordinary rigid panels. They are thin, bendable sheets of organic light-emitting diodes that can conform to curved surfaces. However, that flexibility comes at a cost. The screens are extremely sensitive to improper handling, as Zibartas learned the hard way. When he attempted to slide the first screen into its upholstered EVA foam housing, the screen was damaged. That mistake cost $300 and forced a complete rethink of the collar structure.
Why Raspberry Pi 4 Beat the Pi 5 for This Build
Many makers assume that newer hardware is always superior. For this cyberpunk cosplay jacket, the opposite proved true. The Raspberry Pi 5 offers more raw processing power, but its video hardware decoders are different from those on the Pi 4. When driving multiple displays from a single board, the Pi 4’s mature VideoCore VI decoder handled the pixel stream with lower overhead. Syncing multiple screens requires precise timing, and any lag or frame drop becomes visible. After extensive testing, Zibartas switched to a pair of Pi 4s—one for each pair of displays—and found the performance much more reliable. The lesson is that compatibility and driver maturity often matter more than raw specs in wearable projects.
Syncing Displays Without Network Overhead
Getting four separate screens to show coordinated animations is no small feat. Zibartas initially used a direct gigabit network connection between the two Raspberry Pi 4 boards to synchronize the display content. But network communication introduced overhead that caused slight delays between the left and right pairs of screens. The solution was to abandon network sync entirely and switch to hardware GPIO pulses combined with Python scripting. By sending a hardware pulse from one Pi to the other through a direct GPIO pin, the boards could lock their playback timing with virtually no latency. This approach is more complex to set up but yields a much tighter synchronization. Zibartas commented that he “got it to as close as it can get.”
Protecting Fragile Screens in a Curved Collar
Building the collar involved more than just wiring. The physical housing had to protect the expensive OLED panels while still allowing them to flex naturally. The first design used upholstered EVA foam, which seemed like a soft and forgiving material. However, when Zibartas tried to slide a screen into that foam pocket, the friction and slight twist caused the display to crack. It was a $300 mistake that forced a redesign. After several weeks of extra testing, he developed a semi-rigid understructure made from materials that resist twisting. The new design includes side tracks that guide the screens into place without bending them in unintended directions. This structural solution prevents the kind of torque that broke the first screen, and it keeps the collar stable when the wearer moves.
The $300 Mistake That Changed the Design
Breaking a single screen felt like a major setback. But it also provided a critical insight: flexible OLED panels are flexible only in one plane. Twisting them even slightly can damage the internal circuitry or cause the glass substrate (though thin) to fracture. For anyone building a cyberpunk cosplay jacket with similar displays, the lesson is to never push or slide a screen into a tight enclosure. Instead, build a channel system where the screen can be inserted with minimal force, or use a two-layer sandwich that holds the screen in place without friction. The side-track approach Zibartas adopted is an excellent example of learning from failure.
Power, Runtime, and Hidden Hardware
All those screens and the two Raspberry Pi 4s need electricity. Zibartas chose to hide two power banks in pockets on the mid-lower back of the jacket. These power banks provide about three hours of continuous screen and LED power. That might not sound like a lot for a full day at a convention, but it is enough for a photoshoot, a stage performance, or a short parade. The batteries are rechargeable, and the jacket can be used in bursts.
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Three Hours of Continuous Display with Two Power Banks
The runtime depends on the content being displayed. A bright white animation consumes more power than a dark scene with minimal pixels. Zibartas currently runs a pre-baked animation loop, which is designed to be visually striking while staying within the power budget. For cosplayers who want more runtime, upgrading to higher-capacity power banks or using larger batteries (like lithium polymer packs) is possible, though that adds weight. The current setup keeps the jacket manageable to wear while still delivering the wow factor.
Beyond Animation – Gaming on the Collar with a Steam Controller
Perhaps the most surprising feature of this build is that the collar display can double as a gaming monitor. Zibartas plugged a Steam Controller into one of the Raspberry Pi 4s and played Cyberpunk 2077 on the collar itself. The screen is not huge, but the novelty of gaming on a wearable jacket collar is undeniable. It also demonstrates the flexibility of the underlying Linux system. Since the Pi runs a full Linux operating system and the displays are HDMI-capable, the jacket could theoretically show anything—a live video feed, a Twitter feed, or a custom hud for a LARP event.
The Linux Advantage: Endless Possibilities
Zibartas himself noted that “since it is Linux and HDMI-capable screens, the sky is the limit.” The current pre-baked loop is just the beginning. With some additional coding, the jacket could respond to external sensors, show messages triggered by Bluetooth, or even sync with music. For cosplayers who want a cyberpunk cosplay jacket that feels alive, the Raspberry Pi platform offers a playground of possibilities. The hardest part is already done: the screens are mounted, powered, and synchronized.
Practical Takeaways for Cosplayers Building a Cyberpunk Cosplay Jacket
Budgeting for Flexible OLED Displays
Flexible OLED screens are not cheap. At roughly $300 per panel, a four-screen collar adds up quickly. But there are ways to reduce costs. Smaller displays or fewer panels could be used for a simpler design. Alternatively, consider using flexible LED matrices (like those based on WS2812B strips) for a lower-resolution but much cheaper alternative. The trade-off is resolution and visual fidelity. OLED gives crisp text and smooth gradients, while LED strips create a more pixelated, retro look. For a truly screen-like appearance, OLED is the way to go, but be prepared to handle them with care.
Choosing the Right Raspberry Pi for Wearable Displays
Zibartas’s experience shows that newer is not always better. The Raspberry Pi 4 outperformed the Pi 5 for this specific use case due to better hardware decoder support for multi-display synchronization. If you are planning a similar project, test your board with the exact number and type of displays you intend to use before committing to a design. Also consider power consumption: the Pi 4 is slightly more power-efficient than the Pi 5, which helps with battery life.
Structural Design Tips for Curved Costume Elements
Protecting delicate electronics inside a costume requires careful structural planning. Use materials that can bend but resist twisting—think of a flexible plastic sheet with reinforcement ribs. Avoid foam pockets that require friction to insert screens. Instead, design a cradle with side tracks that allow the screen to drop into place without scraping. Test your housing with a sacrificial screen or a dummy piece of similar thickness before installing the real display.
