This is a thread that focuses on emulation/gaming on the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a cheap Linux computer that is capable of being able to emulate a multitude of consoles and is one of the cheapest options on the market. With the wide range of support for the device and its power efficiency and customisation it has become the de fato standard of emulating old game on your TV.
Features include:
- Multi -emulation support
- Fancy and clean GUI (EmulationStation) to browse games.
- Meta Data scrapping function – get game data for your games
- Custom shader and overlay support for games.
- Easy to tinker with and modify to suit your needs
- Amazing controller support, everything from original NES controllers to PS4
- Powerful, cheap and power efficient
Hardware
- Raspberry Pi (Any model can run the software, but Rpi Model 3 is the best option for PS1 emulation)
- Micro SD Card (8Gb minimum)
- Micro USB power cable (Recommend 2A or more)
- HDMI cable
- A USB controller lots of controller are supported, your mileage may vary, best options are USB 360 controller or the 8bitdo controllers ()
- Ethernet cable or WIFI connection to upload games (best to use Ethernet first)
- Keyboard (Might be useful for initial set-up if you want to modify stuff)
Which Raspberry Pi is right for me?
Raspberry pi1A, Raspberry Pi 1B and Raspberry Pi Zero
All 8bit and 16bit games should work up to SNES. Games on MAME/FBA/NEO GEO might be playable but at reduced frame rates. Benefit is it is the Zero is the cheapest option out of the lot starting at $5! dollars. The zero is 40% faster than stock Pi1 so should be able to play MAME/NEO GEO games fine but only has HDMI out but no anaglogue audio out
Raspberry Pi 2
All games up to N64 are playable. there is some slowdown with PS1 games and Dreamcast games, only a few N64 games run at full speed. Benefits include extra USB ports, faster processor and extra GPIO pins for HATS
Raspberry Pi 3
Everything up to PS1 runs amazingly well, DC and N64 support is slightly better. This is the best option for brute power, it is the most expensive but is the latest version, we might not see another version until late 2018/2019, Heat-sink is recommended for the Pi3
If you are unsure, go with the Raspberry Pi3 model as it has all of the options and power you will need.
Software
- Etcher: allows you to burn the image on the micro SD card, free to use
- PuttySSH allows you to remotely do updates and modify configs (using mac or Linux? use the terminal! SSH @ INSERT IP ADDRESS)
Follow my guide - it's very easy!
- Go to the RetroPie website and download the image file for your Raspberry PI device.
- Extract the file using 7zip or any other software you have.
- Open Etcher choose the Source as the extract image file and the destination as the Micro SD card.
- Once completed plug the micro SD it into the Raspberry pi, plug in your keyboard/controller, HDMI, ethernet cable and THEN your micro usb cable
- Follow the onscreen prompts to set up emulation station, it will ask you to set up your controller.
- Go to your network devices on your PC, you will see a new computer called RETROPIE, go into the network computer and then dump the games into the correct folder
- Restart the Pi and WOW! your games are there! Enjoy!
Here is a video tutorial as well:
Here are the most current images being used, I recommend RetroPie for beginners as it is the most widely supported and has a lot of documentation for it. Most of them rely on retoARCH but have different GUI's / content mangers for the overlays.
- RetroPie - https://retropie.org.uk/
- recalbox - https://www.recalbox.com/
- Lakka - http://www.lakka.tv/
- PIPLAY - http://piplay.org/
So, you want to push you Raspberry Pi even further? How about making into you own personal arcade machine! With the rise of emulation on the Raspberry Pi. There are a ton of options for buying or creating your own arcade machine, it's a great weekend project and there a ton of options out there to match your needs!
What to focus on
The Screen
the screen is actually the most important part of the build as it dictates what type of arcade cabinet you need. You have the options of going for either a 16:9 monitor or a 4:3 monitor. Going for 4:3 is a good option especially with older games as you won't have the black borders on the sides, however if you wish to do GBA or PSP you may want to opt for 16:9 monitor. Any monitor will do with HDMI or VGA.
The next question is either to gut out the plastic casing holding the monitor or keep it intact, some pre-built cabinets either allow you to put the monitor in or have a VESA mount, it's up to you. eBay is a great place for cheap monitors, especially 4:3 screens which can be found cheap. A 20" 1600x1200 monitor can be found for around $50/£40 on eBay.
The Cabinet
You can make your own cabinets by using templates online and cutting them out if you have the tools the other option is to buy from eBay for very cheap, depending on what monitor you have you can find one that will fit your needs. You can also look at different customisation options and find marquee's.
If you want to make your own you will need to think about making it from MDF, it's best to design a template and ensure that the panels are think in certain locations, such as the stick panel to avoid flex. If you are building a smaller sized cabinet, then you may be even thinking of 3D printing your arcade cabinet.
The Arcade Controls
If it's USB compatible the Raspberry Pi should be able to use any USB controller for arcade sticks. Like before searching eBay for eBay for Arcade parts gives a you a ton of options – there are a ton of cheap kit deals so look around!
Just remember the arcade buttons mostly come in two variants: Sanwa (30mm) Japanese arcade style buttons and Happ (28mm) American style buttons. Both are great, but you need to know which ones your cabinet will hold. Light up arcade kits will require an extra 12v source normally.
Other things to consider
- Sound is the next thing to look out for, in most cases the monitor will not have speakers, a Bluetooth speaker with 3.5mm works great and is plenty loud enough and can use a USB port to charge.
- Remember to add a power switch for the Pi that is separate from the monitor / speakers, a usb toggle switch will do the trick.
- There are also DIY kits which linclude everything like the PICDAE
Tutorials
ETA Prime Guide
We Build Stuff Guide on Youtube
This guy sells kits and has a great youtube on his build process
GeekPub tutoril instructions
Instructables has a TON of guides
This is a list of most commonly used portable LCD's used with Raspberry Pi's for people who want to game on the go!
Waveshare 5" LCD
How to get it working: change the config.txt using this link on how.
Overall, I think this might be the all-rounder best option with the least amount of compromises, a good sized portable screen running at 800x480 with a very sharp picture. It uses HDMI to display a very good picture and runs at 60fps, while the prices have increased it is still a good buy. The only problems are the poor viewing angles and that out of the box the picture is quite dull unless you take off the touchscreen layer - just peel it off. This model is not suitable for the pi zero or the Pi1 but you can get it working with extra cables.
Waveshare 3.2" LCD
How to get it working: Guide can be found here
This screen can be bought for less than $15 on eBay and offers a nice sharp resolution of 320x240 - perfect for gaming, while the emulationstation theme looks a bit tiny there are special themes designed for this display. The only real downside is the fact that it relies on GPIO pins and can only max out at 30 fps in most cases, however it is touchscreen and the display is very sharp with good viewing angles. The setup for this is not suitable for beginners. This is suitable for all Pi's with GPIO pins.
Waveshare 3.5" LCD
How to get it working: read this page
I do not recommend this screen at all for Raspberry PI for gaming, while it runs at 480x320 the LCD relies on the GPIO output and only mange's around 15-20fps you could try fiddling it to get 24fps but your will reduce the colour output of the display - do not buy for gaming. The setup for this is not suitable for beginners. This is suitable for all Pi's with GPIO pins.
SPI 2.4" / 2.8" LCD
How to get it working: Scroll down to step 3 and 4
Cheapest display for the Raspberry pi and super bright and contrast, uses GPIO pins to deliver a fantastic 60fps display. The only downsides are the fiddly GPIO wiring needed to get this working and the fact that the screens are tiny. You can also remove the touchscreen display but honestly, it's best to keep it on as it's plenty bright. The setup for this is not suitable for beginners. This is suitable for all Pi's with GPIO pins.
3.5" LCD Composite screen
How to get it working: read this guide
These LCD panels were originally used for dash cams in cars but have gained a following for people wanting to use them in Pi Zero Gameboys. while being able to run at 320x240 at 60fps the picture quality is not as sharp as LCD's using GPIO or HDMI. the display is very thin and great for embedded projects. However, the main problem is finding a power source as these screens run at 12v while the raspberry pi runs at 5v, you can modify the screen driver board or find variants that may run at 5v. This will work on all Pi's especially the Pi Zero
3.5 LCD HDMI screen
How to get it working: read this guide.
This is a fantastic small screen running at 480X320 and runs at 60fps using HDMI, while the display is HDMI it does block most of the GPIO pins for the touchscreen use however there are models with breakout pins on the board and some even have breakout audio outputs as well. This model is not suitable for the pi zero or the Pi1 but you can get it working with extra cables.
Raspberry Pi 7" Touchscreen LCD
How to get it working: Watch this video for set-up
I've never used this one, but it uses the special ribbon connector on pi, however it runs at 800x480 but at 60fps, the benefit is that the HDMI is still free to use as well as most of the GPIO pins which is great for projects. it has a nifty feature of allowing you to screw the Raspberry Pi on the back, great for storey based iterative games. The price of this is quite expensive however. It should work with all Raspberry Pi's except the zero as it has no port for the LCD to connect.
Pimoroni 8" 800x600 LCD
How to get it working: It's HDMI easy to set up, just two changes in congfig.txt
While not exactly portable the benefit of this LCD is that it can be powered by USB, this means no DC 12V messing around this can just run off a usb on the Pi making it portable and efficient. it's a great screen size for gaming due to it's 4:3 aspect ratio, it uses HDMI and quite easy to setup. You will need to fashion your own enclosure for this as this is meant to used as a ultra portable arcade monitor. There are no speaker so you will need to use 3.5mm for sound with this device.
I see a lightning bolt on my Raspberry Pi Screen, is this bad?
You do not have enough power to the Raspberry Pi, please use a better-quality Power cable, the Pi need 2A to run properly at full speed.
Is there a way to upload games through a browser?
Retropie Manager
How well do PlayStation 1 games run?
On the Raspberry Pi 2 and above they will run at full speed, you can run them on older models as well.
What is the Dreamcast support like?
Here is a link to compatible games using the reciast emulator
How well do N64 games run?
Games will run at varying speeds, SM64 and Mario Kart run at full speed while others are unable to get a stable frame rate.
Is there a quick way to scrape for game metadata?
Watch this tutorial, this is not 100% accurate but works pretty well.
How do I setip a Bluetooth controller?
Watch tutorial: PS3 | Xbox One | 8bitdo | PS4
How do I use save slots?
Watch this video.
How do I change the emulationstation theme?
Watch this tutorial.
What SD cards are supported?
All cards should be supported, you may run into minor incompatibles with larger cards that are 64gb and above.
How do I overclock my Raspberry Pi?
Read this guide - do at your own risk!
When is the Raspberry Pi 4 coming out?
2019 - maybe
Made something with a Raspberry Pi? Send me PM! Projects will be listed here!
- Fredrik's custom arcade machine
- IMACOMPUTA's aracde machine
- IMACONPUTA's two player arcade stick machine
- MRORANGE's mini arcade machine
- spacemonkey's used kit to make hit Picade and PiGirl
- Fularu's NEO GEO arcade machine
- Bomblord's portable lcd gaming system
- EdwardTheHumanMember's Gamboy Model 3
- KojiKnight's modded NES Pi zero controller
- blastprocessed's arcade machine
- Drain You's LCD/ PS4 Dualshock set-up
- Bomblord's Retrode / Pi combo set-up
- rubbishmonkey's NEO GEO X Mod
- Nightfall's full sized arcade machine
- shaowebb's Arcade kiosk
- Subnat's mini megadrive pi zero mod
- IMACOMPUTA's ODROID XU4 Arcade Stick / N64 Hybrid
- Agent Icebreezy's Wreck it Ralph! arcade cabinet.
- IMACOMPUTA's Coffee table arcade
- mariox2098's Portable FightCade
- nded's Atari Arcade Peanl Mod
- nded's Pi3B disguised as a machine control panel
Give a shout if you think something is missing from the OP!
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