Setting up a raspberry pi as an emulation box?

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sombre

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#1 sombre  Online

Hey guys,

I did a search on the forum for this but...well, search isn’t great, so I’m making a new thread!

So, I bought a SNES classic about a year ago. It’s great! But I guess it’s obviously limited by only being able to play Super Nintendo! I’d like to play NES, Sega, GBA, PS1 all on my couch. I have stuff set up on my pc, but I’d much prefer being able to play on my couch!

If I wanted to make an emulation box, what do I need? There’s a few guides out there on HOW to do it, but I guess I’m looking for hardware recommendations. What’s a good Pi? Case? Controller? I need a controller with about a ten foot cable, or if I could charge it off USB, I’d be happy going wireless.

I look forward to hearing from you!

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nutter

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I don’t remember much of the process, but a Pi3 can use wireless bluetooth controllers. I tend to use the following:

- dual shock 4 (wireless)

- wired 360 controller for PC

- Hori Fighting Commander (Xbox/PC version) (wired)

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shiftygism

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#3  Edited By shiftygism

Emulation discussion is likely frowned upon here, but I will tell ya, you don't need a Pi, I mean they're great, but your SNES Classic should run most of that stuff, and the now $15-20 PS Classic can run all of it. Check out Patton Plays & Madlittlepixel on YouTube and the Classic Mods & Playstation Classic communities on Reddit to get up to speed.

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sombre

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#4 sombre  Online

@shiftygism: I hope it’s not, with how much Jeff emulates on his home streams.

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Gundato

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#5  Edited By Gundato

Hardware: I have a pi 3 that seems fine, but sometimes hitches in ways that I am pretty sure weren't there in the originals. I actually picked up an odroid a few months back and that thing is beefy as all hell. But I need to swap out the fan or do something because it is louder than my PC... But up to PS1 (ignoring the weirdness that is arcade/mame) a pi will cover all your needs with very few bits of wonk. Both Pis and Odroids have some pretty good all in one bundles and you can shop around to find a case you like. The pi 3 doesn't need active cooling (although it might be a good idea to get a heat sink if you are going to do heavy gaming). I think the pi 4 does, but I am holding off on those until some more fans come out and I can avoid a jet engine problem.

Controller: Take a look at 8bitdo's product line up. Build quality varies drastically so make sure you buy it from somewhere with a good return policy, but I genuinely love the m30 (6 button genesis controller) and actually threw an SN30 (playstation layout xinput controller that they pretend is a SNES controller) in my bag for use with my personal laptop. I hear the new SN30 Pro Plus (or whatever) is nice, and that might bee the best budget (50 bucks) highly customizable controller out there.

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lego_my_eggo

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You are basically already set with the SNES Classic, but im not sure if its powerful enough to do up to PS1 since i haven't really looked into it. But like Shiftygism said the PS Classic is going for ~$20 now and comes with basically everything you need and will do all you want. And you can look into getting an 8bitdo adapter for wireless and use a controller you have laying around, or a USB cable to extend the length.

A Pi is probably going to be more flexible if you want to do more with it. But a PS Classic is cheaper, already has controllers and a case, and most of what you need to get it up and running you probably already have lying around the house, but look into OTG cables.

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nutter

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I have an old N64, but it’s not working great.

If I wanted to dump my Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 ROM (Japanese cart), and get it running on RetroArch or something, would I be better off with a SNES Classic or a PS Classic?

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shiftygism

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@nutter: I haven't spent much time with any beyond a few matches, but of the AKI produced titles... Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy, and Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 seem to work fine outside of maybe some audio pops in Retroarch on the PS Classic.

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stantongrouse

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I built a little pi console for my sister when she was struggling to get hold of a NES mini (and the fact that she had more memories of Master System games than NES games).

I just bought a pi 3 kit (power pack etc included), a plastic case (there were loads of 3D printed mini console looking ones on sites like etsy), a couple of USB controllers and I got a fan to fit in the case too. Some of the later emulation can run the pi a little hot and with the printed cases ventilation isn't always great. But that was it outside of cables that I already had lying around.

The pi was great for our situation, my sister isn't bothered by accuracy, she just wanted to flit between games when she had the inclination. If you are looking for really accurate recreation, the pi set up might not have what you are after, particularly for PS1. Not heard much about using the new pi 4 though, that might help with the post 16bit emulators running.

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nutter

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@shiftygism: Thanks! No Mercy runs like shit on an N64, so I”d HOPE the much smoother Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 would run okay.

VPW2 runs noticeably slow on my Pi3.

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N64 games are very hit or miss when it comes to emulation. Often you may need a very specific emulator just for some games. Unless it's Nintendo produced games, and even then they are far from perfect, N64 games just do not emulate all that well, especially on a pi. The Raspberry Pi is best for games up to the ps1, not including N64 when it comes to consoles. For handheld systems everything up to the GBA will work great, and some PSP and DS games will work.

There are some other great alternatives to the Pi if you are wanting to spend a bit more money and want more power. I would look into the Rock64 Media Board, it similarly priced and more RAM as well if you are willing to pay for it, biggest drawback, is there is not nearly as much documents as the Pi has, so setting up may take a big longer if you are new to this.

Then there is UP Core, it is $99 but it can run a full version of windows 10 has x2 the RAM as well and some significantly higher specs as well.

And if money is no object look into the UDOO x86 Ultra it's $270 x10 faster than the pi, USB3 suport, 4k support, 8x the memory, 64bit quad core processor.

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nutter

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@mrgreenman: Yeah, I barely have time to play 2018 games, let alone 2019. So I’m not about to spend too, too much time mucking around with configuration.

Something as brainless as RetroPie is about all the effort I’m willing to put in, these days.

I’d have been all over this shit as a kid, though. The state of emulation these days is pretty fucking cool.

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monkeyking1969

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First decide what you want to emulate. Figured out the MOST advanced system games you want to emulate and play. Next figure out the specs for emulating that as well as you desire. Do you want straight emulation or do you want smoothing, texture straightening, anti aliasing, and other tricks to make the games look better.

As MrGreenMan said above, there are options that can go beyond what a mere Raspberry Pi can do. There are very good guides that explains the whole process from hardware, to set up for flashing the bios, to adding that games you own. The setup will depending on what "computer/board" you are using, what emulation you are using, and what visual tricks you turn on.

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warpr

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I'm using RetroPie on a Raspberry Pi 3, which seems fine up to PS1 games. I haven't had any luck pairing Xbox One controllers with the built-in bluetooth. I'm going to get an 8-bitDo dongle next, which seems easier to work with, and maybe a DualShock 4 because the Xbox button labeling is a bit annoying when trying to play PS1 games after being away from the PlayStation controllers for a decade :)

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#15 sombre  Online

First decide what you want to emulate. Figured out the MOST advanced system games you want to emulate and play. Next figure out the specs for emulating that as well as you desire. Do you want straight emulation or do you want smoothing, texture straightening, anti aliasing, and other tricks to make the games look better.

As MrGreenMan said above, there are options that can go beyond what a mere Raspberry Pi can do. There are very good guides that explains the whole process from hardware, to set up for flashing the bios, to adding that games you own. The setup will depending on what "computer/board" you are using, what emulation you are using, and what visual tricks you turn on.

I think I'd probably like to go up to PS1. I know N64 is the same gen, but I know emulation for the 64 is wank, aswell as the fact that to play N64 games, you kinda need an N64 controller with how asinine the buttons are on that thing. I mean, I'd LOVE to emulate up to PS2, but I'm not sure if there's a box that can do that outside of the PC? I'm pretty ignorant, that's why I'm asking here!!

I'm about to add Genesis/PS1/GBA to my SNES Classic though, which I didn't know you could do. I mean, if there's stuff that can emulate a PS2/PSP too, please holler at your boy. I have an extensive library of games I'd like to play on one system, instead of digging out boxes. I mean have you tried using a 2600 on a modern TV? It's a nightmare!!

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shiftygism

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@sombre: You can map controls however you like for the N64 in retroarch and save them. I think even on a per game basis.

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#17 sombre  Online

@sombre: You can map controls however you like for the N64 in retroarch and save them. I think even on a per game basis.

Oh I don't mean that, I mean more like the fact that the N64 had a Dpad, an analogue stick, then ELEVEN buttons. Curse those C buttons

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monkeyking1969

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@sombre said:

I think I'd probably like to go up to PS1. I know N64 is the same gen, but I know emulation for the 64 is wank, as well as the fact that to play N64 games, you kinda need an N64 controller with how asinine the buttons are on that thing. I mean, I'd LOVE to emulate up to PS2, but I'm not sure if there's a box that can do that outside of the PC? I'm pretty ignorant, that's why I'm asking here!!

I'm about to add Genesis/PS1/GBA to my SNES Classic though, which I didn't know you could do. I mean, if there's stuff that can emulate a PS2/PSP too, please holler at your boy. I have an extensive library of games I'd like to play on one system, instead of digging out boxes. I mean have you tried using a 2600 on a modern TV? It's a nightmare!!

You know what there is a nice rundown on all the questions you asked about PS2, PSP emulation on Tom's Hardware, so here is teh link: Best PlayStation Emulators for Desktop PCs. The article actually runs down the emulators so there are links out of ist for raspberry pi, etc. I think with all the methods, aide from buying the "manufactured mini" consoles, there is a bit of flashing BIOs on PCBs, but there are fantastic tutorials on how to do it - even for a novice. I think getting advice about what to choose is information you could get here, but the step-by-steps instructions are better elsewhere.

I myself just have experience printing the 3D cases. That what I find fun, getting those little boards into look cool case.

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Justin258

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The top end Raspberry Pi 4 and Retropie should do the trick exceptionally well. If you're at all familiar with computers, getting this set up should take an afternoon at most. Make sure you get a kit with a heatsink and fan included because emulation can sometimes push a Pi a little far, especially PS1 and N64 stuff.

This would work pretty well https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-4GB-Basic-Starter/dp/B07VYC6S56/ref=asc_df_B07VYC6S56/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366315397608&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=898405051184449010&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021118&hvtargid=pla-833869585324&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=74356900537&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366315397608&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=898405051184449010&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021118&hvtargid=pla-833869585324

Make sure it includes a microSD card.

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#20  Edited By frytup

The Pi4 has a known problem with the design of the USB subsystem. Not a huge deal, but I'd probably hold off on buying one until they release a revision.

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sombre

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#21 sombre  Online

Thank you all so much for the insight btw. I really appreciate the input!

If I'm reading right, will I do just aswell with the SNES Classic than I would with a Pi then? I guess the only problem with the SNES Classic is that I'd wanna probably upgrade to a controller with 4 shoulder buttons (I'm feeling the Wii Classic controller...which btw, if I bought that, could I use the home button on there to reset to the main menu? My big prob with the SNESC is having to get up to push the button. The ultimate first world problem I know!! :D )

I'm only looking to play SNES/Sega/GBA/GBC/PS1, as I read that PS2/GC emulation is spotty at best, almost entirely not being "there" yet on the Pi. Would I do just aswell with the SNESC?

PS: How is PSP emulation? The idea of being able to play Crisis Core on my big TV <3

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shiftygism

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#22  Edited By shiftygism

You can run some PSP games on the PS Classic, but it's spotty. Also, I would imagine there's a button combo that will bring up a variety of settings while in game on the SNES Classic, including a reset, a return to main menu, and a whole host of overlay options, there's one in Retroarch for the PS Classic. You may want to check out some of the vids I mentioned earlier.

Also, I should mention there's plenty of vids on YouTube showing how to turn twelve year old desktops into emulation stations, if you have one laying around or even an old original X-box you may have a variety of options on hand depending on how complicated you'd want this project to be.

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#23 sombre  Online

You can run some PSP games on the PS Classic, but it's spotty. Also, I would imagine there's a button combo that will bring up a variety of settings while in game on the SNES Classic, including a reset, a return to main menu, and a whole host of overlay options, there's one in Retroarch for the PS Classic. You may want to check out some of the vids I mentioned earlier.

Also, I should mention there's plenty of vids on YouTube showing how to turn twelve year old desktops into emulation stations, if you have one laying around or even an old original X-box you may have a variety of options on hand depending on how complicated you'd want this project to be.

Thanks for all your wonderful input in this thread btw, it's appreciated!

I think I'm gonna sort the SNES classic out today and see what works! I've seen a Wii on eBay that's enabled for emulation, but it doesn't handle PS1 well, which is one I'm keen on playing