Raspberry Pi Gaming thread - Cheap emulation and gaming projects

Use shaders.

Ok, hate to ask, but can you provide any more information about shaders and where to get them? The only option i enabled that seemed to do anything was 'enable enhanced resolution'. That made it a lot sharper. Other than that, nothing seemed to do anything. I tried enabling a filter, and did shader 0 n/a, nearest, and 5x, but that didnt seem to do anything (maybe because it said n/a, but I have no idea how to get anything other than that). Thanks a lot.
 
Ok, hate to ask, but can you provide any more information about shaders and where to get them? The only option i enabled that seemed to do anything was 'enable enhanced resolution'. That made it a lot sharper. Other than that, nothing seemed to do anything. I tried enabling a filter, and did shader 0 n/a, nearest, and 5x, but that didnt seem to do anything (maybe because it said n/a, but I have no idea how to get anything other than that). Thanks a lot.

They are already on your SD card. Use the retroarch menu.
 
Thanks, didn't know you have to actually select it vs being able to scroll through them. The shaders seem to destroy performance, so i guess thats a no go.
 
I now have a Pi. But it got delivered so quickly it's now at my work desk without any kind of microSD card to let me tinker with it :(
 
I am so angry. I've been holding off from talking about my project in this thread because I wanted to get all the parts before posting anything.

I have a iCade that I want to convert into a PiCade. I bought a screen, a USB Speaker bar, some cables and waited for them to arrive while doing some setup on the Pi with the emulators, the Bluetooth controller.

In the meantime, I did receive the screen which looked great but it was easier to setup everything via the TV.

Yesterday I received the last piece which was the USB speaker bar that I finally got working after some research. I plugged my screen and the Pi into a Power Switch that a collegue made for me, I turn it on only to find this...

E8ABFAAF-E370-4A37-BC1C-1143EE48EE06_zps6ug7gjl7.jpg


I am so angry right now. I bought this screen from DealExtreme after seeing some recommandations here and there. I waited almost two months for it to arrive in this state and don't really know how I'll manage to get my money (or a new screen) back.

I hope you used paypal.
 
I am so angry. I've been holding off from talking about my project in this thread because I wanted to get all the parts before posting anything.

I have a iCade that I want to convert into a PiCade. I bought a screen, a USB Speaker bar, some cables and waited for them to arrive while doing some setup on the Pi with the emulators, the Bluetooth controller.

In the meantime, I did receive the screen which looked great but it was easier to setup everything via the TV.

Yesterday I received the last piece which was the USB speaker bar that I finally got working after some research. I plugged my screen and the Pi into a Power Switch that a collegue made for me, I turn it on only to find this...

E8ABFAAF-E370-4A37-BC1C-1143EE48EE06_zps6ug7gjl7.jpg


I am so angry right now. I bought this screen from DealExtreme after seeing some recommandations here and there. I waited almost two months for it to arrive in this state and don't really know how I'll manage to get my money (or a new screen) back.

I never had problems asking for a replacement/refund from them, for cheap things I didn't even need do send them the faulty product back. But I also never had problems with something so expensive, I hope you can get your money back.
 
I hope you used paypal.

I did and just activated the "free shipping for returns" option.

I never had problems asking for a replacement/refund from them, for cheap things I didn't even need do send them the faulty product back. But I also never had problems with something so expensive, I hope you can get your money back.

I currently have an opened ticket with them but it's sooooo slow. I'd rather have a new screen since I really want to complete my project but I also want to complete it this year... :P
 
I am so angry. I've been holding off from talking about my project in this thread because I wanted to get all the parts before posting anything.

I have a iCade that I want to convert into a PiCade. I bought a screen, a USB Speaker bar, some cables and waited for them to arrive while doing some setup on the Pi with the emulators, the Bluetooth controller.

In the meantime, I did receive the screen which looked great but it was easier to setup everything via the TV.

Yesterday I received the last piece which was the USB speaker bar that I finally got working after some research. I plugged my screen and the Pi into a Power Switch that a collegue made for me, I turn it on only to find this...

E8ABFAAF-E370-4A37-BC1C-1143EE48EE06_zps6ug7gjl7.jpg


I am so angry right now. I bought this screen from DealExtreme after seeing some recommandations here and there. I waited almost two months for it to arrive in this state and don't really know how I'll manage to get my money (or a new screen) back.

How big was this screen?

Did you open it when you got it or just now?

How much did you pay for it?
 
10 inches screen
I did open the package when I received it but didn't turn it on. Paid 100$ CAD for it.

Yikes! The reason I asked the screen size is that it will be too big for an iCade and to place a nice sized bezel around it. I made one and I chose a 7" screen. 8.5" would be the maximum I would go.

Also, don't use the bluetooth controller. Hardwire that to the GPIO pins on the board. You will be MUCH happier with that solution.

Lastly, just look for the screen on eBay. Got mine with the driver board for $50 shipped.
 
Yikes! The reason I asked the screen size is that it will be too big for an iCade and to place a nice sized bezel around it. I made one and I chose a 7" screen. 8.5" would be the maximum I would go.

Also, don't use the bluetooth controller. Hardwire that to the GPIO pins on the board. You will be MUCH happier with that solution.

Lastly, just look for the screen on eBay. Got mine with the driver board for $50 shipped.

Oh, it *will/should* fit just fine. I'll use a saw to carve a line on the iCade's sides so that the screen will just slide into it. It's just a little bit wider. Honestly, I don't know how reliable it can be (like if the screen will bend) but it should be less dangerous than the knee that the postal box received. :P

As for the Bluetooth controller, I tried both BT and USB controllers on emulators and didn't notice anything wrong... yet.
 
anyone know how to do this:

upon boot/power on, get a menu, like a bootloader, but i want to be able to boot into the desktop, or boot directly into emulationstation
 
Oh, it *will/should* fit just fine. I'll use a saw to carve a line on the iCade's sides so that the screen will just slide into it. It's just a little bit wider. Honestly, I don't know how reliable it can be (like if the screen will bend) but it should be less dangerous than the knee that the postal box received. :P

As for the Bluetooth controller, I tried both BT and USB controllers on emulators and didn't notice anything wrong... yet.

Hmmmm....since you have the chance to rethink this now, I would reconsider this.. You won't cover the frame of the screen effectively with the method you are describing. As well, you have to have those lines perfectly positioned. If not, you will torque the screen.

Lastly, the LCD does not sit uniformly in its frame. I would consider a smaller LCD and put a bezel around it. Would look nicer, IMO.
 
I finally got my Snes Pie done! This was fun to put together and get working right. The only thing that sucked was waiting for the control block to come. Took 4 weeks for the thing to show up. So what we got here is a Raspberry Pi2 with the Control Block attachment for snes polling, Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi, and a 750gb hdd. All total it cost me about $150 since I had the hdd already. Pics!
 
Damn, i updated to RC 1 and now it makes me add the controller inputs every time I reset. And the left/right of the left ps3 joystick doesnt work.
 
I finally got my Snes Pie done! This was fun to put together and get working right. The only thing that sucked was waiting for the control block to come. Took 4 weeks for the thing to show up. So what we got here is a Raspberry Pi2 with the Control Block attachment for snes polling, Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi, and a 750gb hdd. All total it cost me about $150 since I had the hdd already. Pics!

Nice work, reminds me I that I still need to get my project off the ground as well.
 
The only thing that sucked was waiting for the control block to come. Took 4 weeks for the thing to show up.

Jesus. Like a berk I was waiting to pick up a cheap SNES shell before buying the ControlBlock. They then ran out of stock the day before I tried to order one!

Is there anywhere else I can get a ControlBlock or PowerBlock, or anything similar?
 
I finally got my Snes Pie done! This was fun to put together and get working right. The only thing that sucked was waiting for the control block to come. Took 4 weeks for the thing to show up. So what we got here is a Raspberry Pi2 with the Control Block attachment for snes polling, Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi, and a 750gb hdd. All total it cost me about $150 since I had the hdd already. Pics!
That looks great! I'm tempted to do something similar for a Genesis/MD, that way I could use original 9-pin controllers for not only MD/G games but also SMS, Amiga, C64 etc.

Very tight work there! Can I ask where you got the tiny HDMI/power cables from?
 
Jesus. Like a berk I was waiting to pick up a cheap SNES shell before buying the ControlBlock. They then ran out of stock the day before I tried to order one!

Is there anywhere else I can get a ControlBlock or PowerBlock, or anything similar?

I don't think there is, there are ways of just using the GPIO pins without the block(s) however in my case the controlblock seemed the easiest way to get power and SNES controllers working

That looks great! I'm tempted to do something similar for a Genesis/MD, that way I could use original 9-pin controllers for not only MD/G games but also SMS, Amiga, C64 etc.

Very tight work there! Can I ask where you got the tiny HDMI/power cables from?

ebay/amazon for the extension cables, I have the same setup, I am tempted to try and extend the SD card via an extension cable, so I never need to open the console again ...
 
ebay/amazon for the extension cables, I have the same setup, I am tempted to try and extend the SD card via an extension cable, so I never need to open the console again ...
Perfect. I'm not stressing about making the SD card outwardly accessible though. I'm going to try and work out a way to just use different USBs depending on what console/platform I want to use. Or something like that.

I'm just stoked it seems to be so easy to do! I just need to find a busted up console of some kind. Any console, basically (as long as it's small enough).
 
Perfect. I'm not stressing about making the SD card outwardly accessible though. I'm going to try and work out a way to just use different USBs depending on what console/platform I want to use. Or something like that.

I'm just stoked it seems to be so easy to do! I just need to find a busted up console of some kind. Any console, basically (as long as it's small enough).

Its pretty easy to do, just basic diy skills needed, I waited to get a decent broken SNES on ebay, probably paid over the odds but wanted one that looked good under the TV ...

The great thing about this, is as the RPi matures the emulation story is only going to get better, my one big wish is that the N64 emulation was better ...
 
That looks great! I'm tempted to do something similar for a Genesis/MD, that way I could use original 9-pin controllers for not only MD/G games but also SMS, Amiga, C64 etc.

Very tight work there! Can I ask where you got the tiny HDMI/power cables from?

Thanks! I bought the cables on amazon. They were like 6 bucks each. Just for the micro usb make sure it is a power extender and not just a data cable. Also if you use a stand alone hdd cable you will need to set the pi to use the max amp for usb. By default the pi only uses half the amps. This thing is a beast thou. Got kodi up and running last night. Plays all the HD video I throw at it. Only thing I need to do yet is get the controllers working in kodi yet. Can only use the mouse and kb atm. Another thing I found out if anyone is having the hdmi feed cut out or have artifacts you can up the amps to the hdmi and it should clear that all up.
 
I'm really bummed about missing out on the Canakit Pi 2 for prime day.

I currently have a softmodded Wii setup for emulation, but I'd like to get a Pi for better portability. If I'm only interested in using it for emulating up to SNES/Genesis and maybe trying out N64, how many extra materials would I need outside of just the basic box?

This was the kit on sale:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G1PNG54/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Are all those components necessary for what I want to accomplish?
 
I'm really bummed about missing out on the Canakit Pi 2 for prime day.

I currently have a softmodded Wii setup for emulation, but I'd like to get a Pi for better portability. If I'm only interested in using it for emulating up to SNES/Genesis and maybe trying out N64, how many extra materials would I need outside of just the basic box?

This was the kit on sale:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G1PNG54/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Are all those components necessary for what I want to accomplish?

Yup! I am currently doing the same thing. I bought the same kit and am good to go! The 8GB card should fit all SNES/Genesis games and a fair amount of n64 as well. I was actually pretty surprised about how easy it all came together. I went from opening the box to playing Yoshi's Island in about 30-45 mins
 
Yup! I am currently doing the same thing. I bought the same kit and am good to go! The 8GB card should fit all SNES/Genesis games and a fair amount of n64 as well. I was actually pretty surprised about how easy it all came together. I went from opening the box to playing Yoshi's Island in about 30-45 mins

How many of the components from that kit are you actually using?
Did you have to solder anything, or was it completely plug in and play?

Sorry if I'm not asking the right questions, I'm not sure how involved it is to get one of these things running, especially for one without a background in electronics tinkering.
 
How many of the components from that kit are you actually using?
Did you have to solder anything, or was it completely plug in and play?

Sorry if I'm not asking the right questions, I'm not sure how involved it is to get one of these things running, especially for one without a background in electronics tinkering.

You don't have to do any soldering. The OP explains pretty much how to get you started pretty quickly. A MicroSD card, a HDMI screen (like your TV), a USB joystick and a power adapter for the Pi is all you need to play something right when you receive your Pi.

Any other tinkering "may" require soldering and configuring ini files.
 
I have a Pi 2 coming in Wednesday. I've messed around with EmulationStation on my PC and loved the interface, but I wanted a device primary for emulation. I'm following a guide on Lifehacker and it seems to be pretty straight-forward for setting it up. Hopefully I don't run into any trouble while hooking up a Dualshock 4.
 
I have a Pi 2 coming in Wednesday. I've messed around with EmulationStation on my PC and loved the interface, but I wanted a device primary for emulation. I'm following a guide on Lifehacker and it seems to be pretty straight-forward for setting it up. Hopefully I don't run into any trouble while hooking up a Dualshock 4.

I'll also have one coming in this Wednesday!
Thanks to everyone both in and out of the thread, I decided to grab a kit and one of the SNES controllers from buffalo. Can't wait to mess around with it!
 
Haha, that's pretty cool! I would have bought one of the kits as well, but I didn't like the case that was included and I wanted a bigger MicroSD card.
 
I finally got my Snes Pie done! This was fun to put together and get working right. The only thing that sucked was waiting for the control block to come. Took 4 weeks for the thing to show up. So what we got here is a Raspberry Pi2 with the Control Block attachment for snes polling, Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi, and a 750gb hdd. All total it cost me about $150 since I had the hdd already. Pics!

Very nice! Cross-post from another thread:

Thought I would post the bartop I made from an iCade to offer any inspiration/ideas you might use!

IMG_00141.jpg


IMG_00111.jpg


IMG_00122.jpg
 
Very nice! Cross-post from another thread:
Slick! I'm picturing something similar in my iCade Core, but as a plugin console a la those Atari joystick things that just have AV cables and a power supply coming out of it. Just a HDMI port, some USB ports and power socket should do the trick. Won't wind up looking as neat as yours though, that's a super clean job there.
 
So since I'll be building my own bartop over time, I figured I would at least temporarily setup the Pi 2 that I have on a spare TV until I can get a cabinet and stick + buttons and stuff.

So, maybe this is a stupid question but it should be simple to setup some sort of frontend to work with a couple of spare Saturn USB pads? I just would like to mess with the thing this weekend to have an idea what to expect.

Also, in regards to using something like retropie: do i need a wifi module for rom info stuff to show up or could i just sideload that info on my PC?
 
Very nice! Cross-post from another thread:

Nice! I'm waiting to (finally) get a screen to get my iCade project rolling. Do you have more pictures of the inside of the iCade?

I'm not too sure if I want to reuse the iCade wood panel like your setup or juste leave it there.
 
So since I'll be building my own bartop over time, I figured I would at least temporarily setup the Pi 2 that I have on a spare TV until I can get a cabinet and stick + buttons and stuff.

So, maybe this is a stupid question but it should be simple to setup some sort of frontend to work with a couple of spare Saturn USB pads? I just would like to mess with the thing this weekend to have an idea what to expect.

Also, in regards to using something like retropie: do i need a wifi module for rom info stuff to show up or could i just sideload that info on my PC?

Retropie is all you need, it uses emulationstation for the frontend, it "should" suppor your usb devices and you can sideload the roms via usb stick .... not too sure on whether you can sideload the scraping of art/descriptiosn etc ?

A usb wifi dongle is less than £10 ...
 
I was gonna do something like a arcade with a raspberry pi 2 aswell, but I thought it was strange that a 8GB card wasnt enough for even storing a couple of games?.

What distribution do I need?..
 
Retropie is all you need, it uses emulationstation for the frontend, it "should" suppor your usb devices and you can sideload the roms via usb stick .... not too sure on whether you can sideload the scraping of art/descriptiosn etc ?

A usb wifi dongle is less than £10 ...

But it comes with an ethernet port no?

Just trying to keep costs down, if i don't need a wifi dongle i'll try to avoid it until I actually put the Pi 2 in a cabinet, where trying to use the ethernet would obviously be a pain in the ass lol
 
But it comes with an ethernet port no?

Just trying to keep costs down, if i don't need a wifi dongle i'll try to avoid it until I actually put the Pi 2 in a cabinet, where trying to use the ethernet would obviously be a pain in the ass lol

Yes ethernet port, use that if you can, use the wifi only if you need to ...
 
So looking for a very small usb game controller for my next project I am working on. I found this site and thought I would share. Raphnet technologies has some great stuff for dyi retro gaming. Also Adafruit has some great stuff for bluetooth and wifi builds.
 
haven't been able to fix my controller issue so I'm getting into a "burn it down and start over" mood

what's the easiest least hassley way to do this?
 
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