Just checked and it was already at 720p. All PS1 games seem to run pretty nice when not using enhanced resolution but when I turn it one some games (CTR etc) slow down to a crawl.
Raspberry Pi Gaming thread - Cheap emulation and gaming projects
- Thread starter Card Boy
- Start date
Just checked and it was already at 720p. All PS1 games seem to run pretty nice when not using enhanced resolution but when I turn it one some games (CTR etc) slow down to a crawl.
ok, so im gonna grab that $70 kit off amazon tomorrow after i get paid...is there anything else i NEED to get this thing hooked up and running??
- bluetooth dongle kit doesnt come with one, so ive got to grab one of those
- gonna grab one of those NES30 pro controllers from 8bitdo
- keyboard? i see a lot of little mini wireless keyboards floating around, any suggestions?
anything else?
- bluetooth dongle kit doesnt come with one, so ive got to grab one of those
- gonna grab one of those NES30 pro controllers from 8bitdo
- keyboard? i see a lot of little mini wireless keyboards floating around, any suggestions?
anything else?
Impotaku
Member
Managed to get most of it set up but for the life of me i can't work out how to get the SFC30 pad to work with bluetooth, configured fine to work wired but bluetooth i haven't yet figured it out. Have a bluetooth dongle but no idea how to get it to connect.
Also is there any way to get scanlines on the emulators? as the default output looks janky as hell.
Also is there any way to get scanlines on the emulators? as the default output looks janky as hell.
MiketheBSG
Member
Make sure you have a big enough microSD card. That $70 kit only has an 8 GB, unless that is enough space for your needs.
FYI, Micro Center has a sale on Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. $29.99, so $5 off. I picked up a second Pi and will use that as a secondary computer.
SillyEskimo
Member
I'm going to hook an external HD up to the Pi for storage. When I place my roms on it, should they be unzipped?
All parts arrrive tomorrow.
All parts arrrive tomorrow.
PushingButtons
Member
I've gotten most of my setup configured, though I have a couple more questions I hope someone can help me with.
1. How do I begin using shaders? I've been reading about CRT-Caligari but I can't figure out if it's something I need to download or if it already came preinstalled with the retropie disc image.
2. I configured my SNES30 with hot keys for saving and loading but can't figure out how to actually save. Is it possible to have a save anywhere save state? I configured the controller so that Select + R should save but nothing happens.
3. Is there a way to force 720p out of the Pi?
And finally
4. Scraping. My WiFi is active but scraping does not seem to be doing anything. Everything keeps coming out as missing and it seems to freeze for a few seconds and then it just shows missing information. What's the proper way to do this?
1. How do I begin using shaders? I've been reading about CRT-Caligari but I can't figure out if it's something I need to download or if it already came preinstalled with the retropie disc image.
2. I configured my SNES30 with hot keys for saving and loading but can't figure out how to actually save. Is it possible to have a save anywhere save state? I configured the controller so that Select + R should save but nothing happens.
3. Is there a way to force 720p out of the Pi?
And finally
4. Scraping. My WiFi is active but scraping does not seem to be doing anything. Everything keeps coming out as missing and it seems to freeze for a few seconds and then it just shows missing information. What's the proper way to do this?
MiketheBSG
Member
Your best bet to scrape is to stay as far away from EmulationStation as possible and use the terminal command lines. I hesitated to do this at first but found good resources I'll share below to get it running. When I used scraping in EmulationStation, it would take several hours to scrape a few hundred games, only to freeze and have to start all over again. By using the terminal, it would take minutes to do what took hours using the EmulationStation, seriously. Trust me, you will save a ton of time going the terminal route.
Scrape your games by downloading this scraper then follow the video below for instructions on how to get it going.
http://youtu.be/bg20m5pPjns
As mentioned, use a command line scraper, the above is a good option, however my personal preference is ES-Scraper
https://github.com/petrockblog/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/ES-scraper
ES-Scraper is built into retropie (if you are using retropie) follow the instructions above.
I'm running emulation station/retropie version 3.0 BETA 2 on a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B and I noticed some significant lag playing Super Mario World using the snes9x-next core. I was able to change the video mode using x on the keyboard when starting the rom which improved the speed (a higher clock speed was visible next to some options) but this only ended up strectching the image on my TV.
There didn't seem to be any latency while playing WWF SmackDown! 2 on the PSX emulator. Granted this is a different kind of game to a precise platformer like mario.
My question is there a way I can get good performance out of all snes games whilst maintaining the correct aspect ratio? I'm guessing this is possible by creating a config file for the different emulators but I can't find any definitive way to get this done. Can I edit these files in notepad, then copy them over? If someone has a one-size fits-all config file I could use, that would be awesome.
Newbie here, looking for some advice. Thanks
There didn't seem to be any latency while playing WWF SmackDown! 2 on the PSX emulator. Granted this is a different kind of game to a precise platformer like mario.
My question is there a way I can get good performance out of all snes games whilst maintaining the correct aspect ratio? I'm guessing this is possible by creating a config file for the different emulators but I can't find any definitive way to get this done. Can I edit these files in notepad, then copy them over? If someone has a one-size fits-all config file I could use, that would be awesome.
Newbie here, looking for some advice. Thanks
Try recalbox. Worked better for me. It's basically the same but preconfigured differently.
I think It's Hotkey + Y (whatever button you configured to Y) which brings up the RETROARCH menu then you can apply shaders on the fly. The GBA emulator doesn't really have shaders. You can also edit configuration files to apply shaders (i have not done this).
I think this is done on an emulator by emulator basis. I used this video to help me. I edited the emulation station files (Starts around 6 minutes). I changed runcommand.sh 1 to runcommand.sh 4 under the relevant system. Changing the number will yield diffrent results.
The simple way of doing it is pressing the F1 button i believe before a game starts. (i think thats the right button)
Omegasquash
Member
OK. Pi is all set, PS3 controller synced up, and it runs like a dream. Only issues I'm scratching my head over are:
1) For the life of me I can't figure out how to set specific controls for specific emulators, while letting Retroarch run the rest. Want to switch up some buttons to make things a little more "me" friendly.
2) I updated Retropie while getting my PS3 controller set up, and now for some reason I can't flip shaders in game with my keyboard. I set the shader to "true" in the NES and SNES .cfg file, but that was after I found the problem.
Anyone run into any hiccups like those I listed? Any help you can offer would be appreciated, thanks!
1) For the life of me I can't figure out how to set specific controls for specific emulators, while letting Retroarch run the rest. Want to switch up some buttons to make things a little more "me" friendly.
2) I updated Retropie while getting my PS3 controller set up, and now for some reason I can't flip shaders in game with my keyboard. I set the shader to "true" in the NES and SNES .cfg file, but that was after I found the problem.
Anyone run into any hiccups like those I listed? Any help you can offer would be appreciated, thanks!
Mihos
Gold Member
I use a K400 exclusively and it is wireless, you will be fine on startup
SillyEskimo
Member
I made it through configuration and such, but the only emulators that retropie will install are:
Amiga
ports
macintosh
pc
apple2
scummvm
That's it. I cannot get any of the other emulators to install. I'm pretty frustrated, so leaving the project alone for the night. The entire process is extremely unintuitive.
At least my MK fighting stick installed perfectly. I just need to get the right emulators installed and figure out the roms next. Not bad for a first night.
Amiga
ports
macintosh
pc
apple2
scummvm
That's it. I cannot get any of the other emulators to install. I'm pretty frustrated, so leaving the project alone for the night. The entire process is extremely unintuitive.
At least my MK fighting stick installed perfectly. I just need to get the right emulators installed and figure out the roms next. Not bad for a first night.
Your going to kick yourself for not knowing but the other emualators are already installed
You have to put roms in the folders so they show up in Emulation Station. Also if you don't won't those emulators showing up just delete the contents within the folder.
See my OP on where to put roms.
MiketheBSG
Member
Your going to kick yourself for not knowing but the other emualators are already installed
You have to put roms in the folders so they show up in Emulation Station. Also if you don't won't those emulators showing up just delete the contents within the folder.
See my OP on where to put roms.
Yep, pretty much this. Put the games in the respective folder, and the emulators will show up.
SillyEskimo
Member
Thanks for the info!
I have a wifi dongle, so that took a little figuring out. No direct connecting here!
I see the folders, I added the roms, and it works like a charm.
Thanks for the guide and your follow up help. Now I just have to clean things up a bit. Everything looks fantastic.
EDIT: FYI, so far roms do not need to be unzipped. At least this is true for the NES and SNES emulators I have tried so far.
I have a wifi dongle, so that took a little figuring out. No direct connecting here!
I see the folders, I added the roms, and it works like a charm.
Thanks for the guide and your follow up help. Now I just have to clean things up a bit. Everything looks fantastic.
EDIT: FYI, so far roms do not need to be unzipped. At least this is true for the NES and SNES emulators I have tried so far.
Genius, I have a broken SNES in the post, quick question what if you need to update the SD card ?
One thing I did think about was potentially extending the microSD via cable, my ultimate thought was to somehow connect said cable to the cartridge slot internally, open a dead cartridge, add same within cartridge, plug together and the SD card is now external and portable in a cartridge ?
Would be cool if it worked, however it may be that extending the SD card via wires would cock up timings etc ?
You should make an aggregated post which sums up all your steps you did with your setup.
MiketheBSG
Member
Hmm, I see that you can add Kodi XBMC to Retropie as well.......that's interesting...
erotic grandpa
Member
Really, really like the CRT Caligari shader, but I've noticed it causes the Pi to lag a bit when it's on.
Would it be a really bad idea to overclock it, and see if it fixes that? Or am I more likely to burn this thing out messing with those settings?
Would it be a really bad idea to overclock it, and see if it fixes that? Or am I more likely to burn this thing out messing with those settings?
Best article I have found so far, havent tried it though.
http://linuxonflash.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-look-at-raspberry-pi-2-performance.html
MiketheBSG
Member
Just a heads up about this article, I don't know when it was made, but there are now numerous options for over clocking now. I'm not in the options now, but there's around 8 options. You can try those out first before messing around with the scripts.
Yeah I noticed that but the 1ghz option I think is still the same that some people said wasn't stable. I would prob start with some his stable options and work from there.
suikodan
Member
I'm following this thread with great interest as I'm waiting for my 10 inches screen to arrive.
I plan on converting my dusty iCade to a retro cabinet to play emulators that will stay on a table so it can be played anytime without much effort.
However, I have some questions:
1- What's the best best way to update/upgrade the whole RetroPie package? I know there are new package but I don't want to wipe my SD card with each new version.
2- Is it possible to define X joystick for Y emulator? For example, I have a Logitech USB controller that I will use for MAME/Arcade controls and a NES 30 Pro for console emulators.
3- Can I remap my controls that I configured initially for RetroArch? I have a hard time with the NES 30 Pro for L3/R3 and analog controls so I'd go edit the file and change R3 for "button 11".
4- I "registered" my NES30 Pro via a USB connection but I'll be using it with a Bluetooth adapter. Will it recognize it as the same controller?
5- Speaking of pairing that controller, how can I go and pair it on the Pi2? Unless I need to do it via a PC first?
Thanks for your answers.
I plan on converting my dusty iCade to a retro cabinet to play emulators that will stay on a table so it can be played anytime without much effort.
However, I have some questions:
1- What's the best best way to update/upgrade the whole RetroPie package? I know there are new package but I don't want to wipe my SD card with each new version.
2- Is it possible to define X joystick for Y emulator? For example, I have a Logitech USB controller that I will use for MAME/Arcade controls and a NES 30 Pro for console emulators.
3- Can I remap my controls that I configured initially for RetroArch? I have a hard time with the NES 30 Pro for L3/R3 and analog controls so I'd go edit the file and change R3 for "button 11".
4- I "registered" my NES30 Pro via a USB connection but I'll be using it with a Bluetooth adapter. Will it recognize it as the same controller?
5- Speaking of pairing that controller, how can I go and pair it on the Pi2? Unless I need to do it via a PC first?
Thanks for your answers.
This kick starter project might be useful for some; https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pisupply/pi-poe-switch-hat-power-over-ethernet-for-raspberr
1. https://github.com/petrockblog/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/How-to-Update-an-Existing-RetroPie-Installation
2. It should be feasible under each configuration to define buttons for each core if I recall.
3. Yes use the retinue-config tool to remap the buttons.
4. Not sure about that one
5. Someone posted a guide earlier on Bluetooth pairing.
When set up, then yes.
You can also try RetroArch and EmulationStation on PC to give you an idea on what to expect.
Hey guys, I cant seem to get roms to load automatically very reliably. It worked initially, then when I tried to add more games i had to turn the system on/off a million times, insert/remove the usb stick a million times and then it finally worked. Now I'm trying to add some PSX games, but I cant for the life of me get them to transfer over. Is it because they're psx games? Is there a specific sequence of events I have to follow to get them to auto load? I dunno what to do! Thanks!
The process is exactly the same as any other game, just dump them into the correct game folder.
I highly recommend just connect the Pi to a Ethernet port and it will appear in windows as a network device, very simple drag and drop files this way.
Ecto311
Member
What is a good reputable place to get a joystick from? I need 2 of them and some buttons for my build. I got some pink sanwa buttons from lizard lick back in the day that I still have but I read that site was going to shit a while ago.
I don't think I am going to go with the raspberry pi since reading some reddit threads it seems that a C2D PC with 2gb ram might be easier to deal with. Maybe not but considering I am going to make a table top machine the size is not that big of a deal. Being a PC it should take the xbox controller inputs just fine and I just need to wire them to a stick and buttons to get it all going.
I don't think I am going to go with the raspberry pi since reading some reddit threads it seems that a C2D PC with 2gb ram might be easier to deal with. Maybe not but considering I am going to make a table top machine the size is not that big of a deal. Being a PC it should take the xbox controller inputs just fine and I just need to wire them to a stick and buttons to get it all going.
The above is great advice, hook up an ethernet cable, check your local network for a machine called retropie, then just drag and drop rom files in the correct folder.
With your PSX games I had to make sure that the PSX games were in .IMG format ..
asker
Member
I've started construction of a Retropie built into an NES but I've run into a couple of problems so far. I'd appreciate any help:
1) I'm getting horrible input lag. It's really noticable, I'd estimate around 200-300 ms of lag. This is regardless of emulator, even with NES emulation and running the RPi in 480p. The TV is a plasma with minimum lag that I know is not the issue. Is this a bottleneck in the HDMI out of the RPi or has anyone gotten instant response running RetroPie?
2) I'm having trouble with Player 3 and 4 controls on the NES and with Player 2 controls on the SNES. Must I do anything in particular other than editing the retroarch.cfg in respective emulator to get this working? The controls are picked up by the Retroarch configuration tool but won't work in game.
1) I'm getting horrible input lag. It's really noticable, I'd estimate around 200-300 ms of lag. This is regardless of emulator, even with NES emulation and running the RPi in 480p. The TV is a plasma with minimum lag that I know is not the issue. Is this a bottleneck in the HDMI out of the RPi or has anyone gotten instant response running RetroPie?
2) I'm having trouble with Player 3 and 4 controls on the NES and with Player 2 controls on the SNES. Must I do anything in particular other than editing the retroarch.cfg in respective emulator to get this working? The controls are picked up by the Retroarch configuration tool but won't work in game.
It "might" be your TV, i've played lots of games and emulators on retropie on a RPI2 and they all seem ok, no noticeable lag, 300ms would definitely be noticeable.
I had some messed up controls, I followed the instructions here (basically run retroarch config pipe to file for each player and then finally add all players to the config file in the /all directory)
Look for the Retropie configuration section towards the bottom
https://github.com/petrockblog/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Setting-up-the-XBox360-controller
Try connecting the Pi to a monitor and notice if there's a difference, most likely it's the TV that at's fault tbh, see if your TV has a 'game mode' to reduce latency and make sure you select an appropriate HDMI mode for your TV, example: (DVI/Gaming.)
suikodan
Member
I tried adding lines to the retroarch.cfg of the emulated system. At first, it didn't work but when I disabled autodetect joysticks, it worked except that some emulators didn't like that. It's weird.
asker
Member
Seeing as people are inclined to think the TV is the problem (it's not, as I stated), I must come to the conclusion that the input lag is inherent in the RPi emulation or output. I knew my question would be hard to answer since we all have different levels of tolerance for input lag. Would you say that your inputs are instant on your device? What happens when you try to, say, hit a 'Fast' swing right on the white line in NES Open Golf? This should give a good indication of if we're experiencing the same lag.
I solved the issue with the SNES controllers. I was missing the input_playerx_joypad_index = 0 lines for every input. I still haven't gotten the 4 players to work for NES. I don't know what is required to have player 3 and 4 work as if plugged in with a four score.
kimifan141
Member
My interest in the pi goes higher with each setup i see but i am divided on what route to go, i have a lot of game carts for many of the older systems from 2600 to gba, should i go for something like the retron 5? or go the pi route .
Both systems are not sold in my region so can only afford to go with one.
Both systems are not sold in my region so can only afford to go with one.
megashock5
Member
I want to try this so badly, but I just finally gave up on my cabinet project because I couldn't get it working.
This definitely seems like a cheaper route, but as a lifelong Mac user, I'm not savvy in the PC world at all (never owned one), so I fear there will be so many things to mess with and I'll get in over my head.
For now I'm using Wii for emulation, but I'd love a little more juice and HDMI.
Just how hard is it to get one of these things up and running?
This definitely seems like a cheaper route, but as a lifelong Mac user, I'm not savvy in the PC world at all (never owned one), so I fear there will be so many things to mess with and I'll get in over my head.
For now I'm using Wii for emulation, but I'd love a little more juice and HDMI.
Just how hard is it to get one of these things up and running?
Its easy to get setup, the tweaking is the more time consuming piece, there seems to be enough of us about to help out. As long as a bit of command line doesn't scare you then you should be ok. I've done everything via mac.
In my case
- Grab Pi2
- SD Card
- Wireless xbox 360 controller and dongle
- decent 5v 2A micro USB power supply
- Follow instructions to download and burn image to sd card
- insert sd card
- boot with usb key board connectwed
- follow instructions
- run install script
- run install for xbox controller
- copy roms to retropie network share
- reboot
- job done
Also please re-consider your arcade approach, its very rewarding with a bit of time and effort, you could even hook the Pi2 up to the arcade cabinet ..
Speedwagon
Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. Yabuki turned off voice chat in Mario Kart races. True artists of their time.
Is there a way to hook this up to an old IBM notebook display panel? There are ones with 640x480 native resolution, which I imagine would be ideal.
Edit: I suppose an LCD control board will work?
Edit: I suppose an LCD control board will work?
as a novice who just wants to make an emulation box to hook up to a tv, would something like this be suitable?
super long amazon url
super long amazon url
erotic grandpa
Member
That's the exact kit I've got. I'd recommend an enclosed case if you're not doing anything with the GPIO pins. I got this one and am pretty happy with it! The one that comes with is fine, I just didn't want dust to build up in there.
Goes without saying you're gonna want a keyboard to set it up, and some USB controllers. The iBuffalo/Buffalo Super Famicom controllers are rock solid. Might want to look into some USB extension cords if you're looking to sit a ways away from the TV (I got some for dirt cheap off of eBay).
Other than that, uh...probably a bigger MicroSD card and that ought to do it! If you can figure out how to get the WiFi to work (or if anyone else has any tips), please share.
In my case wifi just worked out of the box, make sure you have a Rpi recommended wifi dongle, go into retropie setup and there is a wifi section, in my case, I just added the SSID and password and it worked. The only caveat is that if you are using ethernet as well or previously your ip address may have changed, or you may even have 2...
erotic grandpa
Member
Weird. The dongle that came with my kit can see my router, but no matter how many times I edit the wpa supplicant file (copying instructions word for word and all) I can't get it to connect.
I'm also not seeing any option for setting up the internet in retropie setup, but that might be because I'm using a beta version?
SillyEskimo
Member
I was missing my router because I didn't capitalize. Just trying to help!