Emulation box ideas

[hudson]

Been mulling over getting a box of some kind that kind sit behind a TV/monitor that can be a little retro gaming console. I'd like to be able to run up to possibly DC and even get some Saturn emu on the go.

With the choices being Raspberry Pi or even a mini PC, what do people in the know here recommend? Say with a budget of approx 120.quid?

[MartyG]

You're going to struggle to get a mini PC new at £120, maybe barebones, but you'd be adding in your own storage and RAM. £200 bottom line for a new NUC is more realistic, you're looking at the lower-end chips like the N100 - it'll run most Gamecube stuff. You can pick up 5th-7th gen i5, 8th-9th gen i3 for that price on the used market.

The best bet is probably a Raspberry Pi 5 and an image from Arcade Punks once they start arriving, then it's just a case of burning the image to a big enough uSD card and turning it on.

[hudson]

Yeah looking at the mini PCs, it's unclear whether or not such a cheap device would support my needs. Seen already that Pi 5 is running Saturn emu and other slightly challenging emu.

[hudson]

The best bet is probably a Raspberry Pi 5 and an image from Arcade Punks once they start arriving, then it's just a case of burning the image to a big enough uSD card and turning it on.

Is it a bit too early for emu on Pi 5? Like if I was to grab an image for Pi 4 would I possibly hit some compatibility issues?

[MartyG]

The images might boot, I've not tried, but you might find things like wifi and USB doesn't work properly. Emulation is working on the Pi5, but the images haven't arrived yet.

[Colin]

I'd just take a look at what the laptop you probably already have can run. I use my MacBook for all my emulation stuff and it's brilliant for my personal needs. (Which don't sound anything beyond the same as yours)

[hudson]

It was more about having a little box behind my screen which would load into the emulation front-end when I switch on via my wireless controller and there I am ready to roll on my TV/monitor at my desk.

[KIT786]

An Apple TV 4K, might do the job with Provenance setup on it. Been meaning to try it for what feels like a couple of years but not got around to it

[randombs]

I recently got a Raspberry Pi 3B and slapped an emulation OS called Batocera on it. It’s great.

I often fall into the trap of spending more time tinkering than actually playing games so I picked Batocera as it's designed to be simple. All the important stuff like wifi just works and is easily configured. Pairing bluetooth controllers is a cinch, too. You can tinker, but it quickly involves things like SSH and seems more trouble than it's worth.

I haven’t tried DC and I highly doubt it’ll manage Saturn, but the newer Pis might fare better with both.

Regarding switching on using your wireless controller:

If you go the PC route, you might be able to have the PC turn on via the wireless controller but I could never get this working myself.

Raspberry Pis are designed to be left running 24/7 (there isn't even a power button - just an on/off switch along the USB power cable) so it's always available for a quick blast - I just grab a controller and jump in.

[concretesnail]

I do similar with the tv but use a steam link box. The pc on in the other room. Small black box with hdmi out, into the TV then plug in what ever controller I want.

[MartyG]

Raspberry Pis are designed to be left running 24/7 (there isn't even a power button - just an on/off switch along the USB power cable) so it's always available for a quick blast - I just grab a controller and jump in.

Raspberry Pis now have a power switch



Also need active cooling now too - fortunately, it's a PWM fan and is nice and quiet.



You can run them without if you like, but you'll hit thermal limits and throttle.

[Brad]

Going from a 4 to a 5 is like going from a spectrum to a c64

[Asura]

I was thinking of a Pi5. I had intended to get a MiSTER in 2024 but this just seems so much easier. And I'm seeing amazing videos of Saturn emulation.

[CMcK]

The MARRS FPGA project might be the kind of thing you’re after. I know it’s not available yet but looks promising. Seems to be capable of recreating hardware up to N@OMI level!

[speedlolita]

The MARRS FPGA project might be the kind of thing you’re after. I know it’s not available yet but looks promising. Seems to be capable of recreating hardware up to N@OMI level!

It is also going to cost around $700.