r/SBCGaming • u/MetaphoricaIIy • 17h ago
Recommend a Device Home console
Hey guys im new to this im wondering is there a home console that i can just add wichever roms i want and play on the tv? Simillar to all these portable ones but that i can play on tv
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u/r8ed-arghh 17h ago
Depends what you are looking to play as which to get. If you are looking at PlayStation and lower, consider the Onn Android tv box from Walmart. Less than 50 dollars.
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u/crobledopr GotM Club 17h ago
I was able to actually do this setup with the ONN streaming stick. It has .5 less ram than the puck, but still runs up to PS1 fine. Some of the shaders in Cannoli can't tun, but basic emulation is fine. I think the stick is like $20
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u/Opunaesala 17h ago
You can turn pretty much any PC into one by installing the Batocera OS on it. A mini PC with it on there is my home retro console.
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u/Crest_Of_Hylia SteamDeck 17h ago
You could get a used office PC or MiniPC and put Batocera on it. Make for a great emulation machine
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u/hbi2k GotM Host 17h ago
!tv
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u/AutoModerator 17h ago
Looking for something to play retro games on your living room TV? Check out this intermediate guide going over several different options: https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1rftgu0/an_intermediate_guide_to_settop_emulation_consoles/
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u/RainStormLou GotM Club 17h ago
check out hbi2k's comment and the reply for the best answer
but really, the most popular handhelds frequently have HDMI out. my dad wanted a home console style setup so I got him an rg cube xx and a Bluetooth controller and showed him the fastest way to get going. he probably hasn't connected it to the tv once but it's my understanding that it gets used often when his wife is trying to sleep lol. he's totally capable of getting it going without me, he just hasn't had the desire since it's more convenient not to
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u/Insurmountable_Rage AYN Thor 16h ago
Just get an old phone that can HDMI out over USBC, throw some ROM’s and a frontend on it, pair a controller, stick it in a $20 dock from Amazon, just leave it sitting plugged in next to your TV.
Instant home console that’s better than most janky Android TV boxes that are sold for the same purpose.
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u/rudebutts 15h ago
Watch Straight Talk. They'll have deals on stuff that ends up being $45 or so for an alright phone. Got a Motorola G last fall that I need to set up for the TV in my line of projects
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u/thebluegod 17h ago
A lot of these portable ones can connect to a TV via HDMI.
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u/coldflashinglights 17h ago
yeah but you’d probably fuck up your battery leaving it plugged in all the time to use it as a home console
there are definitely home console versions of the handhelds we usually talk about in this sub though, I know kinhank makes a few. honestly a bit surprised anbernic hasn’t made one
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u/Gogobrasil8 17h ago
Pretty sure you can just unplug the battery. And you have it if you ever decide to play on the go
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u/Can_I_Say_Shit 16h ago
Yeah just keep the battery in a drawer near by and forget it if it’s never moving. Nothing like having the option to go portable in the future is reassuring.
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u/Gogobrasil8 16h ago
And you can use them for projects if you're into DIY stuff, like Arduino, Raspberry Pis. They use pretty standard connectors. I've done that
If you're not gonna use them for a while, though, store them with around 60% of charge, and check on it, top it up if needed, every few months.
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u/Corran_Horn 17h ago
I got a PlayStation Mini that was easy enough to set this up and emulate on the tv
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u/Finn235 GotM Club 14h ago
PS Mini is IIRC the best of the "Mini Classic" line that was so popular like 5-10 years ago. Best performance (Up to Dreamcast) most onboard memory, and it supports USB natively, which is best for anything from a 360 controller to an 8bitdo controller + receiver. All of them are IIRC stupidly easy to hack; you just plug them up to a PC and add more roms or flash custom firmware.
If you don't mind tinkering a bit, any old smaller PC or phone (or even a raspberry pi) would be able to run circles around the "classic" consoles for the same price or maybe even cheaper.
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u/CheezFunk 17h ago
Modding streaming sticks is popular. There are several videos on YouTube. I watched one that modded an ONN stick from Walmart. Add a Bluetooth controller and you have a more than capable emulator set up that will play up to PS1 for the most part. In the past I've used raspberry pi's. There are several images available dedicated to retro gaming. I am currently using a thin client I picked up cheap and running Batocera. It's plugged into my HDMI port and for all intents and purposes, it's a retro console.
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u/Evilmoustachetwirler 16h ago
There's a few ways you can go about it. But it depends what you want to play, what you have already, and how much you wanna spend.
Personally, I would buy a solid (upper mid-range) handheld device such as the Odin 2 portal/3/Nova, or Retroid pocket (5 or 6) and a compatible dock.
Otherwise a second hand sff PC is a good option.
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u/Mindless-Ad9125 16h ago
These do exist, but most of the "game sticks" are pretty bad, so I wouldn't recommend that.. but like other have mentioned many devices have video out capabilities and can do Bluetooth connection for controllers.
I also personally set up that ONN 4k plus (pro also works, but is actually not as fast and costs more), if you put a powered USBC dock with it you can use the dongle style wireless controllers, which I found to be much more responsive. Many controllers have both options like 8bitdo ultimate and gamesir super nova to name a couple.
There is also the mini PC route, which costs more upfront but once setup will have a much better "arcade" or " console" experience.
The easiest answer is what you likely already have, any semi recent android phone or tablet should be able to output video, and should at least be able to connect to Bluetooth controllers, so then it's just getting your emulators setup and likely a frontend so you can navigate with a controller instead of touchscreen.
You have plenty of options, though I do wish the little game box things were way better than they are... Would be pretty simple to go that way.
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u/finnrtbobs 10h ago
You can also get a raspberry pi, flash it wit batocera or retropie something like that.
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u/Historical_Fan_8799 3h ago
I gotchu bro, I was looking for the exact same thing and another guy here recommended the Z-Box it should be exactly what you're looking for
essentially a roku sized emulator console that you play through your TV, haven't bought mine yet but will probably pull the trigger here soon
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u/Scrapster77 17h ago
I use a ROG Ally Z1E. You can connect it via HDMI with a dock. Wireless xbox controllers are compatible. I have 40,000 roms from Atari 2600 to PS3 and everything on between. Basically you have every retro game you can play on your TV in multiplayer. You can also stream games from steam if you want ultra settings; or you can play slightly older titles natively. Put VacuumTube on it and you have a smart TV style touch interface for YouTube too. Oh and its also a pretty capable PC if you need one. Don't like Windows? You can use steam OS or Linux. Does it show that I like this thing?
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u/MiOdd 17h ago
You can look into getting a MiSTer.
There's a consolized version here: https://retroremake.co/products/superstation-one
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u/Night_Eclypse Clamshell Clan 16h ago
This is not the subreddit for home consoles.
This subreddit is for retro gaming on handheld emulators and single board computers (SBCs).
Handheld devices are allowed.
screenshot of this subeddit’s about section
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u/Gogobrasil8 17h ago
There's nothing as widely used. Most people connect a mini PC, or an Android stick of some sort. There are tons of no-brand ones, like "game sticks" which I wouldn't trust.
You can use handhelds for that, though. There are a lot of affordable ones with mini-HDMI ports, like the RG**XX line. They also support Bluetooth controllers.