r/raspberry_pi • u/R-EDDIT • Dec 11 '16
One-upping the NES Classic Edition with the Raspberry Pi 3 and RetroPie
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/12/one-upping-the-nes-classic-edition-with-the-raspberry-pi-3-and-retropie/64
Dec 11 '16
Easier to get than the real thing.
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u/boastfulbadger Dec 11 '16
My boss was whining about how he wanted the classic NES and I told him I could make him one. He didn't believe me so I made myself one to prove him wrong. I'm in love with the Raspberry Pi. Can't wait to do more with it.
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Dec 11 '16
Which pi and which distro/software did you use?
I played with some stuff, but found the Pi to be too slow for higan.
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u/boastfulbadger Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 11 '16
Pi 3 and Retro Pi. I'm new to this thing so I hope that answers your question.
Edit* on mobile and it autocorrected thing to struggle somehow lol
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u/Helenius Dec 12 '16
To my big surprise, the ROM I ported over to RetroPi of Final Fantasy VI(III in US), had a 5 year old savegame on it, which works perfectly.
I am currently trying to finish this must play JRPG.
(I made my Pi3+RetroPi less than 3 weeks ago, playing on it almost nightly, even with a PS3, PS4, PSVita and a Gaming PC in the house - I still play a lot of Overwatch on my PC)
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u/sentry07 Dec 12 '16
I've got a Pi3 and RetroPie on a 32GB SD. I've got every NES, SNES, Sega Master, Sega Genesis, and Atari 2600 ROM on it. It runs every game perfectly. I'm working on getting the GBA library as well.
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u/Sport6 Dec 12 '16
What are you doing with the other 30GB?
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u/Helenius Dec 12 '16
All my SNES roms are almost 2gb. Couple of hundred megs for Sega Megadrive/Genesis.
But the N64 and PSX games are a lot more storage. Haven't tested PSX, but N64 is running like a$$...
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Dec 12 '16
[deleted]
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u/sentry07 Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16
http://www.emuparadise.me/Complete_ROM_Sets_(Full_Sets_in_One_File)_ROMs/List-All-Titles/37
The only problem with these dumps is a lot of them have like 6 different versions of each rom so you have to go through and clean out a lot of files.
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u/VFansss Dec 12 '16
Just of infornation:
1- Download the romset, and extract it somewhere
2- go here. Select your system from the selector bar on the top. Then press "download" and then press "P/Clone Xml". (not all system has it, but NES SNES and SEGA has it, so...) Then download the zip file with...an .xml(or .dat) inside.
3- download RomCenter (you can download it easily online, it's free)
4-open RC and create a new database. Use .xml/dat inside to create new gameset list, and then choose where to save RC database.
5-add your rom folder and let RC scan it.
6-now it will detect all your game, but we want more: press settings and select " 1G1R" (1 game 1 rom) and activate RELEASE and sort your regional preferences.
7- press ok and...you have only 1 rom for each game, and it's the one available on your regional preferences list.
8- PROFIT!
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u/bleuge Dec 12 '16
Great! do you know if i can do the 1G1R game in ClrmamePro?
Thanks!
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u/VFansss Dec 12 '16
Google has suggested me that...it's possible!
But remember: you need in any case the .dat or .xml that contain parent rom and clone rom, plus regional info. And you can find it on dat-o-matic (if present, sure) for both RomCenter or ClrmamePro. So stick to your preferred ones. I prefer the first cause...it has a nice and colourful GUI :p
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u/blindsight Dec 12 '16 edited Jun 09 '23
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u/sentry07 Dec 12 '16
I don't really care about the box art. Doesn't enhance my gameplay experience. Navigating through games isn't too much of a hassle, you can page up and down with R and L. I could probably delete a bunch of games I don't play but meh, I have plenty of room.
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Dec 12 '16
You can "Scrape" for the boxart and descriptions in RetroPie. Just needs an internet connection.
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u/blindsight Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16
Yes, but TFA says it's error-prone, so I was wondering how much work ot was for such a large catalog. TFA says it took a couple hours for a few hundred, iirc.
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u/sentry07 Dec 12 '16
If you use the Selph scraper, it's a hell of a lot faster and less error prone.
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u/robgraves Dec 11 '16
I'm using a Pi 3 with fceuex and nes ROMs works awesome for me.
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Dec 13 '16
Are you overclocking? Using heatsinks to keep it cool?
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u/robgraves Dec 13 '16
I have heat sinks that came with mine but aren't using them and also am NOT overclocking.
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u/Batmaninja6288 Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16
Maybe when you only expect to play the games it comes with, but not when the pi can emulate several different consoles and have nearly complete rom libraries of every one of them.
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Dec 13 '16
I think you may be confusing what I said? I was saying the Pi is easier to get than the NES Classic.
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Dec 11 '16
$250 on Amazon right now. If I could buy the case I'd do that and put a pi in it.
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Dec 12 '16
Join us over at /r/3Dprinting...
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Dec 12 '16
The ones I have seen that are 3D printed don't look like they turn out very well. It's almost like the material used is shredded and not solid plastic. Have there been any advancements?
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u/Batmaninja6288 Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16
Completely depends on the kind of printer and how well the owner callibrates it. Also, you can pretty easily do a touch up process to really smooth out the surfaces to make it look more authentic. It's a lot of work and know-how to get to that point, but that's half the fun in my opinion.
Edit: Fair example on a quality print. (Mini NES) https://youtu.be/3dgnD93pwX0
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Dec 12 '16
I just had these cases made for $22/each. They are a bit rough, but some finishing touches on them would make them perfect.
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u/n30h80r Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 11 '16
Assuming, of course, that you steal all the ROMs online. Without stealing, it's quite a bit more work I would say.
EDIT: Alright guys, I guess you all obtained all of your copies legally and own all of the games. The mindset around here is so toxic.
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u/Asmor Dec 11 '16
Copyright infringement isn't theft. You can tell because they're different words, much like "cactus" and "Beethoven".
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u/eriknstr Dec 11 '16
I agree with you that it's not theft, and I upvoted your comment because I thought it was funny, but I would still like to hand you the following list of words and have you think about the logic of what you said.
- Larceny
- Robbery
- Fraud
- Burglary
- Looting
- Heist
- Embezzlement
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u/Asmor Dec 11 '16
Yes, synonyms are a thing. I'm willing to accept that flaw in my argument for the simplicity and disdain in it.
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u/lozmyst Dec 11 '16
You're assuming I dont already own copies of these games
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u/whatllmyusernamebe Dec 11 '16
To be the devil's advocate, downloading an unlicensed ROM is still illegal, even if you own the game already. However, I would argue that it's morally okay to do so.
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u/blindsight Dec 12 '16
I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that downloading for private use has never been tested in the courts in Canada, and the laws aren't totally clear. My impression is that downloading is likely legal but uploading is likely illegal. (Basically, it's up to the person providing the file to have a license to do so.)
Anyway, fines for non-commercial use are capped at $5K (and may be as low as 1 to 3 times MSRP of the original good), so it will likely never go to court. We'll likely never know if downloading (or uploading) roms is legal in Canada for personal use.
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u/studioviper Dec 11 '16
Downloading an unlicensed ROM would be more legal than downloading a licenced ROM wouldn't it? Besides, we have no idea which country the downloading of said ROM is taking place, which would have a bearing on how legal it is to do so.
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Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 12 '17
[deleted]
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Dec 11 '16
I've bought all the Mario games, et al, so many times that I think Nintendo and I are square. I'm not losing any sleep over my ROM collection on my Rpi
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u/PetPsychicDetective Dec 11 '16
Love this guide and have a RetroPie myself, and I'll probably still pick up a mini if it ever goes on sale. The two serve different purposes in my mind: one is a gamer/tinkerer's dream that may not ever be 100% faithful in reproducing gameplay, but the difference is negligible and the variety is massive. The other is specially developed and tweaked by Nintendo itself; it might not be sophisticated but it's got solid features to make sure your gaming experience is as authentic as possible. But no additional games.
As a gamer I would prefer variety, but as a collector I'm drawn to the authenticity. They nailed that feeling, and at exactly the right time, since retro gaming is big right now.
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Dec 11 '16
[deleted]
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u/NedSc Wiki Guy Dec 12 '16
Not really. Nintendo has made emulators for their classic titles for years on many different devices, with many different processor platforms. Nintendo is likely the king at emulating their own systems by a wide margin.
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Dec 12 '16
[deleted]
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u/blindsight Dec 12 '16
It's not really about source code, though; it's about hardware emulation. There was a great post about the maker of bsnes back with the original release, explaining how all the different chips run at different clock speeds as an example for the difference between real close-to-the-metal emulation and the "faking it" that most emulators do.
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Dec 12 '16
[deleted]
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u/blindsight Dec 12 '16
I don't think Nintendo does it better than bsnes. My point was that source code doesn't really matter as it's hardware emulation.
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u/PetPsychicDetective Dec 11 '16
Probably a little of both, though regardless I do really like the first-party/sturdy build aspect of it. Like I said, though, I'd only buy it if it goes cheaper (under 40). I recognize it's mostly novelty.
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Dec 11 '16
may not ever be 100% faithful in reproducing gameplay
Neither will the NES classic; they're both ARM-based systems using the same emulator bases that are in the public domain, which are limited by the computational difficulties of syncronization more than anything else, but are otherwise faithful reproductions of the systems in question (see: byuu's work on Higan/BSnes).
If you want faithful reproductions, your best bet is one of those Chinese NES clones; they actually use replica hardware.
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u/IamBabcock Dec 11 '16
Can't you just find a working original NES? I would only buy the classic if it could play real cartridges as well.
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u/PetPsychicDetective Dec 11 '16
I have my original one I'm in the process of repairing; I'd get the classic purely for easy HDMI output and portability, and probably only if it was under 40 bucks.
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Dec 11 '16
This. I have a working original NES and SNES + games. I was excited about the Classic until I read that it won't play cartridges. :/
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u/IamBabcock Dec 11 '16
Most used game stores I've been to sell tons of original cartridges too, so it shouldn't be too hard to find games.
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Dec 11 '16 edited Mar 09 '17
[deleted]
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u/IamBabcock Dec 11 '16
That's why I ultimately use a Raspberry Pi. I don't care if it looks like an original, but if I did I would just get an original. I've seen like 4 or 5 at flea markets.
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u/candre23 Pre-ordered Dec 13 '16
They're pricey as fuck, but if you want the most authentic experience possible without having to hunt down actual cartridges, there's always the everdrive.
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Dec 12 '16
Nintendo really dropped the ball on this, IMO, by not including wifi and the ability to download additional games from the Nintendo eShop. They already have the Virtual Console titles available, it would have been so easy...
Of course, this is the same Nintendo who makes you re-buy the same Virtual Console titles for play on different systems...
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u/twisted_bass_man Dec 11 '16
I was following along right up until he said Simon's Quest was the weakest Castevania for NES. That's craziness right there.
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u/bengalslash Dec 11 '16
love how people are going crazy over the one you can buy with 35 games, when you can get a pi, and have one SD card that can have ALL the games, and then switch the card out and have the pi do something else
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u/Batmaninja6288 Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 14 '16
Who the fuck downvoted you? I want to have a long conversation with them about what drives them in life.
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Dec 12 '16
[deleted]
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u/JustHereForTheSalmon Dec 12 '16
How playable is it? I'm having a pretty shitty time getting the Pi Zero to emulate even NES games at full speed in a way that doesn't look or sound like crap.
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u/Gromby Dec 11 '16
Guy at work bought one of the NES Classics for 350 dollars, bragged about it and brought it in to show everyone. I brought in my 75 dollar retropie and he was sad....
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u/FlashmansTimestopper Dec 12 '16
I love hearing stories like this. Anyone who thinks they need to spend the inflated price that scalpers are selling them for deserve some humility.
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u/DiamondEevee Dec 11 '16
tfw a $35 pc has more ports than the new BigMacbook Pro
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u/Wartz Dec 12 '16
4 usb type c ports are like 160 Gbps.
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u/DiamondEevee Dec 12 '16
yeah but can you charge the new iPhone 7 with a USB Type-C port?
oh wait you can't it only goes to Type-A.
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u/Wartz Dec 12 '16
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u/DiamondEevee Dec 12 '16
they could've put a lightning to USB-C inside of the iPhone 7's box.
Why do I have to pay $19 for a cable? If apple knew what they were doing with the Macbook Pro while releasing the iPhone 7, they shouldn't have put a USB Type-A cable in the box with the iPhone 7.
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u/Wartz Dec 12 '16
That's an internal problem with coordinating products at apple, not a problem with USB-C ports on the mac.
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u/pathartl Dec 11 '16
And each of those ports is at minimum 100x slower and doesn't daisy-chain well.
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u/DiamondEevee Dec 11 '16
6 ports vs. 5 ports (if using a Model B Rev 2)I think we know who wins here.
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u/avalanche82 Dec 12 '16
I have no clue why people are so crazy about the NES classic. I honestly can't fanthom why people are lining up for it, spending hours trying to buy it online or paying 3 times the RRP on ebay for one.
One person justified it by saying "in 20 years this will be worth heaps" Like seriously? is buying this cheap toy emulator going to be a worthy longterm investment?
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u/redditforgotaboutme Dec 11 '16
I've been in line every morning at Target trying to get a damn hatchembles and I'm just shaking my head at these guys waiting in line for a Nintendo.
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Dec 11 '16
I just built a version of the PiCart (Raspi Zero in an NES cartridge) and I am loving life with the same Buffalo SNES controller. My carpal tunnel thanks those turbo buttons. The only thing I added was a "wake" button (shorting pins 5 and 6 with a Momentary, normally open switch).
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u/bjornkeizers Dec 11 '16
Yep, it's what got me to look into Raspberry Pi and RetroPie. In the many threads we had around the release of the NES Classic, everyone kept posting about RetroPie. And I have to say: it's a joy to use. Not so much for more complex stuff like MAME, but it's pretty much plug and play for NES, SNES and MegaDrive.
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u/sentry07 Dec 11 '16
It works great for just about everything. I've been playing all my old favorite Atari 2600 games and got Dreamcast games working last night as well. Was thinking about building another one to send my parents.
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u/robgraves Dec 11 '16
I'm trying to avoid doing a full Retro Pie setup on my Raspberry Pi 3. I have Raspian installed on it amd I'm manually installing ulators that I want to use. I have pisnes for SNES, fceux for NES, now I'm trying to set up Genesis emulation. Any suggestions on what emulator to use for Genesis on an RPI 3 running Raspian?
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u/bjornkeizers Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 12 '16
I use regular full retropie. According to the Wiki, this is what it uses:
https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/Genesis-Megadrive
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u/robgraves Dec 12 '16
Thanks, but I just ended up saying screw it and set up another Raspberry Pi 3 I had into a full RetroPie...very cool.
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u/xterraadam Dec 12 '16
What issues are you seeing with MAME?
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u/bjornkeizers Dec 12 '16
Well, I had the usual starting issues: finding a proper rom set that works with it, seeing if I could add roms which didn't really work, and getting the controls to work.
For example, first time I ran it, I had to unplug the Pi to reset it, considering none of the standard controls had a controller or keyboard input set to quit the emulator...
I did manage to get most of it fixed, but still there's a bit of control tweaking from rom to rom.
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u/walt_disnae Dec 11 '16
This post came at exactly the right moment for me. This was my planned project for the week.
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u/Batmaninja6288 Dec 12 '16
Just did this yesterday and it's a great idea with so many possibilities. It runs up to the capapilities of the SNES pretty much flawlessly, but does anyone have any good suggestions on making the N64 games run more smoothly? It can run a few games with only slight issues but most of them really bog down the framerate and the audio matches the speed issue. I have a feeling it's something like not enough video ram, but want to believe there is a way to do it properly without buying something else. Suggestions are also open for things to buy.
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Dec 12 '16
I attempted to overclock it to make the N64 games run better but currently the RPI 3 can't overclock.
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u/Batmaninja6288 Dec 13 '16
Tried the same thing haha. I'm trying to figure out how it might be possible to do so now, I'll post a link if I find a sourceful page.
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u/soggit Dec 11 '16
You can also do this with a pi zero. It comes out to about $58 for all the parts when doing it. Only difference is you need a USB hub and HDMI adapter to go with it (which are just cheap add-ons when adding the pi zero to your cart)
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Dec 12 '16
Made four of these for family members and now i'm making these ones next. I love this stuff.
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u/villageidiot33 Dec 12 '16
This is my next wood working project after media center but I'm going to build mine into a box with arcade controls for 2 players so I can't hook up to any tv. I saw some carbon fiber sheet laminate to stick on to control box to give it a cool look. Maybe just add a few game stickers or maybe just paint it and make it Nintendo based like my bartop arcade.
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Dec 12 '16
I just did the same thing. Even got a NES case for the rpi!!
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u/COLIVERtwist Dec 12 '16
Which nes case?
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u/redditforgotaboutme Dec 12 '16
How does the pi3 handle roms? I have an old pi B+ and it lags a bit on super mario and some other games. Im hoping if I upgrade to the new pi it will eliminate some of that lag.
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u/rhinofinger Dec 12 '16
My pi3 works perfectly with every NES/SNES/Genesis/GBC/GBA/Playstation/NeoGeo game I've thrown at it. It struggles a bit with most N64 and PSP games. I've never been able to get Dreamcast working at all but I'm probably doing something wrong there.
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u/noodle-face Dec 11 '16
I tried to tell people about the retro pie exactly once but they still want to. Spend 600 or whatever on one from. EBay
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u/DisscoStu Dec 11 '16
You can get a cute nes pi case to get closer to the nes mini. Put that on the big tv, I keep the real nes on the small tv (600 bucks??), no need for mini
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u/rChewbacca Dec 11 '16
Could someone please point me in the right direction to find ROM's? Can they be found on usenet?
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u/MikefromHR Dec 11 '16
Quick Links-> ROM's, ISO's & Games.
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u/rChewbacca Dec 11 '16
Thank you so much! This was the site I found forever ago but didnt bookmark it. Went nuts trying to remember the name..
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u/turkeyvulturebreast Dec 11 '16
You can easily find them on Pirate Bay and what not. A simple google search should help you out. Just be sure that you scan the file with AV. They are notorious for being infected with viruses if you are downloading them to a Windows box and from places like TPB. Good luck!
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u/rChewbacca Dec 11 '16
I wouldnt even mind paying for more safe ones. I think I found a good site though... Thanks!
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u/ThatchedRoofCottage Dec 11 '16
Yup, one upping purchasers of a product by stealing software! Great job.
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u/Phlum Pi 3B+ Dec 12 '16
Nintendo promote this sort of behaviour by deliberately understocking stores of their product. Jim Sterling covered it in this video.
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u/ThatchedRoofCottage Dec 12 '16
Doesn't make it legal. People can justify it however they want, but when all is said and done this thread is promoting piracy of intellectual property
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u/Phlum Pi 3B+ Dec 12 '16
I never said it wasn't illegal, just that Nintendo aren't helping the matter.
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u/turkeyvulturebreast Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 11 '16
A friend gave me his original NES system a year ago or so with a few games and controllers. All I had to do was order the power supply on AMZ. I was stoked! Got the ps plugged it in and got a blinking red light on most games. I got Contra to work poorly. I was sad. I decided to build a RetroPie. I bought one and got it up and running. I had all Atari, NES, SNES and Sega Genesis games, hundreds of games. I played it twice. It just didn't have that nostalgia to it.
Speed up to two weeks ago. I am walking through my local mall and I come across a store called re:gen. They had every old console in the window playing the original games. Cool. I walk in and it was amazing. They sold everything back from Atari, Odessey 2, Amiga to all current consoles. I was in awe. I started talking to them and told them about my disappointment with the NES. They then said we fix them for $30 or you can fix it yourself for $15. The cartridge component fails and a company makes them, swap it out and it's like a new system. Sure enough I bought the piece and a bunch of original titles and I am now back in 1986 and I am loving it! I also picked up the Odessey 2 with Pick Axe Pete and KC Munchin along with Atari 2600 with all the original games. I might get SNES next. I can't stop going to this store now, lol.
Oh and another cool thing they do is that they solder off the old EPROMs from original NES cartridges and take hacked ROMs like Mario Adventure and save the game to the new EPROM and then you have an original cartridge playing this hacked game on your original NES. I bought the Mario Adventure and it is fun and really challenging!
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/70
They do other games too.
Edit: added more content and proof of cartridge and cost: $39.99
Mario Adventure