Main > Raspberry Pi & Dev Board
Raspberry Pi
SavannahLion:
--- Quote from: IAmDotorg on September 03, 2014, 02:52:25 pm ---And for most builds, the difference between spending $35 on a Pi versus $150-$200 on even a brand new low-end PC isn't much of a savings when you have $200 in controls, a $100 iPac or something, a $150 LCD and even a beater $100 cabinet. Why spend $400-$500 on even a cheap MAME cabinet and limit it so severely to save another $100?
--- End quote ---
I think you're in the ballpark with the primary problem with the RasPi.
I looked hard at the RasPi for my project and I'm usually delighted when I actually see the RasPi in action in a cabinet. However...
The RasPi has a lot of hidden costs that most people really tend to overlook when looking at the $35 price tag (for B). In fact, while I like the RasPi foundation's intention, I really don't think it's fair to the schools to give them such a massive white elephant.
To understand what I mean. To get a RasPi up and running you need the basics. A power source, a USB cable, a keyboard (and maybe a mouse), SD card, Hard drive if you want to do anything interesting, some sort of monitor. This is not even remotely including any of the modules you can buy. You still have to bootstrap the thing with the appropriate OS image on the SD card. The RasPi looks less and less of a good deal unless you treat it like a headless computer, then you have interesting low-cost possibilities.
But I digress. IAmDotorg is right. Why spend all that cash for your monitor, wood, controls and whatever and try to skimp on the brains? Spend the extra couple of quid and even the most anemic of Windows computers will be easier to deal with than the RasPi. Leave the RasPi where it belongs, on the shelf.
Haze:
Keep in mind that to get speed on any kind of multi-cpu game or 16-bit CPU based game people are running a MAME in the 0.36b5 type range.
That version was released 14 years ago.
Even for classics it isn't very good. Looking at two of my favourite, and IMHO iconic classic games shows the following:
0.59 (in 2002) fixed Rainbow Islands for example after heavy tests were done on the hardware to simulate the protection (the protection MCU still isn't actually dumped to this day, but before that it was relying on guesses from a bootleg)
0.107u3 (2006) is the first time Bubble Bobble *really* worked properly, again before that what we thought was the original was actually a bootleg, and had subtle bugs in the game logic / AI etc. At that point the original MCU was dumped and emulated.
In the latter case even if you stick with 0.106 (which is the other version some Pi builds use) you're still missing out on proper emulation.
Those are hand-picked examples because they're games I personally like, but you're going to find the same across the range, people forget about all the little fixes that go in. Maybe you won't notice a difference, maybe you will, in the above cases you might not realise it unless you know the games well, but if you do start to get into them, and become interested in the secrets, and understanding the scoring logic then the poor emulation the Pi provides you with isn't going to be up to scratch.
That's the real reason using a more powerful system and modern versions tends to happen, weak hardware only runs old versions with old bugs.
There are of course exceptions where the current versions aren't as good, some drivers do have long standing bugs where you are better using an old version for those specific cases, but if you're running on a machine capable of running the new builds you at least have a choice in the matter.
2084:
I'd have to disagree with the sentiment that many have shared here that the Raspberry Pi is not an appropriate platform for arcade emulation. I have now built several MAME cabs using the PI. All of these have full sized controls but hang on the wall: One that runs Robotron 2084, one Rampage, Stargate, and a Tempest. Some of them run multiple games (e.g. the Stargate will also run Defender, Tempest will do multiple Tempest versions as well as Arkanoid and a few others). I am currently almost completed with a Q*Bert that also has a knocker controlled by the PI. All of these games run full speed. Advantages over the PC are lower cost, no cooling fan, no need to download frequent 'critical updates' to the windows software, faster startup. Although it can be used with a USB interface, it is also possible to use the GPIO interface with arcade controls, an option not available on the PC. The PC has its place and I have one cabinet that uses a Windows PC (It runs Fix it Felix which is not available for the PI or MAME).
nitrogen_widget:
--- Quote from: 2084 on September 04, 2014, 09:14:57 am ---I'd have to disagree with the sentiment that many have shared here that the Raspberry Pi is not an appropriate platform for arcade emulation. I have now built several MAME cabs using the PI. All of these have full sized controls but hang on the wall: One that runs Robotron 2084, one Rampage, Stargate, and a Tempest. Some of them run multiple games (e.g. the Stargate will also run Defender, Tempest will do multiple Tempest versions as well as Arkanoid and a few others). I am currently almost completed with a Q*Bert that also has a knocker controlled by the PI. All of these games run full speed. Advantages over the PC are lower cost, no cooling fan, no need to download frequent 'critical updates' to the windows software, faster startup. Although it can be used with a USB interface, it is also possible to use the GPIO interface with arcade controls, an option not available on the PC. The PC has its place and I have one cabinet that uses a Windows PC (It runs Fix it Felix which is not available for the PI or MAME).
--- End quote ---
I agree.
people on these boards just discount the rpi way too easily and seem to be stuck on how old the version of mame on it is.
I can promise you that 99% of the people who touch my cab won't know what mame is or notice anything wrong with the games they haven't played in 20yrs & of the 1% who have heard of mame is they won't have clue one about the versions.
as long as it plays the games you want it shouldn't matter what version of mame you are on.
i'm using a rpi because my vertical classics cab will be on my backporch is made of scrap pressure treated wood and using a thrift store LCD.
seems like the perfect job for a RPI.
there is a mega drive rom someone homebrew'd for the emulator if you want to try & run fix it felix on the rpi using that emulator.
but it's horizontal.
would like to see some of your circuits for controls.
are you using the adafruit app to map out the GPIO or something else?
screamingtiger:
It sounds like for my use a PC is the way to go. I want have thousands games installed, and over the next couple years I want to find games I never thought about and jump on my PC based arcade and just play them.
Just by looking throught here I seen several games I forgot about I am going to have to play. You kow the ones, you were at the donut shop with dad and you waited by the arcades, watching the demos. But mean old dad would not give you a quarter. I completely forget about stuff like that until I see it, and my drive to play it becomes very strong!
Now I get to play it :)
However using RPI I may not be able to since it may not be supported on the older version of mame, or maybe I dont have the game installed due to space limitations. So having a arcade with all the games just to have them will be difficult with RPI, which is my goal for now.
I DO plan to build an RPI version for novelty value, maybe give it to my brother as a gift.
Does anyone know, what about RPI for a dedicated pinball setup?
As you can tell I have much research to do in the software area. Back in the day, Nesticle was was the best emulator for NES but a lot of it was hand coded in assembly. Lots of research to do and I also must figure out what the rom versions mean. I downloaded a 42GB file for mame roms and now I think it may be the wrong version!
BTW, in terms of RPI. I have a 300 GB drive and it is already 75% full and I have barely gotten started. I have a 500 GB drive on warrantly replacement on the way so I will have to swap it out.
For anyone usein RPI, check out Banana Pi.
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