Raspberry pi2 vs arduino

[D-ru15]

Hello guys,

I was hoping someone would help me.  I started an arcade project about 10 months ago, had to stop (life got busy) I am really wanting to finish this off now.   I am having problems with the programming part. (I have built the frame with my monitor plus I am using 2 Player USB Mame Arcade Kit w/ 2 Joysticks 4/8 way)

Now my question - Buy the raspberry pi2 kit or the Arduino?

I have never used any of these.  I am looking for the easiest one to set up(program) I will literaly need a step by step instuction (Im sure I can find somewhere, or if someone has a good link)  I am hoping to have as many old school games as possible and hope to have a clear and organized screen to view all the games(not sure if this matters on what board I choose) that will run well.

Not sure if I should mention the games I would like to play (if this matters)  - Mario kart, super mario bros, donkey kong, pac man, mortal kombat, street fighter, to name a few


Thank you in advance, any information is greatly appreciated

[southpaw13]

I think there are many more emulation options for the PI.  I have been testing Retropie and having great results.  I got one of them running all the NeoGeo games.  I got another running a lot of the vector games.  I am pretty much making a few multi-platforms with the PI.  It has taken a little programming work, but everything is on-line to help figure it out.

[Slippyblade]

Um...  totally different things.  An Arduino is a simple micro-controller.  It can't run emulators.

[obcd]

You should buy neither of those 2
Buy a second hand pc and install that. it's much more powerfull.
Be aware that the pi2 is not your only cost. You will need a case.
You will also need an usb sound adapter or a hdmi 2 video / audio converter. (the pi analog sound output is rather low quality)
I know you have an sd card lying around, but if not, you will need to buy such as well.
I have seen pretty decent dual core desktops for 120 euro.
I added a 20 euro graphic card and could run Taito X2 games at a full 60 fps. The embedded intel graphics wasn't up to that task.
For the older games, the pi2 does the job, but what's the point in having a small pc into something like an arcade?
Arduino is ideal if you like to make your own button interface, or a credit board, but it's not the device you need to emulate games.

[Locke141]

I think he is talking about new'ish arduino PC's that run LINUX. Like the ArduinoCertified  Intel Galileolileo

If you just want a small cheep system that will run the older games on your list the R-pi is fine. If you want to run lots of newer high end games an used PS is the way to go, as long as space, heat, and and power consumption are not an issue.

If you want an R-Pi image that has an arcade friendly front end, built on a stripped down version of the native R-pi OS for speed, and has the option to wire controls to GPIO  nitrogen_widget SD card image.

There is also...
RetroArch Also read this
RetroPie

Also, you don't need a case if its going in a build.

Edit. I would go with the R-Pi, but thought I would share this PCDuino V3 on sail for $17.49 (from $59) for black Friday.
http://www.makershed.com/products/pcduino-v3

[D-ru15]

First, thank you for all your inputs.

I actually have a older PC just laying around my house that I could use ( I read so much about pi, and thought this is the way to go)  The unit I built is big enough so the pc will not overheat.   

The older PC I have laying around is made by Sony- link to the specs if it matters to know
http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-vaio-pcv-rz/specs/

If this computer will work, that would be great ill save about $100 for the pi kit.

My last question,   what do I need to download onto this PC to make it all come together.   emulations/roms/programs to run it all?  does anyone have a good link on how to for dummies     I am extremely new at this stuff, but find it extremly cool

Again thank you, I would not have gotten this far without sites like this.