Main > Raspberry Pi & Dev Board

Can I get a rough overview of Raspberry Pi and emulation gaming?

(1/7) > >>

Batchman:
Hi, all,

I'm here in this section of the forum because I just learned about Raspberry Pi (well, learned of it's existence) as a $35-$40 computer, and I've been poking around the site and the internet for the last couple of hours trying to do some research. And I have some questions I haven't found any answers for yet.

So first off, is there a general information thread about Raspberry Pi and emulation that might show the positives and negatives in using it for emulation / cabinet work? If so, if I can be directed to it, this thread might very well be able to just be deleted. If there isn't one, might it be a good idea?


See, here's the thing. I do not have a lot of money. I am preparing for my first build, and I am already going to be spending at least a couple hundred dollars building a pedestal, and five hundred dollars on controls. I was also worried about spending three or four hundred dollars on a computer to run the thing ... at this point, spending something like $40 dollars for that side of things, instead, would be a very great blessing. But, of course, I know almost nothing about Raspberry Pi, so I do not know how well it would work.

I know that Raspberry Pi can work with MAME and most of the early console systems, and rumor is with RPi3 that consoles through about SNES work fine. Do most arcade games from the 70s-90s work fine, also? Are there lots of games that work on the main MAME project, but don't work on RPi?

The one system I don't see mentioned is Daphne ... can Daphne work, or are there emulation issues ... or simply disc space issues?

I expect I will be handling my joysticks and buttons with a IPAC4 and my Trackball and Spinner with an Opti-Wiz ... but from first glance, it looks like there are some threads about problems with trackballs and spinners, so I figured I would ask ... are there problems to consider with these?

Some way to attach a hard drive, or everything has to be done through a SD card? (And glancing at the pictures of the RPi, I don't see where the SD card goes, so I'm slightly confused). If only an SD card, which only has 64GB (only, he says ...) of space, and having to have some kind of operating system on there, how limited are you in space for games?

While I would like the option for some of the more modern games, in truth I have very little interest in arcade games beyond the 90s or consoles beyond the SNES, but still.

Also, how about sound and speaker output? As easy as a regular PC, or more involved?

Sorry for all the questions, but this seems like a somewhat new, but very cool, development that I would like to understand.

Oh, and with such a tiny computer, and so many buttons and joysticks, and multiple USB devices and so on, are there extra concerns for powering everything?

yotsuya:
You don't have to spend $300-$400 on a computer for MAME. I've picked up Core2Duos on Craigslist for less than the price of a new Pi.

05SRT4:
Yots is right, if size is no matter then picking up a old dual core from craigslist is generally easier and will probably be cheaper.



Video shows most of the basic emulators using the Pi3. No daphne though and I have never actually tried using daphne on a pi so im not sure how well it emulates.

yotsuya:
Yeah, please note, I'm not trying to discourage you from the Pi, I'm just saying it's not going to be necessarily the cheapest option.

JDFan:

--- Quote from: yotsuya on July 03, 2016, 09:12:15 pm ---Yeah, please note, I'm not trying to discourage you from the Pi, I'm just saying it's not going to be necessarily the cheapest option.

--- End quote ---

^this -- by the time you purchase the pieces that are not part of the $30 - $40 Pi price (ie. powersupply, SD card, etc.) You'll quickly find yourself paying more than you can get a used PC either off cragslist or even an off lease reseller or local Pawn Shop !

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page