Considering RetroPie project

[AndersHP]

Hi all,

I'm currently using a lot of time researching and preparing for my first arcade project, and I'm very much in love with the idea of a Raspberry Pi (RetroPie) powering a bartop arcade machine, since I don't want a Windows interface to my arcade, that would ruin the experience for me.

I'm also trying to find out everything I can about the setup of the Pi before I start buying everything, and I heard in a podcast, that the RetroPie solution is actually not so much plug n' play as I thought.

The way I understand it, the RetroPi is not fast enough to run the newest emulators, hence the users have to find old versions of ROM's in order for it to Work, and these have to fit to the emulator versions. Is this correct?

I don't understand the issue though. Wouldn't I run the exact same versions of emulators and hence be interested in the exact same ROM versions as everyone else? Why is there not a RetroPie list of ROMs that just Works? Or a complete diskimage with ROMs etc. to be found online? I guess all the RetroPie users out there just want working games?

(I am aware that I legitimally can only install ROMs of games that I already own)

Is this just an issue for, say 1% of the very rare MAME games out there, or...? 

[ballboff]

The way I understand it, the RetroPi is not fast enough to run the newest emulators, hence the users have to find old versions of ROM's in order for it to Work, and these have to fit to the emulator versions. Is this correct?

I don't understand the issue though. Wouldn't I run the exact same versions of emulators and hence be interested in the exact same ROM versions as everyone else? Why is there not a RetroPie list of ROMs that just Works? Or a complete diskimage with ROMs etc. to be found online? I guess all the RetroPie users out there just want working games?

This has always been the case, and it would be true even with a windows pc.  Your version of mame has to match your version of the roms, otherwise they would not all work.  I used mame2003 which is made by the people who made retroarch, so it's fully compatible with retroarch folder locations and file names etc.  The older games are not updated as much these days, which is why they generally all work now, but with older versions of mame, some of the older games didn't have the additional bin files that they now have contained in the zip files.  Anyway, was sliding a little off topic there, what I was getting at was that I looked at this page... https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Managing-ROMs and I realised that mame2003 uses mame 0.78, so I downloaded a full romset of mame 0.78 and every single game I tried worked like a dream, even all the neo geo ones.  It's not straight forward and it's not plug and play, but even a windows system can be quite complicated to fine tune to give that seamless arcade feel.  I remember it taking me months to download all my cover art and wheel art for hyperspin one time, it was dreadful.  Then there was all the hiding of windows and hiding the mouse pointer etc etc.

[yotsuya]

For the record, if you do it right, you won't see a Windows interface on your cab. Using a Pi isn't some magical experience that completely recreates the arcades of yesteryear seamlessly.

[floob]

To give an idea, here is a Pi running some mame roms. Not sure if its what you are after though


and a cab based front end for it  here:

[Afterburner]

Retropie will let you install a slew of emulators, including multiple variations of Mame.

One is based on a rather old version of Mame (v.39).  Another is based on Mame v.78.  And still another is based on Mame v.139.  There are even a few others in there as well.  But as mentioned previously, the version of the ROM has to match the versions of Mame.

Obviously the later versions support more/newer games.

So the first decision is what games do you play?  Mostly 80's "golden age" games?  The RPI3 can even handle some 90's games with polygon shading/texturing reasonably well.

If you want to play Wii/PS3 games, yeah, the RPI3 won't cut it.

As I'm finding, some of the Mame ports for RPI are not as full featured as the PC versions and may not support the control types you want to use.  So take that into consideration as well.

If you want to hook up a tiny computer to your TV, and use a cheap wireless XBOX or PS3 controller to play classic games from your sofa, the RPI3 + Retropie is an awesome solution.  If you want to build a nice mini or bartop cab with a simple 8way joy and a few buttons, the RPI is great.

If you want a full cab with 2-4 player control panel and a large variety of different control types to allow playing a huge range of games, the RPi probably isn't the best choice.

Having said all that, the cost of entry for an RPi setup is so low you can try it and then decide if you need more. 

On the whole, I found getting the RPI3 loaded with software, Retropie installed,  ROMs loaded in the appropriate folders, and a PS3 controller working really quick and easy.

[AndersHP]

Thanks for the replies, Guys.

I'm mainly going to play the old '80's / start '90's console games, but if I can find cool MAME versions of some of these games, that'd be fun to check out.
I will say it'll be 99% "mainstream" console games, played on a 2 player bartop build.

I guess the RbPi setup will be perfect for this, that's just what I wanted confirmed - you did this, thanks.

What just surprised me though, is that I found recommendations on getting 8-16 GB microSD for the RbPi. But seeing the MAME romset is around 30GB makes me think that I really should opt for a 64 GB microSD !!

[floob]

Yes, a 64GB microSD is a good idea, but bear in mind the romsets for the supported mame versions will be less than the current MAME romset.
For example, for the lr-mame2003 (0.078 romset) emulator on the Pi, which is a good one to aim for is about 9GB. Then you'd probably want to strip out clones and Mahjong/Adult etc..

You can use romlister or something to do that quickly.
https://www.waste.org/~winkles/ROMLister/

[AndersHP]

I have an extra question, regarding japanese controls in wooden CP's.

I am building a bartop from 12 or 18 mm MDF, and am thinking of covering the control panel with foil, so I guess I won't need plexiglass on top.

I can't choose between Seimitsu LS-32 or Sanwa JLW, since this is my first build, I have no clue how either feels, I guess I want to buy good quality parts (though not necessarily high-end), and then adapt to them.

Is it true that the Sanwa JLW is preferred for Wooden controlpanels, since it can be under-mounted? If I can avoid routing the CP, this could end up being my choice?

Also, since none of the japanese make buttons will mount in wood, I guess I'll buy Happ Competition buttons with cherry switches, since these got a pretty allright reputation in here.

Thoughts?

[pbj]

Emulation Station is such a pile of crap.  Probably the worst front end I've used since ArcadeOS.

[AndersHP]

Emulation Station is such a pile of crap.  Probably the worst front end I've used since ArcadeOS.

Why?

When looking at YouTube videos it seems RetroPie gets the job done with both MAME and old Genesis, SNES and NES games? Even most Dreamcast and N64 games seem to be running fine off the RetroPie/EmulationStation setup?

Oh and BTW, my questions regarding joysticks and buttons still stands 

[HaRuMaN]

Sanwa & Seimitsu both make screw in buttons that can go in a wood panel...  I usually route enough wood away so the panel is 0.25" thick for the buttons.