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Author Topic: Couple Newbie Questions....  (Read 3317 times)

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Demon-Seed

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Couple Newbie Questions....
« on: September 11, 2017, 10:12:49 am »
Hey
I am considering a pie for my next build however have never played with one or installed it.....  I had a few questions....

How does hyper pie compare to hyper spin?
How does N64, Dreamcast and PSX run on pie?
Can you use the ultramarc switchable sticks or only do they work with a pc?
What is the newest console that works on pie (and is playable)
Does hyper pie or other themes have full video support etc?
Is it easy to setup?
How often does it freeze or crash?
Average cost?
Can I connect arcade controls?
Can I have a button power it off and on....

Thanks
Jim
Life is like a video game, a good one never dies..

yotsuya

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2017, 10:38:55 am »
What flavor pie? Peach? Dutch apple? Pumpkin season soon!
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

vwalbridge

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2017, 04:22:23 pm »
What flavor pie? Peach? Dutch apple? Pumpkin season soon!

fake rep for you!


@OP: I'd PM BYOAC user paigeoliver. He will give you a fair and honest opinion of the Pi.
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05SRT4

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2017, 03:37:58 am »
I too am waiting for paigeoliver's comments

nitrogen_widget

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2017, 12:01:15 pm »
Hey
I am considering a pie for my next build however have never played with one or installed it.....  I had a few questions....

How does hyper pie compare to hyper spin?
How does N64, Dreamcast and PSX run on pie?
Can you use the ultramarc switchable sticks or only do they work with a pc?
What is the newest console that works on pie (and is playable)
Does hyper pie or other themes have full video support etc?
Is it easy to setup?
How often does it freeze or crash?
Average cost?
Can I connect arcade controls?
Can I have a button power it off and on....

Thanks
Jim

Hyper pie just looks like an image with attract mode on it.
there are literally dozens of these custom images floating around on the web.
but, they do give you some info on how to set things up.
The attract mode forum can help with any questions.

Get an RPI3 with heat sinks and over clock it using the instructions here for N64 emulation:
https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Optimization-for-Nintendo-64

i'm just setting up n64 emulation now and planing to try some of the high-res texture packs.

PSone emulation seems to work fine for the handful of games i've tried on a normal clocked rpi3.
I plan to overclock and enable the enhanced graphics plug in and see how that works.

Most questions can be answered on the retropie forum since it is what most of these images are based on.



Not sure about dreamcast emulation.


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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2017, 03:03:21 pm »
pi 3's go for $35 but arrow.com has been running specials so they are a bit under $30 shipped with free overnight shipping.

Yeah you can use arcade controls, just use a usb encoder like you would do with MAME and a PC, etc.  xin mo, zero delay, ipac, yada yada yada.

for power switch there are options that you can buy or build.
or you can install scripts which do a formal power down of pi software, along with a reset button, but you still have power going into the pi.
or you can just power it off like a normal power switch or power strip.  I have yet to corrupt an sd card by doing so, and sd cards are easy to reformat so it is easy.
If you want it in a nice compact case with a real power button then the retroflag mini nes case is great and inexpensive at 19-25 bucks US.

for video output you just update a text file called config.txt, which exists on any pi build and can be edited directly from your pc if you want with notepad or notepad++.
the 2 modes cover a ton of output options which can be seen here or the official site, just google-  https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/config-txt/video.md
you can output with hdmi cable, or hdmi to vga adapter, or even use the 3.5mm jack with the 3 connector jacks.

sky is the limit.

barrymossel

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2017, 05:33:42 am »
What I currently have setup is a RPi3, overclocked with these settings and N64 (Banjo Tooie) seems to run quite ok (only watched the intro, didn't play anything as I had no controllers attached atm). Without overclock it's utter crap. To overclock make sure you have heatsinks installed and a case with fan (or something to properly cool the RPi). Also get an official power supply and maybe a PiHut RPi USB hub. I have used quite some power supplies (ranging from iPad charger to AliExpress 4A power supply) and I always got the lower voltage symbol (with having 1 arcade usb controller, a USB memory stick and logitech adapter attached). Especially when overclocked. After I switched to the official power supply and the special RPi powered USB hub yesterday I didn't even see the lightning symbol at startup or while testing N64.

For power on/off I use a Mausberry circuit, which powers down the RPi safely (so no risk of SD corruption), cuts down the power to the RPi and powers it up again when you switch your button. Works really well (but don't expect any support or fast shipping from the seller). An alternative is a Powerblock (from one of the RetroPie mods/devs(?)). Does the same job. Maybe even better is his Controlblock which combines the power switch circuit with an USB controller for arcade controls (for two players). I would have bought that one if I didn't already had four Zero Delay USB controllers which do the job perfectly for me. Ultimarc stick should work as well...

Newest console playable is probably N64 and PSX but YMMV. Haven't tried Dreamcast yet.

I don't know HyperSpin, but I would recommend to start off with RetroPie (just download the image on their website and write it to an SD card with something like Etcher.io). It will work quite fine out of the box. Then customize it at will. You can also use AttractMode, so use skins that look like HyperSpin.
Of course you can also just download a fully setup image (what I guess HyperSpin is), but what's the fun in that!? ;)

No freezes or crashes until now. I don't think there will be much difference between a PC or RPi.

Average cost? Always more than you budgeted. :) I guess something like this (but you can find the exact prices yourself fairly easy):
  • RPi: €30-35
  • Power on/off circuit: €20
  • Power supply: €10
  • Powered USB hub: €10
  • Arcade controls: €40-100+
  • USB memory stick: €20
  • SD card (fast): €10
  • Case with fan/heatsinks: €6

So give or take: €150 without the cabinet.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2017, 12:25:06 pm by barrymossel »

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2017, 08:57:44 am »
good stuff above.
definitely start simple and get used to how it all works before you drop lots of money on all the little extras.

when i was learning about power options I bought a powerblock which was relatively expensive compared to the cost of a pi.  the script didn't work right in the build, i couldn't find any help so i threw it in the junk box.  and just last week i mailed it to someone for free so they could tinker with it.

there are thousands upon thousands of people dinking with pi in relation to gaming so find a community you like that is active and just have fun.

Once you have a pi and a power supply and a cheap usb controller and a monitor.
start simple by learning to install the base retropie image found here- https://retropie.org.uk/download/

Which is going to lead you toward installing the basic development tools you'll need on your PC-
win32diskimager
winscp
putty
notepad++

also check out etaprime on youtube for starters, he's really efficient with his tutorials where you'll find some YT stuff is rambling and misses the details.

nitrogen_widget

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2017, 09:47:06 am »
I just run the RPI3 with a 3.5A power supply and plugged a few usb controllers in.
I also picked up the heatsink set for overclocking.

Emulation station has a menu pop-up with hot keys to shut the pi down.
Then you can kill power to it.
I just use that.
It's free. :)

I don't know if the usb arcade controllers take more power maybe but I haven't had issues or needed a powered usb hub yet.

I ran super mario world 3d.
without over clock it wasn't very fun and sound was static.
with overclock seemed to run smooth for the 5 minutes I ran around but sound still had some static.
but i'm using analog sound which is supposed to use up too much cpu and can affect the emulator.
I'll switch over to hdmi and see if there is a difference.
then try to get high-res textures going but i may just throw n64 on the same PC my dolphin emulator is on and just use this rpi for psone.

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2017, 10:06:41 am »
I do have to say I use a HDMI to VGA adapter which also uses some power and I noticed the Zero Delay controller (just one connected atm) was probably the biggest cause of the low voltage (disconnecting seemed to make it better, but still the lightning icon once in a while). That's why I decided to play it safe with the official power supply and the powered hub. Normally I buy the cheapest at first, but end up with the more expensive stuff that actually works (started with an Orange Pi, ended up with a RPi3 - started with a AliExpress powered hub, didn't work, ended up with the PiHut one, etc.).

when i was learning about power options I bought a powerblock which was relatively expensive compared to the cost of a pi.  the script didn't work right in the build, i couldn't find any help so i threw it in the junk box.  and just last week i mailed it to someone for free so they could tinker with it.
A few days ago I noticed a typo in the quick install instructions on the Powerblock's GitHub. You might have gone wrong there. The full instructions are almost impossible to follow I believe (I didn't try those as the Mausberry circuit works great out of the box). But I agree these solutions are pretty expensive. But hey, if you get the ControlBlock and compare it to an iPac... :)
« Last Edit: September 13, 2017, 12:24:07 pm by barrymossel »

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Re: Couple Newbie Questions....
« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2017, 01:27:50 pm »
I had power issues with the one passive hdmi to vga adaptor I first bought.
then I bought a self powered one.
Which then requires something to plug it's USB power cord into like a hub.

I'm actually outputting to a CRT TV so need analog audio.
Will try my 23" lcd tv to see if static goes away.