Are they? I didn’t know that.
I guess the main thing that gives me pause is the OS. I don’t need anything really big from it, but being able to comfortably use it is a must. I’ve heard complaints that Pi OS is pretty bare bones, but I imagine putting Android on it would sort that out.
But then, if you’re gonna get one with a screen, why not just get a laptop? (Obviously the price, but still…)
I’ll defo wait till my current machine dies, but this does look really, really cool.
Pi OS is a custom Linux distribution based on Debian. It’s a decent system with lots of flexibility, and is good for beginners. You can install several different Linux distributions, all depending on what you want from the device. You can install Android, and that might be advantageous for a small portable device with a touch screen, but I tend to prefer Linux distros for the Pi. There are some pretty lightweight Linux distros, but also ones that will give you a robust desktop experiences, depending on what you need. And if the desired configuration is a desktop environment, I would definitely chose Linux over Android.
I’ve only used Linux in a very small capacity. I think it was Ubuntu, but I could be miss remembering.
I’d want a basic desktop experience; web browsing, music playing, maaaaube some very light graphics stuff. Apart from games, that’s all I really use my laptop for now, and I plan to replace the gaming aspect eventually with a Steam Deck.
There is the very slight possibility I might use a computer for more art related stuff down the line, mostly digital colouring with a graphics tablet, but that depends very much on a) if I decide to dive deep back into that and b) if there is a quality, not-too-exoensive tablet (probably Wacom).
So yeah, minus the graphics stuff I think one of these devices would serve me well, but as cool as it is I’m not gonna jump into getting one until my laptop starts chugging more than it currently is. Who knows, by that time they might be powerful enough to do graphics too.
I’m just curious if there’s anyone here doing much emulation on Windows. Is anyone using a frontend they like? Retrobat seems pretty cool. Launchbox seems huge and kind of too much. I’ve got a new Bee Link SER8 that is a pretty decent machine hooked up to my TV right now. Throw your suggestions my way!
I’m emulating, primarily RPSC3 and Dolphin stuff, but I’m not using a frontend of any sort, so I’m curious what other people’s answers will be. I use Emudeck on Steam Deck which then automatically feeds everything into the Steam launcher, which is nice for console mode.
No front ends for me. I just install emulation and play game.
I don’t emulated on PC now I have a Retroid, but I used RetroArch when I did and it was really great.
I have seen a lot of people on reddit say that’s how they do it as well. That’s probably what I should do. I’m sure I’d mostly be doing SNES stuff, so I don’t really need anything complicated.
As long as the game runs without issue, that’s my biggest priority. Are there benefits to using a front end?
They look pretty? I don’t know. They do install all the emulators and make them kind of dummy proof. You just drop roms in the folders and then they show up on a screen.
I wouldn’t bother with a front end for SNES unless you want something of a media centre on your TV that’s easy to control with a gamepad. But to be honest I haven’t bothered even though my PC is dedicated to my TV.
They are nice if you want a simple single interface for all your games in one place and that can be easily controlled on a TV from your couch. Personallly I like adding them to Steam, which is what Emudeck does on Steam Deck. But I have used RetroPi when building a Raspberry Pi console. RetroPi has a simple media centre interface that’s easy to use with a gamepad.
RetroPie is kind of what made me ask about all this. I’ve done that before, and I know that thing uses Emulation Station. I liked the interface and all the info it pulls in about the games. It’s definitely overkill for what I want to do though.
Probably better off with just a standalone emulator then. The interface may not be as nice, but they work well.
Which Retroid do you have? I have the Pocket 4, and it’s pretty sweet. I don’t like the interfaces too much, but the device works very well.
I have the Pocket 3+. I’ve installed the Daijisho frontend based on a video from RetroCorps and it’s great. Never used the default one.
How much of a pain was that? I skipped that part of the RetroCorps video I watched.
Very easy. Sometimes it doesn’t auto recognise every game so box art etc may not show up, but it’s easy to change search parameters, or add your own info, so it looks nice.
I’d probably do it if I planned to emulate a lot on a box attached to my TV and planned to use several different emulators. It’s not unjustified. Emulation Station is nice.
This may be of interest to those to frequent this thread. The RetroHour podcast talks to GoG about their preservation project and what goes into getting a game preserved. Really interesting stuff.