Retrogaming distros
WE COMPARE TONS OF STUFF SO YOU DON’ T HAVE TO!
Michael Reed takes a look at five different systems that can turn a computer into a retrogaming paradise.
Michael Reed can often be found hunkered down, reliving the glory days of his misspent youth with an emulator.
HOW WE TESTED…
We are primarily interested in distros that work on a desktop PC or a laptop, but we also like to see setups that work on single-board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi. Our test machines are a mid-level desktop PC with an Nvidia graphics card and a Raspberry Pi 400. It’s also a point in a distribution’s favour if it works on handheld devices.
We used a fairly generic USB game controller for navigation around the user interface and to actually play the games. We also tested with a TV-style remote control with a small QWERTY keyboard on the back, along with the keyboards of both the Raspberry Pi 400 and the desktop PC.
We could have relied on an Ethernet cable, but we wanted to make sure that each system also worked across Wi-Fi.
All of the systems used much the same type of emulator cores, and they can all handle emulating the most common retro systems.
CREDIT: Getty Images/Image Source
It’s time to sit back, switch on the TV and relive the old days with a game controller in hand. This month, we’re comparing five systems that can turn a computer into a full-on retrogaming system with an easy-to-use interface.
Recalbox is a complete Linux distribution in its own right, but it’s one with a primary purpose of providing emulators of classic machines, and it’s fronted by an easy-to-use, retro-themed controller-driven interface. Batocera covers similar ground and it, too, offers a polished user interface. RetroPie is a distribution that was created to turn a Raspberry Pi into an emulator-powered retrogaming system, and it features a lot of customisation options. It can also be added as a piece of software to a normal PC running a Linux distribution.
RetroArch isn’t a distribution at all, although it does power some of the retrogaming distributions. It can be installed as standalone software on practically any existing Linux desktop. It’s a good choice if you’re a part-time gamer who needs to be able to use your PC for day-to-day tasks. It’s also a good choice if you want to have total customisation control.
Installation and platform support
The supported platforms and devices, and the ease of installation.
We’re looking for a good installation experience when installing on a standard PC, but we’re also interested in support for other platforms such as the Raspberry Pi. RetroPie is a complete distro for the Raspberry Pi and a few other single-board computers (SBCs). To install it, you write the IMG file to an SD card. On first run, RetroPie expands the partition to fill the SD card, requiring a reboot before use. It can be installed on a PC, but installation is rather convoluted as it involves installing RetroPie on an existing Ubuntu/Debian Linux installation. It would be up to you to set RetroPie to launch on boot for full-screen use without a keyboard or mouse.