Retro Gaming with Raspberry Pi

Created by Phillip Burgess

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 [Link]

Last updated on 2024-06-03 01:19:57 PM EDT

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 Table of Contents

Overview 5

Picking a Game Emulator 6

• Which emulator is for me?
• Help - this emulator doesn't work!
• RetroPie
• PiPlay
• Recalbox
• Lakka
• Batocera

Adding Controls: Hardware 10

• Console-Style Controls with USB
• Arcade and Handheld Gaming Controls
• Connecting to the Raspberry Pi
• Do I need Pull-up or Pull-down resistors?
• Example: Connecting an Arcade Joystick & 2 Buttons
• Adding More Buttons
• Example: A Mini Portable Gaming Handheld

Installing Retrogame 19
• Download and Install

Configuring Retrogame 21
• New retrogame: Settings File

Configuring Older Retrogame 23

• Classic retrogame: Edit Source Code

Arcade Cabinet Pack Assembly 24

RetroPie: Improving Emulator Performance 31

• Overclocking
• Choosing an Alternate Emulator
• Installing Additional Emulators
• Updating Emulators to Latest Versions

Troubleshooting RetroPie and retrogame 37

• General Troubleshooting
• retrogame Related Troubleshooting
• RetroPie Related Troubleshooting
• Installing RetroPie Packages
• Accessing Alternate Emulators
• More RetroPie Help

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 Overview
I’m a child of the 1980s. Miami Vice! Skinny ties! Big hair! Honest, I had hair then…and
every town had at least one good video game arcade.

Thanks to the super affordable Raspberry Pi and some clever software, anyone can
re-create the classic arcade experience at home. Adafruit brings the genuine “clicky”
arcade controls, you bring the game files and a little crafting skill to build it.

Classic game emulation used to require a well-spec’d PC and specialized adapters for
the controls, so it’s exciting to see this trickle down to a $40 computer.

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 Picking a Game Emulator
Before you begin with adding an arcade control you'll need some games to play! In
particular we're going to be talking about Retro Gaming here

Retro gaming is one of the most popular uses for the Raspberry Pi, and there are now
a multitude of ready-to-go SD card images packed with emulator software (though
most require sourcing your own ROM files). The days of installing emulators onesy-
twosey are behind us; and the Pi Store (an online app store for Raspberry Pi,
recommended in earlier versions of this guide) was shuttered in 2015.

Which emulator is for me?

Before committing to a big arcade project build, we recommend testing one or more
of these packages with a keyboard connected and confirm you can set up and run
all the games you’re most interested in…then move ahead with more interesting
controls.

These are all free downloads, so there’s no harm in downloading them all and
seeing what fits your tastes. Also, as you work with each one and tweak and tune, it’s
not uncommon to have to wipe and start over. Keep careful notes of your setup
process and any configuration changes you make!

Once you've downloaded an emulator image, burn it onto your SD card using these
instructions ([Link]

Help - this emulator doesn't work!

If you encounter difficulty with these packages or just need tips on setting them up,
please visit the FAQ and/or support forum on the corresponding project’s web site, n
ot the Adafruit Forums. They’ll be better equipped to answer questions about their
own software.

(We can only help out if you have questions specifically about our arcade controls or
the retrogame software we’ll introduce on the last page. Please ask for such help in
the Adafruit Customer Support Forums ([Link] not submit support
questions as bug reports on GitHub, they’ll be ignored there…and be as specific as
possible in describing both the variant of Raspberry Pi hardware you’re using and
which software package and release, exact version number or date, etc. Thanks!)

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 So! Here are a few gaming OSes we’re currently aware of…

Once you've picked it out and installed it on your Raspberry Pi, you can continue to
the next step

RetroPie
This is our recommended emulator package!

From the RetroPie web site ([Link]

“RetroPie allows you to turn your

Raspberry Pi or PC into a retro-gaming
machine. It builds upon Raspbian,
EmulationStation, RetroArch and many
other projects to enable you to play your
favourite Arcade, home-console, and
classic PC games with the minimum set-
up. For power users it also provides a
large variety of configuration tools to
customise the system as you want.

“RetroPie sits on top of a full OS, you can

install it on an existing Raspbian, or start
with the RetroPie image and add
additional software later. It's up to you.”

From the site’s Download page ([Link] there are separate versions of
RetroPie optimized for single- and multi-core Raspberry Pi boards (i.e. Pi Zero,
original Model A or B, A+ or B+ versus the multi-core Pi 2 and Pi 3); these are not
cross-compatible; be sure to start with the right version for your model of Pi!

In particular, we like the 3.8.1 release, as it includes some ready-to-run games such as
Doom (see all releases here ([Link]

Click here to download the v3.8.1 release for Raspberry Pi 2 and 3 ([Link]
sNC)

Click here to download the v3.8.1 release for Raspberry Pi Zero and 1 (https://
[Link]/sND)

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 Breaking down some of the jargon above…

• Raspbian is the standard and most popular Linux operating system distribution
for the Raspberry Pi; it’s what most people start with when setting up a
Raspberry Pi for “normal computer stuff.”
• EmulationStation is a graphical front-end that lets you select among different
emulators or games installed on the system, as well as configure gaming
controls and other options.
• RetroArch is among the broadest and most popular multi-platform emulators…
this is the code that runs the actual games. But it’s not the only one…RetroPie
(and most other gaming OSes) collect several others for different situations.

PiPlay
From the PiPlay web site ([Link]

“PiPlay, formerly called PiMAME, [is a] pre

built Raspberry Pi OS made for gaming
and emulation.

“Also included is a suite of software

designed to reduce the complexity and
time needed to setup a fully working
system. An updater is included with the
distribution.”

PiPlay lacks the breadth and active development of RetroPie; it’s not currently Pi 3 or
Zero compatible, hasn’t been updated since 2015 and the forums are falling victim to
spambots. Still, some users report an easier time configuring things here than other
distributions…as long as you’re running on the right hardware.

Recalbox
From the Recalbox web site ([Link]

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 “Recalbox offers a wide selection of
consoles and game systems. From the
very first arcade systems to the NES, the
MEGADRIVE and even 32-bit platforms,
such as the Playstation.

“With Kodi already included, Recalbox also

serves as a Media Center. By connecting it
to your home network, you will be able to
stream videos from any compatible
devices (NAS, PC, External HDD, etc.).”

A relative newcomer with an impressive variety of emulated systems. One SD card

image (from their “DIY recalbox” link ([Link] is compatible with all
current Raspberry Pi boards (no separate single- or multi-core downloads).

It appears that recalbox has its own support for interfacing arcade buttons and
joysticks to the Pi’s GPIO header, obviating the need for our own software explained
later in this guide. Have not experimented with this yet!

Lakka
From the Lakka web site ([Link]

“Lakka is a lightweight Linux distribution

that transforms a small computer into a full
blown game console.

“Lakka is the official Linux distribution of

RetroArch and the libretro ecosystem.

“Each game system is implemented as

a libretro core, while the
frontend RetroArch takes care of inputs
and display. This clear separation ensures
modularity and centralized configuration.”

Lakka is not as all-inclusive as other packages, but as a result it’s extremely compact.
There are separate downloads for single- and multi-core Raspberry Pi boards.

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 Batocera
[Link] ([Link] is another gaming-focused distribution that I’ve
personally not had time to experiment with, but was highly recommended.

Since these are all free to download, might as well try some different options and see
what feels best.

Adding Controls: Hardware

At this point you should have one (or more) games playable from the keyboard. The
next step is adding nifty controls…

Console-Style Controls with USB

If you’re aiming for a home TV gaming
console feel, things are super easy: a
variety of USB-compatible gaming
controllers exist that’ll plug straight into
the Pi and you’re done!

If aiming to simulate a particularly

nostalgic console, chances are you can
find an equivalent controller in USB format.
Look around a site like NewEgg or just
Google search for some options…I’ve seen
classic-style controllers
resembling the NES, Genesis, Playstation
and more, as well as USB adapters if you’d
prefer using actual original controls.

Pictured: Logitech F310

Arcade and Handheld Gaming Controls

Let’s look at arcade-style controls first, since they’re physically larger and thus easier
to work with…

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 Just as there are USB console-style controllers, so too are there USB arcade-style
setups. They’re often a bit costly though…also, nearly all of them are laid out for 1990s
fighting games. If the ready-mades meet your needs, fantastic. But maybe you want
something simpler, or may have ergonomic preferences (I’ve always prefered right-
handed joysticking, for example). Making your own control box (or even a whole
cabinet) is a satisfying DIY project!

This is where things take a creative turn. There’s no One Right Way™ to arrange
controls that can cover every game. Instead, pick a few favorites and devise a layout
that handles the most frequently-used inputs well. For everything else, you can still
use a keyboard.

You’ll also need to build your control panel using the materials and tools best suited
to your own skills. I’m fortunate to have access to a laser cutter that can work with
acrylic, but that’s a tall order for most. Scrap plywood or a metal project box are viable
materials (a cigar box works great too!), while a drill, hole saw, Dremel tool or wood
rasp are all reasonable tools for making holes. Improvise!

We have a nice assortment of arcade-style controls in the shop…

Our Small Arcade Joystick ([Link]

480) is the gamer’s equivalent of the IBM
Model M keyboard — clicky and built like a
tank!

This is an 8-way “digital” joystick.

Most classic games are designed for this
type of stick, and it’s easy to interface…the
Raspberry Pi can’t read proportional
“analog” joysticks directly.

Our 30mm Arcade Button ([Link]

471) is available in six different colors and
is similarly industrial-grade. Any
momentary push-type button (“normally
open” contacts) will also work.

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 Large ([Link] (60mm)
and Massive ([Link] (100mm)
arcade buttons come in five colors and are
irresistible! These bigger buttons are
typically seen on quiz games rather than
fast-twitch shooters.

A classic Atari or Commodore joystick can also be used, since these are just passive
switches internally. Most later gaming consoles used serial protocols for their
controls…unfortnately those won’t work here…but as mentioned previously, USB
clones exist for most.

We offer a variety of arcade controls, but we don't sell COMMON SENSE. When
drilling and cutting, take precautions such as wearing SAFETY GLASSES, always
cut AWAY from yourself, etc.

Connecting to the Raspberry Pi

The controls will be wired to the 40-pin

GPIO (general-purpose input/output)
header on the Raspberry Pi board.

Early model Raspberry Pi boards had a 26-

pin header…same idea, just with fewer
spots to connect things.

Each pin on this header has a unique “GPIO number” …not in-order, but we provide a
map below for translating. Buttons and a joystick (each of 4 directions) will connect
between any available GPIO pin and a ground (GND) pin.

This map is turned 90- degrees from the photo above…so the 5V pins are nearest the
corner of the board, while GPIO21 is nearest the USB connectors:

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 • All of the green pins are fair game for connecting buttons.
• Yellow pins may or may not be available for controls, depending what hardware
features are enabled on the system:

◦ GPIO2 and GPIO3 are off-limits if using any I2C peripherals (for example,
most real-time clock boards).
◦ GPIO14 and GPIO15 are off-limits if using the TTL serial port (for example,
with a serial console cable, or thermal printer).
◦ If using one of our PiTFT displays (as most of our portable gaming projects
do), another seven GPIO pins are out of commission: GPIO7-GPIO11 and
GPIO24-25.
◦ Our I2S audio amplifier board ([Link] needs GPIO pins 18, 19
and 21.

• Avoid red pins, these carry power and aren’t suitable for controls.
• Black pins are ground points. The other leg of each button (and the “common”
pin from a joystick) will need to connect to one of these. There are several
scattered around…if you need more, one of our small Perma-Proto boards (http://
[Link]/1171) can be used to provide a single large “ground rail” where one side
of all the buttons can be connected. Alternately, if you have extra unused GPIO
pins and just need a couple extra ground connections, we’ll show a software
work-around for this.

Most any “passive” joystick or buttons should work — that is, they’re internally just
mechanical switches. This is the most common type. There are some higher-end

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 sticks and buttons using optical sensors that require power and output inverted logic,
but our Retrogame software doesn’t handle these.

Do I need Pull-up or Pull-down resistors?

You do not need external pull-up resistors for the buttons or arcade controller…they
can wire direct to the GPIO pins and grounds. The Raspberry Pi has its own “internal”
pull-ups.

Just as the layout and build technique of the control panel requires creative
interpretation, so too will you need to decide on your own wiring methodology. We
have some parts that can help. Aside from the aforementioned Perma-Proto board,
there are quick-connect wires ([Link] that work with the buttons
and jumper wires ([Link] in various lengths that can be used with a
joystick or plug directly into the GPIO pins (without a Perma-Proto board). Options
abound! You’ll likely need some combination of these, and may need to solder some
connections.

Example: Connecting an Arcade Joystick &

2 Buttons
Here’s a pinout diagram for our arcade
stick. Only one wire needs to go to GND,
then each of the other four goes to a
different GPIO pin.

These directions apply when the stick is

oriented with the header at the top. It’s
fine to install the stick in a different
orientation, you’ll just need to adapt the
wiring connections to match.

If using quick-connect wires for buttons: the end plug tends to block adjacent pins on
the GPIO header. You can trim it down a bit using an X-Acto knife or Dremel tool, or
cut the plugs off and solder the wires to a Perma Proto board, or simply plan out your
wiring to avoid nearby pins…

• Joystick UP: GPIO10

• Joystick DOWN: GPIO17
• Joystick LEFT: GPIO25

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 • Joystick RIGHT: GPIO9
• Button A (one contact): GPIO23
• Button B (one contact): GPIO 7
• Joystick Ground, Button A & B second contacts: GND (theres a bunch of GND
pins available)

(This works fine with just HDMI TV output, but not with PiTFT displays which require
several pins for their own use…you’ll need to work out a different pin mapping in that
case.)

Here’s a basic no-soldering wiring setup

we use for TV gaming with one joystick
and two buttons, using 5 female-to-female
jumpers (small white squares) for the
joystick and two unmodified quick
connects (larger white rectangles) for the
buttons. Notice how the quick connects
each span a GPIO and adjacent ground
pin.

It’s a pretty basic layout, but sufficient to

accommodate quite a few classic games.
For the remaining seldom-used functions
(coin insert, start game), a regular USB
keyboard is kept nearby.

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 An example case I made from laser-cut
acrylic, but any workable material will
do. A cigar box makes a great fit!

The case should be at least 50mm (2

inches) deep to accommodate the buttons
and solderless connectors.

The shelf at the top holds a small USB

keyboard. This is a catch-all for seldom-
used functions (e.g. coin or game start).
Only the essential controls were assigned
to arcade buttons…but keep adding others
if you like!

I no longer have the vector files for this

laser-cut case. To be honest, it’s pretty
crude and minimal, and I would encourage
you to design your own with all the
controls you like, in whatever materials
you’re most comfortable working with.

Adding More Buttons

Here’s an example layout if we want to add six buttons plus a joystick, using the same
button quick-connects:

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 This layout avoids most of the peripheral
pins (e.g. I2C), but does use pins that
would be required for a PiTFT display…so
this is only viable if using HDMI or
composite video out.

This is mostly due to the size of the button

quick-connect plugs. Trimming the flanges
off with an X-Acto knife, you can probably
create a more compact arrangement.

“A”, “B”, “X” and “Y” here refer to the

controller button names used in
EmulationStation, not necessarily the keys
to which they’re assigned.

Sharp-eyed readers will notice the “Y”

button is connected between GPIO 5 and
6, rather than 5 and GND. On the
“Configuring Retrogame” page, we’ll
explain how one or more GPIO pins can
work as makeshift GND connections.

Example: A Mini Portable Gaming Handheld

For handheld projects, the principles are the same as above, just squeezed into a
very constrained space. Smaller components are used and the connections are a bit
more challenging.

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 You’ll find examples in our PiGRRL (https://
[Link]/kTD), PiGRRL 2 ([Link]
rBm), Pocket PiGRRL ([Link]
rBn), PiGRRL Zero ([Link]
and Super Game Pi ([Link]
projects.

Most of these use a PiTFT display, so

there’s a set of GPIO pins that are off-
limits. Otherwise, it’s all the same idea…
buttons wired to GPIO and ground pins.

The Raspberry Gear ([Link]

project uses a different approach…a
microcontroller acts as an intermediary to
the Pi’s USB port.

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 In earlier projects, we’d hack apart an
actual game controller to repurpose the
buttons and circuit boards. More recently,
we’ve started producing custom gamepad
PCBs to which buttons and wires can be
soldered:

PiGRRL 2.0 Custom Gamepad PCB (http://

[Link]/3015)
PiGRRL Zero Custom Gamepad
PCB ([Link]
“Soft” tactile buttons ([Link]
“Clicky” tactile buttons ([Link]

Installing Retrogame
If using a USB game controller, there’s nothing to see here…you’re done, go
ahead and play! These directions apply if you’re using custom controls as
covered on the prior page.

Our retrogame utility is the software glue that links our GPIO-connected controls to
“virtual” keyboard input.

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 Some of our projects (eg PiGRRL Zero) provide a ready-made SD card image…if
you’re building with the same hardware combo, it’s good to go with no changes,
retrogame is already installed. Otherwise…

Download and Install

We have a script to help set this up. You’ll need access to the Pi’s command line…
either log in over the network using ssh, or the emulation package you’re using
should have some option to access a command line (e.g. with RetroPie, press “F4”).

Then type (or copy & paste, if using ssh):

cd
curl [Link]
master/[Link] >[Link]
sudo bash [Link]

When run, you’ll be asked to pick one of several control configurations. For example,
if using the simple joystick-and-two-buttons arrangement from the prior page, pick #2.
If you’re planning on making your own custom setup, just pick any of these, and we’ll
explain on the next page how to customize this.

If you’ve installed retrogame previously, you’ll be warned that its configuration file will
be rewritten. Press “y” if that’s okay. Otherwise, exit and make a backup of that file, so
you can restore it later.

The script then downloads and installs the retrogame executable (/usr/local/bin/
retrogame) and configuration file (/boot/[Link]), then performs some
administration tasks…/etc/[Link] is amended to make retrogame launch on startup,
and a “udev rule” file (/etc/udev/rules.d/[Link]) is generated to help it
simulate a keyboard.

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 Once finished (should only take a moment), you’ll be prompted to reboot.

If you have other setup tasks to perform (installing other packages, or changing
overscan settings using raspi-config), you don’t need to reboot just yet…answer “n” in
that case.

Configuring Retrogame
New retrogame: Settings File
The latest version of retrogame reads the file /boot/[Link] on startup. A
sample [Link] file was placed there by our installer on the prior page.

Below is an example from the PiGRRL 2 configuration file: There’s a lot of stuff in
there but really it’s pretty simple…most of it is comments, which start with a ‘#’
character.

# Sample configuration file for retrogame.

# Really minimal syntax, typically two elements per line w/space delimiter:
# 1) a key name (from keyTable.h; shortened from /usr/include/linux/input.h).
# 2) a GPIO pin number; when grounded, will simulate corresponding keypress.
# Uses Broadcom pin numbers for GPIO.
# If first element is GND, the corresponding pin (or pins, multiple can be
# given) is a LOW-level output; an extra ground pin for connecting buttons.
# A '#' character indicates a comment to end-of-line.
# File can be edited "live," no need to restart retrogame!

# Here's a pin configuration for the PiGRRL 2 project:

LEFT 4 # Joypad left

RIGHT 19 # Joypad right
UP 16 # Joypad up
DOWN 26 # Joypad down
LEFTCTRL 14 # 'A' button
LEFTALT 15 # 'B' button
Z 20 # 'X' button
X 18 # 'Y' button
SPACE 5 # 'Select' button
ENTER 6 # 'Start' button
A 12 # Left shoulder button
S 13 # Right shoulder button
ESC 17 # Exit ROM; PiTFT Button 1
1 22 # PiTFT Button 2

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 2 23 # PiTFT Button 3
3 27 # PiTFT Button 4

# For configurations with few buttons (e.g. Cupcade), a key can be followed
# by multiple pin numbers. When those pins are all held for a few seconds,
# this will generate the corresponding keypress (e.g. ESC to exit ROM).
# Only ONE such combo is supported within the file though; later entries
# will override earlier.

The important lines, in the middle, consist of a key name followed by a GPIO pin
number. That’s really all there is to it.

Your basic letter and number key names are straightforward…for function keys and
such, you can look in the file keyTable.h (included alongside the retrogame
executable) for valid names, or in /usr/include/linux/input.x (remove the initial
“KEY_” from the name).

If you want to use a GPIO pin as a spare ground for buttons: use “GND” as the key
name, then list one or more pin numbers separated by spaces.

If you need just one more key…not as a gaming control, but for accessing menus or
similar…follow a key name with multiple pin numbers (these can already be assigned
to other keys themselves, that’s fine). When those buttons are all held for a few
seconds, the corresponding keypress will be generated. We used this in our Cupcade
project to access the Escape key. Currently only one such multi-button combo can be
assigned.

If you want to put [Link] somewhere other than /boot, or assign a different
name: in /etc/[Link], where retrogame is being run, insert the absolute pathname to
your configuration file as an argument (i.e. just before the “&”):

/usr/local/bin/retrogame /boot/[Link] &

Locating the configuration file in /boot makes it easier to edit this file on a non-Pi
system, since the SD card can be inserted in a USB reader and accessed from most
any computer.

If editing in /boot directly on the Pi, you’ll need to do this as root, i.e. sudo nano /
boot/[Link]

If you change the name or location of the configuration file, you’ll need to reboot or
restart retrogame. But if you’re just editing the pin assignments in the existing file,
there’s no need…retrogame will pick up on these changes automatically, while its
running, once changes are written to the file.

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 Configuring Older Retrogame
This is for the old version of retrogame that required recompilation. You probably
don't need this page but its here for historical purposes!

Classic retrogame: Edit Source Code

Assigning keys and buttons in the old retrogame is quite a bit more involved…this is
why we recommend just downloading and installing the newer version. But if this is
what you have around, here’s the procedure…

Edit the retrogame.c file in the unZIPped Adafruit-Retrogame directory…

cd Adafruit-Retrogame
nano retrogame.c

About a hundred lines down, you’ll see a table that looks like this:

ioStandard[] = {
// This pin/key table is used when the PiTFT isn't found
// (using HDMI or composite instead), as with our original
// retro gaming guide.
// Input Output (from /usr/include/linux/input.h)
{ 25, KEY_LEFT }, // Joystick (4 pins)
{ 9, KEY_RIGHT },
{ 10, KEY_UP },
{ 17, KEY_DOWN },
{ 23, KEY_LEFTCTRL }, // A/Fire/jump/primary
{ 7, KEY_LEFTALT }, // B/Bomb/secondary
// For credit/start/etc., use USB keyboard or add more buttons.
{ -1, -1 } }; // END OF LIST, DO NOT CHANGE

Careful now…make sure you’re editing the ioStandard[] table, not the similar-looking
ioTFT[] table. The latter applied specifically to the Cupcade project and nothing else.

Within each set of braces is a GPIO pin number and a corresponding key name (from /
usr/include/linux/input.h). Because we’re editing C source code, it’s vitally important
to maintain the syntax exactly. Open brace, number, comma, key name, close brace,
comma. The last item must be {-1, -1}.

If you need an extra ground pin (and have extra GPIO pins available that you’re not
using for controls), set the key code to GND instead.

Write your changes to the file and exit the editor, then type:

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 make retrogame

This should build the retrogame executable. If you instead get an error message,
there’s a problem in the edited table — most likely a missing curly brace, comma or
semicolon.

Depending what’s in /etc/[Link], you might need to move retrogame to a different

location (such as /usr/local/bin). Reboot to use the new settings. Test it out…if anything
needs changing, you’ll have to repeat the whole edit-compile-move-reboot sequence.

Arcade Cabinet Pack Assembly

Raspberry Pi Arcade Cabinet Pack

Couldn't get one of those Nintendo Mini
Classic consoles? No problem, we've got
you covered with this no-solder no-tools
required kit! Video games are one of...
[Link]

With the Arrow Presents: Raspberry Pi Arcade Cabinet Pack ([Link] you
can use every piece of the kit (including the box!) to make an arcade controller.

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 All thats needed is 4 #6 screws and bolts (available at your local hardware store), a
Raspberry Pi (Pi 3 suggested) and an HDMI Monitor.

Start by downloading the template PDF below to get started!

Arcade_Template.pdf
[Link]

Cut along the outline of the PDF, and

scotch tape it to the box.

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 Using an Xacto knife, cut along the 6
button holes, as well as the center hole on
the left for the joystick.

Do not cut along the rectangle, that is

used as a guide to make sure the holes
line up properly.

For the 4 small holes around the joystick,

pierce the box in an X shape, which will be
enough to press the bolts through later

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 Gently push the arcade buttons in. They
should be fairly snug, so support the
cardboard from the back to prevent it from
buckling.

Once they're in, the box holds up

surprisingly well.

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 Press each bolt into the slotted holes.

Unscrew the red ball from the joystick and

fit it in the box from the back.

Line up the screws and bolt it in!

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 Plug in the buttons and arcade as shown
here. You can refer back to this earlier
page ([Link] for specifics.

You can also cut a small hole in the back

to run HDMI & power cables :)

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 Finish the setup by following the rest of this guide to:

1. Installing RetroPie onto your Raspberry Pi ([Link]

2. Installing Retrogame and selecting "6-button + Joystick" ([Link]

Configure your keyboard keys according to the RetroPie input configuration screen so
you can use the joystick + buttons to move around RetroPie and play games!

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 RetroPie: Improving Emulator Performance
On single-core Raspberry Pi boards like the Model A+ and Pi Zero, emulation speed is
sometimes less than stellar…the screen may update like molasses, or sound may be
choppy. Let’s look at some ideas to fight back…

All of these methods require a USB keyboard attached.

The directions shown here are for RetroPie 4.1, but the same general ideas apply to
other versions and possibly even other emulation packages, the steps will just be
different.

Overclocking
Most Raspberry Pi boards can handle some overclocking — running the processor
slightly faster than its “official” speed. Too fast though, and the system can become
unstable and crash. Due to manufacturing variances, every single board is slightly
different in this regard…you’ll need to do some experimentation to find the fastest
reliable setting for your specific board. Restart after making any changes and try
running some games for several minutes to really put the system through its paces.

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 You can access the raspi-config utility from
the RetroPie configuration screen, or press
“F4” to exit to a command line and run
“sudo raspi-config” manually.

raspi-config is keyboard-based, mostly

using the arrows and enter keys; arcade
controls, if connected, probably won’t
have the intended effect.

Different Pi models offer different overlock

settings. On the Model B+ being tested
here, the “Medium” setting seems quite
reliable. Other board types may overclock
automatically and there’s nothing to adjust
here.

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 If you’re using a PiTFT display, the “core” frequency setting should not exceed 300
MHz; the display will glitch and may not work at all. So avoid the higher overclock
settings if using one of these screens, or manually edit the file /boot/[Link] to fine-
tune various system frequencies individually.

Choosing an Alternate Emulator

When launching a game, there’s a brief

moment when it’s possible to access some
launch options…

When you see this “launching” screen,

press the space bar (or any other key that
generates an actual keycode…not a “meta”
key like shift or control).

This brings up a menu…similar to raspi-

config, it operates with the keyboard, not
arcade buttons.

The first option lets you select an alternate

emulator program (if available). For
example, RetroPie 4.1 includes two
different NES emulators: lr-fceumm (the
default) and lr-nestopia. Different
emulators make tradeoffs with regard to
performance and “accuracy” of the
emulation. Try an alternative and see how
it performs (use the “Launch” option).

The selection you make will “stick” — it is

not necessary to use this menu every
time, unless you want to switch back to
the original emulator choice. There’s also
an option to use an alternate emulator
only for specific ROMs, if you have
different needs for different games.

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 The above steps are fairly quick and easy. If they meet your needs, consider the job
done! If it’s still not quite the performance you need, the situation gets more
involved…

These next steps require a network connection. On a Model A+ or Pi Zero, that

usually requires a USB hub and an Ethernet or WiFi adapter, along with some
configuration (the RetroPie 4.1 configuration menu includes WiFi setup). Alternately, if
you have a spare Model B+ around, that’s easy to get on an Ethernet network…move
the SD card over there for setup, then move it back to the target system when done.

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 Installing Additional Emulators

Some “bleeding edge” emulators might

offer better performance than the stock
options provided by RetroPie. As with the
“Alternate Emulators” above, it sometimes
comes with a tradeoff in accuracy (hence
their non-inclusion), so you’ll need to
experiment and decide if it’s worth it.

From the RetroPie configuration screen,

select “RetroPie Setup,” which switches to
another of these keyboard-based menus.

Select “Manage packages,” then either

“Manage optional packages” or “Manage
experimental packages.” You’ll get a list of
various emulators and/or games that aren’t
normally installed by default. lr-quicknes
was an optional package for NES
emulation…it’s faster than the others…too
fast, in fact, so I ended up not using it…but
that’s all part of the experimentation
process.

Choose the “Install from binary” option to

install the selected package. Don’t bother
with the “source” option…it’s very time
consuming and usually provides no
benefit.

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 Updating Emulators to Latest Versions
Sometimes you just need the newest-and-shiniest version of an installed emulator to
provide the best available performance…

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 From the RetroPie configuration screen,
select “RetroPie Setup.” This brings up the
keyboard-driven menu again. Choose the
“Update all installed packages” option to
make a sweep through the system that’ll
update everything to the latest release,
including the kernel.

This system-wide update can be

extremely time-consuming…possibly an
hour or so, depending on processor and
network speeds.

Even the default lr-fceumm on a non-

overclocked Pi ran great after updating!

If using a PiTFT display, think twice

before trying this option. Perhaps make a
backup of your SD card first. Kernel
updates have been known to break PiTFT
support in some circumstances, and you’d
have to start all over.

Troubleshooting RetroPie and retrogame

This page documents the most common pitfalls encountered when making retro
gaming projects, offering some solutions and where to turn for further help.

There are some things we can fix and some we can’t…we’re not involved in RetroPie’s
development, for example…but we’ll try to point you in the right direction.

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 Most of the following troubleshooting steps will require a USB keyboard attached.
Some require a network connection.

General Troubleshooting
There’s a lightning bolt icon in the upper right part of the screen!

• That icon means the Raspberry Pi isn’t receiving adequate power; most likely,
you need a higher current power supply. Very occasionally this is caused by a
flimsy USB cable with thin wires…try swapping out for something heftier.

retrogame Related Troubleshooting

retrogame is our software that converts GPIO button actions into keyboard events.
These are the problems we’re best equipped to fix.

Some common things to check for any retrogame installation:

• Confirm button/joystick wires go to the correct pins and to ground. A multimeter

with a continuity beep function is helpful for testing.
• The retrogame configuration file (/boot/[Link]) uses Broadcom pin
numbers…these are not sequential along the GPIO header pins. This site has a
nice reference chart ([Link] (use the “BCM” numbers).
• Earlier versions of retrogame didn’t use a configuration file…you had to edit and
compile the source code. That’s just horrible. If you’re running an early version
like that, this would be a good time to upgrade. See the Installing
Retrogame ([Link] page.

Some of my buttons/controls aren’t working!

• Check connections and configuration file pin numbers as explained above. (If
some controls are responding, that’s an encouraging start…it at least means
the code is running.)
• The key codes generated by retrogame might not be assigned to
EmulationStation’s keyboard inputs; one or the other will need to be changed.
Either edit /boot/[Link], or, from the EmulationStation main screen,
press Start to access the main menu, then select “Configure Input” and
proceed through each of the controls.

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 NONE of my buttons/controls are working!
• Confirm that retrogame is actually running…either exit to the command line
(F4) or log in using ssh, then use “ps -ef | grep retrogame” to check. If you
used our installer script or one of our ready-made SD card images, it should
be started automatically on boot (added to /etc/[Link]).
• Confirm that the file “/etc/udev/rules.d/[Link]” exists. Our
installer script creates this file, but if you installed retrogame manually or from
source, it may have been overlooked.

My controls only work if there’s also a USB keyboard

plugged in!
Confirm that the file “/etc/udev/rules.d/[Link]” exists. Our installer
script creates this file, but if you installed retrogame manually or from source, it
may have been overlooked.

Retrogame doesn’t work with my optical buttons!

Unfortunately, yes. retrogame only works with “passive” switches between a GPIO
pin and ground (logic low=pressed). It won’t work with switches that have the
opposite logic level (high=pressed).

I ran Adafruit’s retrogame installer script and rebooted,

and now the keyboard and network are unresponsive!
This can happen if you’re running an early Raspberry Pi (Model A or B) with the 26-
pin GPIO header and select the “Six buttons + joystick” option in the retrogame
installer. That particular configuration is set up for our Arcade Pack and newer (40
pin) Raspberry Pi boards. Some of the pin numbers referenced don’t exist on the
older 26-pin header and lead to trouble.

If this happens to you, not to worry. Power off the Pi and insert the SD card in a
reader on a PC or Mac. Look for a file called [Link]…edit this file and
change the pin numbers to match your specific controller wiring.

RetroPie Related Troubleshooting

RetroPie provides the actual emulation software and a nice user interface. As this is
third-party code, the “depth” of problems we can troubleshoot is more limited, but
here are some of the common issues we’ve seen and how to resolve them…

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 My controls work in the EmulationStation UI, but not in
one or more specific emulators!
This can happen with certain emulators (usually older or more esoteric ones) that
don’t use the libretro library. Among other things, libretro allows the global
controller configuration to be used everywhere. There are a couple of
workarounds that might help, but no guarantees…

• You can rummage around in /opt/retropie/configs and look for a configuration

file specific to the problem emulator, then edit its keyboard layout to match
your controls. The format of this file, if one even exists, is likely specific to
that one emulator, so you’ll need to do some research (Google search, etc.),
it’s not something we can help out with.
• You can try hunting for an alternate emulator based on libretro, if there’s one
available (see “Installing RetroPie Packages” below).

The ROM files I have worked in a different emulator

before, but aren’t working in RetroPie!
This can happen if the ROM file format changes between versions of an emulator,
or if two emulators for the same system use different formats.

• Do some research (Google search, etc.) to see if this is the case. It’s possible
there may be utilities to convert among different ROM formats.
• Try installing an alternate emulator, if there’s one available (see “Installing
RetroPie Packages” below).

A few emulators may require a “BIOS file” in order to function, but it’s not included
with the software for legal reasons. This is something you’ll have to research and
track down.

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 Installing RetroPie Packages
To add support for a system not present in
RetroPie by default, or to add an alternate
emulator program for an existing system,
select “RetroPie Setup” from the RetroPie
menu. This brings up a text-menu-based
interface and will require a USB keyboard
to navigate.

Select “Manage packages” and then one

of the core, main, optional or experimental
selections…you’ll probably want to
navigate through each of them to see
what’s available, keeping in mind that each
successive category might be a little
rougher around the edges.

Your best bet are packages whose names

begin with “lr-”. This means they’re built
using libretro and the control inputs
should already work with what you have!
Other packages may require their own
manual controller setup, which can be a
real nuisance.

When asked, select “Install from binary.”

The source option takes much longer and
won’t provide any benefit for the average
user…only attempt that if you know you
need absolutely bleeding-edge code.

It’s totally valid to install multiple emulator

packages that handle the same type of
system. Each might have different
performance or compatibility benefits, so
it’s worth testing your options. See
“Accessing Alternate Emulators” below.

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©Adafruit Industries Page 42 of 43
 Accessing Alternate Emulators

When you launch a game, you’ll briefly see

this nondescript launching message. You
have a couple of seconds to hit a button
or key…

The first option in this configuration menu

lets you select a different emulator
package for a given system type…or even
on an individual ROM-by-ROM basis, if
different games benefit from different
emulation software.

Test it out with. If you don’t like the results,

next time you launch that game you can
access the configuration menu again and
restore the original selection.

More RetroPie Help

For issues not covered above, the best sources for RetroPie-specific help are the
official documentation and forum on the RetroPie web site:

RetroPie Documentation ([Link]

RetroPie Forum ([Link]

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