All-new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device, more than 1.5 million movies and TV episodes, supports Wi-Fi 6, watch free & live TV
40% OffDo you have 15 minutes? No, what about 10 minutes. Are you wondering why I am asking?
Ok, let me tell you in the next 10 minutes we will make the best emulation console for you. Yes, of course, you read it right I said in the next 10 minutes we are going to build the best emulation console for you.
Don’t worry even if you do not need much about computers. Maybe an idea pops up in your mind that you should be at least a computer expert to do this. By quitting all such type of worries. Now let’s start the project and let the clock tick for the next 10 minutes.
This guide is designed for the latest version of Raspberry Pi that is version 4.1. In this guide, I have tried to cover all the aspects. The good news is that the current version is relatively very easy to operate. The whole process can be divided into two parts. The first is to install the operating system on the SD card. The second is to share some files from your personal computer.
Since long the games require two things to run. The first thing is the ROM and the second thing is the emulator. ROM is the set of instructions and an emulator is a device in which you can interpret this set of instructions and play the game. You may remember your old high School games by this description.
This setting remains the same even today. ROM is still the set of instructions that make the game. The difference is that, this set of instructions is in the soft form and now resides in your computer. This game can be played with the help of a software program known as an emulator. ROM can be downloaded from different sites you can purchase it or you can even make it your own if you have old game cartridges. This is not the dimension of the topic under discussion today. So we will not spend time on this discussion but some other fine day I will try to write an article on this too. That how to make your own ROM and where to find one.
Let’s start the procedure by booting the Raspberry Pi. This can be done in the emulation station. It will be done automatically; you do not have to worry about this. What you need to do is, just use the custom SD card which has RetroPie on it. By using this you can easily load the game and the controls to play that game.
The game will not be the only source of entertainment you can get here. But a very powerful multimedia solution “Kodi” can be downloaded by configuring some advanced settings. And by downloading “Kodi” this becomes your all in one entertainment solution.
Accessories Require for Set up
Necessary Ones
Raspberry Pi 3 with built-in WIFi and Bluetooth.
Power Supply (Micro USB)
Micro SD Card > 8GB
Cable to connect with Monitor/ Tv (AV/HDMI)
A Computer system running any of one these operating
system (LINUX/MAC/WINDOWS)
Key Board (WiFi operative)
Optional Ones
USB Controller for the fun extension.
How to make an emulator console Step by Step Guide
1: The Initial Setup
Download the SD Card Image
Download the Raspberry Pi version 3.7 or higher. There are lots of fans like you so the server will definitely be busy. Please wait, while the system downloads it.
Image Extraction
Wait and extract the image as per your operating system requirements on the SD card.
Place the SD Card in Raspberry Pi
Once done you can place the SD Card in Raspberry Pi.
2: EmulationStation Set Up
Boot up your Raspberry Pi
This is the time to make it live by booting up Raspberry Pi. The first step is that the KeyBoard along with any one of the controllers should be plugged into the Raspberry Pi. The next step is to turn it on but first make sure that you have already inserted the recently burned SD card.
As you turn it on this will automatically do the necessary arrangements and will start Emulation station.
Control Set Up
Now is the time to set up controls. The system will prompt to set the different controls like Up, Down. Right and Left. The Bluetooth controller can not be configured at this stage. For this, you have to wait until the next step. In this step, you should connect the controller with a USB cable.
Once finished now you can navigate through your control keys. We recommend you use key shortcuts that will make your life a lot easier.
3: Wi-Fi Set-Up
Once the control setup is done this is the time to set up your Wi-Fi.
Scroll down till you reach Wi-Fi configuration. Select this option by pressing the “A” button. Connect with your Wi-Fi network by selecting it. You will need to enter your password in order to connect with the network router. If it is done then Congratulations you have configured your system well.
As you turn it on this will automatically do the necessary arrangements and will start Emulation station.
4: Transfering the ROMs
Now is the time to transfer the ROMs to Raspberry Pi from the computer. Although this is not necessary we recommend that you should do it. The first step in this process is to turn on the Raspberry Pi. Once on, now connect it with the router. If it is automatically connected then it is super fine as it saves you from doing it manually. Load the RetroPi folder manually in case it does not appear automatically.
For the Computer systems running windows as their Operating system go to the file manager open it and type “\retropie” as the folder location.
For the Computer systems running Mac as their Operating system go to finder open it Select Go > Connect to Server type “smb://retropie” after typing this click connect.
Now you can easily place your ROMs here. You can add as many as you want. Once finished Reboot the system. An alternative method is to do it via USB. Fill your USB with the ROMs. Place the ROMs in the folder named “retropie” while placing them in USB. Attach it with your Raspberry Pi by plugging it into the USB slot.
Configuring Bluetooth Control
The Bluetooth device configuration varies with the brand to brand. Even then it is simple and easy and nearly guides for all brands are available. You can choose as per your brand and with the help of the guide book, you will configure it easily.
