Retro Gaming: A How-To

Retro gaming is the term used to describe older video games and the consoles used to play them. At present retro would be anything prior to the currently manufactured consoles. For the context of this document, retro refers to old school consoles which did not have nor require an Internet connection to operate and enjoy.

Disclaimer

Note this document is for educational purposes only. The procurement of ROM files is a gray area depending upon the law of your land. Please observe all of your local laws.

Hardware Options

In order to play retro games you will need some sort of hardware to play on. Some folks will opt to find the original consoles and the original cartridges. This document is for the rest of us who find value in leveraging modern hardware to play retro games.

Most modern computers can support an emulator. Emulators are software designed to emulate retro game systems. Our recommended solution is a dedicated computer such as a Raspberry Pi running a emulating operating system such as RecalBox, RetroPie, or Emulation Station. Whether you decide to use a dedicated Raspberry Pi or a computer your already own you will also need controllers to play with. Search Amazon for “usb game controller” and you are sure to find a variety of devices to emulate your desired experience.

For the context of this document we will assume a dedicated Raspberry Pi running RecalBox, two Super Nintendo style USB game controllers, and a variety of ROMs. You will need the following hardware:

  • Raspberry Pi 3+
  • 32GB SD Card
  • 2 USB Game Controllers
  • Two USB extension cables (these are optional)
  • A USB wifi dongle (this is optional but will allow remote administration of the device) unles the RPi is connected via Ethernet.

The Setup

No need to recreate the wheel. This tutorial is excellent

ROM Resources

There are many ROM resources available on the internet. However you do need to be careful as there are many sites also infected with malware. Typically a Linux based computer will not encounter any issue with these sites. You’ve been warned.

Here are a list of websites which have ROM files:

  • Roms Mania
  • EmuParadise: No longer serving ROM files but has a great list of games and PDF copies of the game manuals.

In addition there are complete ROM collections available via torrents, magnets, and Usenet resources. Before you leverage any of these methods we heavily suggest you employ a paid VPN connection.

Other Setup Resources

  • https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-recalbox/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj37cZqQ1YQ