5 retro consoles that you can emulate with the raspberry pi 3

One of the trends that we are seeing the most throughout this year is the launch of mini versions of some mythical consoles. Small versions of the SNES Classic and other consoles have been released, which are selling very well in the market. Although many question whether it is worth spending about 100 euros on such consoles.

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5 retro consoles that you can emulate with the Raspberry Pi 3

Many users don't want to spend that money, or can't. Luckily, there is a much simpler way to have those legendary consoles. On more than one occasion we have told you about the Raspberry Pi 3. This electronic board that allows us to make so many uses. Thanks to it we can emulate some of these legendary consoles with great ease. A much more comfortable, simple and cheap solution than buying all those consoles.

Then we leave you with a list of the five retro consoles that you can emulate thanks to the Raspberry Pi 3. Although these five options are not the only ones available today. We also tell you about other available options.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

We start with the NES. This console can be emulated with relative ease using the Raspberry Pi. There are several ways to do it, depending on your own preference. One way to do this is to use an emulation suite like RetroPie or RecalBox. There are other options that offer you an experience closer to that of the original NES such as the NesPI Emulator. You can download the latter directly. So it can be easier for you.

Just download it and clone it on your Raspberry Pi. Once the NesPI Emulator is installed it will play NES game ROMs. Therefore, all you need is ROMs, which can be easily found on the Internet. You will also need a suitable controller to be able to control the games. You can usually find remotes in stores like Amazon or TomTop.

Mega Drive / SEGA Genesis

SEGA Genesis or Mega Drive Classic have been released in various formats since 2009, one of them last year. They are a good option, but you don't need to spend all that money. Thanks to the Raspberry Pi we can achieve an experience like that of this console. We need to install an emulator, the necessary ROMs and we are ready to enjoy this SEGA console.

We currently have a SEGA Genesis emulator available called Picodrive Project, available on GitHub. It provides us with an identical experience to that of the console, making it the best option currently available. ROMs, as usual, can be found online.

Super Nintento Entertainment System

We have seen the NES, and we cannot forget the SNES. A legendary console like this one that helped Nintendo establish itself even more globally is worth emulating. Luckily, thanks to our Raspberry Pi 3 we can emulate the SNES with ease. Thus, to be able to enjoy its legendary games. What do we need to get it?

This time, in addition to the Raspberry Pi we need the Raspbian operating system. Also suitable controls to enjoy and control games. Finally, we need to have the PiSNES Project, which is available on GitHub. Once everything is installed and running, all you need are the ROMs of your favorite games and ready to enjoy. So you can relive what it's like to play with SNES. Again, the controls can be found in online stores. Many Chinese stores have controls at greatly reduced prices. So they can be an option to consider.

Atari Console

Atari consoles have not had the same popularity as the previous ones on this list, but they are a very interesting option. Although, if you want to emulate Atari, the options are somewhat more limited than in the case of Nintendo consoles. But luckily, it is something that can also be achieved thanks to the Raspberry Pi. What do we need this time?

We recommend how to install Retropie on Raspberry Pi

In this case, to achieve an experience as similar as possible to the original Atari, it is best to install RetroPie. It is the option that most resembles all available today. The original controls can be purchased from Amazon, so that part is very simple. For the games you will need the ROMs. Find which games convince you the most of the Atari selection and it will surely be easy to find such ROMs.

Commodore 64

Technically Commodore 64 was not a game console, but a version called C64GS was released. It was a version without a keyboard and with a cartridge slot. So basically it fulfilled a game console function. It is a model that few remember, although for some time in Indiegogo there has been a campaign to make his return a reality.

Luckily, for owners of a Raspberry Pi it doesn't matter if it returns or not. You can emulate your own Commodore 64 at home. For this we have two options, one of them is to install VICE or PiPlay. Thanks to them we achieve an identical experience to the original. The choice depends purely on the preferences of the user, since both comply perfectly.

These five are the main options that we present today, but there are many others available. There are many emulators available that help us emulate both retro consoles and computers. RetroPie and RecalBox are the two best emulators currently available. They are simple to install and use, and provide good results. All the consoles mentioned above can be found in these two emulators, so you can see their versatility and great utility. But they are not the only ones available.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Quad Core 1.2GHz CPU Broadcom BCM2837 64bit, 1GB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth BLE EUR 37.44

Other retro consoles are also available. What can we find? Among them are some like the Nintendo 64, the classic Apple Macintosh, Atari Lynx, ZX Spectrum or the PlayStation 1 available. So if you are a fan of retro consoles, you have a wide variety of options available today. With the Raspberry Pi 3 and a good emulator you can get great results. And so go back to playing those legendary games that you like so much on a console created by yourself.