“Sometimes you don’t realise how good the good old days were until they’re gone.”
But fortunately, thanks to Raspberry Pi, the good old days need not be gone. If you are a gamer and you miss the good old retro games, then don’t worry! You can still relive those childhood memories using Raspberry Pi and RetroPie. The possibilities are endless. Some of the most popular games include,
- Donkey Kong
- Wave Race
- Street Fighter II Turbo
- Golden Eye 007
- Pacman
- Duck Hunt
- Tony Hawk Pro Skater
- Sensible Soccer
And much more! Just make sure that the game files (known as ROMs) you download are legitimate and not pirated content. Official ROMs can be downloaded via websites such as itch.io and Steam.
The best part is the process of Retro Gaming using Raspberry Pi is not complicated at all. Through this article we will be taking you through the main steps to get you started.
- Firstly, you will be needing a Raspberry Pi with as much RAM as possible. You will also need a suitable power supply. Raspberry Pi models and their technical specifications can be found using this link.
- The next step would be installing RetroPie. In order to write RetroPie to your microSD card, Raspberry Pi Imager would need to be downloaded. After Raspberry Pi Imager has been downloaded into your computer, using an SD card adapter, install RetroPie to your microSD card.
- Now that your microSD card is ready, insert it into the Raspberry Pi and connect your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and your gaming console and follow the onscreen instructions to configure your console.
- Finally, it’s time to download your favourite Retro Games!
The steps for downloading your games are as follows,
- Format your USB flash drive to FAT32 or exFAT.
- Create a folder called “retropie” on your USB and plug it into your Raspberry Pi.
- While RetroPie creates folders on your USB, on your other computer, download your ROMs from the aforementioned websites.
- Once the USB stops blinking, plug it back into your other computer to add your ROMs and once that’s done, transfer the ROMs back into your RetroPie.
And voilà! You can now play your favourite Retro games once again. For a more detailed tutorial on how to play retro games using Raspberry Pi, check out the official Raspberry Pi tutorial. Or you can even download for free the “Retro Gaming with Raspberry Pi” book by the makers of “The MagPi”, the official Raspberry Pi Magazine.
