How to Setup a Cheap Raspberry Pi for Cloud Gaming
Building a Raspberry Pi is one of the cheapest ways to start your Cloud Gaming journey. That’s right, a $40 device and a Cloud Gaming subscription are all that you need to enjoy Gaming at Ultra Quality. Continue reading to find out how to set it up!
A Raspberry Pi is a micro computer that is about the size of a men’s wallet. It’s powered by a version of Linux called Raspbian. It includes Ethernet, USB, and HDMI ports for connecting accessories. It’s really ideal for Cloud Gaming. You can easily plug it into your TV or Computer Monitor and have an excellent gaming experience.
You do need a few accessories in addition to a Raspberry Pi starter kit. If you have any of these sitting around at home, you are welcome to use them for this project.
Required Hardware:
- Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Starter Kit (Get it on Amazon)
- 8 GB or Larger Micro SD Card (Get it on Amazon)
- Micro USB Power Adapter (Get it on Amazon)
- USB Keyboard & Mouse (Get it on Amazon)
- A PC or Mac (used to prepare the Micro SD Card)
- A Router with an available Ethernet Port
Optional Hardware:
- Xbox One S Bluetooth Controller (Get it on Amazon)
- Playstation 4 Bluetooth Controller (Get it on Amazon)
- Playstation 3 Bluetooth Controller (Get it on Amazon)
- Xbox 360 wired Controller (Get it on Amazon)
- Dual-Band USB Wifi Adapter (Get it on Amazon)
- Micro SD USB Adapter (Get it on Amazon)
So let’s talk about hardware for a moment. The Raspberry Pi Starter Kit includes the Raspberry Pi 3, Heatsinks, and a Case. At $40, it’s the cheapest option that we could find that includes all of those items (and it’s the exact one that we use ourselves). You may already own an extra Micro SD card and Micro USB power adapter. It’s also possible that you have a USB Keyboard, USB Mouse, and Controller. Feel free to use of any of these items that you already own.
Game Streaming will work best on the Raspberry Pi over Ethernet. With that said, we realize that you may not have the option of installing your Raspberry Pi close to your router. If you need to use wireless, the built-in Wifi on the Raspberry Pi 3 is not appropriate for Game Streaming. You’ll want to upgrade to the USB Wifi Adapter that we listed above (and be sure to get that exact model for compatibility reasons).
Required Software:
Optional Software:
The Process
I want to give you some encouragement before you begin the setup process. If you haven’t played around with Linux before, this process may seem foreign and overwhelming. Don’t worry! The only real skill that you need is Copy & Paste.
Raspbian Lite is a command-line operating system that lacks a GUI (graphic interface). That means that you won’t be clicking on windows or going through a setup wizard. Instead you’ll be copying commands and pasting them into a command prompt. The commands install everything in the background for you. There are a decent number of commands involved in the setup process, but you’ll just be copying and pasting them in order. That’s really all that you have to do to make this happen.
Below, you’ll find tutorial links that you can follow along with. Each link contains all of the commands that are needed to setup your Raspberry Pi software. You’ll be installing the Raspbian Operating System and the Parsec Streaming App. Those two things together allow you to connect to a Cloud Gaming Server or to a Gaming PC at home. The commands that you’ll use to setup your Raspberry Pi vary based on the controller that you’ll be using. Simply click on the link that matches your controller, and then follow along with the tutorial.
Tutorials:
Raspberry Pi Setup — Xbox One S Bluetooth Controller Version
Raspberry Pi Setup — Playstation Controller Version
Raspberry Pi Setup — Wired Xbox 360 Controller Version
Originally published at Flickstiq.
