How many of you found out about RetroPie because you couldn't buy the NES Classic?
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I was thinking more of long term sustained life for the board. A simple closed loop cooler with a tiny fan and radiator. I figure if they can do it for an i5 for $60, a simple little cooler for this would be about $15 to $20.i
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I've known about RetroPie for a while. When the Pi 3 came out, I looked into moving to the Pi in my MAME arcade cabinet but I just couldn't get the games to work as well as they do on the existing PC hardware.
When the NES classic came out, one of my co-workers was complaining that he couldn't find one in stock anywhere so I told him to pay for the Pi and I would to try making one for him. Loaded up RetroPie, printed out a NES case, added a reset and shutdown button - total cost <$75 (with cables, power supply and a USB NES controller). Took a whole weekend to put together.
He's since asked me to build another for a friend of his and I've put together another couple for Christmas presents for my nephews - I figure they can use the Pi for other things once they get tired of the old school games =)
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@herb_fargus Yep, then i figured out for about the same money i could play everything up to n64 if i got a used pc and did a few tweaks to it lol.
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@Rookervik said in How many of you found out about RetroPie because you couldn't buy the NES Classic?:
Wow, so much hate of wired controllers! I literally, just today, finished up my Super Famicom build and have switched to original WIRED controllers. Haha! They're so sturdy, the plugs are so... sturdy. There's no batteries. I love them! Haha
I totally agree with you. I use a pair of inexpensive Gioteck VX-2's, one red and one blue, on my Raspberry Pi and they are perfect for everything. The missus doesn't like the cable but I need my responsive gaming! And I haven't found a modern D pad I love as much as the VX-2. They seem at first like they're going to be a bit rubbish - they're quite clicky. But then you get to the meat of things and they're brilliant. So responsive for platformers and the almighty Dragon Punch!
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When I was a kid, I sat a few feet in front of a small CRT wired controllers.
But now I have a 60" TV and sitting right in front of it isn't practical.
And the issue isn't just hating wired controllers in general, but the fact that the NES Classic uses 2 1/2 foot wired controllers. If they had 10 foot controllers, it might be a different story.
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Sounds like you guys need extension cables, you know, like we used in the old days to play from the couch. :D
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@Rookervik said in How many of you found out about RetroPie because you couldn't buy the NES Classic?:
Sounds like you guys need extension cables
Especially if you want to beat certain games like 'Punch-Out!!'.
Edit: I originally mentioned 'Battletoads', but then that's not really an issue here, is it?
Edit 2: My whole point is moot to begin with because the console is wired regardless. Just ignore me and think of something pleasant, like puppies adopting kittens with very little paperwork or waiting periods.
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I found out about the Raspberry Pi in 2012 and the Retropie project maybe a short while later...
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Once the 'experimental' tag was lifted from Kodi, I was all over using Retropie. As a quadriplegic, any built in scripting/modifiers that do the linux commands for me are almost a necessity. I have built 3 Pie's for friends and family who, like me, were willing to pay the ridiculous nostalgia price for 30 games with a functionally useless controller (for myself, at least.)
Now I can comfortably sit on my couch and play games away from the screen. Thank you to everyone for your continued efforts, from this disabled gamer.
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I found retropie just over a year ago after my parents sent me my original heavy sixer Atrai 2600. I restored/repaired it and found a new hobby. I have always loved old school games and started seeing "pitendo" builds. Since then I have been tweaking my build to make it perfect. I have built a famicom, pocket pigrrl and a bartop arcade too.
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@Srfrboybob
Looks good!
Just one question, are you an astronaut in space?
Because your pictures are upside-down or sideways, and you don't seem to notice or mind? -
@Zigurana I couldn't tell the pictures show up normal for me. It might have to do with me posting from my phone and not a computer.
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I'm definitely one of those myself (found about its existence through a google search). I built a PiCart and I still have some bugs to work out, like getting my wireless 360 controllers to work and getting some of my other settings exactly right though.
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100%. Wanted the classic, saw an article about RetroPie, and decided to put one together myself. My board and other stuff is getting here today. Very excited to get into it.
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NES Classic is way over hyped in my opinion. I wanted a device that plays retro games, so I almost bought the JXD S7800. Just before I bought in online I found out about the Raspberry and RetroPie so my decision was made quickly and saved 120 EUR :D
In my opinion when you compare RetroPie to the NES Classic, the NES Classic kinda sucks.
- RetroPie supports many retro consoles
- You can play the entire NES library
- Has multiplayer
- Has Kodi (which allows you to watch HD movies and series)
- Has a great community
- You can use any controller you want (Raspberry PI)
- Cheat support
I think also that some people are having problems setting up RetroPie and see the NES Classic as a simple solution to play ... 30 NES games. I have seen many people hating the RetroPie >:( Shame on them!!!!!!! lol
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Kind of. I read about Raspberry Pi projects in the past through NeoGaf and other forums, but never had a lot of interest in it. Then once a lot of articles started surfacing about alternatives for people who can't find an NES Classic, my interest was piqued. I've got one in the mail now. I'm crossing my fingers this isn't too complex, as typically I'm horrible at setting anything up that requires more than one step.
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My path that leads to discover of Retro Pie from NES Classic/Mini looks like:
NES Classic/Mini -> Look for a hack to run the first Contra game -> Saw the Reddit discussion about the Allwinner CPU -> Found similar chip also in Raspberry Pi -> Retro Pie
I got one US version of the NES Mini from a friend while I was leaving China from vacation in Nov 2016, who bought it with 2 joysticks on Taobao.com as a gift at a little more than 1000 RMB or 160 USD/EUR.
I didn't point out immediately in front of him when he presented the gift that I felt it pretty much overpriced as a non-hackable TV-Box like system, even sealed with Original Nintendo.
Now I have understood what the Pie is about. I am wondering, why shouldn't a HDMI-cable to an Android tablet and a Bluetooth mini-joystick gratify my desire towards a tiny TV-top game box in my living room besides the Wii ...
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i also am one. seeing the prices online for double triple and even quadruple the original price. I saw a post on fb then looked it up on youtube and saw many tutorials. I have not completed mine yet im wait on one last part :)
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@tendo_nerd12 said in How many of you found out about RetroPie because you couldn't buy the NES Classic?:
i also am one. seeing the prices online for double triple and even quadruple the original price.
I was just browsing eBay and one greedy a-hole is selling it for $10 000, yes 10k! What is this guy even thinking? Seriously, who is going to spend that much money on that crappy mini NES which has only 30 games? Soon, they will sell them in the stores again so you can get them for whatever they sold them.
Same happened in Europe with the PS4, the stock was very limited in the beginning so people bought them as quick as they could and sold them for a couple k's on the internet. Pretty stupid if you look at it because at that time they had only like 2 games, Fifa and Battlefield. Beside online would be pretty dead since not so many people had them. Now you can get a PS4 just for 299 euros.
You cannot even compare the NES mini to the Raspberry+RetroPie in my opinion.
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The first time I saw or heard about the Famicon Mini (NES mini) the prices were already going up through the roof. Still curious to see it I watched a video on Youtube about it. There in the comments a guy was saying "Why pay that much for only 30 games in a tiny device if you can get lot more done on a Raspberry Pi for a better price." And that's how all started for me.
As some already mentioned you cannot compare the Pi with the NES mini. The Pi offers just way more, not only emulation of classic game systems. Even though that is what most people used it for.
I think the main reason why people would want the NES mini is "collectors value".
Maybe not now but in 10 or even 20 years from now having one laying around in mint condition would be probably priceless.
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