Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.
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Right now you have to carry a mouse and keyboard because so many parts of the OS still aren't navigable with the gamepad. That is a problem and anyone who doesn't see the problem with that is just being stupid. Kodi won't even do YouTube searches properly without your setting up a complex process of getting developer permissions from Google. If I'm by myself then I might not use the web browser much but if I'm with other people then it can be important to be able to put web pages up on the screen.
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But surely retropie isn't an OS replacement, it is a retro gaming system and doesn't need to do all those other things! I don't understand why Kodi is even included in it all, it seems out of place to me, if i wanted a Kodi install then i could just stick it on an 8gb card separately.
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@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
Right now you have to carry a mouse and keyboard because so many parts of the OS still aren't navigable with the gamepad. That is a problem and anyone who doesn't see the problem with that is just being stupid. Kodi won't even do YouTube searches properly without your setting up a complex process of getting developer permissions from Google. If I'm by myself then I might not use the web browser much but if I'm with other people then it can be important to be able to put web pages up on the screen.
LMAO calling people stupid because they see things different compared to you? WOW, so mature. I think you don't get the point of what the dev's wanted to do with this project. The goal is to have a Retro console system. Not an OS.
Your previous made no sense too, you cannot run multiple instances on RetroPie. I cannot simply run an emulator, minimize it and start a browser and switch back etc. Yet you call me stupid while you couldn't figure this out. RetroPie is fine, it is what it says it is.
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RetroPie isn't an OS replacement. It's an OS. Period. Just like every game console's OS is an OS.
RetroPie is a linux distro that ships with a graphical frontend designed to make configuration of retro console emulators convenient. If you want something that only plays NES games then get an NES.
I'm just saying 1. All features should be controllable with gamepads and 2. It would be nice to also have some standard computer features such as other consoles commonly ship with these days, especially since being a linux distro means that adding this stuff as options is trivial.
Look at what features are standard for consoles. The Wii and the PSP both have a built in web browser. It's nice to have. The homebrew comic readers on the PSP proved to be so popular that Sony finally broke down and added one officially in later PSP firmwares. Also it would be nice to be able to bring up Google Earth and control it with the gamepad, zooming in on people's houses and stuff. Oh, and maybe a fractal zoomer too, like gnu xaos or whatever that newer one's called.
Kodi is already in the RetroPie setup script. It just isn't set up to work easily with the gamepad. That ought to be fixed.
Also I stand by everything I said. As much as possible should be doable with the gamepads if possible and disagreeing with that would have to be stupid since its so obvious.
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@BenMcLean if you want to be pedantic, retropie is not a distro. It's just a script to install a bunch of different software.
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RetroPie certainly isn't a distro. What herb said.
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Please stop saying anyone who disagrees with you is stupid, I, and i would go so far as to presume many, many users, have no need for a comic reader or google earth on my retropie installation as i consider it to be a 'wrapper' for emulators and i do not see the two being connected at all. Why not ask specifically for a porn viewer, for a spreadsheet, for a newsgroup or torrent client? All are just as valid as your suggestions...
The clue is in the name - RETROpie - , not OSpie, WINDOWSpie, EVERYTHINGUNDERTHESUNpie - perhaps when GoogleEarth is old enough to be considered 'retro' then they will support it and you will get your wish...
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Crikey, that's a wish-list and a half! I think it goes two ways-you either get RetroPie or you don't. I think you're def. falling into the latter.
I'm going to say nothing more than this-this has been built in peoples free time and started as a hobby. They don't get paid, don't get the recognition they deserve. I feel grateful that they have achieved what they have and have made it available for free to everyone-it's been a real game changer for me as it is. I think your ideas are pretty unreasonable considering what the project is, and my fear is that people who come along and make these demands like yours, give RP a slating, will ultimately end up pissing the devs off and they'll stop supporting it-then everyone is screwed.
So give it a rest, appreciate it for what it is and be thankful you've not had to pay for it.
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@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
RetroPie isn't an OS replacement. It's an OS. Period. Just like every game console's OS is an OS.
Sorry "argument" doesnt make sense at all. RetroPie isn't an OS, it's more a collection of a couple emu's.
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
If you want something that only plays NES games then get an NES.
If you want something with a webbrowser get a PC.
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
It would be nice to also have some standard computer features such as other consoles commonly ship with these days, especially since being a linux distro means that adding this stuff as options is trivial.
It's all about Retro gaming, to be honest I don't care about a webbrowser. I got my RPi3 just for Retro gaming, for me it's the perfect solution. It's not the goal of the devs to create an "OS".
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
Look at what features are standard for consoles. The Wii and the PSP both have a built in web browser. It's nice to have. The homebrew comic readers on the PSP proved to be so popular that Sony finally broke down and added one officially in later PSP firmwares. Also it would be nice to be able to bring up Google Earth and control it with the gamepad, zooming in on people's houses and stuff.
Yeah MODERN consoles maybe but we're into OLD consoles. The webbrowser of the PSP sucks, I really cannot believe if someone would even use the PSP browser for serious web surfing. And whats with the Google earth stuff? That really doesn't make sense at all, it really would be pointless I cannot see the link between retro gaming and Google earth? If you want to read pdf files you always can install adobe reader on your smartphone or tablet.
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
Kodi is already in the RetroPie setup script. It just isn't set up to work easily with the gamepad. That ought to be fixed.
Kodi does work easily with a controller, all you have to do is set it up. It takes just a couple seconds.
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
Also I stand by everything I said. As much as possible should be doable with the gamepads if possible and disagreeing with that would have to be stupid since its so obvious.
Hahaha you call people stupid again? LMAO, whats wrong with you grow up. You come to a public forum and ask people for their opinion, when they disagree with you you call them stupid hahaha. No one forces you to use RetroPie, if you don't like it don't use it. The dev's are doing it for free, they don't get paid at all. Stop bitching about something you got for free dude.
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Please stop saying anyone who disagrees with you is stupid
Read what I said again. Keep re-reading it until you realize what it actually says or go blind, whichever comes first.
I, and i would go so far as to presume many, many users, have no need for a comic reader or google earth on my retropie installation
Yeah that's why the idea is just to add more stuff to "optional packages." I have a huge 128 GB memory card and use my device for multiple things. Those huge cards are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time nowadays.
as i consider it to be a 'wrapper' for emulators and i do not see the two being connected at all. Why not ask specifically for a porn viewer, for a spreadsheet, for a newsgroup or torrent client?
A generic image viewer is actually built into RetroArch already. Something that plays a slideshow of images when the machine is idle might actually be useful in some situations.
I can't see someone needing to control a spreadsheet with the gamepad, but a torrent client would be awesome, yeah.
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@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
Please stop saying anyone who disagrees with you is stupid
Read what I said again. Keep re-reading it until you realize what it actually says or go blind, whichever comes first.
I, and i would go so far as to presume many, many users, have no need for a comic reader or google earth on my retropie installation
Yeah that's why the idea is just to add more stuff to "optional packages." I have a huge 128 GB memory card and use my device for multiple things. Those huge cards are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time nowadays.
as i consider it to be a 'wrapper' for emulators and i do not see the two being connected at all. Why not ask specifically for a porn viewer, for a spreadsheet, for a newsgroup or torrent client?
A generic image viewer is actually built into RetroArch already. Something that plays a slideshow of images when the machine is idle might actually be useful in some situations.
I can't see someone needing to control a spreadsheet with the gamepad, but a torrent client would be awesome, yeah.
LOL you keep posting out of arrogance. You need to read over and over what people said until you understand. I think you're trolling and not being serious.
This has nothing to do with the size of the SD card. Your idea is not good, this is all about Retro gaming and not having an OS. If you want an OS you can install Raspbian. Why do we even would need a torrent client on RetroPie? Seriously, stop trolling.
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@Danorak1981 said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
So give it a rest, appreciate it for what it is and be thankful you've not had to pay for it.
This attitude among Linux developers has had a large part in contributing to the continued success and market dominance of Windows and Mac OS over Linux as the desktop operating system of choice. I mean the attitude that, "its free, therefore any usability or interface design problems can be ignored."
Adding more optional or experimental packages and configuring them to work with the gamepad when launched from EmulationStation is and can only be a good thing that harms no one.
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@BenMcLean but who will do it? will you?
retropie has improved its usability hugely. there are ways to go, but the only way they happen faster is if more people contribute code. microsoft and apple pay huge teams to get their OSs doing what they do. retropie is has no full-time employees.
yes, everything should be controllable by the controller, but that's not always trivial. raspi-config is part of raspbian, not retropie, for example.
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@PetroRie said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
If you want an OS you can install Raspbian.
RetroPie is built on Raspbian, or at least on Debian which Raspbian is built on. There's even a nice option in the setup menu to switch between booting to EmulationStation or to the Pixel desktop environment. The only drawback is that theres no simple way to control the pixel desktop environment from the gamepad. That's the convenience which RetroPie / EmulationStation offers.
Why do we even would need a torrent client on RetroPie?
For people to download torrents when the device is not in use for games, obviously.
There is no distinction between a games console and a general purpose computer other than some evil company's DRM stopping you from running whatever software you want. It's a distinction created by marketers and corporate suits, not actual humans.
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@dankcushions said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
but who will do it? will you?
I am thinking of getting involved and sending in some PRs to add stuff, yes. :)
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@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
RetroPie is built on Raspbian, or at least on Debian which Raspbian is built on. There's even a nice option in the setup menu to switch between booting to EmulationStation or to the Pixel desktop environment. The only drawback is that theres no simple way to control the pixel desktop environment from the gamepad. That's the convenience which RetroPie / EmulationStation offers.
So? use that instead. Problem solved. I think you don't get it, RetroPie = for gaming.
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
For people to download torrents when the device is not in use for games, obviously.
There is no distinction between a games console and a general purpose computer other than some evil company's DRM stopping you from running whatever software you want. It's a distinction created by marketers and corporate suits, not actual humans.LMAO are you kidding me? HAHAHA. You still would need a possible application to unzip/un7zip the files. For this task you would need twice the space of the files you're unzipping, the system will use a temporary folder for this until its done and then it copies them to the destination. Browsing the files would be a disaster, they would have to code many things.
The text I highlighted is 100% irrelevant for this subject. It has literally nothing to do with our discussion. Stick to the subject.
@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
This attidue among Linux developers has had a large part in contributing to the continued success and market dominance of Windows and Mac OS over Linux as the desktop operating system of choice. I mean the attitude that, "its free, therefore any usability or interface design problems can be ignored."
Adding more optional or experimental packages and configuring them to work with the gamepad when launched from EmulationStation is and can only be a good thing that harms no one.More applications doesn't mean it's better. RetroPie is for gaming, so I cannot see why someone would need a torrent client? That doesn't make sense at all. All people want is to sit down on and play some retro games. The dev's are doing this for free in their own free time. It would cost them only a lot of time, and no one would even probably use those applications ... Google Earth lmao. Thats like complaining that the PS4 doesn't have a text editor.
Just like with the previous post, the stuff I highlighted is totally irrelevant to this discussion. Please stick to the topic instead of talking about off topic stuff.
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@PetroRie said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
More applications doesn't mean it's better.
Yes it does. By definition, (assuming there's a manageable way to sort through them) more optional applications for any system is always better. When it comes to software, that is obviously part of what "better" means.
And I do think it absolutely sucks that the PS4 doesn't have the option for someone who wants one to build and distribute a text editor. That's the major reason why I do not buy game consoles which the community hasn't hacked until someone has - because walled gardens without keys for the end users are evil. Any system you do not have the keys to is a system you do not really own.
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@BenMcLean said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
@PetroRie said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
More applications doesn't mean it's better.
Yes it does. By definition, (assuming there's a manageable way to sort through them) more optional applications for any system is always better. When it comes to software, that is obviously part of what "better" means.
And I do think it absolutely sucks that the PS4 doesn't have the option for someone who wants one to build and distribute a text editor. That's the major reason why I do not buy game consoles which the community hasn't hacked until someone has - because walled gardens without keys for the end users are evil. Any system you do not have the keys to is a system you do not really own.
No, more applications means they need more support. More stuff to fix and implement. As I said before the devs are doing this for FREE, its not their fulltime job. They already have their hands full, yet if we had tons of optional applications. If you don't like RetroPie don't use it simple as that, no one forces you to use it. If you have any ideas just mail the devs and see what they're going to reply.
Haha, seriously? You think the PS4 sucks just because of that? LOL. You do realize it's a gaming console right? Thats like hating cars simply because they cannot fly. LMAO. I cannot see the link between your PS4 argument and the text I highlighted.
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@PetroRie said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
No, more applications means they need more support. More stuff to fix and implement.
Adding more stuff does mean adding more stuff, but just like with all the currently installed stuff, RetroPie devs would only be working on bugs in the setup scripts. They don't make the actual software.
In terms of "complaining" the only thing I've really complained about here is some parts where you can get stuck using RetroPie if you don't have a keyboard. That is a big, obvious problem with RetroPie. I've been thinking of trying to add a virtual keyboard like some PSP homebrews had ten years ago.
Adding more optional packages for general purpose computing is in more of an "it would be nice" category, not a complaint.
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@PetroRie said in Is RetroPie the new xbmc / kodi? Discuss.:
You think the PS4 sucks just because of that?
Yes.
You do realize it's a gaming console right?
No. There is no valid or reasonable technological distinction between a games console and a general purpose computer. "Games consoles" are just crappy PCs with intentionally crippled operating systems.
Thats like hating cars simply because they cannot fly.
No, that's like hating a specific kind of car which was designed to prevent you from driving it to anywhere that an evil company on the other side of the world doesn't want you going to.
Not only do I fundamentally reject the distinction between "games consoles" and general purpose computers: I don't even believe in the distinction between games and non-game software ultimately. Good software is software that people want to use and like using. Bad software is software that people don't want to use and don't like using. And evil software is software that tries to take control away from the device owner. Period.
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