Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.

C64c

Hello all,

I have thought recently about replacing my Megadrive / SNES / Master System / NES collection with a RetroPie setup.

But rather than just buy a RetroPie and dive into it I have questions that concern me.

-Can you use 8BitDo controllers with RetroPie?
-Are there any issues with connecting up multiple controllers (4-5) for games like Super Bomberman and others?
-Does input lag exist on RetroPie?
-Any there any current common issues that exist?

Thanks in advance.

matchaman

You cannot replace game consoles with a computer. The overall experience and feeling will never be the same. However, you can have everything organised within the Raspberry Pi for convenience and in order to prevent vintage system wear.

Yes, 8bitdo (and most other BT controllers) are compatible with the Raspberry Pi since version 3 B (and older hardware with a dongle)
No, I haven't had any trouble with using 4 controllers though I only tried it once
Yes but that applies to any system using emulators and it's miniscule
Very few and usually get fixed quickly because development is very active and the community here is friendly

You are welcome!

mitu

@c64c said in Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.:

-Can you use 8BitDo controllers with RetroPie?

Yes. Which controller models do you have in mind ?

-Are there any issues with connecting up multiple controllers (4-5) for games like Super Bomberman and others?

That depends on the emulator, but for SNES I think it's supported (see https://docs.libretro.com/library/snes9x for the emulator details).

-Does input lag exist on RetroPie?

As with all emulators, yes, but depends on how sensitive you are and the games you play + the controller used (USB connected controllers obviously have less input lag than Bluetooth connected ones). See https://forums.libretro.com/t/an-input-lag-investigation/4407 for an in-depth analysis.

-Any there any current common issues that exist?

Do you intend to use a CRT ? RPI supports Composite directly so you'll need the appropriate cables if you want to use it. Or you can choose something like Pi2Scart or RetroTink to get RGB directly, but the setup will be a bit more involved.

herb_fargus

As an aside, retropie isn't something you buy, it's free, anyone who tells you otherwise is scamming you.

Just get the hardware and follow the docs to install

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/First-Installation/

BobHarris

I'd like to add that input lag differs heavily between tv's (post crt) . Sadly input lag is rarely mentioned in the specs when looking for a new tv. (Often they do give a number for 'response time', but that's something different.)

For example on my Samsung LCD tv I can't notice any input lag, not even when playing pinball games.
Then I took my retropie setup to my brother and his LG plasma and we couldn't even play Contra because we missed all the jump timings.

Also be prepared to invest some time into it. Retropie isn't really plug and play..it takes quite a bit of reading and experience to get everything to run and look the way it should. But it should be quite straightforward if you don't need any of the more complicated emulators (like dos or arcade for example).

Clyde

The docs contain some tips for TVs regarding speed and lag:

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Speed-Issues/#tv

C64c

@mitu said in Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.:

@c64c said in Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.:

-Can you use 8BitDo controllers with RetroPie?
Yes. Which controller models do you have in mind ?

-Any there any current common issues that exist?
Do you intend to use a CRT ? RPI supports Composite directly so you'll need the appropriate cables if you want to use it. Or you can choose something like Pi2Scart or RetroTink to get RGB directly, but the setup will be a bit more involved.

-For the Controller I was thinking of Bluetooth 8Bitdo SNES controllers as they do feel really much like the originals, but may opt for wired ones if there are ones that feel like the real thing

-And I would like to use it via HDMI & RGB when required.

C64c

Thanks all so far for the tips, i'll get into now of some long reading and reviewing my options.

Eldrethor

While you'll always get input lag with any emulator, it's not enough to affect 99% of the games you'll play, and the only time that you'll truly feel it is for games where you need absolute pixel-perfect timing, but the only two known games that really fall into that category are Battletoads and Punch-Out on the NES.

You also have to approach RetroPie with the mindset that it's a hobby craft that you will tinker and configure, and not an end product like the NES Classic. It's like buying a model kit of a car where the enjoyment comes from assembling it, painting it, and trimming off the excess plastic, as opposed to a toy car with sticker apps and formed parts that conveniently pop into place.

I also personally don't recommend 8bitdo's controllers, after my experience with the NES30 Pro. The D-pad suffered from accidental diagonal inputs until I spaced the actuators with electrical tape, and even then, the rubber pad beneath it feels rigid. The shoulder buttons are switches instead of actuators with rubber pads, and I don't know if that's actually how they were in the original SNES controller, but I'm concerned about how they will hold up over time.

Capeman

I found if you play on a lcd it always feels just a bit laggy, but that's always the LCD's fault. Retropie actually has very low lag inherently. Setting up your configs for 240p output and running through a CRT with composite out is a very, very low lag experience. It's my preferred way to play, it makes it more authentic (but it's only really good for systems designed for that res, handhelds work kinda funny on 240p).

BobHarris

@capeman As I said; it differs for each lcd tv. https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/inputs/input-lag In this list you can see how big the differences between tv's can get. Of course it won't be as quick as crt, but if you get an lcd with very low input lag, then I'm sure most people couldn't tell the difference. Response feels instant on my lcd tv...I'm very careful with it..as I don't know how good my next one will be.

mitu

@c64c said in Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.:

-For the Controller I was thinking of Bluetooth 8Bitdo SNES controllers as they do feel really much like the originals, but may opt for wired ones if there are ones that feel like the real thing

Most of 8Bitdo controllers have an USB cable for charging, which works for connecting it as an USB controller. It's quite short though, so it's not so practical.

ruthless4u

@eldrethor said in Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.:

While you'll always get input lag with any emulator, it's not enough to affect 99% of the games you'll play, and the only time that you'll truly feel it is for games where you need absolute pixel-perfect timing, but the only two known games that really fall into that category are Battletoads and Punch-Out on the NES.

You also have to approach RetroPie with the mindset that it's a hobby craft that you will tinker and configure, and not an end product like the NES Classic. It's like buying a model kit of a car where the enjoyment comes from assembling it, painting it, and trimming off the excess plastic, as opposed to a toy car with sticker apps and formed parts that conveniently pop into place.

That has always been my concern with retro pi. I want to get into emulation but I swear I'm the stereotypical no computer knowledge person. If it works fine, but any issue I doubt I could fix them.

BobHarris

@ruthless4u You don't have to be a computer wizard at all. All you need is to enter the right keywords in Google for your problem. Or read the Retropie docs. And if all of that fails you can always open a topic here.
I've never tried to comprehend the inner workings of computers , but I did just fine setting up a very nice Retropie build. I'm glad the people behind Retropie made it so straightforward that pretty much everyone, with the right attitude towards it, can succeed.

Eldrethor

@ruthless4u For an end user, it's just a matter of fiddling around with the app and figuring out what features and settings get you the gaming experience that you're looking for.

Fire up a game in nestopia and compare it to fceumm. Try a different color pallet. Compare the audio. Change your settings and see how it affects your game. Once you get a hang of things, you can read up on what each feature does and why they exist, like threaded video, audio filters, etc. Why should you use one emulator over the other? Why should you care about performance versus accuracy? And even if something goes wrong, nothing is permanently broken; just start from scratch, look it up online, and figure out what works and what doesn't.