Thinking about buying into RetroPie, but have questions first.

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.