Is there any way to boot straight in to the detailed view for a specific emulator?

[dantheflipman]

If I want to make an NES only retropie box, can I edit some Config or Theme file to start in the NES detail view right away? (the NES games list view)
Thanks!
-Dan

[herb_fargus]

not without hardcoded changes to emulationstation

[dantheflipman]

So that would have to be changed / added in before emulationstation is compiled.. hmm, then i guess the closest I could get is making it so only the top level NES emulator is visible. (hiding the other folders). Thanks for the input.

[senkun]

@dantheflipman Yeah that was the way I set up one of mine. I just hid everything else after configuring everything (hid the Retropie configurations as well) and had only one screen. It can be quite nice as you can theme that screen any way you like (except that hardcoded white strip). Still, works quite well I guess, just one extra click to get to the games list.

[dantheflipman]

@senkun That sounds reasonable,

I'm asking because I had the following Idea for This thread on reddit

I recently completed a Pi arcade machine running retro pi. I now want to build a Raspberry Pi emulator in to a NES. I saw a video where somebody built a Raspberry Pi zero emulator in a Gameboy and wired the cartridge connector to the SD card slot and built an SD card in to a cartridge, so putting a cartridge in was effectively the same as putting an SD card in. I was wondering if anybody knows if this would be possible with a NES cartridge connector and NES cartridge? My idea is to have a different cartridge for each system, so I could have all NES games on one, all SNES games on another etc.

And my Idea was:

Looks like NES cartridges have 72 pins, which is PLENTY for wiring up an sd card. however, I feel like using multiple cards would mean that you would have to set up a basic retropie image, and then duplicate that same image onto all the cards, and tweak each image to autostart whatever system you want for that card.

Not only that, but you might also run into data transmission issues if the wires are too long, https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-micro-sd-breakout-board-card-tutorial/look-out

Which, I would assume might cause corrupted SD cards fairly often.
one of the ideas off the top of my head is a bit easier on the hardware side, but would have a bit more on the software side.

Keep the SD card in the pi and static, with all of the wanted systems and games on it, then wire the NES(inside the console) pins to a few raspberry pi GPIO pins, example: -1 Pin for 3.3v -1 Input pin for NES -1 Input pin for SNES -1 Input pin for GBA

The cartridges would be extremely simple: -For the NES cartridge, connect the 3.3v contact to a resistor, and then to the NES Input GPIO pin you chose.

-For the SNES cartridge, do the same thing. connect the 3.3v and the GPIO contact with a resistor.

Now when you plug the NES cartridge in, one GPIO pin will read high, and when you plug the SNES cartridge in, a different pin will read high. And so on and so forth.

Create a script that runs on startup, to check which pin is high, and change what the emulation station menu looks like depending on which pin is read high.

BONUS!

If no pin is read as high, don't boot emulation station, and instead open full screen OMX player to a video of static! for nostalgias sake! =D

Sigh... I wish I had an old NES to test it out on :p

[Irondad]

@dantheflipman Why would you need the nes to test it out? The bit patterns for selection are easily made using any old connector, say a dsub9. Then you can test to your Hearts content, while you look for a gutted NES. I think it's a brilliant idea, and would like very much to hear if anyone is succesfull with a selection scheme like this.

[dantheflipman]

@Irondad said in Is there any way to boot straight in to the detailed view for a specific emulator?:

@dantheflipman Why would you need the nes to test it out? The bit patterns for selection are easily made using any old connector, say a dsub9. Then you can test to your Hearts content, while you look for a gutted NES. I think it's a brilliant idea, and would like very much to hear if anyone is succesfull with a selection scheme like this.

I Know I could probably test this out fairly quickly, the only issue for me is finding the time, and buying another soldering Iron haha..

I also found this in an old retropie thread about auto starting MAME games

Here is the code for launching to MAME emulator only:

1. from command line type:
   sudo nano /etc/rc.local
2. add the following text to the bottom:
   sudo /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame
3. Save the file and reboot.
   ...
   I looked all over for this answer and most of the things I found were out of date, so specific folders or files were not where the forums directed. I got it to work for MAME using the code above; it puts the script for launching MAME emulator from command line into the rc.local file. I dont think each emulator launches the same way, so you may want to search for the code to launch whatever emulator you choose from command line, and put that into the rc.local file.
   This will bypass emulation station going straight to the emulator. If i press esc on my keyboard (or the equivalent mapped button press for controllers) I can still get back to emulation station (if I really want to). That way I can still take advantage of the awesomeness of ES and all the ROM/controller/button configurations, or F4 to access command line.
   If you want to launch to a single game, I think you just have to list the ROM file aafter the emulator command:
   sudo /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame ROMFILENAME

OMFG!! You did it! :-) Thank you thank you thank you!
I have been wanting to do this since I first built my cab.
For others who are wanting to do this as well, I want to clarify that ROMFILENAME is just the name of the rom file without the extension. For example, this is what I have in my rc.local file:

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame pacman

So It looks like It would be easier to make a game cartridge launch to a specific game instead of into the console detail menu XD

We've gone full circle.. using a single cartridge to launch a single game.. It's madness... But it just might work

But honestly.. it would feel great to pop in my old Zelda cartridge.. maybe blow on the connectors.. just for old times sake.

[senkun]

Neat idea!

I'd say that your first option would be the easiest to implement. Multiple carts each with it's own dedicated single emulator setup preconfigured and easy to do with Retropie as above. And it's way cooler, because you'd have a selection of carts to plug in and out for different systems. Very tactile, I like.

Hardware side is also easier to implement, you need only a few pins out of the sdhc slot, 9 pins if I remember. So all you'd need is a couple of microsd card adapters, and get some good quality wires (thicker gauge will be good as you'd be soldering to the adapters). There's plenty of room inside the carts and the old NES, so instead of ripping off the Pi's sdcard slot to solder onto the traces, I'd just plug an adapter in there and strip the other end to wire to the NES cart slot. Same thing on for the sdcard inside the cartridge itself. I think it's brilliant in it's simplicity.

I'd worry about data transmission issues later, if you solder well, and the wires are good I doubt you'd go wrong. After all, you can locate the Pi very close to the cart slot, and the distance from a plugged in cart to the Pi can be very short.

I think you can buy adapters to strip, but the ones I'd seen are on flexcables so that's a no go. You can make your own, that way you can go with good cables.

Check this out too;
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-an-SD-Card-extension/

Good luck and keep us updated!

[senkun]

This one seems workable, and a lot less work;

[senkun]

@dantheflipman said;

But honestly.. it would feel great to pop in my old Zelda cartridge.. maybe blow on the connectors.. just for old times sake.

LOL I feel you there.

[Zigurana]

I just love everything about this topic!
People working together to recreate a romantic notion of times well past, applying state of the art techniques to emulate the old. It's great!

I am anxious to see where this will end.

[Rookervik]

Not sure if this was answered yet, but you can actually tell ES to not show fast system select (therefore going straight into the game list) and then editing your es_systems.cfg file to show NES first. If NES is your only system, then that will get ES to boot straight into detailed games list of NES.

[spitoni]

@Rookervik is there a change you can send me this cfg file. cant figure out how to boot straight to nes

[Rookervik]

@spitoni Wow, old topic. Do you have any experience with linux command line, or do you have a windows computer and can access your raspberry pi over the network?

There are quite a few ways to make changes to the config file.

[johnodon]

@rookervik said in Is there any way to boot straight in to the detailed view for a specific emulator?:

@spitoni Wow, old topic. Do you have any experience with linux command line, or do you have a windows computer and can access your raspberry pi over the network?

There are quite a few ways to make changes to the config file.

Sorry for dredging up an old topic again RV... :-\

But, could you provide some details? I'm very comfortable with Linux command line.

TIA!

John

[mitu]

@johnodon If your intention is to boot straight into a particular system when ES starts, then this is now a setting in Emulationstation, so no need to modify config files or mess with the command line. Just make sure you have the latest update in RetroPie and look in the UI Settings, under Start on System.

[johnodon]

@mitu

Exactly what I needed. TY mitu.

Now I just need to find a way to disable the ability to go back to the main screen. The only way I have come up with is to not map a 'back' button but don't want to have to resort to that. Any better ideas out there?

John

[mitu]

@johnodon What are you trying to do ?

[johnodon]

@mitu said in Is there any way to boot straight in to the detailed view for a specific emulator?:

@johnodon What are you trying to do ?

I basically want to have only one system (Arcade) and not be able to back out of it to the main system select screen.