RetroPie forum home
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Home
    • Docs
    • Register
    • Login

    Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ Released Today!

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General Discussion and Gaming
    raspberrypiraspberrypi 3a+raspberrypi 3
    35 Posts 20 Posters 9.2k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • BriganeB
      Brigane @hhromic
      last edited by

      @hhromic thank you for clarifying that.

      Systems: Raspberry Pi 0/2/3 Model B+
      Os: RetroPie 4.5
      Frontend: Emulationstation & Attract Mode

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • H
        hhromic
        last edited by hhromic

        check the official launch article linked by @obsidianspider here for details: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/new-product-raspberry-pi-3-model-a/
        They also made a case for it.
        Despite having less RAM, I don't think is a deal breaker for RetroPie, most emulators don't really need all the RAM in the full RPI3b+

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • DarksaviorD
          Darksavior
          last edited by

          I wonder how half the ram will affect retropie.

          obsidianspiderO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • obsidianspiderO
            obsidianspider @Darksavior
            last edited by

            @Darksavior It runs fine on a Pi Zero, which is 512MB RAM.

            📷 @obsidianspider

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
            • M
              mat
              last edited by

              For anyone interested.

              https://www.zdnet.com/article/raspberry-pi-3-model-a-out-now-25-for-cut-down-pi-3-b-with-quad-core-cpu/

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • ?
                A Former User
                last edited by

                What a complete waste of time, energy, and money.
                I mean, it's not as if the Model B+ is expensive, for christ sake.
                How about a more powerful Model B+ ? Heck, addon a few ££/$$ and give us 2Gb ram and a higher clock CPU. It's still cheap, it's still affordable.

                CederickC edmaul69E dankcushionsD G 4 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • CederickC
                  Cederick @A Former User
                  last edited by

                  @John_RM_70 "Maybe" in February 2019...

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • edmaul69E
                    edmaul69 @A Former User
                    last edited by

                    @John_RM_70 not exactly a waste. People who need a smaller form factor but dont want the lower power of a pi zero would want these. This will probably be popular with people making handheld builds.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 6
                    • H
                      hhromic
                      last edited by

                      This part is interesting too from the original RPI foundation article:

                      In some ways this is rather a poignant product for us. Back in March, we explained that the 3+ platform is the final iteration of the “classic” Raspberry Pi: whatever we do next will of necessity be less of an evolution, because it will need new core silicon, on a new process node, with new memory technology. So 3A+ is about closing things out in style, answering one of our most frequent customer requests, and clearing the decks so we can start to think seriously about what comes next.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • dankcushionsD
                        dankcushions Global Moderator @A Former User
                        last edited by

                        @John_RM_70

                        How about a more powerful Model B+ ? Heck, addon a few ££/$$ and give us 2Gb ram and a higher clock CPU. It's still cheap, it's still affordable.

                        the current GPU architecture can't address more ram, and CPU clock increasing is pretty redundant for us. the pi4 will be a completely new architecture, which is much needed. this A+ model is cool for portable builds, certainly.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                        • G
                          GingerMcNinja @A Former User
                          last edited by

                          @John_RM_70 How DARE they not consult you on their own products! The very NERVE!

                          ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • ?
                            A Former User @GingerMcNinja
                            last edited by

                            @GingerMcNinja How DARE I have a opinion on something.

                            CederickC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • glennlakeG
                              glennlake
                              last edited by

                              Remember what they say. Opinions are like belly buttons, every one has one and the all gather lint. ;-)

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • CederickC
                                Cederick @A Former User
                                last edited by Cederick

                                @John_RM_70 What about the new Vero?

                                Quad Core ARM 1.6Ghz 64-bit processor
                                2GB DDR3 RAM and 16GB eMMC storage
                                Built in 802.11 ac/n/g/b WiFi with Bluetooth 4.0
                                IR and RF receiver
                                2x USB 2.0 ports
                                micro SD card slot
                                3.5mm analogue audio output
                                Optical (SPDIF) audio output
                                HDMI 2.0 with CEC (control your Vero 4K + with your TV remote)
                                Dynamic Refresh Rate adjustment (with 23.976/24p support)
                                Gigabit Ethernet
                                4K, H265, HDR10 ready
                                Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 2cm / 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.75 inches
                                Weight: 140 grams / 5 oz
                                
                                glennlakeG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • glennlakeG
                                  glennlake @Cederick
                                  last edited by

                                  @Cederick It looks great. But when comparing the $25USD Raspberry Pi 3A+ to the Vero at about $150USD it's a bit out of my price range.

                                  CederickC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • CederickC
                                    Cederick @glennlake
                                    last edited by

                                    @glennlake

                                    John_RM_70 a day ago

                                    What a complete waste of time, energy, and money.
                                    I mean, it's not as if the Model B+ is expensive, for christ sake.
                                    How about a more powerful Model B+ ? Heck, addon a few ££/$$ and give us 2Gb ram and a higher clock CPU. It's still cheap, it's still affordable.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • B
                                      Beldar
                                      last edited by

                                      The more options we have the better, right? I'm not interested in the 3A+, but I'm not its target audience either. It could be pretty cool to fitting into some slim places, though. It would perform loads better than a Pi Zero for a handheld build, but it will drain the battery significantly faster.

                                      I'm interested in hearing their plans for the Pi 4 and its new architecture. The Pi 3 really hits the minimum limit for what I consider playable emulation on 16bit or higher consoles. Even a modest ARM upgrade could allow some room for latency reducing features to be activated. 2gb of RAM and something better than GLES 2.0 support would be wonderful, but would that be able to remain under $40?

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • tashmanT
                                        tashman
                                        last edited by

                                        It doesn't boot up with the standard RetroPie 2/3 image. Probably needs kernel update.

                                        ClydeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • tashmanT
                                          tashman
                                          last edited by

                                          Update.....for anyone who's interested :-)

                                          Updated all packages, system, kernel, etc and it's looking very promising.

                                          I had to enable autologin to console after update as it prompted for credentials. It is a faff trying to swap keyboard and game controller so needed USB Hub.

                                          I played a game of ISS Pro Soccer 98 on PS1 (libretro emulator) and it seems to perform at the same level as a regular Pi 3. The first time I played it it had audio glitches/stuttering but I was running it off a memory stick via this very cheap (99p) USB hub. When I copied the ROM to the SD card and ran it from there it was absolutely fine.

                                          I played the second half with enhanced resolution and there was no glitches or slowdown.

                                          (I beat Scotland 6-1 with Alan Shellear getting a hat trick)

                                          Will try some other games/emulators tomorrow. That said I can't remember what games are borderline on a regular Pi 3 (apart from 99% of N64 games of course but I don't bother with those).

                                          Cheers.

                                          markyh444M MapleStoryM V 3 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • markyh444M
                                            markyh444 @tashman
                                            last edited by

                                            @tashman I only upvoted this post for the thrashing of the Scottish!

                                            Retropie in a NES - Pi 3 with Mausberry circuit shutdown switch wired to buttons and 8bitdo NesPro30 controller
                                            Retropie in a Saturn Controller - Pi Zero, GPIO controls using DB9 driver
                                            Retropie in a PSX - Pi3
                                            https://markyh444.wordpress.com

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post

                                            Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.

                                            Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.