Tempted to get a Raspberry Pi 3

the_randomizer

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I hear tell there are two lines of Raspberry Pi, one made in the UK and the other in China (licensed, legitimate Pi boards, not knockoffs), and the Chinese ones have iffy quality control and people have had issues with their devices. Has anyone here had any experience with this?
 
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Meteor7

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Beware input lag in your emulators, though. I recently did a small investigation of the Pi's input lag with different emulators, games, and video drivers, the results of which are posted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroPie/comments/5g3561/help_with_input_delays/

I've yet to formally take measurements on a CRT, but as one would expect, the lag is better there. If I had to take a rough estimate, though, I'd say by just 1 or 2 frames.

Also to note, is that the N64 emulation on a Pi 3 is, to me, not playable. The input lag goes through the roof (like 500ms, what the hell), loading times are long (even when loading the menu), sound and video stutters in places, and there are some small graphical glitches. Even with something as basic as NES emulation, when you can get the input lag to be just frames away from an official NES, frames get dropped here and there, messing me up particularly when fighting Metal Man in Mega Man 2 where I had no issue on the official NES. Besides that, the input lag is actually quite variable depending on what's going on on screen, so that can be a source of tension when playing as well. This is all on the standard clock speeds, as overclocking is not officially supported on the Pi 3 as of right now.

I've yet to test many other emulators, but I can tell you that it runs GBA games the fastest and smoothest by far, probably because the Pi's CPU and the GBA's CPU are both ARM9. The input lag averages around 4 or 5 frames (could be even less on a CRT) and the emulation is otherwise perfect; with no detectable slowdown, dropped frames, or glitches of any kind.

I'm actually about to test the Sega CD emulator today, so if anything significant comes out of that, I'll probably be back.
 

the_randomizer

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Beware input lag in your emulators, though. I recently did a small investigation of the Pi's input lag with different emulators, games, and video drivers, the results of which are posted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroPie/comments/5g3561/help_with_input_delays/

I've yet to formally take measurements on a CRT, but as one would expect, the lag is better there. If I had to take a rough estimate, though, I'd say by just 1 or 2 frames.

Also to note, is that the N64 emulation on a Pi 3 is, to me, not playable. The input lag goes through the roof (like 500ms, what the hell), loading times are long (even when loading the menu), sound and video stutters in places, and there are some small graphical glitches. Even with something as basic as NES emulation, when you can get the input lag to be just frames away from an official NES, frames get dropped here and there, messing me up particularly when fighting Metal Man in Mega Man 2 where I had no issue on the official NES. Besides that, the input lag is actually quite variable depending on what's going on on screen, so that can be a source of tension when playing as well. This is all on the standard clock speeds, as overclocking is not officially supported on the Pi 3 as of right now.

I've yet to test many other emulators, but I can tell you that it runs GBA games the fastest and smoothest by far, probably because the Pi's CPU and the GBA's CPU are both ARM9. The input lag averages around 4 or 5 frames (could be even less on a CRT) and the emulation is otherwise perfect; with no detectable slowdown, dropped frames, or glitches of any kind.

I'm actually about to test the Sega CD emulator today, so if anything significant comes out of that, I'll probably be back.

So I shouldn't waste my money at all on this then? That it'll be an utter waste of time? *Sigh* I figured as much, maybe I should just give up even considering getting one? I don't care about N64 emulation to be honest, it's a mess even on PC. Man... now I feel like I've wasted everyone's time. I know lag can't be avoided, even on PC emulators, I don't want anything complex like N64, Playstation would be as far as I'd want to go.

I use my Wii u pro controller, it's brillaint!

Don't you need a Bluetooth dongle/adapter and know Linux CLI to know how to sync it, and don't I need a keyboard plugged in to set it up for the first time?


Emulators I would use:

Snes9x mainline (if there is a port)
Genesis Plus
Nestopia
Gambatte
mGBA
MAME
Final Burn
PCSX- ReARMed

Or something along those lines
 
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Meteor7

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So I shouldn't waste my money at all on this then? That it'll be an utter waste of time? *Sigh* I figured as much, maybe I should just give up even considering getting one? I don't care about N64 emulation to be honest, it's a mess even on PC. Man... now I feel like I've wasted everyone's time. I know lag can't be avoided, even on PC emulators, I don't want anything complex like N64, Playstation would be as far as I'd want to go.

Don't you need a Bluetooth dongle/adapter and know Linux CLI to know how to sync it, and don't I need a keyboard plugged in to set it up for the first time?
I wouldn't say that. The playstation emulation can actually come out LEAGUES better than the PS3's PS emulation, at least on the Legend of Mana. The comparisons are in my post, but to summarize: the Pi averages 8.5 frames of delay with optimized settings while the PS3 (Rebug CFW) averages 11. All that aside, the Pi's a computer, not just an emulation box. There's a lot of neat non-gaming things you can do with it as well.

Also, the Pi 3 has bluetooth built right in.
 

the_randomizer

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wii pro controller works almost out of the box with retropie on my pi3...

i started to make this http://www.coldbeamgames.com/blog/i-built-an-arcade-cabinet.. although its on the backburner right now...

i didnt notce input lag tbh.. but you indeed limited if you want n64 or higher ..

Which is fine, I don't play a lot of N64 emulators aside from a select few, Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Mystical Ninja I literally just sync Pro Controller up and running with RetroPie? Ugh, yeah, I don't want to quite
jump the gun, I made a list of emulators that I'd primarily use.

I wouldn't say that. The playstation emulation can actually come out LEAGUES better than the PS3's PS emulation, at least on the Legend of Mana. The comparisons are in my post, but to summarize: the Pi averages 8.5 frames of delay with optimized settings while the PS3 (Rebug CFW) averages 11. All that aside, the Pi's a computer, not just an emulation box. There's a lot of neat non-gaming things you can do with it as well.

Also, the Pi 3 has bluetooth built right in.

So you still think it's worth me getting that starter kit and 32/16 GB Micro SD then? Even the Wii U emulators have lag, I just don't really notice it, so I can tolerate some lag.
 

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So you still think it's worth me getting that starter kit and 32/16 GB Micro SD then? Even the Wii U emulators have lag, I just don't really notice it, so I can tolerate some lag.
Unfortunately, I don't own a WiiU, so I can't compare lags. It really all comes down to what you want out of the thing. If you had wanted it solely for N64 emulation, for instance, I'd absolutely say it wasn't worth it. As of right now, I feel like my experience with Retropie is too narrow to say much in terms of worth, so I wouldn't really feel comfortable giving a solid "yes" or "no" as to whether I think you'd feel like it would be worth your money or not. It does seem like most people either don't notice the lag, or it doesn't ruin anything for them, so it's certainly possible you wouldn't feel anything off.

Oh, and if you do go through with getting it, I'd be happy to walk you through the steps to optimize the emulator's settings with what I've found.
 
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the_randomizer

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Unfortunately, I don't own a WiiU, so I can't compare lags. It really all comes down to what you want out of the thing. If you had wanted it solely for N64 emulation, for instance, I'd absolutely say it wasn't worth it. As of right now, I feel like my experience with Retropie is too narrow to say much in terms of worth, so I wouldn't really feel comfortable giving a solid "yes" or "no" as to whether I think you'd feel like it would be worth your money or not. It does seem like most people either don't notice the lag, or it doesn't ruin anything for them, so it's certainly possible you wouldn't feel anything off.

And what about syncing the Wii U or similar Bluetooth controllers? The guide on the RetroPie site says that I need an adapter for Bluetooth or some crap like that? Is that true?


Emulators I would use:

Snes9x mainline (if there is a port)
Genesis Plus
Nestopia
Gambatte
mGBA
MAME
Final Burn
PCSX- ReARMed


I'll post this here so people can help gauge ,what it is I need or would want to play. I'd rather not use my LG phone as it isn't very powerful XD Now, is there a good power supply for US users like us that have an on and off switch so I don't
have to wear out the USB/power cable all the time after I've turned it off?
 

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I don't know what that means. Are you saying you like the WiiU better as an emulation box?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Watching this tutorial and it seems ridiculously easy to set up the emulator/front end

Current version of Retropie is 4.1. I think there are installation instructions on the Github page.
 

the_randomizer

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I don't know what that means. Are you saying you like the WiiU better as an emulation box?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


Current version of Retropie is 4.1. I think there are installation instructions on the Github page.

While I would normally agree the Wii U is better for emulation, in some ways, it is, but the thing that turns me off a bit is the lack of a PPC dyanrec core (which zero people have interest in, including Aliaspider outright stating such), and being fixed only with the Gamepad controls and support for nothing else, so, yeah. Normally I'd agree, but in this case, I want to be free from the limitations of the Wii U RetroArch port since it offers nothing else that other devices can do better *shrug*. Unless someone will work on a PPC dynarec core, the Raspberry Pi 3 is the way for me to go.

Like, I wanted PSX emulation to use with a good controller like the Pro Controller, something that was all in one, you know? I'd like the Wii U to be an all in one solution as much as the next guy, but it's incomplete as far as supported consoles goes, and I'm afraid it may be that way due to lack of interest, so the RP3 is the easy route for me to take instead of having to wait for emulator cores that'll never be improved on Wii U.
 
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the_randomizer

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i was saying save your 45 bux for the level of emu u want wiiu is good enough or the wii

Well, I actually have 45 dollars in gift credit on Amazon from Christmas, so I would be paying like maybe three or four dollars of tax, if that, so it's no real financial loss. The problem with the Wii U emulation scene is currently, full speed N64 and PSX emulation is either a long long way off, or downright impossible due to lack of interest, so I'm not banking my hope on seeing a PPC dynarec core for anything more complex than CPS3, to be brutally honest. Hence the RP3, it's a way I can take to get around the lack of more complex emulators on the Wii U. Unless someone can convince me to wait it out and have false hope for seeing a dynarec core *shrug*, the RP3 is the way to go.

WiiSX on the Wii doesn't have Gaussian interpolation, ADSR/VAG and has culling issues, the RP3 has PCSX-ReARMed which will run more games at a faster framerate, so, yeah, that's my two cents on why I want one :P
 
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Meteor7

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It's just occurred to me that I've never tested a 3D PSX game on Retropie, so let me just boot it up quickly and try Mega Man Legends. I've played that on PSP, PSV, and PS3, so I should be able to compare performances well enough.

EDIT: There is some noticeable slowdown when there are many polygons on screen (when in the area with the church in the first town of MML2), but it's nothing I'd call game-breaking. If you're willing to try and overclock the Pi, which I am not, it's probable the slowdown will get much better.
 
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the_randomizer

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It's just occurred to me that I've never tested a 3D PSX game on Retropie, so let me just boot it up quickly and try Mega Man Legends. I've played that on PSP, PSV, and PS3, so I should be able to compare performances well enough.

PCSX-ReARMed should be especially optimized for that device I would think. Breath of Fire 3/4 are 3D as well :P Okay.
 

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If you want full speed DS and PSP emulation in a compact Pi-like package, there is the Shield TV, but it costs way more than $45.

Yeah, I actually had a Shield device but sold it, I wanted to find something to spend my Amazon credit on mostly, I play PSP on my PC already, which suits my needs fine; I posted the emulators I want to use above.
 

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