Has anyone on /vr/ built a compact and cheap PC for emulation?

>>3118538
I was going to do this as well but after comparing a micro tower and RPi. I bought Wii.

Around 09 my dad accidently ripped the screen off his laptop and I installed Windows XP Performance edition on it and ran emulators up to N64 on my TV with it. I thought I was the fucking shit. Got pretty damn good performance using an USB Xbox controller

These days, raspberry pi emulation is on the edge of being actually worth it. I won a 3 at a hackathon the other week and finally messed around with emulators on them and I'm actually kind of impressed.. compared to early footage of the original model trying to run the same things. I just cleared SOTN in Richter mode(not sure if that really matters but, its a lot faster paced) on it and the performance was great.

It's been years since I've seen somebody actually "build" a pc for emulation.. the cost really isn't worth it, all I've ever seen these days are salvaged laptops and credit card sized computers.

Getting some high quality saturn emulation in the comfort of my living room would be fucking awesome though...

>>3118635
How did he "accidentally" rip the screen off?

Come on, you can't leave that out...

Android is also a valid option there are android sticks that just hang off the HDMI port of the TV and run off the USB port's power. Use a PS3 controller for zero footprint, or you could just set up your phone and something like Chromecast though I'm sure the lag would be tremendous. You might try a 7" Windows slate they're getting around that $50 mark these days and you could take it with you to play wherever when you were away from your TV without having to worry about migrating saves and that type of BS.

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hey there, check out my build with the Tacens Versa Slim
the only downside is the requirement of a SFX rather than ATX power supply but as you can see in the picture you can remove that limitation with a little imagination.
Also the fact that its too slim for normal PCI cards but you can always use PCI extenders if you want dedicated graphics, wich is what i did

>>3118778
Pretty sure this ain't compact though....

RPi is decent enough for most systems. Just don't try it on a CRT, it only outputs 480i signals over analog and it looks like ass.

Newest Rpi, a Bluetooth dongle and a Dual Shock 3. Installed Lakka and put a billion ROMs in.

+ It's neat and tidy and because it's behind the TV you can't even see it.
+ works really well

- not as good as the real deal of course
- Lakka has its problems
- input lag

>>3118838
>Newest Rpi, a Bluetooth dongle and a Dual Shock 3

I thought the RPi 3 had integrated bluetooth?

I just got long HDMI and USB cables and put a USB hub next to my TV. Now I can play from the PC in my room with practically no issues.

If you want to build something the main thing to consider is probably getting a intel CPU over a AMD one but the differences aren't that important for retro emulation.
The only real demanding thing I've seen is increasing the resolution in Retroarch-Beetle.

>>3118838
>Input lag
>Lagtastic shit emulation
>Low power

Pi will never be a good option for emulation.

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>tfw you'll never have a perfect multi-system emulation box with dedicated FPGA implementations of each console

>>3118870
Pi is the most overrated board PC, really. There exist tons of alternatives that give you more bang for the buck.

>>3118870
>Input lag
Epic meme that people claim about all emulation despite being effectively a myth on all modern hardware, including single board computers
>Lagtastic shit emulation
Emulates pretty much everything up to PS1 just as well as the highest end PC since they all far surpass what's required for retro consoles
>Low power
No idea what you mean by this. RPi is pretty shitty for complex shaders, I guess

>>3118887
>just as well as the highest end PC
Nobody actually believes that.

>>3118879
The hardware differences are negligible. Software support is more important, and there's a massive community based around the RPi. If you want to compile everything from source yourself and configure your whole system for a minor performance gain, then use whatever you want. Much easier to just install RetroPie and configure a handful of settings.

>>3118892
So a high end PC emulates NES better than your phone? If the hardware exceeds the requirements, additional computational power doesn't mean shit. Embedded systems 101.

>>3118841
Whoa lol you're right, didn't even know that existed. I have the Model 2B+ or whatever

>>3118887
I want to believe you but I refuse to believe that the route from Dualshock through Bluetooth to the receiver in the Pi to the emulator to the television is truly as lag-free as a corded controller straight to my SNES.
But if you can, please provide sources.

>>3118898
The thing with emulation is that we don't have enough computing power for things like circuit accuracy. Even cycle accuracy can be too much.

>>3118823
its pretty compact for what im used to! more or less the size of a PS4 and if you put it in the living room it does kinda look like a console
i guess you can also go for smaller form factors but im not a big fan of ITX... mATX is where its at dawg

>>3118887
>Emulates pretty much everything up to PS1 just as well as the highest end PC since they all far surpass what's required for retro consoles
so does the wii
most people have a wii sitting around

so the rpi is pointless

and no neither of them can emu saturn

>>3118538
Im looking for an old computer case that would lay flat like a CDI but able to fit a full MOBO. anyone know of any links? ebay and amazon has mostly new, and hardly any available flat models.

>>3118968
Search for HTPC ATX, there's plenty of those.
You can also lay a standard tower on its side, most components don't give a shit which way they're oriented.

Flatness has limits on an ATX board since you still need to fit normal expansion cards into them.
Generally you'll want a newer case. The form factor hasn't changed but there have been advancements in the overall design like PSU no longer being placed next to the CPU to blow out all the hot air.

If the RPi is shit for a compact emulation platform, what would be a good alternative?

>>3118778
clean your fucking fans

>>3118874
give it a couple of years for FPGA's to get more powerful

>>3118538
>Has anyone on /vr/ posted this thread before
Yes, many, many times.

>>3118538
I got a Gigabyte Brix hooked up to Hyperspin with an Xarcade Tankstick. Does the job splendid.

What options do I have for an emulation box with 240p analog output for CRT televisions?

>>3119069
I can tell you one thing.
I have a mini bay trail PC box, for running windows 10, (so I can use my external blu ray drive on holiday on the TV at night), and it's performance on emulators is actually WORSE than my Pi 3. No joke.
(It also doesn't give as much power to the onboard USBs as the Pi does. So I have to use an external usb hub/usb HDD to use the player as well)
It all comes down to software support. Windows emulators come with quite a lot of bloat. Driver support on these mini-pc things are quite bad as well.

People might shit on Retropie, but it does the job well, and is very easily modifiable.
(I got mine running a playlist in the background on the menu, custom boot intro, and theme. The works)

>>3120427
*external USB hub for the player/external HDD

>>3120312
pc with a 240p 15hz capable card. Soft Mod Wii

>>3120436
I'm trying to get away from Wii emulation since it's kind of clunky and really limited on the consoles it supports.

Are there modern graphics cards that directly output analog video? Preferably component or s-video. I was looking at external converters, but there's not much that supports going from digital to 240p analog.

>>3120526
Man, all the TV out capable cards are antiques. I was hoping for something that could handle emulation of early 3D systems too, not sure if these would manage.

They don't even bother to state if they support 240p or not. NTSC standard is 480i and that's all a lot of analog devices seem to support. 240p analog is essentially 480i with a bastardized control signal to overlap the fields, but that does require explicit hardware support to output.

>>3120562
You want to find an old Super Emotia. Hope you have deep pockets.

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>>3120562
Dude just build yourself a fully sick Windows 98 machine with a 3DFX and a Voodoo in it hooked up yo your S-Video TV. There's no shame in playing 3D stuff on progressive scan displays because remember in 3Dgraphics the pixels are interpolated anyway. Chase accurate emulation of true internal resolutions and shit like that. It's the 2D stuff that was designed from the beginning specifically to be seen on 240p analog CRTs

If you refuse to listen to reason come get redpilked in /crt/ and we'll explain how to use hacked drivers to get modern cards to output 15khz frequency RGB signals out their analog VGA ports

>>3120615
You're saying it's possible to use those VGA to component projector cables with a CRT television using hacked drivers to reduce the frequency? Never saw that before, will have to look into it.

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>>3118538
I have!

I have built a compact cheap PC *suitable* for emulation... but I'm using it as my main system.

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>>3120716
No you'll need a $50 transcoder too if you want to output component. Most of us who are that deep have RGB monitors either pro monitors or arcade monitors but honestly the transcoder isn't a bad way to go considering it's lossless/lagless. There was a guy working on actually hacking the drivers enough to get real YPbPr component but last I checked his results were limited while there are hacked ATI drivers (CRT_Emudriver) capable of matching all existing output frequencies for raster CRTs.

But again you need to ask yourself if it's really worth it to you.

I've got an old PC (built it in 2007, AMD socket 939) I'm re-purposing as a dedicated linux gaming box.

so far its going pretty well, I got it running pretty much every console gen between NES/Master System thru 5th gen including saturn pretty well. I'm pretty sure I can get DC working but I can't find a good DC emulator for linux and I haven't had much luck running a windows DC emu in wine.

I am using lubuntu as an OS and I use emulationstation as a front end for game selection. Its been fun just tweaking settings to try and get everything running as accurately as possible.


I just gotta say, I'm falling in love with PCSX-R. Every game I've thrown at the most recent build is working. Mednafen is trash (its so slooooow and I can't get SOTN working) and epsxe doesn't support x64.

Also retroarch is shit.

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>>3121082
>Mednafen is trash

>>3120716
not that poster but I have a modern windows 7 computer hooked to my crt. I use steam big picture on it. Its bretty rad. Works like a charm. It's headless, so if I need to do text intensive stuff I remote access it with vnc (have fun reading small text on it other wise).

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>>3121082
>Also retroarch is shit.

>>3118538
Built a low profile box based around a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition for my emu cab. Has 8gb of ram and a GTX 650 ti which cost me around $350 minus the cost of the cab, monitor and speakers. Plays every emulator to it's capabilities so far but I mostly play Demul and PCSX2 on it. Model 2 emulator and ZiNC play amazingly with all sorts of enhancements as far as 3D retros go.

>>3121178
>Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
Why

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>tfw no quantum accurate emulation

>>3121189
Had a sealed one hanging out in my storage. Otherwise I would have gone out for an i3 at least. Built this when GTX 650ti was recent by the way but these specs still handle 6th gen emulators really well.

>>3121196
In order to emulate a console first you must emulate the universe.

>>3120716
If your TV and computer support the same signal you can do it even without hacking the drivers. 6 out of my 10 computers output component my older CRTs understand with no "hacking".
Quite often when someone talks about "hacking" the driver they're just talking about adding a display mode in Windows.

Then there's the guys who are totally convinced that only one type of card can do this using an actual hacked driver. They tend to get very upset when they hear that many shitty modern intel GPUs will do component that any old CRT can handle.

>>3120427
Thanks mate

>>3121249
What are you talking about. Some older graphics cards output svideo, that'll play on any CRT TV with svideo. VGA is literally RGB in a different formfactor at twice the frequency expected by a normal CRT TV. You have to "hack" the drivers to add video modes with the expected resolution and frequency, plus buy/make a SCART cable or something to connect it to your television. Consumer CRT TVs in the US typically won't take a RGB signal, so it has to be converted to YPbPr component or whatever. If there's no timing issues or scaling involved that can be done with a simple circuit and add no latency, but it's still required.

Sounds like you're confusing a CRT TV with a CRT monitor.

>>3121207
The power savings you'd get with a newer CPU would cover the cost difference by itself.

>>3121268
I'm talking about exactly what I said. Sorry if you were confused by it.

Sounds like you're one of those lads who doesn't know lots of VGA ports can output component and lots of GPUs support the modes needed to connect to a standard CRT without hacking the driver. Adding a registry entry isn't hacking.

>>3118956
Does the Wii support USB controllers for emulation? Dat 240p output is appealing but fuck using a Wii pad.

>>3118538
Was thinking of doing this with an android phone but I'm not sure if it can connect to the TV via HDMI

>>3118538
Some one help me out, it getting a VGA with audio cables, USB extensions, and a USB hub on EBay for about $25 worth it? I'm mostly going to use it when friends come over to play MAME and some other emulators.

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I use a Raspberry Pie 2. I know it's pretty much meme Tier but I love it.

>>3121738
I'm pretty sure it does, with retroarch

>>3122351
Yea, it works for everything up to PS1.
And a little of N64/Dreamcast.

>>3122351
>Buffalo controller

My nigga. Just got one of those myself. Goddamned masterpiece.

>>3118538
Just install retroarch fag. No need for an extra computer.

>>3118887
>>Input lag
>Epic meme that people claim about all emulation despite being effectively a myth on all modern hardware, including single board computers

I'm exceptionally pro-emulation, but this is downright wrong. Lag on emulators is a known and real, we just don't care in most cases. Wireless polling for controllers adds lag, sub processor cycle alignment adds lag, and then there's the lag from frame buffering that will always be on a digital signal compared to analog (~1 frame). Getting a few frames of lag from emulation isn't a big deal, but don't pretend it isn't there.

This is ignoring the emulator-specific lag that gets introduced as well. The most accurate SNES emulator, and in general all emulators, is BSNES. With that, even it's subjected to about ~15ms of lag on top of the items above that even byuu, the developer, admits to. (He posts it many places, but here's a link where he comments on it: https://www.reddit.com/r/gamecollecting/comments/1r063w/snes_price_boom_of_20122013_discussion/cdiouc3). If you happen to use a garbage emulator, then you're in for a sluggish ride.

I've worked on many emulators, but most of that time is on non-retro ones. Most recently it was PCSX2, and lag depends on the subcomponent. The audio, for example, is about 5 frames of lag min. The video is around 3. That is, before taking into account wireless controllers or the display itself. There are a lot of reasons why, but I doubt you really want me to go through it.

>>3121727
>lots of VGA ports can output component

More like virtually no VGA cards can output component. SiS cards are about it, and those are neither common nor designed for gaming.

>>3122739
>confirmed one of those lads
I connect my computers to my CRTs with component all the time sport. Spouting ignorant maymays isn't going to change my mind about reality.

>>3118929
I don't believe they ever mentioned lag. They were just pointing out that the thing had a bluetooth dongle built in so buying a separate one was pretty pointless.

>>3118956
How do you emulate PS1 on the Wii?

>>3122884
I'd like to know myself. I thought the Wii was too weak to emulate the PS1.

>>3122910
It works, but not fabulously. In this video of Spyro 2, random voice lines play for no reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F46AujwwziY

Here is what you do. You want a small computer? Get a Core2Duo or a Core2Quad Ultra Small Form Factor tower. You may be able to get one at your local thrift store or brick and mortar computer shop. I got mine on ebay for $25.

Track down the documentation to see the fastest processor the computer can support. I took mine from a 2.22ghz core2duo to a 3.33ghz core2quad with a $15 NOS CPU and a BIOS update.

Next Install Linux Mint, and Install EmulationStation. I can do up to PS2 at 480p smoothly on my little box.

>>3118778
Jesus, either clear that motherfucker or put it out of its misery

>>3122580
>lists a bunch of nanosecond duration steps

Absolutely irrelevant.

>>3122973
Hey, those ns's add up. Add up to insignificance.

>>3122943
>Linux Mint
Why

just put a lubuntu on it

>>3122874
I have an old amd graphics card so what works for me must work for everyone else

stop being autistic

>>3122934
does the rpi emulate it very well?

>>3122874
The burden of proof is on you, Anon. I'm sure /crt/ would be very glad to be shown how you do this on 60% of your computers

>>3123056
>lubuntu
Why

Just put Debian netinstall on it.

>>3123128
>burden of proof
It's not my job to prove everything every ignorant kid on the internet believes or disbelieves. If you weren't so new you'd know we have this shit every few months. It's always the same story. Some faggot like you howls about how it's impossibruuuu and I'm required by the laws of neo /v/ to hold his hand and show him how. I laugh at him and drop him clues until he gets off his ass and learns himself a little. Then he gets all buttmad and calls me names because even though I was 100% right I was a dick for not spoon feeding him or coming to his place and setting up his screen or whatever the sent entitled little fuck expected.

So drop all the maymays you want and appeal to whatever ignorance you want sport. This isn't my first rodeo and you aren't the first rodeo clown I've laughed at.

>>3122973
Cycle alignment (including buffer exchange) is about half a frame (6ms, or 6000000ns since you're using that value) and the wireless polling is just under a frame (so about 16ms, or 16000000ns)

With the frame buffer, that puts baseline lag around 38ms (or 38000000ns) before taking into account the emulator lag or display type.

>>3123460
Screenshotted for future use.

>>3124096
Intentionally delaying the polling of inputs until right before vsync occurs on the display helps with framebuffer latency.

Also, forcing the video driver to not buffer frames ahead of time or better yet having direct control of front and back buffers also helps.

>>3120526
>>3120562

Radeon 6xxx series cards can output 15kHz on Linux

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No mention of Android boxes? The Nvidia Shield TV, the most powerful of the lot, has quite a lot of emulation capabilities. It can handle PSP, NDS, Dreamcast, and anything below flawlessly. It can even do 60fps hacks on the PSP. I also tested Bsnes through RetroArch which ran perfectly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4FYyEoTMLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7JI4wFslz4

>>3123460
In the time it took you to write that wall of sperg you could've taken a photo with your iPhone™

>>3126883
It costs as much as a full PC so that's the least to expect.

>>3128103
Wouldn't exactly call £150 a "full PC" price but I suppose you could build one for that price. I got mine for £110 though as they were "on sale" for like 4 months at that price. Dolphin is also making progress on Android, and currently the best performer is the Shield TV. Luigi's Mansion is basically full-speed, and Mario Sunshine fairs pretty well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOADqQSngrE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AlUCD-BmDs

>>3121738
Yeah I think RetroArch does, and the Classic Controller is pretty fuckin' solid for /vr/

>>3123056
lol Ubuntu distros are for plebs, might as well install Windows.

>>3128736
That anon is Most likely referring to the 500gb model which is useful if you're planning to pack up entire romsets for CD based consoles otherwise the 16gb model is perfectly justified for it's capabilities.

>>3129324
My emulation folder is 20 GB and that doesn't include larger complete packs or many CD images since I have those on an external HDD.

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>>3129324
You can use external storage via USB or Micro SD. Only the emulators themselves have to be installed on the internal storage, and they take up practically no space.

I personally have a 128gb usb drive in it. On that I could fit full romsets for basically every non-CD based system (Besides NDS), as well as a ton of selected PSX, DC, GC, NDS, and PSP games.

>>3129380
>>3129491
Got a 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive because of that amazing transfer rate which is useful for stutterless Dreamcast and PS1 emulation on the Shield compared to my old 32GB USB 2.0 which I use for cart roms that do not benefit from a higher bandwidth. Literally no reason to pick up the 500gb model unless you got the money to spare.

>>3121196
why cant there be a shader that only emulates the good qualities of a CRT?

>>3130568
You can't emulate 0ms input latency.

>>3130590
Because the CRT inputs to the console right sport? kek.

Setting up homebrew on Wii for a friend and I'm ready to put the work in on adding emulation but im looking to make it more than text lists of games. I'm not finding great tutorials on adding box art in a way that isn't going to take hours of tediously redoing every single game naturally. Suggestions?

>>3131439
Naturally= manually

>>3120526
Up to hd 7xxx

Pretty recent desu