Recalbox for Raspberry Pi What is it, what is it for and how to install it on your single board computer?

Perhaps one of the best news for users of the Raspberry Pi is its compatibility with recalbox, and it is that these tiny computers can be used for a gran number of projectsspecially for retro gaming.

This is how currently you can find a wide variety of projects focused on the video game emulation and luckily Recalbox it is one of the easiest to set up.

In this way this operating system It will allow you to have a greater interaction with video games. That is why here we explain a little more What is it for and how to install it on your PC board?

What is Recalbox and what is it for on Raspberry Pi development boards?

Consists in an operating system that is mainly characterized by including a wide variety of game consoles video games, arcade systems and PCswhich is why it has become one of the better alternatives for users looking for a bit of fun. Therefore, it will allow you to emulate a console to be able to enjoy a large number of titles and all this from your Raspberry Pi.

It is mainly supported by the user interface of EmulationStation2, RetroArch and piFBA as emulators and has a very simple installation system thanks to the fact that it is based on NOOBS. That is how RecalBox is currently one of the best emulators for mini pc since it offers ease and many configuration possibilities.

This way if you have RecalBox and one raspberry pi you will be able to do many things. One of them is connecting it to your television or screen and giving it a energy consumption to turn it on so you can have a media center Of reproduction and quite complete game, so you will not have to resort to other external hardware. If what you are looking for is play videos you can do it from any USB device connected to the Raspberry.

All this has been developed with the purpose of run on Kodi and all its endless features that have led it to become one of the best multimedia centers today. But the best of all is that you will be able to go from Kodi to RecalBox where you will have immediate access to all the ROMS of classic machines such as Super Nintendo or Master System or for systems more modern like Nintendo 64 or PlayStation.

It should be noted that all this is possible thanks to the potential of Raspberry boards, which are capable of supporting quite demanding emulations. Lastly, it is important to mention that RecalBox It is already pre-configured so that messages can be sent from any other device that is connected to the same local network. games to raspberry pi, so no cable connections are needed. All this is done through the browser client connected by Samba.

Features and functions of Recalbox What can we do with it on a Raspberry Pi?

As mentioned earlier in the post, the function of this operating system is quite clear, it is as follows Recalbox going to enable what is emulation video game consoles from your Raspberry Pi without much difficulty, all this thanks to the fact that it has an easy configuration and that it allows games to be played without a cable connection, so that any device connected to the same local network as the board can send games to it.

Among the most important and outstanding features of this operating system to emulate video game consoles are the following:

• It can update online.
• Count with one Wi-Fi support.
• It has support for game console controllers. XBOX 360, PS3, 8BitDo and controls via USB and Bluetooth
• supports multitude of languages.
• you can do the favorites list.
• In its latest downloadable version it incorporates a Lots of exciting news and updates.
• Offers what are kernel updatesscraper updates for game data you have there.

Hardware requirements to play retro games on Raspberry Pi with Recalbox. What do I need to get the most out of it?

Before you start running your favorite games on your Raspberry Pi through recalbox, It will be necessary that you take into account all the necessary requirements for it, as well as the most suitable hardware. All this will allow you to take advantage of the maximum your emulation of your favorite consoles.

Therefore, the main requirements that you must take into account are the following:

• The first thing you should have is your raspberry piFortunately Recalbox It is compatible with almost all of them.
• A wired charger MicroUSB that allows you to feed your plate. It works for anyone who provides at least 5v to 5v, so the one on a tablet or smartphone will probably work for you. Now if you want to play it safe then you can buy a charger that goes up to 2.5A.
• A usb keyboardsince this will be much more comfortable for the configuration, if you do not want it USB you can use one through Bluetooth
• Cable HDMI.
• A gamepad, this is where all the magic is, if you connect a controller Xbox 360 or a PS3 Sixaxis they will be detected on the fly and automatically without having to carry out previous configuration steps. Now if the pad is different, then you can configure the equivalences through the menu.
• Clearly you must have a Micro SD cardsince we must remember that Raspberry Pi does not have an internal memory and one is needed to be able to install the necessary files to start RecalBox.
• If the network connection will not be made by Ethernet cablethen you will need a usb wifi receiver, this will be more than necessary to watch and send games and movies from the local network.

As to hardware requirements you will need the following, but first you have to take into account that the new version more suited to the features most common hardware. That is how Recal box 6.1 has compatibility with Retroflag GPi Case.

It is a portable console that promises hours of fun and that works successfully with a Raspberry Pi Zero. But if what you are looking for is to play at home, but not spend so much money and not lose performance, then you can use a Raspberry Pi 3 or Raspberry Pi 3A+ with only 512MB of RAM and with him same processor as Raspberry Pi 3 B+.

Versions and editions of Recalbox What are all the ones that exist and their respective novelties?

As has already been mentioned, it is about an open source operating system which will allow you to emulate a large number of retro console and computer gamesbut not only allows you to interact with it through games, but also offers you a job with multimedia where you can listen to audio or see videos.

In addition, one of its main features is that it is constantly updated thanks to the fact that it has a fairly active community of developers. Perhaps one of the most important steps in this system was the arrival of the RecalBox version 6.0. it meant a great change in the development of this distribution and that has served as the basis for what was the release of the latest stable version RecalBox 6.1.1this being the most recent.

In this way it can be said that RecalBox OS is basically a distribution Linux which is optimized for multimedia and retro gaming. It has been programmed to be used in Raspberry Pi from the startbut which has also come to Odroid and x86 systems on version 4.1. It is worth mentioning that this project reached one of its peaks thanks to the version 6.x where it was already able to emulate a large number of consoles.

As if that were not enough, it includes the powerful Kodi for media, including all the advantages that this offers. It has a Graphic interface for much more comfortable navigation and control and thanks to its good performance it was included in the Raspberry Pi Foundation to include it in NOOBS.

Learn step by step how to install Recalbox on a Raspberry Pi from scratch to play retro arcade games on your single board computer

Recalbox not only can be installed in a raspberrypi, but you can also install it on a Odroid or PC. However, in this case we are going to show you how install it on a microcomputer in a very simple way, although keep in mind that this process is very similar in any of the cases.

Therefore, follow each of the steps that we are going to teach you below:

Recalbox download and recording to micro SD card

When you are ready to carry out the installation and you have all the requirements ready, then you will only have to follow each of the steps that we are going to indicate below:

• The first thing you will have to do is download the Recalbox image file at the following address: https://download.recalbox.com/en/. Here you need to find the right image file for your hardware.
• Next you must enter Micro SD card on the computer and format the card through the file system FAT32. Keep in mind that formatting this card will erase all the files you have stored there, so it is recommended that you make a backup beforehand.
• When the card has been formatted you must download one of these two programs “Win32DiskImager” either “Etcher”. When you download it you must use it to record the Recalbox image file on the micro SD card.

Download Win32DiskImager for Windows

Download Etcher for Windows

Download Etcher for macOS

Download Etcher for Linux

• To finish, you must remove the SD card from the computer and then insert it into the Raspberry Pi and turn it on. In this case Recalbox will be installed automatically, keep in mind that this installation process usually takes a few minutes.

Driver Configuration

• After what Recalbox is installed and ready to work, the next thing you should do is configure the controller correctly, as this will ensure its proper functioning.
• In some cases, the controllers usually work automatically, as is the case with the xbox 360 usb controller If this is your case, then you will not have to do any of this, now if the driver does not work you will have to do the configuration.

• In order to do this you will need to connect a usb keyboard and press the key “Enter”, there the menu will open Recalbox. In this menu and with the help of the keyboard arrows, scroll down to the option “Configure input” and press on the A key to select it. Later you will have to select the item of “Set up a controller” and again press the A key.
• From now on you must follow each of the instructions that appear on the screen in order to map the buttons to your controllers. As usual, Recalbox names the buttons based on the knob Super nintendo. When you have mapped all the buttons, then you can use the controller to browse Recalbox, If everything works fine, then feel free to unplug the keyboard if that’s more comfortable for you.

Connect to the network

• It is important that you know how to carry out the network connection, to do this you must access the Recalbox menu using the key “Enter” of your keyboard or the button “Start” in your controller. Here you will have to scroll down and select the “Network settings”. From there you will be able turn on Wi-Fi.
• When you are there you will select “Wi-Fi SSID” and then you will have to write the name of the network that you are going to use. To finish this step you will need to select the item “WiFi Key” and enter your network password to connect.

ROM Transfer

As mentioned earlier in the post, the transfer of games is possible in this case, and if you have installed this operating system, it is clearly to enjoy some games. In the case of rom transfers can be done in two different ways, if you are using a computer with Windows, then you should open the window “file explorer” and in the address bar type “Recalbox”, to be able to connect to your Recalbox via the network.

Here you will have to double click on “Compartir” and there you will have to locate the folder “roms”. When you are inside that folder you will see that they correspond to all the video game systems that Recalbox is capable of emulating. Therefore, you just have to drag them to the appropriate system folder.

As an alternative to this procedure you will be able to use the interface of the Recalbox web browser so transfer your roms. For this you will need to open the web browser. Now from the address bar type http://recalbox.local/ this should send to web interfacefrom there you will be able manage your ROMS, BIOS files, among others.

Scraping the ROM collection

This is the final step of this entire procedure, this means that at the time of scratch your rom collection metadata such as synopses, release date information, and box art are provided for each of your games.

To start scratching this you will need to go to the menu and scroll down to the option of “Scraper”. Now from the next screen you must scroll down until you get the option to “scrape now”, here you’re going to be able to change some of the settings here, but if this is your first time scratching your games then just select the “Starts”.

In general, this curettage procedure will take some time, although it will depend on the number of games that is in the collection. When everything is complete, each of your games should have the box art and relevant metadata. of this recallbox mode It will combine a simple interface with a simplified setup process.

Recalbox vs RetroPie Which is better to turn your Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade machine?

There is no doubt that these microcomputers have achieved a popularity that perhaps at the beginning no one imagined, especially today when they allow carrying out a large number of projects, including creating a Own Retro Arcade Machine. This is how it allows you to take advantage of classic game emulator softwareall this thanks to projects like Recalbox or RetroPieboth considered as very good alternatives for it.

This is how you will have the opportunity to create your own retro arcade machine like a professional, especially if you have a Windows environment, HyperSpin which are postulated as a spectacular management software and launcher of roms, while the raspberry pithe focus of attention is on the retro pie projects and as a main alternative Recalbox.

All this has managed to create a great dispute between these two arcade systems about which of the two is the best alternative for users. In the case of Recalbox is considered as the newcomer. But the truth of all this is that each of them has its own characteristics. In the case of Recalbox It should be mentioned that it is much more easy to set upbut of retropie that stands out his speed with which he expands and improves his creature.

However, since it is a decision that is not easy to achieve, then here we are going to show you the main differences between the two so that you can decide for yourself which one to stay with:

back foot

In its beginnings it was a small-scale project and it was launched almost at the beginning of the creation, so at that time it was the only option available to be able to create an arcade machine with the plate.

Over time, this system has been improved, so much so that it is currently one of the largest projects whose main objective is to be able to emulate as many games as possible. In support of all this can you mention the great community they have today. Among some of the most notable elements is the ability to update each time a new version or model of a Raspberry Pi, thus simplifying many aspects with each of its updates.

Recalbox

It is considered as the main alternative to RetroPie, but despite having been launched some time later, it has created a very good strategy to be able to compete with them. This is how they have done something very similar, but this time they have simplified many of functions to the maxmanaging to greatly reduce the problems of the installation and configuration of the games.

The ease that this system offers is what has made it one of the first choices for most users. It should be mentioned that does not have a community as large as RetroPie, although it is estimated that over time they will equalize, so it can be said that currently Recalbox It is one of the favorite options for many, especially for the facilities it provides, something that in retropie It has created a lot of headaches, especially when setting up games.