The Raspberry Pi is a device that offers virtually endless possibilities. One of the most common uses for this small development board is to create a retro console that allows us to play the most classic titles in video games. RetroPie and Recalbox are the two main operating systems we can install on our Raspberry Pi to turn it into a retro game console.
WHICH SYSTEM IS BETTER TO EMULATE GAMES ON RASPBERRY PI
Before delving into the differences between RetroPie and Recalbox, it is necessary to make a little clarification to get the most out of your Raspberry Pi.
Before thinking about installing software, we need to acquire a Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi 4 is the latest version of this small development board that we can find for sale. It is a model with a much more powerful processor than the one used in the Raspberry Pi 3 and a larger amount of RAM.
The Raspberry Pi 4 should offer the best results when emulating classic video games. However, things are not really that simple.
The main problem facing the Raspberry Pi 4 is that software developers are still adapting their products to work perfectly with this new board version.
Recalbox and RetroPie do not yet have an official version of the Raspberry Pi 4. You may find a version developed by the community, but since it is not an official product, many errors may affect the user experience.
For this reason, many experts consider the Raspberry Pi 3B+ the best option to set up a retro video game platform using this hardware. However, the situation should change considerably as the developers of Recalbox and RetroPie move towards a new version for the Raspberry Pi 4.
RETROPIE, THE MOST POPULAR GAMING SYSTEM FOR RASPBERRY PI
RetroPie is not the only operating system we can install on our Raspberry Pi to emulate the most classic consoles, but it is the best known by most users. This is mainly because it was the first operating system to appear.
RetroPie uses Raspbian as its base, joined by EmulationStation and RetroArch. A very interesting advantage that RetroPie offers us is that we can install it as a single operating system on our Raspberry Pi, or we can also install it as another Raspbian program.
Thanks to the EmulationStation interface, RetroPie offers an attractive and intuitive design to play. Moreover, RetroArch ensures optimal performance. RetroPie has a wide variety of themes, over 50 emulators, and a built-in Kodi Media Center.
HOW TO INSTALL RETROPIE ON THE RASPBERRY PI
The RetroPie installation process on a Raspberry Pi in any version is very simple. To do this, we must follow a series of steps described below.
- Download RetroPie from its official website.
- Flash RetroPie to a microSD card with Etcher.
- Put the card in your Raspberry, turn it on, and follow the instructions.
Once you’re done installing RetroPie, you can do additional configuration like adding ROMs from an external hard drive over the network.
You will also be able to install custom skins to modify the appearance of the interface, as well as specify a list of favorite emulators, and define the ROMs that you want to boot from an external drive.
RECALBOX FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF RETROPIE
Recalbox is an operating system for emulating retro game consoles closely resembling RetroPie. The look and feel of both operating systems and the technology behind them are very similar, as they both use EmulationStation and RetroArch.
The main difference between both systems is that Recalbox is a recent development. The main consequence is that the community behind Recalbox is smaller, so it can be more difficult to get help if you need it.
The fact that Recalbox has a smaller community also means less availability of custom shaders, emulation settings, and more. Lastly, we also point out that the number of emulators available on Recalbox is slightly less.
HOW TO INSTALL RECALBOX ON THE RASPBERRY PI
The Recalbox installation process is very similar to that of RetroPie we must follow the same basic steps to have this operating system running on our Raspberry Pi.
- Download Recalbox from its official website.
- Flash Recalbox to a microSD card with Etcher.
- Put the card in your Raspberry, turn it on, and follow the instructions.
WHICH OF THE TWO IS BETTER TO PLAY ON RASPBERRY?
This question is quite complicated to answer. We have two operating systems focused on emulating video games on the Raspberry Pi, which are very similar.
The technology we find under the hood of RetroPie and Recalbox is the same, so we can expect that both platforms work similarly, except that they can produce the small optimizations introduced by the developers of one or the other.
If we have to decide on one of the two systems, we opted for RetroPie because it is a platform with a longer history, which means that the community is bigger and will not be easier to find help if needed. The latter is a very important point for users with little experience.
However, it will undoubtedly become our favorite opinion if Recalbox can release an official and stable version of the Raspberry Pi 4 before the RetroPie development team.
What is your opinion? Do you prefer Recalbox or RetroPie?
I am a writer with eight years of experience writing in business and technology. I always carry a passion for learning and discovering new knowledge.