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Emulation with the Raspberry Pi

Rogério Neves

Physics major, master and PhD in Systems Engineering. Researches on computer science, robotics and AI. Since 1982, used and collected from the Apple II+, Commodore 64 and Amigas to modern PC and VR gadgets. (linktr.ee/DaSpider)

Over the years I have tested and compared a multitude of emulators in different computer systems and, recently, the Raspberry Pi became one of the easiest, cheapest, most powerful computers for hosting virtual platforms.

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Emulation with the Raspberry Pi

Presenter:

Rogério Neves (DaSpider)

45m + Q&A 15m

NO SIGNAL

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EMULATION WITH �THE RASPBERRY Pi

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EMULATION WITH THE RASPBERRY PI

Presenter: Rogério Neves�Duration: 45m + 15m Q&A

The Raspberry Pi is one of the easiest, cheapest and most powerful solutions for emulation, as examined and compared here.

virtual platforms.

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EMULATION WITH�THE RASPBERRY PI

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MY COMPUTERS & CONSOLES

Vintage

*Atari 2600 (1980)
Apple II+, *IIe, IIc, IIgs
Commodore 64
Commodore Amiga 500, 600, *1200
PCs & Macs

*Actual

2 *PC & 1 *Mac
*Android: Phone & tablet
*Oculus: Gear VR, Quest 2
*Raspberry Pi’s: Zero, 2, 3B+, 4, 400
*Arm handhelds: BittBoy. PocketGo

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BIOGRAPHY

Technology enthusiast since 1980
Technician in Electronics since 1993
Computational Physicist, University of São Paulo (USP), 2000
Master in Electronic Systems Engineering (USP), 2003
Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, Yokohama National Univ., 2006
Researcher in HPC, Robotics, Artificial Life and AI
Professor of Computer Science at CMCC - �Cognition,Mathematics & Computation Center�� Federal University of� ABC, São Paulo, Brazil

linktr.ee/DaSpider

My interest for science and technology led me to technical school, then scientific academy. In 2003, when I was moving to Japan to do my PhD, I just couldn’t take my collection with me. I ended up selling or giving away most of it, keeping just a few of them with friends and in storage. In Japan I got myself a PC, and that’s when I started playing with emulation as means of scratching my itch for nostalgia. Then, working as a professor I frequently had to visit universities, sometimes for extended periods. Before moving to Russia in 2017, I worked in the NL, UK and shortly in the US. I first used the RPi for my work in robotics, but also as a hobby in small personal projects, emulation being one of them. It makes it possible to carry your favourite consoles and games with you in a very small package. Portability has always been one of the issues with retro computing. But hardly the only one.

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RETRO COMPUTING ISSUES

Cost of hardware, online scalping
Hardware issues, leaked capacitors (recap kids!)
Software issues, bad floppies, dead drives
Portability, Practicality

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tHE Raspberry Pi

Single Board Computer
Compact, consumes < 3W
Mem: 512Mb-8Gb of RAM
Storage: SD-Card, USB-Drive (4/400)
Arm CPU, VideoCore GPU (SOC)
Low cost: ~ $5 to $70

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Raspberry Pi Models

Newer first (Date)

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 5 (10/23)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ $15 RPi Zero 2 W (10/21)�▒▒▒ $5 RPi Pico (1/21)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 400 (11/20)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ CM 4/Lite (10/20)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 4B (6/19)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ CM 3+ (1/19)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ $10 RPi Zero W (2/17)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 3 Model A+ (11/18)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 3 Model B+ (3/18)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ CM 3 (1/17)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 3 Model B (2/16)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ $5 RPi Zero (11/15)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 2 Model B (2/15)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Compute Module 1 (4/14)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 1 Model A/A+ (2/13)�▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ RPi 1 Model B/B+ (4/12)

RELATIVE PERFORMANCE

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Emulation Stations

Several distributions, variations and bundles based on:

RetroArch.com�EmulationStation.org��

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Distros:

Basic distributions�Some emulators�Without ROMS

Ex:

RetroPie
RecalBox
Batocera
Lakka
...

Bundles:

Completely configured With ROMS and artwork

Ex:

Venon 1TB
Eternal
Wicked
Cobalto 128GB**
Hypertocera**
RaccoonBox**
etc.

** (ArcadePunks)

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ArcadePunks

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IMAGES

Can be:

-Ready to flash� (clean)�-Ready to use

Clean images need�firmware roms to�be copied, as well�as game files,�disks, roms.

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IMAGING PROGRAMS

Raspberry Pi Imager
Balena Etcher
Rufus...

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Emulation with the Raspberry Pi

What is needed?

Raspberry Pi Zero/2W, 2, 3, 4, 400, 5
Power block (5V, 3A)
Any USB or BlueTooth game controller
SD Card + USB adaptor
A PC/Mac to download & burn the image
PC/Mac imager program
*Video + cable + adaptors

* Composite video needs to be enabled in the Pi4, soldered on the Pi Zero/2W. Pi 400 requires an HDMI adaptor

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BUILDING A PROJECT

Raspberry Pi 3 & RetroPie

$25 to $40 depending on the specs
Emulates most 8/16 bits machines
Some 32 bit computers

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Raspberry Pi Imager

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Raspberry Pi Imager

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RETROPIE

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THEMES

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HIGH END EMULATION - Pi 400

$60-100 depending on the bundle
Broadcom 4-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.8GHz
4GB LPDDR4-3200
Boots from SD-Card, USB-Drive (Flash/HD/SSD) or network
Emulates newer platforms like N64, DreamCast�and Playstation

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Pi 4/400�IMAGES

Ready to use

Includes

Systems
Roms
Disks
HD images
etc.

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RecalBox

V 7.1.1�128GB Image �Ready to use

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RETRO COMPUTING

Distros may offer more than one choice for each platform�Emulator accuracy and functionality varies�The better the emulator, smoother the experience�May require fine-tuning settings�

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APPLE ][ GS

Emulator: GSPlus�Speeds (MHz): 1,�2.8, 8, Unlimited�Supports several�peripherals

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C64 (Vice)

Accurate�Save/load state�Drive sounds�emulation�or Turbo Speeds

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Amiga

Emulators

UAE4Arm
Amiberry
PUAE

�PiMiga (Pi 4/400 bootable image):

Thousands of games and programs
Support for RTG graphics
More compatible than any amiga
Faster than any amiga (vampires included)

Ready to use images

PiMiga 1.5 (32 bits)
*PiMiga 2.0 (64 bits)
Amibian (Amiberry 32)

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PiMiga

(AmiBerry)��Benchmarks:�SysInfo, AIBB�68060 demos��

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Modding

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Modding

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Modding

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Cases

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Software vs hardware emulation

MiSTer FPGA

Simulation on FPGA
Cycle exact
Connects original peripherals
Expensive
Not user friendly
Limited expansion�capabilities
Not glitch free

Software

Affordable / Easy of use
Easily exceeds hardware speeds by a lot
Emulated expansion capabilities
Highly configurable
Not always exact
Not glitch free

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Raspberry PI vs pc for emulation

PC

More powerful
Widely available
Wide range of emulators
Emulates even modern systems
Higher cost & � High power profile
Variable experience� Levels per emulator

Raspberry Pi

Low cost/low power profile
Good amount of platforms
Consistent experience across emulators
Easy to set up & use
Limited GPU power
Limited CPU power
Max 8Gb memory

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ATTRACT�MODE�(PC)

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Emulation Devices

Raspberry Pi cases, Odroid�Android & Linux devices�Portable PCs...

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Q & A