The Ultimate RetroPie Setup and Install Guide (2022)

Support The Geek Pub by going Premium and get access to all of our plans and member videos:
www.thegeekpub.com/go-premium/
Support this Channel on Patreon:
/ thegeekpub
PCBWay is your one-stop solution for electronics. Visit them at www.pcbway.com
In this episode, we finally do the Retropie Install and Setup Guide you've all been asking for! We cover all of the basics and few extras.
00:00 - Intro
00:12 - Thanks PCBWay!
00:32 - Welcome
01:00 - JAMMA is an alternative
02:03 - Retropie and the benefits of emulation
04:20 - Installing Retropie
06:25 - Configuring Controllers, and other setup tasks
16:22 - Adding ROMs
20:00 - Emulator specific configuration
21:00 - Adding artwork, titles, and descriptions
WRITTEN GUIDE:
www.thegeekpub.com/247946/ret...
DOWNLOAD RETROPIE ROMS:
www.thegeekpub.com/274511/whe...
GEEKPUB ARCADE JOYSTICKS AND BUTTONS:
www.thegeekpub.com/product-ca...
GEEKPUB ARCADE PLANS:
www.thegeekpub.com/product-ca...
ITEMS USED IN THIS VIDEO:
Raspberry Pi 3: amzn.to/3s45MW7
Raspberry Pi Power Supply: amzn.to/3EYKigP
Micro-SD Card: amzn.to/3oTS2uS
USB Flash Drive: amzn.to/3EZoNMV
Logitech K400 Keyboard: amzn.to/3dQG8f1
750 in 1 JAMMA: www.thegeekpub.com/product-ca...
JAMMA Harness: www.thegeekpub.com/product-ca...
LINKS TO SOFTWARE:
SD-Card Formatter: www.sdcard.org/downloads/form...
Balena Etcher: www.balena.io/etcher/
Retropie: RetroPie.org.uk
Find us on Social Media:
/ thegeekpub
/ thegeekpub
/ thegeekpub
Music Credit: Anders Enger Jensen

[@TheGeekPub]

You guys asked for it, and it is finally here. The Retropie Install and Setup guide episode!

[@shockwave.9749]

Is it a different process to add roms to the SD card itself? I'm going to be using a pistation case so didn't want an external drive sticking out or another thing to carry if I'm taking the console on the go

[@claytoncoleman7201]

How do you change input from keyboard to gamepad

[@theMadness36]

@TheGeekPub Doom II, Ultima V, StarCraft, and Duke Nukem 3D.... you are a man of culture I see!

[@stevenwheat3621]

I'm not real mame spec savvy, but im trying to figure out how to configure the player 2 joystick for games like Robotron.. I've found a couple vids, but they're older vids and the layout looks different..

[@mikefowler7341]

Retropi Welcome screen says “no controllers detected”. Can anyone tell me what to do from here? Thanks!

[@rmedoc24a]

Perfect and easy to follow instructions. Thanks for taking the time to make this guide. I will be using it this Christmas as our Family is getting all the stuff to make our 1st arcade.

[@jgonz3542]

Really good stuff here. I did my core RetroPie setup a few years ago now based on the famous ETA Prime KZbin videos and watching yours really did streamline somethings as well as include some new to me stuff (USB ROM install; BRILLIENT!!). Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Good luck selling your bits and goodies I'm sure they are of great value to folks.

[@kev3d]

THANK YOU! I have been looking at tutorial after tutorial and they always gloss over the most important details. "Just use a raspberry pi! It's no trouble!"

[@dewbiedew]

Great tutorial! I've found that the Raspberry Pi imager to be slightly even easier for a few reasons. First one being that if you are looking to write RetroPie images, it has an option. No need to separately download. Secondly, while this is slightly more on the advanced side, if you bring up the "hidden" configuration menu via CTRL+SHIFT+X you can disable overscan, setup WiFi which picks up your laptop's wifi settings already pre-filled. That's super handy! Hopefully others find this info useful too!

[@Jonny_O]

Can we get a tutorial on fine-tuning the settings, such as adjusting controller timing to better mimic the genuine article? This isn't the type of detail the typical 'turn your Pi into an arcade' video goes in to, but for that reason I feel like it could be a winner.

[@NeilFeltham]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been waiting ages for a decent, plain speaking tutorial on Retropie.

[@kflott]

Great guide, I've done this with an RPI3 inside an arcade1up cabinet but it's always nice to see a good thorough guide on setting things up.

[@lousterzenbach7235]

LOVE this guide! So clear and so easy to follow.

[@Kandorr617]

This is the tutorial I've been waiting for! Thanks so much for making this! Happy gaming :)

[@woodysgeekchannel2204]

Awesome video!! Looking forward to more of them. You have an excellent presentation and organization

[@devotovenators]

This is exactly what I've wanted. I've built your wall mount so far in Batman theme (black and yellow). I'll be making a full size in zelda themes next. Thank you for the video buddy.

[@yeetus48]

I got almost everything ready! Great video!

[@Rob.Coleman]

What a fantastic tutorial, very well explained. Thanks for sharing 👍👍.

[@serimar]

Great video as usual my only complaint is you told people to use "retropie-mount" folder name but failed to tell them it is how to run games from usb. That will not copy the roms to the sd card. So if they unplug the usb drive and boot the pi they will only have retropie menu nothing else. Named folder "retropie" will still make all the folders and will copy the roms to the sd card.

[@TheGeekPub]

Yep. And after doing this hundreds of times I could smack myself on the head. Not sure why I said -mount...

[@ItchyEyeFi]

@@TheGeekPub Thats cool you can use retropie-mount, means i can run retropie off my 32gig sd card, and have more than 32G on my usb and the raspi wont attempt to copy them all over

[@fjl05]

​@@TheGeekPubi suggest that if you do a new video in the future, to mention preferably using a usb flash drive that comes with an activity LED so you can see when it finishes copying the roms, writing folders etc.

[@guelphdgc7995]

@@fjl05 need help. my pi won't write the bios, config or rom folder regardless if i make a retropie or retropie-config folder. what am i doing wrong?

[@user-cc1jv6xj7d]

​@@guelphdgc7995same here

[@semilife]

Thanks for that, its even more relaxing to watch you make these than just listening to music.

[@pascaldogger]

Awesome, i see a other video's from TheGeekPub for years again but now when i am busy to make a Virtual Pinball with arcade it is a wonder i see your video thank you for sharing i use your setup!

[@TiagoRamosVideos]

Great video 👌 thanks 🙏

[@chancethefapper4528]

This was every step I needed, much appreciated:)

[@TheChardluz]

Thank you for making this simple for beginners.

[@74bobby]

Great Video. Very informative and helpful.

[@AlfredoAVA]

Absolutely fantastic video, thank you so much! Just got a Pi and can't wait to turn it into a mini retro console. Got custom decals printed for the Pi's case, and I'm in the middle of coding my own theme for EmulationStation as well. Might make my own video about it 😊 Subscribed!

[@kiwitales]

Amazing video, and so informative! Thanks.

[@anderhenrique]

Awesome video, very well explained. THANKS A LOT MAN!

[@infernoerrooke]

I just purchased your wall mount arcade plans and this is going to be a project for my son and i this weekend

[@bwarrent]

Awesome, I've set it up a few times but I've always felt like I'm missing out on some of the stuff I could be doing with it.

[@MrRobbiepee]

What a terrific concise breakdown on setting up RetroPie. I'll didn't know about the USB service, do that's going to be useful.

[@storo1975]

This was just terrific! thank you for doing this ... i would like to see a follow up video that talks about the BIOS and how to know how/what to install

[@Eddylive]

Wow I just bought all the pie gear to make myself and was a bit worried on how to do so, many thanks, subbed. Also love your builds. I am actually looking at converting a high top square table at my restaurant into a sort of mock cocktail cabinet. Should be fun.

[@theoldone22]

This is great, I just got a nespi4 case and pi 4 I was planning to install RetroPie on.

[@silverandblackentertainment]

So easy! Thank you sir! 💥

[@kevinhuynh303]

VERY INFORMATIVE VIDEO THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@kenureed]

thank you! not one hiccup in the setup process!

[@baovu5022]

Great informative video!

[@MadaoAU]

Amazing content, thank you for this. My dream is to be able to do this cab project at some point.

[@TheVagueIdeas]

thank you! this is gold

[@benwolinsky9139]

Great video as usual. Any advice on how to install and configure a proper on/off switch that will actually initialize a proper shutdown of the Raspberry Pi?

[@jaimecortes5681]

great work sir.

[@Subwayz23]

thank you so much bro it worked

[@paulwaite6777]

Great video

[@no-intro]

best tutorial yet

[@NL_the_Godfather]

thanks for the links on ur site :) i found a nice sd card and will save alot of time indeed.

[@jabredesen]

Great builds!! I'm deeply impressed by your work :D Do your plans have measurments for the metric system (mm, cm and so on) or is it US measurments in the plans?

[@erikin2k7]

THANK YOU

[@MelsvanWees]

Really nice packaging Mike! Designed it yourself?

[@EgonSpengler1977]

You be able to make another bad comments video just from this video dude 😂😂 Great work as always loving the podcast also 👍🏻

[@youbecha64]

Thanks for doing this, I fought setup for days...now I probably should redo it correctly this time...the controller setup was the worst...and I had no idea it would auto install the roms...

[@LucasGeniar]

Didn't learn anything new, but really loved the video :-D

[@LucasGeniar]

For more advanced people and a lot of different emulations I would suggest not to use the default scraper but on of the plugins

[@TheGeekPub]

Yes. This video is not for the advanced user. But we will talk about that stuff at some point!

[@Swiftstar2]

@Lucas Geniar I love when advanced users go watch videos on subjects they've already mastered, and leave snob type replies. We'll buddy, why would you watch a video that's titled "setup and install" if you already know the information?? Clearly this wasn't for you, but rather for people like myself who are completely green, when it comes to retropie. Jesus!!

[@LucasGeniar]

@@Swiftstar2 Because watching these movies, liking it and leaving comments actually promotes clips like these. And if the makers also like your comment and even leave a reply who are you to leave a comment like this? I never said anything bad, just the tip that adding additional scarpers might be a good suggestions. Snob replies .. it's just a tip.

[@chucky_shorts]

Love your videos, site and store! I will be building a cab with my son this Christmas and your site is just what I was looking for. I would love to see a video about getting a front end for mame for a PC. Is there a way to have a custom linux image that boots directly into something like retro pi but for a full PC? I want something a bit more powerfull to run more complex games like nfl blitz and street fighter.

[@CarlosMendez-uo5xm]

You are Awesome!!! Thank you for being Awesome!!! :]

[@Eggfone]

Awesome!

[@notfavorite]

tysm!

[@JoolsWills]

Great video thanks - an easy to follow overview of the setup. RetroPie also now includes an on screen keyboard for WiFi passwords too (thanks mitu). So it's even easier to configure without a keyboard. I would still recommend a keyboard though, but configuring over SSH is also an option. Cheers!

[@JoolsWills]

Think there was a minor confusion regarding the usbromservice. Making a retropie-mount folder will mount the USB device to use for ROMs. It won't copy the ROMs off so it's ideal for running ROMs directly off a usb stick. No need to wait after plugging it into the RPI. Just switch off, plug it in and it will mount on startup. Removing it though would mean the ROMs disappear. To copy ROMs from the usb to the sdcard you should create a folder called just "retropie" instead of "retropie-mount". Then you do need to wait till it finishes copying and you can unplug the stick when done as the ROMs will then be on the sdcard. On the RetroPie default images usbromservice should be enabled by default. Thanks for the video. Just wanted to clarify this in case there was any confusion.

[@myexwifisab7052]

Great video!… how about setting up trackball and spinner?

[@kennethbankers3669]

I have followed many tutorials and this one by far is the best... most dont tell you that you need to turn on the usb server thing... every one but you skips over that part. THANK YOU.

[@chalinbeltranhernandez1126]

This is awesome! My main menu doesn't show up when I press start though so I couldn't configure my second controller. Any advice?

[@TheSparkyr234]

When you put roms on your memory stick and stick into cabinet does it transfer them to the menu card in the Pi or do you play them off of the menu stick?

[@Ancient_West]

"STOP ASKING ME TO MAKE A RETROPIE VIDEO! THERE'S TONS OF RESOURCES OUT THERE TO HELP AND GUIDE YOU!!" *6 days later* "Anyways guys, here's a complete guide to help you setup your retropie."

[@TheGeekPub]

That's awesome!

[@rikstr12]

Great video, quick question though on the parts, can you link the USB port you added to the front of your cabinet? I can't find it anywhere!

[@Bigted3737]

Awesome stuff. How do I bind the other buttons if i am player a 6 button game?

[@Stevie94]

Excellent video!!! How do I get MaME to work properly. You can’t exit with start and select once in a game. Also won’t work with my snes remote. Ty

[@grein46087]

This is cool, So do you have a setup with Trackball, Spinner or Flight Stick, for games such as mussel command, centipede, tempest and tron?

[@mancavemusician]

What version of MAME are you using , thanks?

[@_eva.cn_]

What emulators did you download for the arcade games ?

[@mr.rooster619]

do you know if its possible to get games like jungle hunt on this set up? i have a arcade1up i want to convert but my 2 favorite games are jungle hunt and punch out so I want to be certain i can get those games before investing in the items needed. thanks

[@ks-bg5uk]

I was able to follow directions and have both my micro sd card and usb working. I have my USB stick configured with the folders and roms. There were a few roms that I put on the USB stick that don't work and I tried to delete them and they still stay on retropie system for some reason. I noticed I deleted the game roms on the USB stick but they're still there. Thoughts?

[@stephenruss4032]

What if I'm using dual ipac ultimate's and using player 1 and 2 on both boards to run all 4 player's will the configuration still be the same or will I need to go into winipac to change the key codes to get it to run properly?

[@nrnoble]

Thanks for the extra tips....Is it possible a spinner or trackball to the setup? I have read that some emulator builds do support trackball or spinner, or it is extremely difficult to map them so that they work correctly, in other words, it requires skilled hacking of the emulator.

[@abecchio]

Love The DooM2 and Duke Nukem 3D on the back... Smells like my Teenage era

[@SilverbackG-wq1cn]

once youve installed this, will it still function as a normal pi without having to reinstall everything?

[@djdutchjones]

I would love to learn all there is to know about hyperwheel

[@zachkraeuter4820]

Are the roms always being read and run from the thumb drive…or is it copying the new ones added each time to the microsd on the pi?

[@libertyprime2186]

Are you able to access the normal Raspberry PI OS and use programs like chrome too with retropie?

[@gamecubeforlife5285]

Once adding the games via the USB, does this transfer the roms to the SD card? I would like to build a library of games on various USB sticks and wondering if this is possible.

[@jamesharris6062]

Hi is retropi stable on playing games on raspi 4 do you have buy the gams or are free downloads available?

[@EvoNijo]

Complimenti, ottimo lavoro, anche io ho realizzato un Bartop con raspberry pi4 ed ho realizzato un video.

[@kevinpoint645]

Do I add this on top of raspberry pi os or separate

[@poopoppy]

I had to do it twice, but it worked. There was an extra step you neglected to mention.I had to choose between what platform to play it on, or something.........I dunno. Anyway it's nice to have a guide with someone using a mac.I couldn't follow the guide where pc's were used.

[@michaelcornish887]

Do you have a video on how to enable game saves on the nes, snes, gameboy advance etc? Been creeping around some reddit sites etc but I'm having a hard time getting it to work.

[@callumcampbell7999]

Hey, I was wondering if you'd ever come across the Make Make? It allows for the replacement of traditional switches with any conductive material, basically allowing you to create a game pad out of Play-Doh if you wanted, or a famous demonstration is a guy using bananas to play piano. It's a very useful and interesting device as it allows you to basically have an alternative for any control in the device it's plugged into. Unfortunately it was dependent upon demands being recognized by a computer as an alternative keyboard of sorts. To avoid this problem and potentially use some very interesting materials in your next arcade build I have actually found a hat board for the pi that has connection points for alligator clips etc. and each impulse can be calibrated tuned and eventually assigned a button or control. Additionally it has more input than the original Makey Makey, meaning it would not be limited to a D pad and a couple buttons this time, instead the possibilities are mind boggling. Only downside is that you provide consistent connectivity results the player of the arcade may need to attach a grounding strap basically, a little wristband with an electrode similar to the ones that they use for static in order to make contact with the board and complete the circuit, when a contact is made, in a very minimal way. Because conductivity is a measurable variable it's also possible that buttons or controls could be programmed to respond to varying levels of sensation in varying ways, similar to the controller is found in the current generation of game consoles, or at the very least the triggers display that ability... Anyway, sorry for the long rant of sorts but genuinely an engineeringly plausible idea that potentially could be a first, something growing rare by the moment in this world lol. That and speaking from experience it's pretty fun to fashion your music control keys for example into Play-Doh buttons that you can then whack with a mallet do you expressed your displeasure of the track you were needing to skip. If that was fine I can only imagine what you can do if you put your mind to it and fully embrace this newer and rather odd technology :)

[@joshuamedeiros9977]

This is awesome don't have a keyboard so how do you access in game controls with arcade joy stick can't configure street fighter and mk to proper buttons

[@leojrgensen2819]

Do you need to power down the retropie or rpi in a correct way, or can you just cut the power ? And do you need to have the usb stick pluged in all the time playing like showing in the video ?

[@TheGeekPub]

This is coming in a future video, along with a way to solve it. But yes, it needs to be shut down properly.

[@riversarcadereview385]

can you use USB splitters to add extra joysticks and teackballs

[@Accessdenied89]

I was wondering if there is some way to get an old PC game (Thief Gold and Thief II: The Metal Age) to work on a Raspberry Pi? The games came out in 1998 and in 2000 for Windows 95 / 98.

[@only257]

Radical 😊

[@claytoncoleman7201]

@TheGeekPub how can you change retro pie from keyboard input to game pad input for Zega Mame gear

[@anthonyrazo1153]

I love the tutorial. I have a couple questions. 1. What kit would I use for a 4 player arcade. For like the old Simpsons, TMNT, Avengers, etc? 2. If I use separate 4 encoders, is there a way to install a port for like a rolling ball for golf or bowling? Or is that something that is going to be an either/or situation?

[@anthonyrazo1153]

I ask because I want to do an all in one setup. If not then I just may make 2 arcade machines

[@LERobbo]

I would like to know how to add new platforms to RetroPie/EmulationStation the easy way?

[@lestersegelhorst2776]

I have a retropi setup on a rpi4 8mb and seam to have fat fingered the admin Password so I am unable to properly run updates on my raspian Linux and desktop. What paths and files should I save to my 1TB hard drive before reinstalling raspian fresh? My idea is to copy them back again so I don't have to reinstall and reconfigure everything again.

[@did3d523]

is it better tha recallbox?

[@bqmber]

do i need to leave the usb with the roms in indefinetly? PS: i'm doing a non cabinet build

[@princevinny0073]

please answer my question can i have a computer thats runing Ubuntu with Retropie installed run games off a USB ??? like how u did in the video or is that only a raspberry pi thing

[@hiawa23]

I have a question. I have a retropie handheld. The SD card that came with it is not in English, so I bought a SD card with everything in English. When I put the new card in It boots up just like original and the games play fine except the dpad and buttons seem disabled. I have to plug in my USB controller to play, and that defeats the handheld point. When I put the old SD card back in it plays fine using the portable dpad and buttons. So, how to map so when the new SD card is in I can play using the buttons and dpad on the portable?

[@freedom9243]

Hello , thank you for the sharing , i have the same issue with my tv sharp however i can nor find the firmware anywhere model# LC-55N6003U

[@pkerry12]

ok does the flash drive need to be fat 32 or exfat? because it doesnt' copy anything for me.

[@goatfightshop3769]

I just did a mod to my arcade1up. I got an sd card from Amazon and installed it and started it out of the box. I don’t think I did it right. Am I supposed to configure or do something to the pi before I install the SD card, even though the sd card has retropie on it already? It only loads up 1 out of 10xs and when it does I can configure the controls but once in a game I am never able to play (controls don’t work) and the sound goes away. I’m also never able to back out if the game with a hot key or select/start. I’m really at a loss. Almost wish I never modded the cabinet but I know I’m missing something.

[@paxtory5639]

is it possible to install retro pie on a rock 4C+?

[@ins1337]

A good video. For me, and I know its legally a litttle grey, I like to donwload pre-configured ISOs from arcadepunks or similar which come with loads of roms / emulators all setup and configured (well mostly) with extra bells and whistles

[@nidzdotnet76]

The legality of these ISOS is questionable as they come with games lol.. But I love Arcade Punks packs.

[@toddzino58]

I use arcade punks also, but let’s not kid ourselves. It’s not legally a little grey. It’s just straight up illegal. Only argument would be for personal use. That part would be a little grey I suppose (assuming you built the image yourself.)

[@godzillamothra5983]

where I live, geek nerds and carpenters are usually two different species. So you can imagine what the nerds here feel when they watch you build the arcade cabinet. Despair, hopelessness...

[@ryanbarre2390]

like to see adding two trackballs to cocktail table