Transform ANY PC into a Retro Gaming Console

[@benmcreynolds8581]

With the unpredictable current state of gaming.. Getting back into games i grew up with in the 90's-00's era. It really makes me realize just how great we had it back in those days & i honestly wish current gaming could get intouch with the best aspects of previous gaming era's and blend it with today's capabilities and find the best of both worlds.

[@pkilljoy5797]

my golden age was the GBA so i want every game to be an RPG lol

[@VSMOKE1]

What you don't like unfinished games riddled with micro transactions 😂

[@JustBill82]

I skipped all the nintendo generations between NES and Switch, and missed most of PS2 due to having a low budget as a teenager, and was an XBOX fanboy from 360 to PS4, so given the option between a 70 dollar Ubisoft clone and literally hundreds of 10/10 games I will choose the classic systems.

[@kcow]

I just want a game to be complete when its released, and instead of DLC it has cheat codes/achievements.

[@melvinveenstra5485]

No more dlc for games just fully polished games.Still play on my old mastersystem then on the ps4 that's collecting dust right now.

[@erickgomez3993]

I swear to god Russ came in clutch!!!!! I just bought a mini pc and set batocera on it last night and I was wondering how to do all this!!! All hail Russ!!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Nice timing!

[@erickgomez3993]

🥰

[@erickgomez3993]

Hey Russ I actually just got the Minisforum UM560XT that you suggested in one of your videos. By any chance are you planning of doing a review on that mini pc? Just wondering… would like to see what you think about it

[@davidrin3566]

Best emulation channel on KZbin! Your videos and production values are both informative and impeccable! Keep up the great work. I watched your Batocera video last year and putting that together was awesome. When I get more time, I look forward to working on more retro projects in the future. Thank you for the tutorials, tips and reviews

[@Properbeer]

You’re really doing a service for the community mate! Thanks for all your efforts😀

[@juggalotuz04]

I've been thinking of getting a mini pc for a while for portable retro gaming. Your spreadsheet is very helpful, thank you for your hard work. Looking forward to more videos.

[@wizdude]

I’ve been reusing old mini pc’s that are being disposed of by my customers to make retro gaming machines for friends and relatives. Older machines will get up to PS1 and some lighter GameCube stuff but it’s ultra cool all the same. Thanks for the steam content in this video. I hadn’t done that before and it’s great to know how to integrate it all. Cheers 😊

[@Simo_Double.Trouble]

Hello man, I wanna use a dismissed pc with a ge force 780... Does batocera need graphic drivers?

[@wizdude]

@@Simo_Double.Trouble Batocera comes with Nvidia drivers included. The default driver supports the Maxwell architecture which essentially is the 900 series upwards. You can configure it to use the legacy 470 version driver which will support your 780 card which is Kepler based. Just requires a change in one config file and is documented on the Batocera wiki. Using old PC’s with Batocera is a great idea. It’s what I’ve done with a series of older machines and it works well. Best of luck and enjoy! 😀

[@RicardoRodriguez11]

I recently went through this process and it was really fun to get everything set up. Love your videos Russ!

[@pranze3484]

Yeah, you spend 400€, have fun for 10 hours setting it up, and then never use it again! Loads of fun for 40€/hour :D Joking but not really, the steam deck basically does the same job, haven't run into any couch coop game it can't handle, and otoh the mini pcs are outdated every 6 months while the deck is arguably also not going to evolve much perf wise anymore, but it's much, much more versatile

[@eliasrapozo1305]

Can it run sly cooper?

[@Casey_and_Cars]

I've been using the same Chromebox to run Retroarch on Ubuntu for 10 years now.... This is absolutely a great idea.

[@breakpack]

I did this last week with my MinisForum UM560XT. So far it's running up to PS2, GC and XBox! And if I ever want to upgrade, I just put the hard drive into the new mini PC!

[@virtuoso1505]

I actually had no idea mini pc's like this existed. This is exactly what I've been looking for. A home console type setup where I can play classic games with friends. Thanks so much for this!

[@dr.papadopolis7171]

Check out the Mac box they have ..

[@Gloryboyquan]

me too ...but not this model tho....I like the idea tho ngl

[@BrianJones-wk8cx]

BRILLIANT GUIDE, thank you! For those who need to remain in Windows for certain Windows titles, RetroBat is a unified installer for emulators and Emulation Stations front end, just bring your own ROMS and BIOS files. I LOVE Batocera and prefer it, but I have found Retrobat to be the perfect Windows stand-in, essentially a Batocera-like configuration for Windows. Perhaps worth some coverage on the channel for those stuck on Windows and either unwilling or unable to get Batocera working?

[@ajh21313]

where do you get retrobat for win 10?

[@tafsirdiallo]

Just wanted to say thank you. My NUC has a second life and I am enjoying playing Retro gaming. This video is great.

[@MIInsane1]

Thank you so much for this video. Bought the Beelink SER5 and set up Batocera on a 2tb SSD. Followed your directions and now I have an awesome gaming machine!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Glad I could help!

[@MrPiggalicious]

Just want to say I love watching your videos. You are a great narrator and don't talk down to the viewers. Thanks!!!

[@SuperRogier]

Thank you so much, you have inspired me to dust off an old Mac mini. This video and your content is really great, never disappoints. Why are not more KZbinrs like you? No overpromise, just say how it is and what the best options are, given all the options. The time you are saving me to figure everything out is insane. Cheers man, thanks again.

[@redkefka]

You do the best guides, and its great that you have both written and video versions. Thanks for your work!

[@poketipscr]

I appreciate the time invested in creating this video, it is detailed and properly explained. Great work!

[@BatoceraNation]

Russ, thanks for the shout-out! Really appreciate it. I have been overwhelmed by my father's stroke. Do plan to keep the channel for the time being and do plan to make more videos. Really love your channel and truly enjoy your videos! Thanks!

[@fonzitheman]

All the best to you and your family BN.

[@geniussnake497]

Take care, God Bless 🙏⛪✝🕊

[@CraftyCheshire]

That's awful to hear! Hope you heal well ❤️

[@cristianob3260]

Sir, I can not thank you enough for making this. I had no idea how to go about accomplishing everything

[@JonathanHolt1988]

Rii also makes a wireless keyboard like the one you use that has a controller on the opposite side, and it works pretty well. It's nice if you need a keyboard, mouse, and controller but don't want to carry all three separately or don't have a lot of space.

[@exodous02]

Wow, just found it on Amazon. Does it work pretty well? How do the buttons/dpad feel?

[@medicinaparatrompos2283]

how its called?

[@JonathanHolt1988]

@@exodous02 Honestly I think the controller is pretty good. The analog sticks are slightly recessed which makes it nice for portability. My biggest critique is actually the mousepad, but all these style of keyboard/mouse combos kind of have crappy mousepads.

[@lukecarroll9823]

Incredible quality of content on this channel. Straight-forward, easy to navigate and digest information. Consistently creating the best review for most of these products.

[@forthkun03]

i'm so happy bumping into one of your vids related to retroarch and because of that i will be able to relive my late 90s to late 2000s need to play games on consoles never had the money to spend on before. thanks so much for all your content.

[@RJ_chaos]

Yeah man, I wanna do it.

[@CasketxKrusher]

I did this recently with the MinisForum UM690 and I love it so much.

[@MashTec]

Thanks for this gem Russ! This video really covers all required steps from begin to end, very well. Well made!

[@spiritsuit7846]

So weird, I had just finished watching your last Batocera video when this one popped up! Awesome!

[@chavsny1578]

Wow amazing guide and that setup looks so clean, I'm really tempted.

[@thedesucomplex4365]

Makes me wish that Batocera made a controller with dock based on their earlier inline controllers.

[@HermieMunster]

Been playing around with a number of different emulators front ends, but have had a lot of success with Batocera. Not having the millstone that is Windows slowing other things like Retroarch or Launchbox down has been like a breath of fresh air running games on a 10 year old i3.

[@goyban]

21:33 Use the tab option when moving your roms, it will help a bit.

[@SourojitBh]

Thanks for making this video! Awesome!

[@MrDyfedjones]

So happy I stumbled across this channel, please keep up the great work! You're an inspiration to other young people to get into retro gaming, you're a breath of fresh air 😊

[@bigrob029]

that's the best damn review of the 8bitdo controller ive ever seen. i had no idea about the charging dongle.

[@UnitNo.2]

I really appreciate how much effort goes into testing retro gaming emulation

[@AndrewOverton-z2o]

Thank you for motion-tracking Momo's info in there. A+

[@NickBaysingar]

I have an old ITX gaming PC that's packing some pretty solid hardware (i7-9700K, 32gb of DDR4 memory, and a GTX 1080) which I plan to turn in to an emulation system using this guide. Me and some of the guys I work with are trying to set up a gaming night every week and I think this will be the perfect all-in-one solution.

[@KatRollo]

I'm pretty experienced in LaunchBox and probably won't switch to Batocera any time soon, but this is a well-made video that explains all the important concepts. Will definitely recommend this video to people for starters. Thanks Russ!

[@samyabdel112]

bro, the dedication....the attention to detail...the sarcasm...the skills...man i commend you for that...love the video and I'm definitely gonna like and share and of course subscribe...i just got a minisforum pc that i wanna turn to an emulation machine for my kids and i think this video should be the benchmark... so much detail and perfection... great work.

[@anthonydash85]

Dude, for home use this could be great, am getting a setup ASAP

[@ToyKeeper]

I batocera'd a raspberry pi 400, and it works great for retro games. It's cool having the first few decades of gaming history on tap in a convenient way, silent and low-power, with modern Linux features baked in.

[@AdamSnider]

I've been thinking of doing something like this for a while, and this video is a big help!

[@DREAMxmexican]

Watching his videos I now have an addiction to emulation 😂

[@mikhailzrick5640]

Batocera v37 will have in between resolution scaling options for pcsx2. From my testing the games like GoW 2 can do 1.5x native resolution full speed on a n100(ddr5)!

[@anung64]

I just reused an old pc I had and followed all your instructions. After putting some work it all worked perfectly! And since Batocera comes with Kodi too I also use it as a media center, plus I checked now and you can stream games from Steam and it works! I've been playing RDR2 on my old pc hooked to my big screen TV! So thanks a lot!!!

[@lorensims4846]

Thanks! I first heard of Batocera in a video about how to install it on the new Atari VCS. The Atari VCS offers a "PC side" in their Home Screen so you can switch to an alternate PC operating system. Atari sells a USB stick with an install of Debian for $35, but most people want to install Windows. Batocera sounded like a unique and more appropriate option. I appreciate the detail you've gone into in this video. I've also bookmarked your associated webpage.

[@Gebraheel]

This is genuinely one of the best videos I've seen lately.

[@Gebraheel]

This is STILL ones of the best videos I've seen lately. I use it as my go-to reference when I'm setting up another one of these (for friends or family) or as a recommendation to others that are interested in doing this.

[@proteque]

Great information in this.

[@cinchstik]

been stuck doing IT for awhile, almost forgot that games got me hooked on computers. Looking forward to some retro games.

[@1gman858]

Well done, sir! Proper links and I especially appreciate the spreadsheet and the effort it represents :)

[@mjdf122]

I love physical and emulation I’ve been blessed to see all of gaming from 1980 To Now what a life

[@Shpongle64]

No idea why but when the music turned on after doing the HDMI fix, I thought it was coming from the office.

[@hobbitninja]

lightbulb moment with me trying to figure out how to work this into my van, power plugs for screen and pc might be the biggest hurdle but it seems possible

[@krisc9212]

Another top notch vid ! Been running Batocera for a while now and I think its awesome.

[@atunleashed]

Wow this is one of the best tutorials I’ve ever seen! Great job, subscribed

[@marcusgurley9495]

great video! i was gifted a few intel NUCs. you just gave me a great project i can work on with my 6 year old cousin when she comes to town this week. THANKS! new sub!

[@jasonanthonywilper]

Great video! I love the depth and effort you go through to make them. Thanks

[@ArthaNara]

21:06 - 21:18 literally made me chuckle

[@azatheguitarist]

I'm building my own mini ITX mini pc that I can plug into my tv and play retro games I didn't just want to install windows and use the standalone emulators, I wanted it to be like a console. After plenty of research I came accross Batocera and your video and I think I have found what I was Looking for the pc I am building is no bigger than a dvd boxset so it fits perfectly next to my TV I cant wait to fully build my mini pc and play some old games I loved playing when I was a kid.

[@kujiko88]

Take a sip every time Russ says Batocera. Seriously though, nice guide. Will definitely come back to this if I get my hands on a mini pc

[@fabiokoko5586]

Wonderfully explained. Best regards from Germany

[@limonsoda]

Just the video tutorial i was looking for. Thanx!!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Glad I could help!

[@stephenkirk1154]

About to try this with a MINIX Neo N42C-4. Going to load Botacera onto an SSD and then load SkyGo (UK TV broadcaster for non-UK readers of this comment) so that I have this little box I can plug into my TV that allows me to watch the TV and movies I want, and then morph into a retro gaming console when I fancy it. Wish me luck!

[@aer0449]

Thank You so much bro for these vids ... I love retro games and vids like these are gems for me

[@juzzy237]

best video i watched in a while. Thanks mann. You got a new sub. i've been thinking of having a retro gaming setup and i didn't know how to go about. Guess this is it. Though its a project for next year but it's really great having insights already on how i will go about it.

[@justysam]

I appreciate the work you put into this.

[@onebigbadgamer]

This tutorial helped me create retro gaming pc system with over 100,000+ games. Thanks @RetroGameCorps

[@numberoneappgames]

Emulation is truly beautiful and makes gaming so accessible!

[@Zenmaster911]

This video is gold.

[@pyntux]

Great video with extra info... I will use Batocera on external drive, just plug and boot in to when I am in play mood.... :D

[@jcinsaniac]

I tried to do this using ChimeraOS and it works, but we use the pc as a media pc on KODI as well, and there are some issues with playback for some content. I also don't know much about the steam app, and Chimera wants to start it up in big picture mode first, which interferes with other people using it for KODI...This might be a much better fit - it looks easier to configure in as well. Chimera is great if you want a steambox running native in big picture...but it makes you work for it for everything else. Thanks for this content - it's really helpful.

[@BtForest]

So grateful, i had a failed beta upgrade (lack of space) and i could not repair it for nothing. My ser5 would only go to blackscreen from sd card or usb. I disabled fastboot, secure drive. set to legacy - nothing worked. Realizing it would boot from the internal drive, i used a window box to install on a usb stick, then copied those files over to Batocera partition and it booted and installed on internal drive. I googled for 2 days looking for a solution. Thank you.

[@garethevans2499]

Genuinely though, thank you. I'm wanting a machine to do just this so this video is perfect.

[@IanDangerfield]

This is very timely for me. Thank you!

[@javiersuberviola1721]

Awesome video!! Congrats for the channel!

[@dominiqueeybers9186]

First hit on my search, so ill try it. Will be my first time doing something like this, for my son using old pc i have

[@anFy81]

looking forward to this - thank you man!

[@cherrygrove.]

Okay, typing this out in case someone has this same issue. My SSD that I flashed Batocera onto wasn’t appearing in the BIOS boot options. It was like the SSD wasn’t even there. The solution (at least for me, on a Beelink Mini S, which is similar but not the exact same as this Mini PC used in the video) is to scroll down on the boot page, and look for UEFI hard disk drive BBS priorities. You have to set the drive to boot option 1 under the BBS priorities first. Doing this fixed all my issue with my SDD not showing up under the BIOS boot menu. Hope this helps someone!

[@cherrygrove.]

One more thing, every time you restart the system, if you keep getting a blue screen that says “Boot Option Restoration” with a countdown hit any key and then select “Always continue boot” and voila. You’ll only have to do this one time.

[@KyleLoiselle]

It feels like it's been too long since I've heard "yeah man I wanna do it"

[@RetroGameCorps]

Same.

[@rRecoveryProd]

Darn, I was hoping there'd be a mention for setting up old PCs. You mentioned ANY PC, after all, not just ANY Mini-PC.

[@Heldermaior]

Great video as usual. I would however make the point that at lower pricepoints I would go for an Arm based processor like a 3588S (not 3688). This will not only offer better performance generally, they will be cheaper. It would be interesting to see a comparison video.

[@RetroGameCorps]

True, Batocera runs on a number of different chipsets!

[@Heldermaior]

​​@@RetroGameCorpshe comparison of ARM vs X86 for living room emulation would be very interesting. Performance, cost and ease of use. Edit: forgot to add a control device. In my opinion that would be an Xbox Series S. That is the one to beat in terms of price to performance. For the price, with the XBox game pass and ability to emulate up to PS3 and Xbox 1, it is very hard to beat. And it will cost the same as this device you tested.

[@AmazingOrange87]

3688s? Can’t find it on a Google search

[@Heldermaior]

@@AmazingOrange87 3588S. Typo.

[@emper84]

Best guide ever!!! Thanks great work.

[@craigprocter1232]

an easy to follow instructional video, thank you very much!

[@rafaelgadret]

Very complete guide! Thanks a lot!

[@BASSstarlet]

16:31 doggie looks confused! "What these human do..!"

[@trentitybrehm5105]

The Google bit always gets me bruh

[@ZephiroZX]

Thank you very much for this guide.

[@patrick-ch6te]

I need this bad 😆

[@gdjaybee742]

I was able to get a Lenovo mini pc with a Ryzen 5 3xxxg with built in APU for 70 bucks on ebay, I think this will be perfect for a project like this because of the built in AMD graphics card. It may not be super powerful, but should be perfect for emulation.

[@xMRxLAMAx]

I wanted to get into batocera so much but in the end it was easier for me to control windows with a controller than to figure out dealing with batocera

[@locdang4182]

Thanks for all. Its so great

[@dannyollie643]

Thanks! You're the best!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Thanks for the support!

[@darrentylor5473]

Wow... back to school cool!!!

[@tribaku1]

Superb video, very informative!

[@digitizer3627]

Love your channel and videos❤. Very useful if u want to build your own game system. Keep up the great work. Btw my fav controller is 8bitdo pro 2 because it has ps4 controller vibes.

[@VaultHunterRyRy]

Hey Russ I know this is an older video but I just had a question and can't seem to find an answer anywhere else. Steam appears as a downloadable option, and so does protonup-QT, but proton and proton-GE don't show up. Just wondering if you have any suggestions or if you know why they're not showing up as download options? Either way I appreciate the video guides and all you do for the gaming community! Keep up the great work bro!

[@CFWhitman]

I was just wondering if there was really any reason to format the drive before you flash Batocera to it. Does it make it easier to find in Balena Etcher? I know it doesn't need to be formatted for the image to work.

[@Pablonmon]

Any PC? Like my 386? I do not see that working with these instructions, much less my trs-80. Jk, those are more likely to be emulated, but absolutes like ANY usually make me think of the obvious exceptions.

[@drmoze]

i am so tempted, wish it had hdmi out. still love my woodgrain 351v. n64 goldeneye and good dreamcast emulation are big selling points. I'm guessing $140-150, cheaper than the 405m.

[@Harry_crypto_investor3634]

I still cant swallow that a compact pc with last generation ryzen 9 costs 600$ on US, which is literally half of the minimum wage. The same mini pc on my country costs 4 minimum wages. Good video

[@lillils7588]

Wildly cool and informational video 👏

[@luxorcephrenSE23]

What a great guide! Thanks!!!