Installing RetroPie on PC

This tutorial describes the installation and configuration of the Linux distribution RetroPie on a PC dedicated to video game emulation. This PC can be integrated as an arcade cabinet or a game console.

The goal is to have a dedicated system, meaning that as soon as it powers on, an interface will offer access to the games.

We assume that a basic Debian system has been installed on the PC. Recommendations for the rest of this tutorial:

• No graphical interface or desktop installed,
• SSH access,
• We assume below that the default user created during installation is pi, without special permissions,
• Minimal knowledge of the Linux shell is highly recommended,
• A 64-bit installation is recommended.

Global System Configuration

From a root shell, directly on the machine, allow pi to have root rights:

apt install sudo
usermod -aG sudo pi

To allow the pi user not to require a password for root rights, edit the sudo configuration:

sudo visudo

and add:

# No password for user pi
pi ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL

(This is not recommended on a regular PC.)

Note the machine's IP address on the local network:

ip a

The rest of the tutorial can be done from an SSH shell from another machine:

ssh pi@<ip_address>

Install the required packages for display and audio:

sudo apt install xorg openbox pulseaudio alsa-utils curl

Add pi to the input group:

sudo usermod -aG input pi

Installing Graphics Drivers

To improve 3D rendering, it may be useful to install the official drivers for your graphics card.

The procedure below describes installation for a Geforce GTS 450. If another graphics card is used, the procedure will be similar; refer to the documentation on the Debian wiki: https://wiki.debian.org/GraphicsCard

Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and add contrib and non-free, example:

deb http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ stretch main contrib non-free

Then install the necessary components:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r|sed 's/[^-]*-[^-]*-//') nvidia-driver

Immediate Boot without Grub Timeout

Edit /etc/default/grub and change GRUB_TIMEOUT to 0. Then run:

sudo update-grub2

Installing RetroPie

First:

sudo groupadd admin
sudo usermod -aG admin pi

Then follow the official tutorial for a "Basic install": https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Debian/

Automatically Starting EmulationStation

The procedure below allows the PC to boot directly into EmulationStation.

We will automatically log in the pi user, then automatically start Xorg, then start the OpenBox desktop, and finally EmulationStation.

User Autologin

Run:

sudo systemctl edit getty@tty1

And enter the following content:

[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=-/sbin/agetty --autologin pi --noclear %I $TERM

Automatically Start Xorg at Login

Add to the ~/.profile file:

[ "$(tty)" = "/dev/tty1" ] && startx

Remove the Mouse Cursor

Edit /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc and add the -nocursor option as follows:

exec /usr/bin/X -nolisten tcp "$@" -nocursor

Automatically Start OpenBox

Create the ~/.xinitrc file, make it executable, and insert:

xrandr -s 1440x900
amixer set Master unmute
xset -dpms s off
openbox-session

Change the screen resolution in the xrandr line above to the optimal value for the screen used.

The amixer line ensures the audio output is not muted.

The xset line disables the screensaver and DPMS (Display Power Management Signaling) to ensure no black screen appears during gameplay.

Automatically Start EmulationStation

Run:

sudo RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh

Go to Configuration / Tools > autostart > enable Autostart Emulation Station after login.

Exit the tool, and run:

sudo chown pi .config/autostart/retropie.desktop

Edit ~/.config/autostart/retropie.desktop and change the value of Exec to:

Exec=~/run_emulationstation.sh

Create a ~/run_emulationstation.sh file, make it executable:

touch ~/run_emulationstation.sh
chmod +x ~/run_emulationstation.sh

and insert:

#!/bin/bash
xterm -fg white -bg black -e emulationstation --no-splash
xterm -fg white -bg black

The last line launches xterm in case EmulationStation is closed.

OpenBox Customization

Create the configuration:

mkdir ~/.config/openbox

The configuration is to be done in ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml, which should contain at least:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<openbox_config xmlns="http://openbox.org/3.4/rc" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude">
</openbox_config>

New configurations should be added inside the openbox_config block.

Remove Window Decorations

In the ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml file, inside the openbox_config section:

<applications>
   <application class="*"> <decor>no</decor> </application>
</applications>

Fullscreen Terminal

Add inside the applications section:

<!-- Xterm fullscreen -->
<application name="xterm" class="XTerm" type="normal">
   <decor>no</decor>
   <fullscreen>yes</fullscreen>
   <layer>below</layer>
</application>

Background Music

The goal is to have background music when in the EmulationStation menu, and stop the music when a game is launched.

Download the music_player.py script from https://mathieu-abati.com/resources/guides/versusbox/music_player.py and place it in ~/music_player.py. Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/music_player.py

Edit the script and customize the configuration in the script header.

Install the script dependencies:

sudo apt install python-pygame

To automatically launch the music, create a ~/.config/autostart/music_player.desktop file and insert:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=~/music_player.py
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Name=music_player

All you have to do is place music files in the directory configured in the script header.

Game System Settings

NeoGeo in AES Mode

AES mode is the home console mode of the NeoGeo.

Edit /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch-core-options.cfg and change fba-neogeo-mode to AES.

Choosing the Order of Controllers

Install RetroPie Joystick Selection by following the instructions here: https://github.com/meleu/RetroPie-joystick-selection/#installation

Restart; Joystick Selection is accessible from the RetroPie menu in EmulationStation.

Troubleshooting

Illegal instruction when launching EmulationStation

GDB revealed that the issue was in libSDL2. Reinstalling fixed the problem:

sudo apt remove --purge libsdl2-2.0-0 libsdl2-dev
sudo apt install libsdl2-2.0-0 libsdl2-dev

Controller configuration is not saved after reboot / not effective in games

Exit EmulationStation, then run:

sudo RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh

Go to Manage Packages >> Manage Core Packages >> EmulationStation >> Configuration / Options >> Clear / Reset EmulationStation Input Configuration and reset the configuration.

Exit the configuration tool and reboot. Reconfigure the controllers; it should now work correctly.