Install Slot Machine Games Retro Pi

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Whether you are nostalgic for the games of yesteryear or you’re simply dying to discover gaming’s rich history, all you ultimately need to get stuck in is a bunch of emulators and a stack of gaming ROMs.

In the past, however, this has also entailed finding and downloading the BIOSes of various machines and a fair bit of configuration. Fortunately, with the software platform Lakka installed on your Raspberry Pi 4, the path to gaming glory is much smoother these days.

First look at the fully loaded plug and play raspberry pi 4 image– Over 7000 games including sega genesis, sg 1000, sega 32x, and sega cd, nintendo, dreamcas. Right click on the folder called 'New folder,' click 'Rename,' and type 'retropie' without the quotations. Unplug the flash drive from your computer, and then go plug the flash drive in a USB port on the Raspberry Pi. Wait for the green light located by the red arrow in the second picture to stop.

Lakka allows you to emulate arcade games as well as titles originally released on a host of 8-bit, 16-bit, and even 32- and 64-bit systems.

Lakka is a Linux operating system based on RetroArch. Lakka is designed to run games, and it turns a Raspberry Pi into a powerful games system.

You can hook up a gamepad and even make use of wireless controllers (there’s more about those at magpi.cc/HpPSSV). It has an interface that will be very familiar to anyone who has used modern games consoles and because it is open-source, it is constantly being improved.

You can run Lakka on any Raspberry Pi, although Raspberry Pi 4 enables smoother emulation of more recent consoles.

Some features help you organise your growing gaming collection and take screenshots of the in-game action. For now, though, we’re looking solely at getting you up and running with a classic homebrew video game.

Warning: it is illegal to download copyrighted game ROMs from the internet. Please respect the original maker and seek a legal source for retro gaming instead. We use homebrew ROMs made by modern makers for classic systems.

Get SD Card Formatter

We’re going to install Lakka RPI4 to a blank microSD card using the OS installer NOOBS (magpi.cc/noobs).

In this tutorial, we’re using a Windows PC to format a microSD card and copy the NOOBS files to the card (the process is identical for Mac computers). We will then use the NOOBS card with our Raspberry Pi 4 and set up Lakka. From then on, our Raspberry Pi 4 will boot straight to Lakka and let us run games.

First, download SD Formatter on a computer from magpi.cc/sdcardformatter. Click ‘For Windows’ or ‘For Mac’ depending on your machine.

Format the card

We’re now going to format the microSD card that you will use to boot Lakka on a Raspberry Pi. Note that this completely wipes the card, so make sure it contains nothing you need.

Install Slot Machine Games Retro Pinball

Insert the microSD card into your Windows or Mac computer. You will need to use either a USB SD card adapter or microSD card to SD card adapter.

Close any alert windows that appear, and open the SD Card Formatter app. Accept the terms and conditions and launch the program. On a Windows PC, click Yes to ‘Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device’ (you won’t see this on a Mac; the approval comes later).

Games

The card should be assigned a letter under Select Card. It is ‘D’ on our system. Check the Capacity and other details to ensure you have the correct card. Now click Format and Yes. On a Mac, you’ll be asked to enter your Admin password.

Download NOOBS

Now visit magpi.cc/downloads and click the NOOBS icon. Select ‘Download ZIP’ next to NOOBS.

The latest version of the NOOBS zip file (currently NOOBS_v3_2_1.zip) will be saved to your Downloads folder.

Extract the files from the NOOBS zip file (right-click and choose Extract All and Extract). Now open the extracted NOOBS folder (it’s important to ensure you are using the extracted files and not looking at the files inside the zip file. Make sure you have opened the NOOBS_v3_2_1 folder and not the NOOBS_v3_2_1.zip file.

You should see three folders – defaults, os, and overlays – followed by many files beginning with ‘bcm2708...’. It is these folders or files you need to copy to the microSD card.

Select all of the files inside the NOOBS folder and copy them to the microSD card. When the files have copied, eject and remove the microSD card from your PC or Mac.

Boot to NOOBS

Now set up your Raspberry Pi 4. You’ll need to connect a USB keyboard and HDMI display for the installation process (you can remove the keyboard later and use just a game controller).

The display does not have to be the television you intend to use. It’s best to use Raspberry Pi 4’s HDMI 0 port. We’re going to use a wireless LAN network to connect to the internet, but you can connect an Ethernet cable attached directly to your modem/router.

Insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi and attach the USB-C power supply to power up.

Connect to wireless LAN

The NOOBS screen will appear, displaying two installation options: Raspbian Full and LibreELEC. To get further installation options, you will need to be connected to the internet.

Connect Raspberry Pi directly to your modem/router using an Ethernet cable; or click the ‘Wifi networks (w)’ icon. The WiFi network selection window appears; wait until it displays the local networks. Select your wireless network and enter the password for it in the Password field. Then click OK.

With Raspberry Pi connected to a network, you get a much broader range of installation options. Near the bottom will be Lakka_RPi4.

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select Lakka and press the SPACE bar to add a cross to its selection box (or use a connected mouse to select the Lakka option).

Click Install and answer Yes to the Confirm window. NOOBS will download and extract the Lakka file system to the microSD card. Sit back and wait for the system to be installed.

When it has finished, NOOBS will display ‘OS(es) Installed Successfully’. Press ENTER on the keyboard (or click OK with the mouse).

Starting Lakka

Raspberry Pi will restart and this time it will boot into the Lakka operating system. You will see a blue screen with a series of windows and ‘Load Core’ will be highlighted. You can use the arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate the menu, and X to select a menu option, then Z to back up.

Highlight Load Core and press X to select it. Here you will find a list of ‘cores’. These are the engines that emulate different retro consoles and computers.

Install Slot Machine Games Retro Piano

To test the system is working, highlight 2048 and press X again. You’ll be returned to the main menu, but this time you’ll see ‘Start Core’. Press X to start the core and you’ll be presented with a classic game called 2048. Use the arrow keys to slide the blocks together. Matching numbers double in size, and the aim is to make a 2048 block. Press ESC and ESC again to return to the main Lakka menu.

Connect to the network

You need to connect Lakka to the network. Use your cursor keys to navigate Lakka’s menus, and head to the Settings list. Press the down arrow and select ‘Wi-Fi’. Wait for Lakka to scan the local networks.

Select your wireless LAN network and use the keyboard to enter the Passphrase. The Lakka interface will display the name of your wireless network with ‘Online’ next to it.

Get a game

Now it’s time to find and play a game. Games are downloaded as ROM files and added to Lakka. These ROM files need a compatible core to run (most but not all ROM files will run correctly).

We’ll use a Japanese homebrew ROM called Blade Buster. Download it on your PC or Mac from magpi.cc/bladebuster – click the ‘Blade Buster Download’ link.

A file called BB_20120301.zip will appear in your Downloads folder. Unlike NOOBS, you do not extract the contents of this file – ROMs are run as compressed zip files. You now need to transfer this file from your computer to your Raspberry Pi.

Turn on Samba

With your Raspberry Pi and PC on the same network, go to the Settings menu in Lakka on your Raspberry Pi and select Services. Highlight Samba and turn it on by pressing X (or using right arrow).

Samba is installed by default on macOS and used to be installed by default in Windows, but it has recently become an optional installation.

In Windows 10, click on the Search bar and type ‘Control Panel’. Click on Control Panel in the search results. Now click ‘Programs’ and ‘Turn Windows features on or off’. Scroll down to find ‘SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support’ and click the ‘+’ expand icon to reveal its options. Place a check in the box marked ‘SMB 1.0/CIFS Client’. Click OK. This will enable Samba client support on your Windows 10 PC so it can access Raspberry Pi.

Install

Transfer the ROM

Lakka may appear in the left-hand column of your other computer’s file browser (File Explorer on a PC or Finder on a Mac). If not, select Lakka’s main menu on your Raspberry Pi, then choose Information and Network Information.

Take note of the IP address. Enter that into the File Explorer using the format: insert.full.ip.address

Ours, for example, is: 192.168.0.13

Copy the Blade Buster zipped game to the ROMS folder on Lakka.

Back on your Raspberry Pi, go to Load Content > Start Directory in the Lakka menu and find the BB_20120301.zip file. Click it before selecting Load Archive. Choose FCEUmm as the core to play it on.

Press ENTER to start the game. Use the arrow keys to move and X to fire. Enjoy playing the game. Press ESC twice when you’re done, to return to Lakka.

Top tip: SSH

You can also use SSH to copy files from your computer to Raspberry Pi. In Lakka, enable SSH in Services. You can use a program such as FileZilla to copy files across. See magpi.cc/ssh for more information.

Set up a controller

Video game consoles rarely come with keyboards. And no doubt you’ll want to attach a controller to your console.

If using a wireless gamepad, insert its dongle into one of Raspberry Pi’s USB ports, insert the batteries, and turn it on. Press the Start button on the gamepad and it will light up.

Use the arrow keys to choose Input and User 1 Binds. If it is connected correctly, you will see ‘RetroPad’ next to User 1 Device Type. Scroll down and choose User 1 Bind All. Follow the on-screen instructions to press the buttons and move the analogue sticks on the gamepad. You may have to go through it a few times to get the process right.

You can also set each button individually using the options. Once everything is set up correctly, you’ll be able to use the gamepad to control your Raspberry Pi console.

Move to the television

Your Raspberry Pi games console is now ready to be moved to your television. You will be able to control the games console using your USB or wireless controller and move ROM files directly to it from your Windows PC or Mac computer.

There’s a lot more to Lakka to discover, but for now we hope you enjoy playing retro games on your Raspberry Pi console. It’s worth heading over the Lakka forums for friendly help and advice: magpi.cc/lakkaforum

This is the ultimate and complete setup guide for setting up and installing retro games in Kodi. Get tips and troubleshooting help for setting up your controller with Kodi, installing emulators, finding retro video game roms, and more.

Have a question that this guide doesn’t answer? You can comment below or get in touch with us on Twitter and we would be happy to assist!

Latest Update

The latest version of the IAGL Kodi addon is v2.1.5, released on February 29th. Check out these changes:

  • Update game studio database
  • Added custom groups filtering method
  • Fixed post download override bug
  • Fixed bug in launching correct cue file (issue 106)
  • Update Spanish Translation (roliverosc)
  • Fix linux ~ directory syntax (Jim Weller)
  • Added custom groups search and random filters
  • Fix bug in searching for previously downloaded game files
  • Update external launch command database for new Retroarch cores

The following game lists have also been updated:

  • Atomiswave (Flycast / MAME compatible set)
  • Naomi (Flycast / MAME compatible set)
  • Amiga (HDF Based game set)

Retro Games in Kodi: Table of Contents

3Retro Games in Kodi: Introduction
4Syncing and Configuring Game Controllers in Kodi
4.2How to Pair Your Controller
5How to Install & Play Video Games in Kodi
6Other Retro Games in Kodi Help & Tips

NOTE: If you see this guide anywhere else other than KODIT I P S.com, it has been stolen. Don’t support scumbags in the community!

Retro Games in Kodi: Introduction

Kodi 18

Since the release of Kodi 18 Leia, the Kodi software has had full support for retro video games in Kodi. That means that you can:

  1. sync a controller to Kodi (or use a keyboard)
  2. install classic video game consoles (called emulators), and
  3. load retro video games (called roms).

Kodi allows retro video games through its inclusion of the RetroPlayer framework, which is a popular software package containing some of the biggest emulators.

What Video Games Systems are Supported in Kodi 18?

Kodi 18 includes support for a number of video game systems, including:

  • Nintendo / Super Nintendo / Nintendo DS
  • Gameboy / Gameboy Advance / Gameboy Color
  • Playstation One
  • Sega Saturn
  • DOS
  • Lynx
  • Atari 2600

Status of Sega Dreamcast & Nintendo 64 (N64) Support in Kodi 18

Two popular retro consoles are not currently supported in Kodi 18: the Sega Dreamcast and the N64. N64 and the Dreamcast cores both require OpenGL support, which is not currently included in the Retroplayer framework.

You will not be able to play Sega Dreamcast or N64 retro games internally. We will show you how to set these up to an external link later on!

Next up, we will have a look at how to get your controller setup in Kodi.

Syncing and Configuring Game Controllers in Kodi

This area of the guide is to help you setup and configure your game controller for retro games in Kodi. It covers a few important components, including:

  1. What Controllers are Supported in Kodi?
  2. How to Pair Your Controller
  3. Getting Kodi to recognize your controller
  4. Installing controller addons for each controller
  5. Configure your controllers for games

What Controllers are Supported in Kodi?

Kodi supports a number of the most common controllers, including:

  • XBox
  • Sony Playstation
  • Nvidia Shield
  • Generic game controllers (as long as they have Bluetooth or USB support)

How to Pair Your Controller

To get your controller working with Kodi, you first have to set it up on the hardware you have Kodi loaded onto. For most people, that is probably and Android TV box, but this guide should work for Mac, Windows, and Linux as well.

Install

If you want to use the controller wired, then plug it into your device. If you want to use the controller over Bluetooth, just turn it on and make sure it is NOT synced with anything else turned on.

Pair Game Controller on Amazon Fire

If you are using the Amazon Fire as your hardware of choice, then you want to navigate to Settings > Controllers & Bluetooth Devices.

Select the Game Controllers option and then click on Add New Game Controller.

The Amazon Fire will now search for known game controllers using Bluetooth.

If you are using the Playstation 4 controller, you must hold down the center PS button and the ‘Share’ button at the same time. For most other game controllers, you simply turn on the controller and then press the ‘sync’ button on the controller.

When the Amazon Fire recognizes your controller, it should be added to the list on the screen. You will be able to use the controller to navigate the menus.

Install Slot Machine Games Retro Pics

Pair Game Controller on Android TV

If you have an Android TV box, pair your controller by navigating to Settings (gear icon) > Devices & Accessories > Add Accessory.

If you are prompted to turn Bluetooth ON on your Android TV box, allow this to happen. Your box will now be looking for game controllers.

If you are using the Playstation 4 controller, you must hold down the center PS button and the ‘Share’ button at the same time. For other game controllers, you simply turn on the controller and then press the ‘sync’ button on the controller.

When the Android TV box recognizes your controller, it should be added to the list on the screen. If your controller has been recognizes, scroll down and click OK. You will be able to use the controller to navigate the menus.

How to Get Kodi to Recognize Your Game Controller

By default, you should be able to use your controller and launch Kodi from your boxes main menu as normal. You will probably get to navigate Kodi using your controller right at this point.

If Kodi does not recognize your controller by default, it may be disabled in Kodi’s settings. To fix this issue:

  1. From the Kodi main menu, click on Settings (gear icon)
  2. Select System and head to the Input tab.
  3. On the right, click on Configure attached controllers.
  4. Kodi will prompt you to enable the add-on configuration. Select Yes.
  5. A window will show your installed game pad along with any profiles you have set up. Simply click “OK” to save and exit and see if your controller works now.

Now that your game controller is set up, you are closer to playing retro games in Kodi!

How to Install Controller Addons in Kodi

In order to properly use each emulator (like Nintendo, Super Nintendo, etc), you need to install specific controller addons. These addons map out how your connected controller simulates each console’s native controller as follows:

  1. From the Kodi main menu, click on the Add-ons icon (open box icon).
  2. Select Install From Repository
  3. Click on the Kodi Add-on Repository
  4. Click on Game Add-ons
  5. Select Controller Profiles

From this screen, you must install controller profiles for all of the emulators you wish to use. So if you plan on playing Super Nintendo and Atari 2600 games, you must install these controller profiles.

How to Configure Your Controllers for Retro Games in Kodi

Install Slot Machine Games Retro Ping Pong

Next, you need to configure the buttons for all of the controller addons you just installed. You have to map buttons from each original controller to your new controller which you have synced.

  1. From the Kodi main menu, click the Settings gear icon.
  2. Select System and then navigate to the Input tab.
  3. Select Configure attached controllers.
  4. If Kodi asks you to enable the addon configuration, select Yes.
  5. You will see all of the controller addons you installed.
  6. Choose the one you want to edit and then scroll to the right where the Buttons are listed.
  7. Click each button and select it. The assigned button will be replaced by a prompt for you to press the equivalent button on your controller. So if you select the “A” button, then you’ll want to click the button on your controller you want to match A.
  8. Repeat this process for each button on every controller.
  9. When you are done, select OK to save your settings,

You have now installed controller addons and configured them and are one step closer to playing retro games in Kodi!

Next we get to the fun part – installing and playing games!

How to Install & Play Video Games in Kodi

Retro video games in Kodi are made possible by the use of roms and emulators. Emulators are little software programs that mirror old video game consoles. Roms are software replicas of video games that can be read by the Retroplayer emulator that comes packaged by Kodi.

Next, we will show you how to install emulators since you already have everything you need in Kodi.

How to Install Emulators in Kodi

  1. From the Kodi main menu, click on the Add-ons icon (open box icon).
  2. Select Install From Repository
  3. Click on the Kodi Add-on Repository
  4. Click on Game Add-ons
  5. Select Emulators

From the giant list of emulators you now see, you have to install the ones you wish to use.

For some of the consoles where there is more than one emulator listed, here are our recommendations:

  • Ninetendo DS = DeSmuME
  • Game Boy Advance = mGBA
  • NES = bnes
  • SNES = Snes9x
  • Sony Playstation = PCSX ReARMed

If you are having trouble getting some games to work with the emulators you have installed, feel free to try others!

Next, let’s move on to talking about the roms, which are the actual retro games you want to play in Kodi.

There is an awesome addon called the Internet Archive Game Launcher (IAGL) that allows you to play any and all retro games in Kodi. Let’s walk through how to install the IARL addon. Then we’ll show you how you can add your own roms into Kodi and setup a directory to play them.

How to Install the Internet Archive Game Launcher Kodi Addon

  1. Click here to access the Zach Morris Kodi Repository. Click the repository-xachmorris-x.x.zip file and then click on Download to download the repository.
  2. Go back to your home screen.
  3. Select Install from Zip File and located the repository.zachmorris-x-x.zip file you download above. Click on it and wait for the Add-on enabled notification.
  4. Select Install from Repository > Zach Morris Add-ons > GameAdd-ons > Game Providers > Internet Archive Game Launch > Install
  5. Wait for Add-on enabled notification

When you launch the Internet Archive Game Launch Kodi addon, you will see a ton of game consoles listed. Select a game you want to play and click Launch to open up the emulator and start playing.

How to Configure Internet Archive Game Launch Kodi Addon (IAGL)

In order to use the IAGL Kodi addon without any issues, there is a setup wizard that has to take place. Complete these steps:

  1. Launch the IAGL Kodi addon settings. Hover on the IAGL addon and long press on it or press menu (”c’ button) to bring up the context menu. Then, click on Settings.
  2. Scroll down to the Setup Wizard tab.
  3. Under Emulator Launcher, you want to select either “Kodi Retroplayer” or “External” based on how you will be playing the majority of your emulators.
  4. Select “Kodi Retroplayer” and we will show you how to update a few select emulators to external later if you wish.
  5. Click on Execute Setup Wizard and follow the instructions.

Other Retro Games in Kodi Help & Tips

How to Install Retroarch

First off, you need to install the Retroarch app, which is software that contains all of the same emulators you saw above.

A list of where to download and install Retroarch is as follows:

  • Windows, OSX users: Download Retroarch from here.
  • Linux users: Install Retroarch with from the PPA. See here for stable releases and here for nightly releases.
  • Raspberry Pi users: Install the Kodi addon Gamestarter to install Retroarch directly from Kodi.
  • LibreElec users (both x86 and RPi) have 2 options. Use the LibreElec “Remix” build here which includes Retroarch, or use the Kodi addon Gamestarter to install Retroarch directly from Kodi.
  • OpenElec users (x86): Use the Kodi addon Gamestarter to install Retroarch directly from Kodi.
  • Android users: Retroarch is available from the Play store.
  • S905 users: Use the LibreElec “SX05RE” build here which includes Retroarch

Install Retroarch on your device.

Next, we have some basic Retroarch setup to perform to enable external app launching.

How to set up Retroarch External App

  1. Launch the Retroarch app you installed above.
  2. Go to Online Updater
  3. Then, go to Core Updater
  4. Click on at least one core for every system you’d like to play to update it.

It is highly recommended that you update the:

  • Core Info Files
  • Assets
  • Autoconfig Profiles
  • Cheats
  • Databases
  • Overlays
  • Shaders

How to Configure Retroarch Location in IAGL Kodi Addon

  1. Run Kodi and head into your video addons where the IAGL Kodi addon sites.
  2. Hover over top of it and long press or press the menu (‘c’ button) and then select Settings.
  3. Go into the External Launchers tab.
  4. Click on My System Type and select it from this list.
  5. You will have to complete all of the fields that now show up in order to get Retroarch to launch.

Here are some helpful hints about some of the options that you will see:

  • Retroarch System Folder = This is the “com.retroarch” folder that installs when you install Retroarch on your Android box. It will be located at _//data/data/com.retroarch/ _for most users.
  • Retroarch CFG Location = This is the “retroarch.cfg” file location, which stores a bunch of retroarch settings. It can be located in a number of locations including:
  • Close Kodi on Launch = Some operating systems allow you to close Kodi when Retroarch is opened if you wish.
  • Pause Kodi on Launch = Likewise, some operating systems pause Kodi when Retroarch is launched so that it doesn’t take up any resources.

How to Launch Retroarch From IAGL Kodi Addon

Once your external location is set up, we can force some retro games to launch via the external app.

  1. Launch the Internet Archive Game Launch Kodi addon
  2. Head into the Browse All Lists playlist
  3. Hover on the console you want to launch using Retroarch, such a Sega Dreamcast or Nintendo 64.
  4. Long press or press the menu button to bring open the context menu and then select Update Launch
  5. Change this from Kodi to External to use the external settings you setup above.

Kodi Games on Xbox One Status

There is one giant exception to this entire guide – The Xbox. Last year, Microsoft allowed Kodi to be installed on the Xbox One as long as Kodi complied with all of Microsoft’s terms.

One of those major terms is that the Xbox One does not allow the installation of any video game emulators on its console. Thus, all of the Retroplayer dependencies and files are not included with the Xbox One version of Kodi. You will not be able to play retro games on the Xbox One.

Slow Motion Game Fix

If you are seeing slow motion games and sound when you launch a rom, we have the fix for you. Follow these instructions:

  1. From the Kodi main menu, navigate to System > Player > Videos
  2. Uncheck the option to Allow Hardware Acceleration – *CodecName).

Do you have other retro games in Kodi setup questions or tips you want answered? Comment below or get in touch with us on Twitter and we will try to help you out!

Once again, if you have seen this guide on any other page than KODIT I P S.com, it has been stolen.

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