Btw: Since the graphics are pretty low res, that could be a better alternative than the ps3 since the 55“ tv its hooked up to might make it look worse.

It’s just an idea at this point so I‘m happy for any direction. I figured c/retrogaming might be wrong since talking about finding unlicensed games might be against their rules. Feel free to advise me otherwise.

P.S.: Forgive the ignorance. I know my way around commandline and some medium advanced programming but I‘m not pro at sailing the high seas at all.

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[–] _TK@lemmy.antemeridiem.xyz 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

A raspberry Pi is a very good emulation device using the RetroPie image. A Pi 4b can go up to PSX/N64 fairly easily.

On the handheld side of things, most of them that "come with" ROM sets will have them loaded on an SD card. These manufacturers often skimp on the cards though, so expect it to die quickly. You can usually just clone the whole SD to a new one and it's fine.

Most of these devices use RetroArch and software emulation. However, there is another option. The Mister project and devices sold by Analogue use field programmable gate arrays - chips that can change their structure according to software. This means running an NES game on one of these devices is more literally like running it on original hardware. For accurate emulation, this is the best option by far. However, it comes with a significantly higher price tag.

In general the easiest and least expensive startup for emulation is on the PC. With fairly modest hardware, emulation of everything up to PS2 is possible with some newer platforms also being very emulatable (notably everything Nintendo puts out is easy to run because their architecture is largely straightforward, their systems are lower power, and there is significantly more demand for their games)

If you specifically want something hooked up to your TV, a first generation (launch window, before they increased the battery life) Switch can happily run a fair amount of stuff, including everything up to N64/PS1. The (new)3DS/2DS is also a great emulation device and can run basically everything up to SNES/Genesis handheld.

Oh and one more option. If you have Android, you can easily install a variety of emulators and use a Bluetooth or wired controller with them utilizing a controller phone mount.

[–] Haui@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks for letting me know! I‘m playing with the idea of a handheld but I‘m open to other options since I would love to balance price/experience/comfort.

Most people say rooted ps3 would work well, one said it doesn’t. I sadly only have an iphone atm so android is no option. I could technically root an old iphone if that works. Otherwise I‘d probably buy a decently priced handheld.

Building one from scratch is a bit much next to my ubuntu home server with 14 docker containers, two pcs (one linux, one windows) and 6 pets. :) But i would opt for a kit or something if it’s better than prebuilt (ie anbernic).

Its so awesome that so many people are giving good suggestions. Thank you very much.