There are a number of home media distributions available for the Raspberry Pi. And you are also aware that the Raspberry Pi 3 in-self can perform as a multimedia center or retro gaming console. But, how it will be if you get all such things at one place and that too without putting much effort? Today, I will provide a guide on how you can quickly & easily make the Recalbox Raspberry Pi 3 setup.
By the way,
What is Recalbox?
It is one of the most popular Raspberry Pi 3 emulators. It is based on the Linux OS distribution package and has similar functionality to the Retropie. Yes, there are a few clearly seen differences between the Retropie and Recalbox. While the previous needs the installation of the Kodi Media Center to enjoy the video playing, the later can directly launch it from the start menu.
Why do you need to install Recalbox?
The Recalbox helps to make a multitasking emulator on your HDTV. On the one hand, it can play a role of Multi-Emulation station, while at the other side; it allows you to enjoy watching videos on the famous media center. It also helps you to tinker with the embedded system to create an Arcade Cabinet.
Compared to the Retropie, the Recalbox is more comfortable to set up and use. It does not have an enormous community support like the Retropie, but as it is newer system option, it will gradually achieve the popularity like the later has. In one sentence, the Recalbox is an all-in-one system for entertainment and work.
Things you will need to create Recalbox Raspberry Pi 3 Emulator:
- The Raspberry Pi board (Pi 3 recommended)
- Micro SD card (16GB preferable)
- Power supply for the Raspberry Pi setup
- Recalbox Linux distribution
- HDMI cable
- Monitor display for Raspberry Pi
- Wireless gamepad (I used PS3 Sixaxis)
- Protective case for Pi (optional)
- USB keyboard and mouse (optional)
- Bluetooth/WiFi dongle adapter (if you are not using Raspberry Pi 3)
How to make Recalbox Raspberry Pi 3 setup?
The process of making Raspberry Pi 3 emulator is simple and quick. You just need to follow the steps mentioned here:
Step-1: Download and Install Recalbox
- Start your PC and connect to the web
- Download the latest Recalbox image from the official site
- Mount the downloaded folder on the Micro SD card. You can use the SD Formatter or Etcher app to make the file in the right format for the storage card
- Now remove the SD card and attach it to your Raspberry Pi
Step-2: Make the necessary connections to the Pi
- Also plug in the power source, keyboard, mouse, display and HDMI cable
- Boot up your Raspberry Pi 3 system
- Connect the gamepad with the Raspberry Pi board
Step-3: Starting & configuring the Recalbox
- You will see the Recalbox logo on the screen with the message ‘Resizing FAT partition.’ After you see that, wait for some time as the initialization completes
- When the process finishes, you will see the frontend of the EmulationStation. If you have used Retropie, you will see the familiar configuration settings menu. Tweak the options as per your need
- Connect the setup to the internet. If you are not using Raspberry Pi 3, then use WiFi dongle to connect to the web. Enter the network SSID and password to get the access to the network internet
That’s it. You have installed the Recalbox on Raspberry Pi 3. Enjoy the multi-emulation system on your beloved Pi device. For some useful and tweak-able info, read ahead.
How to add games to Recalbox?
For the game lovers, this is important stuff to finish. If you want to increase the number of games in the retro-gaming list, you need to install new games on Recalbox.
For adding games to Recalbox, you need first to restart your Raspberry Pi 3. Do that and then add ROMs to the Recalbox. For this,
- Open the ROM files and unzip them
- Copy those files to your console
- Restart your Pi
- When your Pi rebooted, go to ‘Start Menu.’
- Navigate to the “Scrapper” and choose “Scrape Now.”
- Click on “Start” button
Your game will be added to the Recalbox after few moments. Also, the Recalbox has an inbuilt feature of auto-detecting compatible games and scrape the games you added through ROM files.
How will you transfer files to the Recalbox?
Once you have installed Recalbox on your Raspberry Pi, you can have remote access to it from any device on the same network. From any device in the network, go to the browser and type ‘//RECALBOX’ and you will have the remote access to the setup. Then, you will merely copy-paste the files from the system to Recalbox or can even drag-and-drop them.
Don’t forget to use KODI
Kodi (formerly XBMC) is one of the most popular and utilized media centers. You can directly launch it from the main menu on your Recalbox. You can also install the compatible add-ons to the Raspberry Pi through here. You can also use your gamepad navigation for Kodi in Recalbox. After you used Kodi, you can just quit it from the User Interface.
Recalbox Raspberry Pi 3 – Simply Awesome
Recalbox is almost perfect distribution package for Raspberry Pi 3. A multi-emulation system with the ability to play retro-games, inbuilt Kodi media center, and other stellar capabilities makes it a favorite for Raspberry Pi devices. A quick, comfortable, and safe setup allow the rookies to enjoy one of the outstanding distros for Pi.
