I think you are significantly understating the amount of work required to set up a RetroPie system.
I think you are significantly understating the amount of work required to set up a RetroPie system.
I think you are overestimating the value of a NES system with a 2.5ft cord.
That doesn't have Tetris.
Tell me more.
For example, where'd you buy your Pi from? Did it come with a case, sd card, power supply, HDMI, and controllers all as a package, or did you buy them separately? Did you buy all that stuff from the same site?
Where'd you get your ROMs from? Did you download them all as a neat package, or did you click through an avalanche of ads to download them one at a time?
Were all the ROMs named properly to scrape on the first try, or did you have to use a renaming program like GoodTools?
I bought the controllers separately. Got all ROM via RetroPie.
Had the microSD and the HDMI cables already.
What does this mean?
The guide that you linked says: "For this step, we’re going to assume you already have a bunch of ROMs on your primary computer that you want to transfer to your Raspberry Pi. " Obviously the RetroPie creators do not host ROMs. So where did you get them, exactly?
The Internet?
I'm not typing it in here but it's really fucking easy to find.
Well, yes. That's the point.
The reason why people pay $60 for an all-in-one solution with a limited number of games is because you don't have to scour The Internet to build a rom collection. It's the same reason why AppleTV/Roku and Netflix/Hulu exist when you could build a RaspberryPi Kodi box and download everything you want from [popular internet communication protocol] for free.
Scour?
Dude.
It's a google search and two button clicks.
I typed SYSTEMACRONYMHERE ROMS PACK SITENAMETHATSAILSAROUNDHERE.
Done.
Let me put it another way.
Most layman-focused guides (like the one you linked) are going to presume you already have the ROMs, for most of the same reasons you're being purposefully vague. That's fine, and makes sense. But this puts us in more of a "everyone already knows how to get them" scenario. And if you already knew how to get them, why would the NES Classic even be on your radar in the first place? I mean, I have a modded first-gen Xbox with full romsets for 20 different consoles along with autoplay preview videos, scanned manuals, gamefaqs walkthroughs, etc. I didn't care about this thing at any point ever.
That's really the point I'm getting at: if you have the technical capability (and confidence!) to build a Pi system, load up the OS, configure it, download the roms without infecting your computer, and scrape the list to get everything properly dialed in, then the NES Classic isn't meant for you because you probably built something better a long time ago.
You're right. I'm just saying that anyone under 25 would be able to build one without batting an eye.
It's also just a bit of a shit product from any perspective. Not a lot of games, heavy price tag, shitty controller setup.
Good luck!
My ROMS are behind 7 proxies!
I had a similar idea for an emulator pi a few months back with a 3d printed SNES console case. Think its time I finally pull that trigger.
Holy shit, if we're commenting on why'd you'd buy this over making it yourself, we're saying it with the audience of BG in mind.
Does your grandma know how to build a Pi? Probably not. Does the typical BG poster have the knowledge needed? More than likely.
spider-dan i sent you a pm, i had to be extra vague in the pm because of some piracy filter for pm's. long story short if you want an invite to someplace you can download large packs(a consoles entire library at one time) send me a pm with your email address. also included a link to a site i use to download single roms that has absolutely no ads on it.
or if anyone else wants that info hit me up as well, but i suspect most of you already know where to acquire your shit.
Np dude, the last word is all yours.