RetroPie 3.8 is released

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Retropie_SplashThe 3.8 image includes an important firmware/driver update to fix bluetooth lockups on the Raspberry Pi 3. Also included in the 3.8 update are an improved SDL1 dispmanx backend, updates to many of the included emulators, and enhancements to the splashscreen module.

It can be downloaded here: https://retropie.org.uk/download/.

Installation Instructions can be found here – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation. Users of RetroPie-Setup v3.7 can upgrade to the latest version by following the upgrade instructions on the Wiki – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Updating-RetroPie.

If you upgrading an older image and are using the Raspberry Pi 3 onboard Bluetooth, you should go to the Bluetooth configuration from the RetroPie-Setup script, which will make sure you have the raspberrypi-sys-mods package installed which is needed by the Bluetooth driver. If it asks you anything about the /etc/udev/rules.d/99-com.rules configuration file, type Y to overwrite.

The Prebuilt images are also available directly from GitHub – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/releases/tag/3.8. You can also install RetroPie on top of an existing Raspbian set up – Instructions can be found at the GitHub project site.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this release.

Changes since 3.7:

  • Raspbian package/firmware rollups that fix the lockups with the Raspberry Pi 3 internal bluetooth.
  • New SDL1 dispmanx backend from Vanfanel with triple buffering which should solve some of the performance issues with the previous code. Also some additional changes are included so you can adjust the aspect ratio with env variable SDL_DISPMANX_RATIO (eg 1.33 for 4:3). The aspect ratio will be ignored if SDL_DISPMANX_IGNORE_RATIO is set and SDL1 apps will display full screen. Vice is now set to use 4:3 ratio on the Raspberry Pi.
  • Reicast (Dreamcast emulator), now supports multiplayer.
  • lr-pcsx-rearmed (PlayStation emulator) now supports 3-8 players.
  • Updated Raspberry Pi binaries for lr-fba-next, uae4arm, mupen64plus, Reicast, lr-picodrive, lr-nestopia, lr-pcsx-rearmed, lr-mgba, lr-genesis-plus-gx, lr-mame2003, and lr-fceum.
  • Added new videocore mupen64plus video plugin.
  • Improvements to Apple2 (supports automount now).
  • Added wiki viewer.
  • Improvements to the splashscreen module (added previewer, randomiser, and no longer requires a folder to be created in the splashscreen directory).
  • Various other bugfixes and minor improvements.

RetroPie 3.7 is released

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We are pleased to announce the release of RetroPie 3.7!MystCover

We are releasing RetroPie 3.7 in celebration of the release of our new website https://retropie.org.uk/ and new forum at https://retropie.org.uk/forum/.

Many experimental modules have been added. An option was added to easily install the LXDE desktop environment onto the pi (which can be launched from the ports menu after install), and thanks to the work of Pipplware we have been able to finally include joypad support with Kodi (controller configurations for kodi still need to be done manually for now) . We also have improvements to the configuration editor, and updates to some emulators.

Please note that configuration locations for ports have moved to /opt/retropie/configs/ports – if upgrading via the RetroPie-Setup script, old configurations will be moved when doing a full binary install.

The default render resolution for libretro emulators is now the video output resolution on the RPI 2/3. This can be lowered via the runcommand launch menu, or set globally via the configuration editor if needed for performance. Default render resolution is 640×480 for the RPI zero/1, but again can be switched globally, or on a per system basis.

The “Direct Launch” functionality was removed from Emulation Station due to stability issues – Kodi will appear in “Ports” if installing from the experimental menu.

It can be downloaded here: https://retropie.org.uk/download/

Installation Instructions can be found here – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation.

The Prebuilt images are also available at GitHub – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/releases/tag/3.7. You can also install RetroPie on top of an existing Raspbian set up – Instructions can be found at the GitHub project site.

Changes since 3.6:

  • Added new experimental modules:
    • The Ur Quan Masters  (Port of DOS game Star Control 2).
    • Xrick (Port of Rick Dangerous).
    • Tyrquake (Standalone, not libretro).
    • Solarus Engine (Homebrew Zelda Clone).
    • SDLPoP (Prince of Persia Port).
    • Cannonball (Outrun Engine).
    • Stratagus (Warcraft and Starcraft Engine).
    • OpenBOR (Beats of Rage 2d Sidescrolling Game Engine).
    • Commander Genius (Port of Commander Keen).
    • Micropolis (Open source version of Sim City Classic).
    • Aleph One (Open Source port of Marathon Series).
    • Giana’s Return (Fan-Made sequel to the Giana Sisters).
    • Lincity (Sim City Clone).
    • Simcoupe (SAM Coupé Emulator).
  • LXDE Desktop (Option in raspi-tools to reinstall the desktop environment).
  • Updated Kodi to Kodi 16 (which includes joypad support).
  • Updated PS3 Module (timeout fixed).
  • SDL2 PS3/Wii U Pro controller fixes.
  • UAE4Arm updated.
  • lr-mame2003 updated with sample/nvram support and additional core settings.
  • Mupen64plus updated with fix for black screen with rice plugin.
  • Scummvm Improvements (updated to 1.8 with OpenGL and partial Myst support).
  • Updated Config Editor (https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Configuration-Editor).
  • Updated Carbon and Pixel Themes and added default images to the RetroPie Menu.
  • Added “Other Settings” menu to Emulationstation with “save metadata on exit” and “parse gamelists only”. These options were added to mitigate the long boot and shutdown times with large romsets.
  • Various other improvements and fixes.

Thanks to BuZz, Gizmo98, Herb, Rookervik and Zerojay and all others that have contributed to this release.

New RetroPie website

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RetroPie has a brand new website – https://retropie.org.uk.

Although the old site living under http://blog.petrockblock.com has served us well over the last years, the forum was becoming increasingly slow, and the project really needed its own presence.

Hopefully you will like what we have come up with – a simple site with general info, and a new forum running off nodebb – which is not only fast, but also works much better on mobile devices.

The old forum posts have not been moved, as we decided it would be better to start with a fresh layout, and it would have made the migration far more complicated. You can however access the old forum via http://blog.petrockblock.com/forums/forum/retropie-project-forum/.

Thanks to our excellent hosting company Mythic-Beasts who have sponsored us by providing additional resources and bandwidth. You can find out a bit more on our Hosting Information page.

RetroPie 3.6 is released

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This version is released a little earlier than originally planned, due to the release of the fantastic Raspberry Pi 3 – which our previous 3.5 will not boot on due to having out of date firmware. Along with Raspberry Pi 3 compatibility this release brings a bunch of interesting experimental emulators such as Daphne for emulation of classic LaserDisc arcade games, a myriad of libretro cores, and a few game engines. We’ve also worked around the pesky insert coin bug that has plagued the arcade emulators.

Installation Instructions can be found here – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation.

Prebuilt images are available GitHub – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/releases/tag/3.6. You can also install RetroPie on top of an existing Raspbian set up – Instructions can be found at the GitHub project site.

To get the Raspberry Pi 3 built-in Bluetooth working please update the RetroPie-Setup Script before using the Bluetooth configuration menu, or alternatively drop to a terminal and do

sudo apt-get install pi-bluetooth

Changes since 3.5:

  • Support for the Raspberry Pi 3
  • Added new experimental modules:
    • Daphne (Laserdisc Emulator)
    • Libretro-QuickNES
    • Libretro-Beetle PSX (x86 only)
    • Libretro-Beetle Lynx
    • GemRB engine (Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape)
    • ResidualVM (Engine for Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island)
    • Libretro-MESS (based on the most recent version of MAME)
    • Libretro-MAME (based on the most recent version of MAME)
  • Added EmulationStation theme Simpler Turtle Pi to the theme installer from Omnija.
  • Added version details and uninstall option to the RetroPie Setup Script.
  • Fixed insert coin not working on arcade based emulators.
  • Various other bugfixes and improvements.

XBMC4Xbox 3.5.3 is out

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XBMC4Xbox 3.5.3 has been released. A smaller update again, but includes some weather and scraper fixes, and some library updates. Changes since 3.5.1 include:

  • Improved compatibility with some Kodi addons.
  • Fixes for the TMDB scraper.
  • Fix for weather location search and data.
  • Python updated to 2.7.11 (including updated SQLite3/OpenSSL)
  • Fix for a problem with stuttering video.
  • FFMpeg libraries updated to 1.2.12 (the last of the 1.2 series)

Thanks

Thanks to Dom and tim619 for contributing patches. Thanks also to everyone who helps out on the forum.

If you enjoy using XBMC4Xbox and want to show your support for the ongoing development please consider making a donation to the project. Please also do join in the discussions over at our Forum.

Obtaining XBMC4Xbox

See the development page for links to the source code and the SVN repository. For binary builds, read the information on the download page. For those that want to build from source, 3.5.3 is tagged here: https://svn.exotica.org.uk:8443/xbmc4xbox/tags/3.5.3/.

XBMC4Xbox 3.5.3 is out

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XBMC4Xbox 3.5.3 has been released. A smaller update again, but includes some weather and scraper fixes, and some library updates. Changes since 3.5.1 include:

  • Improved compatibility with some Kodi addons.
  • Fixes for the TMDB scraper.
  • Fix for weather location search and data.
  • Python updated to 2.7.11 (including updated SQLite3/OpenSSL)
  • Fix for a problem with stuttering video.
  • FFMpeg libraries updated to 1.2.12 (the last of the 1.2 series)

Thanks

Thanks to Dom and tim619 for contributing patches. Thanks also to everyone who helps out on the forum.

If you enjoy using XBMC4Xbox and want to show your support for the ongoing development please consider making a donation to the project. Please also do join in the discussions over at our Forum.

Obtaining XBMC4Xbox

See the development page for links to the source code and the SVN repository. For binary builds, read the information on the download page. For those that want to build from source, 3.5.3 is tagged here: https://svn.exotica.org.uk:8443/xbmc4xbox/tags/3.5.3/.

RetroPie 3.5 is out

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RetroPieLogo2015We are pleased to announce the release of RetroPie 3.5. After taking into consideration the feedback from the vibrant RetroPie community, we have provided a few more functions to simplify the user experience such as automatic expansion of the filesystem on boot, less terminal text, and more configuration options for the runcommand launch menu. We have also fixed up some bugs with Raspbian Jessie such as the USB ROM service and have added two new experimental modules – the Löve game engine and a ColecoVision emulator (CoolCV).

Installation Instructions can be found here – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation

Prebuilt images are available from the main RetroPie website – http://blog.petrockblock.com/retropie/retropie-downloads/, or can be grabbed from GitHub – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/releases/tag/3.5. You can also install RetroPie on top of an existing Raspbian Jessie / Raspbian Wheezy set up – Instructions can be found at the GitHub project site.

Changes since 3.4:

  • Added new experimental modules, Lӧve 2D Game Engine, Colecovision (CoolCV).
  • Debian usbmount package fixed up for systemd udev compatibility, making the USB ROM service work properly again without being killed after 30 seconds. Also added ntfs support by default.
  • Added an arcade rom folder option where all arcade games can be placed.
  • Improvements to EmulationStation (Fix crash on rom delete, direct launch, symlink support, and other bug fixes).
  • Improvements to the Runcommand Launch Menu: Cleaner dialog on launch, ability to show game artwork on launch, ability to disable joystick support as well as the ability to disable the entire runcommand launch menu.
  • PS3 Controller improvements – Add multiple gasia and shanwan controller support.
  • Updated lr-mgba emulator binaries (new upstream release of mgba 0.4.0)
  • Improvements on pre-built image – disabled screen blanking, quieter boot, and filesystem automatically expanded on first boot.
  • Various other bug fixes.

RetroPie interview on the Pi Podcast

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The Pi Podcast #13The Raspberry Pi show The Pi Podcast did an interview with me and two other members of the RetroPie team for Episode #13. Big thanks to them for inviting us on the show.

I was a little nervous before the interview, but it turned out fine – they did some good editing 🙂

If you own a Raspberry Pi or are thinking of getting one, then you should definitely check it out. They release a new show roughly every two weeks, with Raspberry Pi related news, chat and interesting interviews. It is professionally produced, and hosted by three knowledgeable and friendly Raspberry Pi enthusiasts.

 

RetroPie 3.4 is released

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RetroPieLogo2015Mostly fixes and improvements rather than new stuff this time folks. There were some problems with our RetroArch configuration defaults in RetroPie 3.3 which should be sorted now, and we have fixed up a few things that didn’t work correctly with Raspbian Jessie. We also have added early support for using the RetroPie-Setup script on a X86/X11 desktop setup, as well as some basic support for building EmulationStation & RetroArch + cores on the ODroid-C1. For more information regarding installation on x86 see https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/RetroPie-Ubuntu-15.10-x86-Flavor.

We are now using Raspbian Jessie as the base for the RetroPie image. Those using Wheezy can update by following the instructions at https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-setup/wiki/Updating-RetroPie – however moving to Jessie is recommended. As it takes time to pre-build binaries, in the future we will only be providing pre-built binaries for Raspbian Jessie.

Installation Instructions can be found here – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation

Prebuilt images are available GitHub – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/releases/tag/3.4. You can also install RetroPie on top of an existing Raspbian Jessie / Raspbian Wheezy set up – Instructions can be found at the GitHub project site.

Changes since 3.3:

  • Now using Raspbian Jessie for the RetroPie image.
  • Fixes for controller input issues with RetroArch including improved config generation to work around problems with 8bitdo controllers.
  • Fixed up Bluetooth pairing module on Jessie.
  • Improvements to the Xbox userspace driver (xboxdrv) including partial support of Xbox One controller.
  • Can now choose to exit or restart Emulation Station. Metadata will no longer be lost if choosing to shutdown or reboot.
  • Preliminary support for using the RetroPie-Setup script on x86 + X11 on Debian/Ubuntu and Ubuntu on the Odroid-C1 (building from source only).
  • $HOME/.emulationstation has relocated to /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation – but is symlinked from the original location. The USB Rom Service script will backup all of /opt/retropie/configs to USB. Previously it only backed up /$HOME/.emulationstation.
  • Support for choosing RetroArch shaders and overlays from the RetroPie-Setup configuration editor.
  • Added pixel theme from Rookervik to theme installer.
  • Wonderswan and NeoGeo Pocket separated into Wonderswan/Wonderswan Colour, NeoGeo Pocket/NeoGeo Pocket Colour.
  • Various other bugfixes and improvements.

RetroPie 3.3 is released

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RetroPieLogo2015After 2 months of work, RetroPie v3.3 has been released. Highlights include beta images built on Raspbian Jessie for beta testing, PlayStation Portable and Dreamcast emulators moved out of experimental, and improved controller configurations including automatic control set up for Mupen64plus and Reicast.

Installation Instructions can be found here – https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation

Downloads available from the main RetroPie website – http://blog.petrockblock.com/retropie/retropie-downloads/. For those who want to install on top of Raspbian Wheezy – the system can be installed directly from the GitHub project, where you can also find a detailed list of changes.

Changes since 3.2.1:

  • Mupen64plus controller configs (including hotkeys) and Reicast (Dreamcast) controller configs added to the autoconfiguration script in emulationstation. Mupen64plus is now the default n64 emulator due to compatibility.
  • AdvanceMAME 1.4 (replaces 1.2 – still based on MAME 0.106).
  • PlayStation Portable emulator ppsspp is included by default (libretro version is default, the standalone version is optional).
  • Removed cpc4rpi emulator, and added CapriceRPI which has many improvements over cpc4rpi.
  • Updated libretro binaries including lr-fba-next updated to v0.2.97.37, and an improved lr-caprice32 which is now moved out of experimental and is the default Amstrad CPC emulator.
  • Updates to Reicast emulator, which has been moved out of experimental.
  • New experimental modules: OpenTTD (open source simulation game based on Transport Tycoon Deluxe), Wolf4SDL (Port of Wolfenstein 3d), Zdoom (Enhanced Port of the official DOOM source)
  • PS3 controller improvements (added Gasia PS3 clone Support).
  • Updated OpenMSX emulator (to the dev version 0.12.0+).
  • Beta images based on Raspbian Jessie are included. They may have bugs that are not present in the Raspbian Wheezy release.
  • New themes added to the theme installer (Eudora from AmadhiX, Tronkyfran from Tronkyfran, and Retroplay Canela from InsecureSpike).
  • RetroArch joy-config tool removed (custom configs are now done through the RGUI or manually).
  • Various other bugfixes/improvements.