Best device to buy for Lakka?

Libretro Lakka
#1

Hey all,

I’m going to fit a device into a shelled NES.

I originally was going to buy a Pi2 and use that with RetroPie, but found this project.

I’m reading that Banana Pi and Hummingboard are great - but is there one that is best?

Thanks all!

#2

Lakka also supports the Raspberry Pi 2. It works very well even though it is still in beta. I can’t comment on whether the Banana Pi or Hummingboard are better. You may want to

Currently Retropie has a few advantages over Lakka for the Pi2 (box art and rom organisation, more emulator options), but Lakka is a million miles easier to set up as it does controller and system configuration automatically. Lakka will be getting ROM organisation soon, too :slight_smile:

There’s a nice list of supported systems here: http://www.lakka.tv/doc/Hardware-support/

If there’s a certain console you wish to emulate, make sure the hardware you buy will support it.

#3

Hi, the bananapi is certainly not great. But the hummingboard is. And the odroid-c1 and the rpi2 are very good too. They all have their updsides and downsides.

#4

Honestly, besides a custom-built low power PC, the best AFFORDABLE & COMPACT device, bar-none, is a CHROMEBOX.

The one I use is discounted at the 'egg right now and also has a 15% off w/ promo code AFEX15710, ends 7/16 (not sure if I can link, so I won’t… just search the 'egg for “m004u chromebox” and it should pop right up.)

ASUS CHROMEBOX M004U - It has: [ul] [li]Celeron 2955U (1.4GHz Dual-Core)[/li][li]2GB DDR3[/li][li]16GB SSD HDD[/li][/ul] – NO I AM NOT A SPAMMER OR AFFILIATED WITH ANYONE… I just happened to see the deal and thought I would share! –

I bet some of you are thinking, “why not just recommend an Intel NUC? That’s pretty much what this is”. - Well, for one, even the low end “Celeron” variants of the NUC are much more expensive for whatever reason!? Two, they do not come with any storage or RAM… weird, I know. Some of you are also thinking, “well it’s only a 1.4GHz dual core”. - True, but it’s a 4th gen iSeries based Haswell CPU that holds its own in single threaded environments, and would be a much better choice than a low power/clock ARM quad-core because of the fact that most emulators do not use more than 2 cores (this includes new ones like Dolphin and PPSSPP). The reason quad cores are usually preferred is because of OS overhead, as the other cores are used for background processes while the emulator is hammering half of the CPU. However, by using a platform like OpenElec/Lakka and minimizing overhead, you can squeeze out the most potential out of the dual-core 2955U! In addition, the embedded GPU (22nm Haswell GT1) is still much more powerful than what the Raspberry pi 2, or the Hummingboard can dish out.

I have a whole thread on another forum with discussion specifically about small form factor personal devices that run emulators well. The pi2, Hummingboard, etc., are cool little devices for their cost, do not get me wrong here! However, it comes down to this; most of these devices - with the exception of the Hummingboard I believe - can’t even run enhancement chip SNES games (FX, CX4, SA1, DSP1, etc.) at full speed using standard core SNES9x. A decent overclock would be necessary, or the use of emulator cores which are based on speed hacked versions of SNES9x (1.39 or 1.43), such as PocketSNES would be necessary.

With that said, here are some reasons why I think the Chromebox’s are great for emulation:

[ul] [li]They are easily modified (whether from ASUS, hp, Acer, etc.)[/li][li]Most Include 16GB+ of internal SSD storage[/li][li]Most Include 2GB+ of RAM[/li][li]2-4 USB3.0 ports (depends of brand/model)[/li][li]SD-Card port[/li][li]HDMI & DisplayPort (supports dual displays if I am not mistaken)[/li][li]x86 - Most current and stable emulators were designed for x86 architecture! It will take a long time for all the emulators to be ported over to ARM in regards to coders having the same experience in making them as efficient as current x86 emulators.[/li][li]Intel’s official GPU drivers are open source, which usually translates to better performance and stability – The pi’s Videocore GPU drivers are also open source, but most of the boards Lakka supports either do not have open source drivers, or a third party has/must reverse engineer them; in both circumstances though, it generally translates to un-optimized performance and stability issues. Most of this is pointed out here: http://www.lakka.tv/doc/Hardware-support/[/li][li]It is able to run MOST of the modern FBA and MAME sets (i.e., 0.152+) at 100% - With the exception of games which are 3D based; this is because MAME doesn’t use the GPU to render objects, from what I have read. It instead relies mostly on the CPU and does all the calculations in software… long story short, you’re going to need a full desktop PC CPU if you want to run games like that (I actually run into that issue in one of the videos below with Tekken 3).[/li][/ul]

Unfortunately, the pi2 (ARM) type devices use the older speed hacked versions of MAME in order to run games at playable speeds. They use ROM sets based on .037b5 & .078 –more so 0.037b5 than 0.078 with the pi2. Also, the pi2 cannot even run the MK series at full speed without a heavy overclock! And the rest of the boards can’t even run Killer Instinct 1&2 at full speed, while the Chromebox handles them with ease. -That alone is a deal breaker for me!

I will wrap up here… Overall, the Chromebox is a solid device! Yes, it is more expensive than a pi2, even if a case, cables, power supply, SD card, wifi, etc., are all factored in with the cost (I don’t think the same could be said for the Hummingboard/CuBox though… Either way, the Chromebox is a device that is much more capable for “retro” emulation!

Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!

PS, I made a bunch of cheesy videos testing this device out for another forum; I’ll just re-post them here. Fair warning though, I tend to ramble; if you couldn’t already determine that by reading this post! XD

#5

Interesting! I may buy one.

#6

Go for it!

No BS’ing, I have been very happy with the two I purchased. One stays on 24/7 as an HTPC with Kodi on it; I have young children and they use it everyday to watch videos I acquire for them as we don’t have cable only broadcast… PBS kids only lasts for so long :smiley:

The other I use for “retro” gaming… God that term makes me feel old as $%#! :’(

Let us know if you end up getting one, and how it works out for you!

#7

Isn’t Intel NUC much much better? you can get an i5U with HD 6000 GPU, which if I’m not wrong can play all emulators (x86 based CPU) even the 3D ones.

I know someone would say then to build a small ITX HTPC, but they are larger, warmer and noisier than the intended, and as far as I’m concerned you can’t build your own i5-U barebones (?). Maybe someone can confirm the performance of a Iris Pro HD 6000.

#8

Customcarvin - you make a good case. What systems are you able to emulate on the Chromebox - are there any limitations (aside from the aforementioned 3D MAME titles)?

#9

Hi Flipbug!

The only other limitations besides 3D-MAME games that I’ve run into is when cranking PPSSPP internal rendering too high. For example, I can run Ghost of Sparta full speed without issue at the default internal resolution. But, if I put it up just one step, I get an avg of 20-30 frames; which means it dips down a little too often for me to enjoy the game. If I’m not mistaken, this is a GPU bound issue and can only be alleviated by using something with a more powerful GPU.

Otherwise, if the game/emu doesn’t have inherently bad emulation (such as buggy N64 games, or buggy PSP game, etc.) I can run every game I have from Atrari 2600 through PSP without issue. :slight_smile:

I’d like to upgrade my Chromebox to an i7 or even an i5 variant, but the cost doesn’t outweigh the performance gains IMO. At that price ($300-400+), your almost better building an itx pc; or better yet, going with a low end Steambox (e.g., entry level Alienware Alpha) which will spank an i7 Chromebox hard in the GPU department (and the CPU too (ULV i7 vs LV i3)).

EDIT: Actually, the performance would be close between the two CPU’s: http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4600U-vs-Intel-Core-i3-4130T

But for (around) $150 dollars, the out-of-the box capable Celeron Chromebox is a solid deal in my opinion!

Hope that helps!

#10

Thanks :slight_smile:

Emulating PSP is my main interest at the moment - although I might wait and see if Retroarch gets Wii and Gamecube (via Dolphin) first. If a chromebox could run those as well, it’ll be a done deal!

#11

I’m pretty busy at the moment, but in a week or two I might have some free time to make a quick vid of Dolphin’s Linux performance (I’d probably just install Mint and download the latest build available on the repos). Which games would you want to see?

#12

So I went ahead and snagged one, now im having the hardest time getting it to boot from a usb. Fingers crossed I can find a write up soon, my controllers are already here!

[QUOTE=customcarvin;25299]Honestly, besides a custom-built low power PC, the best AFFORDABLE & COMPACT device, bar-none, is a CHROMEBOX.

The one I use is discounted at the 'egg right now and also has a 15% off w/ promo code AFEX15710, ends 7/16 (not sure if I can link, so I won’t… just search the 'egg for “m004u chromebox” and it should pop right up.)

ASUS CHROMEBOX M004U - It has: [ul] [li]Celeron 2955U (1.4GHz Dual-Core) [/li][li]2GB DDR3 [/li][li]16GB SSD HDD [/li][/ul] – NO I AM NOT A SPAMMER OR AFFILIATED WITH ANYONE… I just happened to see the deal and thought I would share! –

I bet some of you are thinking, “why not just recommend an Intel NUC? That’s pretty much what this is”. - Well, for one, even the low end “Celeron” variants of the NUC are much more expensive for whatever reason!? Two, they do not come with any storage or RAM… weird, I know. Some of you are also thinking, “well it’s only a 1.4GHz dual core”. - True, but it’s a 4th gen iSeries based Haswell CPU that holds its own in single threaded environments, and would be a much better choice than a low power/clock ARM quad-core because of the fact that most emulators do not use more than 2 cores (this includes new ones like Dolphin and PPSSPP). The reason quad cores are usually preferred is because of OS overhead, as the other cores are used for background processes while the emulator is hammering half of the CPU. However, by using a platform like OpenElec/Lakka and minimizing overhead, you can squeeze out the most potential out of the dual-core 2955U! In addition, the embedded GPU (22nm Haswell GT1) is still much more powerful than what the Raspberry pi 2, or the Hummingboard can dish out.

I have a whole thread on another forum with discussion specifically about small form factor personal devices that run emulators well. The pi2, Hummingboard, etc., are cool little devices for their cost, do not get me wrong here! However, it comes down to this; most of these devices - with the exception of the Hummingboard I believe - can’t even run enhancement chip SNES games (FX, CX4, SA1, DSP1, etc.) at full speed using standard core SNES9x. A decent overclock would be necessary, or the use of emulator cores which are based on speed hacked versions of SNES9x (1.39 or 1.43), such as PocketSNES would be necessary.

With that said, here are some reasons why I think the Chromebox’s are great for emulation:

[ul] [li]They are easily modified (whether from ASUS, hp, Acer, etc.) [/li][li]Most Include 16GB+ of internal SSD storage [/li][li]Most Include 2GB+ of RAM [/li][li]2-4 USB3.0 ports (depends of brand/model) [/li][li]SD-Card port [/li][li]HDMI & DisplayPort (supports dual displays if I am not mistaken) [/li][li]x86 - Most current and stable emulators were designed for x86 architecture! It will take a long time for all the emulators to be ported over to ARM in regards to coders having the same experience in making them as efficient as current x86 emulators. [/li][li]Intel’s official GPU drivers are open source, which usually translates to better performance and stability – The pi’s Videocore GPU drivers are also open source, but most of the boards Lakka supports either do not have open source drivers, or a third party has/must reverse engineer them; in both circumstances though, it generally translates to un-optimized performance and stability issues. Most of this is pointed out here: http://www.lakka.tv/doc/Hardware-support/ [/li][li]It is able to run MOST of the modern FBA and MAME sets (i.e., 0.152+) at 100% - With the exception of games which are 3D based; this is because MAME doesn’t use the GPU to render objects, from what I have read. It instead relies mostly on the CPU and does all the calculations in software… long story short, you’re going to need a full desktop PC CPU if you want to run games like that (I actually run into that issue in one of the videos below with Tekken 3). [/li][/ul]

Unfortunately, the pi2 (ARM) type devices use the older speed hacked versions of MAME in order to run games at playable speeds. They use ROM sets based on .037b5 & .078 –more so 0.037b5 than 0.078 with the pi2. Also, the pi2 cannot even run the MK series at full speed without a heavy overclock! And the rest of the boards can’t even run Killer Instinct 1&2 at full speed, while the Chromebox handles them with ease. -That alone is a deal breaker for me!

I will wrap up here… Overall, the Chromebox is a solid device! Yes, it is more expensive than a pi2, even if a case, cables, power supply, SD card, wifi, etc., are all factored in with the cost (I don’t think the same could be said for the Hummingboard/CuBox though… Either way, the Chromebox is a device that is much more capable for “retro” emulation!

Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!

PS, I made a bunch of cheesy videos testing this device out for another forum; I’ll just re-post them here. Fair warning though, I tend to ramble; if you couldn’t already determine that by reading this post! XD

#13

Have you followed the step-by-step instructions I linked in that post you quoted to enable SeaBIOS legacy boot mode? I removed my write protect screw and took ChromeOS off of mine permanently. That way, I go right into legacy SeaBIOS boot-loader immediately (i.e., boot any OS i wish right away) …you don’t HAVE to do that if you don’t want though. -Just follow section 2.2 to just put the device into “Developer Mode” if you don’t want to take the cover off and remove the write protect screw; you will still be able to boot from usb via Legacy SeaBIOS, but it’s a little more cumbersome that way IMO, of course.

http://kodi.wiki/view/Chromebox

#14

I got it working. There was still conductivity when I removed the screw that was preventing me from writing on the system. I went ahead and wiped the old operating system off in place of lakka. I might go back and implement dual boot since lakka doesnt support any type of plex/media server yet. This way when Im not button mashing I can still have netflix/hulu/movieson one device.

[QUOTE=customcarvin;28356]Have you followed the step-by-step instructions I linked in that post you quoted to enable SeaBIOS legacy boot mode? I removed my write protect screw and took ChromeOS off of mine permanently. That way, I go right into legacy SeaBIOS boot-loader immediately (i.e., boot any OS i wish right away) …you don’t HAVE to do that if you don’t want though. -Just follow section 2.2 to just put the device into “Developer Mode” if you don’t want to take the cover off and remove the write protect screw; you will still be able to boot from usb via Legacy SeaBIOS, but it’s a little more cumbersome that way IMO, of course.

http://kodi.wiki/view/Chromebox[/QUOTE]

#15

Nice! Glad you figured it out!