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Dred
Junior Member
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I have only ever emulated games on x86 architecture. I never really used ARM. I would love to buy a simple cheap device. Probably arm based with a decent gpu so that i could emulate up to playstation 1 one and maybe playstation 2 or Saturn/dreamcast.
So here are some questions if anyone can answer. I think it would be interesting to get everyone's opinion
1. What is the current state of emulation compatibility and performance when it comes to Linux VS Windows? Are they both pretty even?
2. If i wanted something that was energy efficient for say around $100-$200 and could run retroplayer and most of the emulators up playstation or playstation 2. What would be the contenders?
I am currently running a PC on my TV and its much too power hungry. I want something compact/cheap with good energy usage with good enough performance. If they are cheap enough maybe i would consider gifting this hardware to friends and family.
Thanks
-Mike
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I'm not a big ARM fan just yet. These systems seem to be the pinnacle of low power, low cost solutions, I find that they often are limited in possibilities. There always seems to be one more functionality that is just out of reach. If you aren't bothered by some (or a lot of) tinkering and tweaking, a Pi2 may be just right for you. I like the lazy route and chose an ULV x86 system. I like the Brix / NUC / etc. solutions best.
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zag
Team-Kodi Member
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Yeh personally I would get a cheap low power Intel NUC for games, never have to worry about cpu power then.
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If you're waiting for Zen, you'll be on hold for the next 15 or so months. Don't underestimate the Iris gpu in Intel's cpu's though. They've come a long way and are almost as powerful, without being power hungry.
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2015-10-17, 20:56
(This post was last modified: 2015-10-17, 20:57 by corpgator.)
It depends on how retro you want to go. If you're looking to run the dolphin emulator (Wii and gamecube games) at 3x resolution, then you're going to need a lot more power than for playing previous generation games.
And by a lot more power, I'm talking an overclocked 2500k or better.
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The NUC uses ULV laptop processors. They are very good, but not as powerful as their desktop counterparts. My i3 ULV runs all emulators in retroplayer just fine, but if you want to upscale likecorpgator describes, a Small Formfactor machine will not do. If your looking for a quiet and powerful living room machine, go for a dual core ULV.
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I would love to see RetroPlayer on Android some day tbh! I just ordered my nvidia shield TV. Having retro games on that thing would be really a match in heaven! I suppose compiling the sources including the current state of RetroPlayer won't be enough?
Using: Zotac ZBOX ID84, Dual Core ATOM D2550, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD
Base system: OpenELEC 4.2 (XBMC 13.2 Gotham)
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2015-10-29, 20:31
(This post was last modified: 2015-10-29, 20:32 by grumpygamer.)
I have just got a 4130T for hopefully running dolphin decently whenever the core gets ported. Also I hope that in the future more modern arcade emulator cores will be ported (naomi to name one).
