Retro game emulation is a very common use for single-board computers (SBCs) such as the Raspberry Pi. This is primarily due to their small size, affordable nature, and low power consumption.
Despite their compact size, single-board computers provide enough computing power to emulate classics released on the Game Boy, PlayStation 1, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and other old consoles and handhelds.
Since there are just so many SBCs out there, we have curated a list of the best single-board computers that offer the most functionality for retro gaming.
1.Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
The Raspberry Pi is the most popular single-board computer by far, so it follows that it would be the most used for retro gaming. The flagship Raspberry Pi 4 Model B has a quad-core ARM CPU clocked at 1.8GHz and 1GB to 8GB of RAM. It also features four USB ports and two micro-HDMI ports capable of powering two 4K displays, allowing you to experience classic games with modern visual fidelity.
It’s not the fastest SBC in the world by any means, but it does provide a lot more support than the alternatives. While it won’t run most PS2 games well, there are a bunch of other retro consoles you can emulate smoothly on a Raspberry Pi 4, including PS1, Atari 2600, NES, SNES, and Genesis. You can also follow our guide tobuild a portable retro gaming console using a Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is priced at $35 for the base 1GB model and goes up to $75 for the 8GB model. It manages to hit the sweet spot between performance and cost-effectiveness. The Pi 4B may very well be the best option for your retro gaming rig as long as you are not intent on emulating relatively recent consoles.
2.Odroid H3+
The Odroid-H3+ is an upgrade to the now-discontinued Odroid-H2 and has a similar form factor and rate of power consumption. It however features a more powerful processor and offers more memory than its predecessor.
It is powered by an Intel quad-core processor, Jasper Lake N6005, with a base clock of 2GHz and a boost clock of 3.3GHz. The graphics processing unit is an Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU) which is clocked at 900MHz. It is several leagues more powerful than the Raspberry Pi 4B.
The Odroid H3+ offers both HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 ports for video output. It has an eMMC socket, two SATA ports, and an M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 slot. The device can be run from either one of the three interfaces.
It uses more power and is much more expensive than the Raspberry Pi 4 at $165 (without including the cost of a SODIMM RAM stick). However, it also offers the performance advantages of an x86 SBC and will run Wii, GameCube, N64, and PS2 games with relative ease.
The Rock 5B is an ARM-based single-board computer from Radxa, an open-source hardware and software company in China. It has a more powerful SoC than the Raspberry Pi 4 and manages to offer three times its performance in benchmark tests byJeff Geerling. Ourcomparison of the Raspberry Pi 4 and the Rock Pi 5Bgoes into more detail on the differences between the two.
It has a RockChip RK3588 processor and an ARM Mali-G610 3D Mali GPU that supports 8K video encoding and decoding. It offers up to 16GB LPDDR4 RAM and can power up to three displays with its dual full-size HDMI ports and DisplayPort over USB-C. You may notice the lack of onboard wireless connectivity, but you can connect a supported wireless module via the M.2 key E slot or use a USB dongle.
But all those advanced features come at a comparatively high price, with the 4GB model of the Rock Pi 5B being sold for around $170. If you can afford it though, the processor is powerful enough to emulate consoles such as PS2, N64, PS1, and GameCube.
4.Nvidia Jetson Nano
By strict definition, the Jetson Nano is not a single-board computer, since it comprises two boards, one for the System on Module (SoM) and another for interfaces and connectors.
Although primarily designed for AI and machine learning applications, the Nvidia Jetson Nano’s features make it a viable candidate for retro gaming. It has a quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 CPU and a 128-core Maxwell GPU which offers excellent performance for graphics-intensive games. However, it uses an older ARM Cortex processor than the Raspberry Pi 4, which means it will run slower during CPU-intensive tasks.
There is a 2GB and a 4GB variant, with differences in operating system configuration, power supply, connectivity, and price. There are several retro gaming builds for the Jetson Nano such as ARES that make it much easier to get started.
5.LattePanda 3 Delta
The LattePanda 3 Delta is a powerful x86 single-board computer that uses an Intel Celeron N5105 processor and has an Intel UHD graphics card. It offers Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 for networking and has an M.2 B Key and an M.2 M Key slot.
The LattePanda 3 Delta comes with Windows 10 pre-installed and is one of thesingle-board computers capable of running Windows. This makes a very good option for playing with emulators made for x86 or Windows systems.
It is an insanely expensive board though at $279 for the version with Windows unactivated. It does offer a ton of functionality, but might not be the best option if you’re looking to save money.
6.Orange Pi 5
The Orange Pi 5 is based on the octa-core, 64-bit RK3588S SoC, a variant of the chip that powers the Rock Pi 5B. It has fewer interfaces and is much cheaper at around $85 for the 4GB model with 32GB eMMC.
The Orange Pi 5 offers a budget-friendly choice for retro gamers without compromising on performance. If you’re looking for extra HDMI and Ethernet ports with another M.2 slot but don’t mind paying extra, the more recent Orange Pi 5 Plus isn’t a bad choice either.
Have a Blast to the Past With a Retro Gaming SBC
The popularity of retro gaming on single-board computers and retro handhelds reminds us that more complicated isn’t necessarily better. With a cheap single-board computer, you may revisit the classics of yore and get lost in the quirky pixel art and 8-bit (or 16-bit) audio.
All you need to do to join this revolution is get one of the SBCs on this list, load up an SD card with RetroPie or another retro gaming OS installed, and start playing your favorite old games right away.
