¶ Presentation
Recalbox is an open-source retrogaming console that allows you to play a variety of consoles and platforms in your living room, with ease!
Recalbox is the operating system of the Recalbox project, a ready-to-use emulation console based on the Raspberry Pi that is entirely free and open source, and has been designed specifically so that you can create your own in no time.
Recalbox offers you a wide selection of consoles and systems, from the first arcade terminals, to platforms such as the Playstation, the Nes and the Megadrive.
Recalbox uses several existing elements, such as EmulationStation as an interface, piFBA and RetroArch as emulators.
Recalbox can be described in one word: EASY.
We want to provide a system that is as user-friendly and intuitive as possible.
No need to modify a multitude of configuration files or connect via SSH.
Just install the system and play.
The system configuration is done via a single file, named recalbox.conf.
This file allows a fine configuration of all emulators!
But for advanced users wanting to have a more advanced configuration, we gave them the possibility to make a system to their liking with overrides (modify only if you are sure of what you are doing).
¶ Dozens of open-source software...... combined in one system.
Recalbox is based on the GNU/Linux system with Buildroot.
It integrates hundreds of open-source software, from the smallest utility, to its emulators and its EmulationStation frontend.
Find the dozens of RetroArch/Libretro emulators, the famous Kodi media player, and the custom EmulationStation frontend!
¶ With homebrews and hacks, discover games never released on console!
Homebrews are games created from scratch by developers. Many of them are very good surprises, and will make you have a great time.
Hacks are modifications of existing games. They take all or part of the graphics and gameplay of a game, and differ on the story, difficulty, atmosphere.
Some are considered as full-fledged sequels of the original games, like Super Mario Bros 4 (hack of Super Mario World) or Legend Of Zelda - Parallels Worlds (hack of A Link To The Past).
¶ Media Center
Powered by Kodi, Recalbox is also a Media Center.
By connecting it to the home network, you will be able to play videos from all your compatible devices (internet box, computer).
¶ Features
- System :
- Supported systems
- Optimized FBA version with 4 player support
- This means that the base file system is only 150MB compressed.
- NOOBS-based rescue system: Possibility to reinstall the system directly from the SD card, or by getting the latest version from the Internet.
- Supported system languages: French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and maybe others to come if you participate.
- Interface: Based on EmulationStation developed by Aloshi.
- Background music on the interface.
- Favourites management.
- Network:
- Access via network: to roms directories, screenshots and game saves.
- Wifi and RJ45 support.
- Online updates.
- Controllers:
- Configuration of your game controller directly from the interface: Once the configuration is done, it will be compatible with all emulators.
- Built-in support for PS3, Xbox360, 8BitDo and Bluetooth controllers: Attach a controller and play!
- Presence of GPIO drivers: To use arcade controls or your original Nes, Snes, Megadrive, PSX controllers.
- Support for Xin-Mo 2 player controllers.
- Virtual Gamepad Support Miroof's Virtual Gamepad: Use your phone as a controller.
- Feature:
- Kodi Media Center
- Moonlight: stream games over your local network or the Internet (requires Nvidia graphics card).
- Netplay: Online games.
- Retroarch AI: Translate text in games on the fly.
- Internal and external spraper: insert a picture, a video and a description for each game.
- Snaps videos: Video presentation of the game in the scrapes.
¶ Acknowledgements
Recalbox would not exist without the open-source emulators it uses.
We would like to thank all the people who contribute to provide open-source emulators, thanks to which we had the chance to play, again, to all these video game classics 🤩
¶ Here is the list of software used in Recalbox
- Buildroot: http://buildroot.uclibc.org/
- EmulationStation: http://emulationstation.org/
- EmulationStation UI Design & original "simple" stock theme: Nils Bonenberger - http://blog.nilsbyte.de/
¶ Emulators
- RetroArch and Libretro kernels: http://www.libretro.com/
- PiFBA: https://code.google.com/p/pifba/
- Mupen64: https://github.com/mupen64plus/
- Dolphin-emu: https://fr.dolphin-emu.org/
- PPSSPP: https://www.ppsspp.org/
¶ Others
- Kodi media player: http://kodi.tv/
- Qtsixa: http://qtsixa.sourceforge.net/