DYI game system for kids - need advice

Picade
1

I have several grandkids under the age of 7. I’d like to build them a simple game system. It would consist of an old flat screen monitor (HDMI) built into a flat wooden box that would fit on their play table. The screen would be horizontal, not vertical. On this system I’d like to have a few simple games, like Pacman, Ms Pacman, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Mario, etc. The games should be played with buttons and joy sticks, not hand held game controllers. I will build the buttons and joy sticks into my custom case.

For the electronics to power it, it could be a Raspberry Pi or game system module. All the games should be stored in memory, no cartridges.

I’ve seen several articles on the subject. Many reference software that hasn’t been maintained in a few years. Many overlook the details on how to obtain licenses for the games.

What would recommend for set up such a game system?

2

Hi! There are a few ways of doing this. You probably want a raspberry pi (model 4 would be fine, but make sure you get 8gb), and a couple of these:

Here’s a guide that might be useful.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/tutorials/retropie-raspberry-pi-tutorial/

3

Thank you for the information. The hardware setup appears to be pretty straight forward. Player-X is a good example. My bigger concern the the software side. Is anyone supporting RetroPi? It does not appear to have been updated in a couple years and there is no Rasp Pi 5 version. I’ve found several forums discussing how to get the games. My big question – Are these games properly licensed? I don’t mind paying for the games. I just want to make sure everything is legit.

4

FYI – I am leaning towards using a JAMMA 60 in 1 board. It is not as much fun or elegant as a Raspberry Pi approach – but the games appear to be legitimately licensed.

5

Hm. We’re in the wild west here a little bit.

Firstly, retropie is the more legal option. It permits you to download ROMs, but you have to source those yourself- which you can do legally or otherwise.

The jamma is almost definitely in violation of copyright. I’d be curious to see if someone was trying to sell it as a “legal” option.

6

In terms of support, neither platform will be very good. You have to adjust your expectations when building these things yourself. The support comes from a community of people working together. Generally speaking I’d say you will definitely have some fun and play some games, but you will have nothing close to a consumer experience.

I believe it’s worth doing this sort of project, but go in with low expectations.