best cheap general emulation box for TV- wii or xBox?

[sharpfork]

I've been using an xBox with coinops in my arcade cab for years. I put together a large drive og xbox for my HDTV and am super happy with it aside from the n64 and PS1 emulation.
I have also had a modded wii for years but never got too far into emus on that box. I really enjoy nintendo's n64 virtual console with an n64 controller. 90% of the n64 titles are available as VC ports. Do most emus support gamecube controls in on wiis that support it?

I've also been playing with android and ras pi but neither is very mature.

All that being said, of the old consoles one can find at good will for $15, which is better for:
- unified front end (I assume coinops/vision on xbox)
- N64 emulation (wii for nintendo ports?)
- PS1 emulations (how is this on the wii?)
- anything else worth considering?

[fastbilly1]

N64 and PSX emulation is subpar on the wii, but excellent on the raspberry pi 2. Since the Wii does not have the horsepower, and cheap android devices started coming out at the same time, most Wii emulation development was dropped.

You should first come up with a list of PSX/N64 games you want to play, then see if they are compatible on the Wii. If not something like an Ouya or Pi2 would be a better choice.

Most Wii emulators let you map the controls to Gamecube, Wiimote, or Wii Classic Controller.

[sharpfork]

N64 and PSX emulation is subpar on the wii, but excellent on the raspberry pi 2. Since the Wii does not have the horsepower, and cheap android devices started coming out at the same time, most Wii emulation development was dropped.

You should first come up with a list of PSX/N64 games you want to play, then see if they are compatible on the Wii. If not something like an Ouya or Pi2 would be a better choice.

Most Wii emulators let you map the controls to Gamecube, Wiimote, or Wii Classic Controller.

Perfect, thanks!
I was really hopping the wii would be a decent choice. I guess if I drop PS1 off the list I could just us my wii U for all things nintendo, including gamecube (nintendont) and N64 via virtual console. I'm guessing I can find a decent SNES and NES emu for the Virtual Wii as well. This give me HDMI goodness too.

For PS1, I'd like to play Einhander and many other shmupps on this list: http://www.racketboy.com/retro/phenomin ... ps-library

I have an Ouya and a MK908 collecting dust and just picked up a PI2. If the PI 2 can play most ps1 titles well, I might as well focus on it as I assume it has the most active development. The biggest issue has been not liking any of the front ends and not wanting to have to mess with configs too much. PiPlay is easy to configure but ugly. Emulation station is nice looking but a pain to really tweak the settings. Has anyone tried Rom Collection Browser in XBMC (Kodi) on the PI 2?

Thanks again!

[arcadifvid]

hi guys, im currently using wii for my emulation needs, but im looking for something more powerful. i see you guys have experience with both ouya and pi2 ? which is better ? when i look at the specs, seems ouya is more powerful, but ive heard alot of good things about pi2 too.

[dogman91]

A PC is best.

But minus that, out of those options the original Xbox is the most supported in regards to homebrew/emulater stuff, though I like using the Wii better for the controllers (SNES adapter), and for the Wii's 240p mode for CRTs.

Also with Wii you can download 'wads' that use the Virtual Console's N64/NES/whatever-else emulator.

[Exhuminator]

Yeah a Raspberry is your cheapest best bet.

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-your- ... -498561192

[Anapan]

I have not really touched the couple of Raspberri Pi's I got - the simple reason is I had smaller handheld projects planned and never really got past the planning phase for those. I've been turning free Pentuim 2+ computers into makeshift emulation machines, and for less intensive retro gaming for friends who do not crave true 480P with scanlines or even filtered fake; I make clones of my Xbox (my mod disc does not support HD and nobody seems to care?).
It's very easy to make an assumed "crappy old computer" into a really great entertainment center. Even if it cannot do "web 2.0" it can play lots of last generation 3D games really well given the right tweaks and sometimes a cheap used video card. You can connect a Wiimote or a PS3 controller to a pc with a $5 Bluetooth adapter.

Sure, an original xbox with a replaced larger hard drive can do a lot, but keep in mind the original xbox has something like a GeForce3 Ti500, a 733Mhz Pentium 3 CPU, an 8GB (40GB?) hard drive and an 8MB SD card for savegames. Compare that to any old assumed-broken computer sitting in a friend or relative's basement or attic...

A 6-pack of beer brought to a recycling depot that accepts electronics might get you a great computer. Bring a screwdriver and offer to remove the hard-drive in case there's anything sensitive on it that should be destroyed.

[Exhuminator]

I only recommended Raspberry because it's the cheapest. It's far from the best solution though.


The best solution is a small form factor Windows PC with an HDMI output in tandem with a wireless keyboard with integrated mouse, and a wireless 360 controller. That's what I use for living room emulation and it's a grand ol' time.

[sharpfork]

I used to build up cheaper Pcs but hated when windows would need to be babysat or the system had to be off the network because security issues. Unless I'm dropping $ for a nice htpc case and small mobo, a pc b is an eyesore near a tv.

[Exhuminator]

when windows would need to be babysat

If your OS needs to be babysat it's not the OS's fault.

a pc b is an eyesore near a tv.

It's not hard to find nice looking small form factor computers these days.

A few examples: