Linux: Emulators
Next in this series is how to get some emulators up and running. I already mentioned how easy it is to get a PS3 remote connected via USB to a linux box. You simply open a terminal and type 'sudo apt-get install libusb-dev libusb-0.1-4 xserver-xorg-input-joystick'. You now have full control of your system via the controller and it will work with games.
NES
The NES emulator which I am using is called FCEUX NES Emulator. To get it, you simply go to the Software Center (on your unity bar) and type in its name and install it. You can either launch it from your unity bar (which is where it will be placed upon succesful install) or open a terminal and type 'fceux'. Under the Options tab, you will find a standard display for configuring your gamepad, just click what you want to change and press the corresponding button. Under options is a choice to go full screen.
SNES
For SNES, I use ZSNES. It claims it is available on the Software Center, but it seems to have been removed. To get it, open a terminal and type 'sudo apt-get install zsnes'. To launch it, simply type zsnes. To get a good configuration for your controller, you probably should edit a file instead of trying to use the ZSNES configuration menu. To do this, open a terminal and type 'gedit ~/.zsnes/zinput.cfg' A new window will open with a whole bunch of junk. Simply copy and replace the below in it's appropriate section (near the top).
----------------------------
; Player 1 Input
; Input Device: 0 = Unplugged, 1 = KEYBOARD/GAMEPAD
pl1contrl=1
; Keys for Select, Start, Up, Down, Left, Right, X, A, L, Y, B, R
pl1selk=310
pl1startk=313
pl1upk=314
pl1downk=316
pl1leftk=317
pl1rightk=315
pl1Xk=322
pl1Ak=323
pl1Lk=320
pl1Yk=325
pl1Bk=324
pl1Rk=321
; Turbo Keys for A, B, X, Y, L, R
pl1Atk=0
pl1Btk=0
pl1Xtk=0
pl1Ytk=0
pl1Ltk=0
pl1Rtk=0
; Diagonal Keys for Up-Left, Up-Right, Down-Left, Down-Right
pl1ULk=0
pl1URk=0
pl1DLk=0
pl1DRk=0
----------------------------
Save and close the file and launch zsnes from the terminal with 'zsnes'. After that, use the menu to load a ROM and off you go playing!
Nintendo 64
For this, I am using Mupenplus64. Admittedly, I haven't done much with this... I just got it up and working and made sure Ocarina of Time worked. To get it, type 'sudo apt-get install mupen64plus'. This should download it. For some reason, I had to change my permissions to .config, so (if it doesn't work right away) type 'chmod 770 ~/.config'. Mupen has NO gui natively, though you can download one if you care to. Else, simply run the command 'mupenplus (path to rom)'. For example, if you just downloaded a rom from the internet, it will probably be in ~/Downloads. So run 'mupenplus64 ~/Downloads/gamename.rom'
Gamecube and Wii
If you have a bluetooth dongle, you can use that with the wiimote, but I don't and haven't looked at getting that working. Plus, the wiimote and I do not get along, so I don't really care to.
We will be using Dolphin for these emulators. You can read the instruction here or follow along.
We will need to install a lot of 'dependencies', basically software that will allow dolphin to work. Open a terminal and type:
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sudo apt-get install cmake git g++ libgtk2.0-dev libsdl1.2-dev nvidia-cg-toolkit libxrandr-dev libxext-dev libglew1.6-dev libao-dev libasound2-dev libpulse-dev libbluetooth-dev libreadline-gplv2-dev libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev
------------------------
Some you probably already have, but this will get everything you need. This will take a long time.
Then type 'git clone https://code.google.com/p/dolphin-emu/ dolphin-emu'. This will clone the git repository and place it in a directory called 'dolphin-emu'.
Change to the newly created directory 'cd dolphin-emu'. Then type 'mkdir Build && cd Build'. This is creating a directory called Build and changing into that directory. Then type 'cmake ..' (including the periods). Then type 'make'
This will take a long time. After that, type 'make install' which will install it. (also takes a long time). You might get an error at the end, ignore it. You have it installed!
Simply type 'dolphin-emu' in terminal and wha-lah, there you have dolphin! You can get your controller working by clicking on the 'GCPAD' button and configuring like normal. Then just start up an ISO (or any format it is) of the game
and you are ready to rock and roll! You can change many settings, resolution and go full screen to get an awesome experience!
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Comments
The SNES emulator might be interresting. I have tons of ROMs lying on some CD or DVD somewhere, only gathering dust.
What I would be really interrested in, though, is a PSX emulator or an Amiga emulator. I've tried some on Windows before, but they all required oodles of customization or extra plugins to use and virtually no sensible startup instructions for n00bs like me.
I'll be doing the PS emulators shortly. They are a bit more complicated, but still only a few lines of terminal work.
I didn't see anything about arcade emulators!
I had a dedicated machine with rudimentary gui, a pile of arcade cab roms and a ghetto joystick/arcade button rig I wired myself to play them. The system booted up into the game menu and from there you could navigate with the joystick to pick the game to play. It was neat, and I had intended on building an arcade cabinet, but I'm so not a carpenter.
Yea, After my basement finishes, my plan is to have a computer down there for the 'behind the bar' tv as well as a mame cabinet. But that is way down the road. Ubuntu has a MAME simulator right on the software center. I haven't done anythign with it, since I don't have a joystick/buttons and my interest in arcade cabinets is already minimal at best.
Mike (Stridar) that I've mentioned before made himself a 2 person bartop arcade. All in all his component cost was about $200, but he bought a lot of overpriced buttons and stuff that he can change the colors for to anything. I priced it out without all that jazz and came up at about $130... though admittedly I only used the one site he bought from and I'm sure you could get components cheaper.
Now that is a project I want to see. With specs, wiring diagrams and so on so I can try and get somebody to do that here as well!
A guy on reddit just posted an album of his mame as well as answered a bunch of questions regarding it.
I hate that guy just on general principle. I don't have half the tools... wait... did he buy his cab pre-fab? Yeah - http://arcadeworx.com.au/. That's a cool store to have. Anyways the cabinet was the hard part for me, it looks like those guys have the right idea.
You can also, if you keep your eyes out on craigslist, find empty/old original cabinets that people are either getting rid of or selling for cheap. One thing to keep in mind if you're going to refurb an old cab is that some of those old machines have the original artwork on them. Some of those machines are rare - and a certain segment of the population would cut you if they found out you painted over an original. I would argue that it would be justified.
I have an arcade monitor, a set of 4 Perfect 360 joysticks, thousands of ROMS, and I think enough buttons for two basic arcade control setups. I really need to get back at that. Life keeps happening, you know.
Oookey... Found myself and old, crappy piece of laptop-ish shit and managed to install Ubunto on it. Got my controller and ZSNES set up. And I also have a heapload of ROMs... On my windows PC.
Any idea on the best way to transfer them? I tried using a USB-stick, but couldn't understand bollocks of the file system.
Never mind... Managed to get UbuntuOne working and transfered the files that way.
Still don't know why the USB-drive didn't work. Nor how to use a USB headset.