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Handheld Raspberry PI Retro Game Console

In this project I will be making a Nintendo Switch style retro game console

brandonBrandon
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This project will feature a 5-inch display, 4500mAh battery, an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4, and a 16-button, 2 joystick gamepad that also functions as a mouse for desktop navigation!

Looking for a good place to get started making your own handheld Raspberry Pi-based emulator? Well you're in luck because this is the right place! One of the hardest things to do as a beginner trying to make something like this is finding all the right resources to actually understand how to make a handheld like this. My goal for this project is to explain every detail as I go along the process. As I am a beginner as well, I will make mistakes along the way, but those mistakes will help me better understand how to explain the process to other beginners.


In this project I will be making a handheld retro game console with the following features

  • Raspberry Pi 4 8GB RAM
  • Modded Retropie Operating System (Supreme Ultimate)
  • Full Xbox-style Controller powered by a Teensy++ 2.0
  • Switch to use the joystick and buttons as a mouse for keyboardless desktop access
  • 5" Display
  • 4500 mAh Lipo Battery


This project will take you along for the whole process of what goes in to making a fully fledged handheld emulation console. I will do my best to explain every detail so even beginners can gain an understanding of how to build their own.

Gamepad_Code_v1.1.ino

Code for the Teensy controller

ino - 2.82 kB - 08/01/2021 at 14:35

Download

  • 1 × Raspberry Pi 4 Preferrably the 8GB RAM version for best performance
  • 1 × Teensy++ 2.0 Used for the integrated controller
  • 1 × 5-inch Display
  • 1 × RetroPSU To boost 3.7v Lipo to 5v
  • 1 × LiPo Battery I used a 4500mAh 3.7v battery

View all 15 components

  • devLog[10]

    Brandon • 08/13/2021 at 17:25 • 0 comments

    Well guys, I finally did it! I completed the build! I uploaded the first video about my project, which you can watch here:

    I'll also be adding a lot of updates to this page and pictures and tutorials and stuff, so be on the look out for that!

  • devLog[9]

    Brandon • 07/28/2021 at 00:06 • 0 comments

    Guys, I'm SO CLOSE! Since the last update, i've glued the speakers and audio jack to the case and wired up the Teensy++ 2.0 to the Raspberry Pi. Another major change I made was to switch from my previous 64bit RetroPIe OS for the supported 32bit OS. I decided to switch to 32bit because I couldn't get the power button for the Raspberry Pi working properly. As soon as I made the switch, however, the power button worked great! And that's another thing i've added since the last update - the power button. I followed this tutorial on youtube to set it up and then wired the screen's power button the the same button as the one for the Pi, which allows me to turn both on and off at the same time. The only thing I'm waiting for is the heatsink for the Pi. I bought one that works great, but it's too tall, so I had to settle for this one from amazon. I'll update you when I get it!

    There is one small problem with the power button that I may try and change soon. When I press the power button, the Pi powers down, but the red light and the fan on the heatsink both stay on, which makes it so the RetroPSU is never actually able to fully charge. This may be dangerous for the Pi and the RetroPSU, because I won't be able to tell when the battery is fully charged (because the green battery LED will never turn on while the Pi is still plugged in currently). I am trying to find a soulution to this and will update you when I find one.

  • devLog[8]

    Brandon • 07/19/2021 at 05:12 • 0 comments

    Exciting news! I finally got the speakers and 3.5mm audio jack working! Check out the 'Assembling the Components' section in the instructions to see how I did it. Now all I have to do is drill some holes for the speaker, glue it in place, and get the Raspberry Pi power button working!

  • devLog[7]​

    Brandon • 07/15/2021 at 01:50 • 0 comments

    Hey guys, it's been a while! I promise I've been hard at work, though. Since the last update I have successfully wired up the RetroPSU from HelderTech as well as extended the LCD screen buttons out the the case so they are accessible wihtout having to open up the case. Pictures below.

    The case only has 4 buttons for the screen on the outside, which is unfortunate because my screen has 5 buttons, so I'll have to figure out something for the last button eventually.

    In the meantime, I've also started working on installing speakers. I salvaged a couple from an old laptop and soldered them to the case, but I am still trying to figure out how to get them to work. They aren't recognized by the RetroPie OS right now. After that I'll try and wire up the 3.5mm audio jack so it's accessible while the case is closed. Once that's finished i'll get the Raspberry Pi power button working and then the project will, most likely, come to a close.

  • devLog[6]

    Brandon • 06/24/2021 at 15:29 • 0 comments

    Hey guys, just a quick update today! My Helder RetroPSU shipped and will be arriving on Saturday, which is exciting! Also, I have decided not to use the Supreme Ultimate OS as it is a very large file size, and I have decided to go with a new, lighter build of RetroPie that just came out a few days ago. This build of RetroPie has Wii and Gamecube emulators built in so I won't have to use the pixel desktop and download Dolphin emulator to play them! I know not many GC or Wii games work on the Pi, but I really wanted to have native emulators for those systems, so that's why I am switching. I am editing the video about how to install this OS right now, and It should be out in the next few days.


    Be on the lookout for more updates! There will be a bunch coming soon.

  • devLog[5]

    Brandon • 06/15/2021 at 15:13 • 0 comments

    Hey guys, today I'm back with a lot of updates for you guys! I meant to post this devlog a while ago, but I just got back from vacation and didn't have time to post it beforehand. Anyways, here's what I've been working on since the last devlog:

    First off, I finished mounting and gluing the joysticks and buttons to the case! The case was originally designed to use screws and mounting holes to mount everything, but they didn't quite line up correctly, so I just used a ton of hot glue. I would definitely recommend using a better method of securing the buttons and joysticks in place if you are considering making something like this.

    Next, I finished soldering all the buttons to the Teensy, which is pictured below. I also added a button to function as a mode button to toggle between controller mode and keyboard mode. This is super handy because it will allow me to use the controller as a regular gamepad as well as a keyboard and mouse for when I want to navigate around on the desktop. I also wrote the code needed to get the buttons as well as the toggle switch to work, which can be found in the downloads section of this project.

    I also realized that the step-up voltage boost converter I bought in the last devlog is actually a step-down converter, so I ordered a step-up converter so I can finish this project. You can find the converter on amazon here. To be honest, i'm a little worried that this converter won't be powerful enough to power both the screen and the raspberry pi, since the comments say that you shouldn't use more than 2amps or the board will fail, but we'll see. My backup plan is to buy the RetroPSU from heldergametech.com which I know will work. The only downside with that is that it takes forever to ship here.

    Those are all the updates I have for now! I can't believe I am so close to finishing this project! It's been a ton of fun to make. All I need to finish it is the voltage booster and then I just have to download games and start playing!

  • devLog[4]

    Brandon • 05/29/2021 at 00:26 • 0 comments

    Hey guys, I'm back with another dev log! I've been working a lot on this project the last few days, and it is so close to being finished! Here's what i've been doing since the last update:


    I soldered the D-pad, A, B, X, Y, Start, and Select buttons to the teensy, and I also put the teensy into the case.


    I contacted the original developer of the case I'm using, and he added the missing front place file to his thingiverse here.


    I realized that the power supply setup I'm using currently can only supply about 3.7 volts to the Raspberry Pi and Display, which is not enough to power the devices. Because of this, i'm going to need a voltage step-up converter, which can boost the voltage from 3.7v to 5v. That component should arrive soon, and you can find it here. I'll also add it to the bill of materials list.


    I've also been working on getting my joysticks mounted to the case, which has proven more difficult than I first imagined, because the mounts in the case don't work with the joysticks I'm using. Because of that, i've been having to design my own mounts and glue them to the case.


    That's all the updates for now! I can't believe I'm actually almost finished making this thing. All I have to do is mount the joysticks and shoulder buttons, program the teensy, and solder the new boost converter and then this thing will be done!

  • devLog[3]​

    Brandon • 05/24/2021 at 03:03 • 0 comments

    Just a quick update, the case that I am using for this project, which can be found here, was missing one of the parts needed to complete it (the front plate). Because of this, I decided to attempt to design my own front plate, which can be found here. I am going to print it out tonight and test it and then update you guys tomorrow on whether it works or not.

  • devLog[2]

    Brandon • 05/24/2021 at 01:47 • 0 comments

    Hello again everyone! It's been a minute. I've been doing a lot of work since my last update, so let my get you up to speed.


    First, I tested my lipo battery charger, and it works great! It doesn't have any protection, so I'll have to be careful about that, but for now it will do fine. I may upgrade to a better battery circuit in the future.


    Next, I spray painted my case, and it turned out pretty good! I messed up the top, but that's not a big deal.


    I also downloaded and installed the operating system I will be using onto my raspberry pi. I'm using a modded version of retropie from Arcade Punks.


    And finally, I started wiring up all my buttons! I haven't wired them to the teensy yet, as I need to figure out the placement of all the components first, but I have a good start.


    I will be coming out with videos documenting my process very soon as well, so stay tuned!

  • devLog[1]

    Brandon • 05/14/2021 at 21:08 • 0 comments

    Great news! A bunch of parts I need for the project came in today! So far I have received the SD card, Blower fans, HDMI cable, heatsinks, tactile buttons, and jumper wire. I have also been working on the case for this project, and, luckily, I found a design on Thingiverse that might work. I would make one myself, but I am absolutely horrible at 3D design. Hopefully I'll get some more parts in before I leave for the beach on the 18th, but if not, I'll have an update for you guys probably on the 22nd or 23rd.

View all 11 project logs

  • 1
    Bill of Materials
    NamePriceCountLink
    Raspberry PI 4$75.001canakit.com
    Teensy++ 2.0
    		$24.00
    		1
    		pjrc.com
    5" Display
    		$54.001amazon.com
    RetroPSU
    		$251Heldergametech.com
    Safe Shutdown Board
    		$101humblebazooka.com
    LiPo Battery
    		$20.091amazon.com
    HDMI Connector
    		$6.001amazon.com
    Micro HDMI Connector
    		$6.001amazon.com
    Ribbon Cable
    		$6.001amazon.com
    Micro SD Card
    		$19.491amazon.com
    Heatsink$5.971amazon.com
    Blower Fans
    		$9.982amazon.com
    Jumper Wires
    		$5.991amazon.com
    Perf Board
    		$6.501amazon.com
    Tac Switches
    		$7.4916amazon.com
    Joysticks$11.992amazon.com
    Speakers$7.892ebay.com




    TOTAL PRICE
    		$293.84

  • 2
    Bill of Materials Info

    If the links aren't working, please let me know and I can help you find the correct part.

    Parts needed that I did not purchase because I already had them on hand:

    DISCLAIMER: I used joysticks from a USB Xbox controller and I used speakers from an old laptop, so the ones I linked are not the ones I used. However, they should work fine. Also note that I did not purchase the cheapest option for each item, I was going for quality as well as shipping speed, so I ordered mainly from Amazon.

  • 3
    Setting up the Raspberry Pi

    Setting up the Pi is pretty straightforward until you have to start getting the different games and emulators to work. I won't go much into that, but I will explain the process of installing the OS and the modifications I made. Of course, thses are just my preferences when it comes to modifications. You can install whatever OS and modify it to your liking

    Installing RetroPie

    To install the operating system, you will need to download a few things:

    1. RetroPIe
    2. SD Card Formatter
    3. Raspberry Pi Imager

    You will also need a Raspberry Pi and an SD card. I would recommend a Raspberry Pi 4 with at least 4GB of RAM and an SD card with at least 64GB of memory (Links above).

    Once you get everything downloaded, plug your SD card into your computer and format it using SD Card Formatter. You can just use the quick format option. When that's finished, unzip your RetroPie OS and open Raspberry Pi Imager. Navigate to your OS and select the SD card you want to write it to. Next, press Ctrl+Shift+X to open advanced options in the imager. Here you can add your wifi, enable SSH, select your region, and change keyboard layout settings. Once you get those settings all set, save them and then click Write to write the image to your SD Card. You're technically done, but there are a few more things you should edit before booting up your Pi.

    Before you take your SD card out of your computer, open it up and open the config.txt file. Here, you should uncomment a few lines. My config.txt file will be included in the attachment sections of this page, but here are the modifications I made:

    Add the following lines:

    # these lines adjust the screen resolution
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=87
hdmi_cvt=800 480 60

    Uncomment the line below so it looks like this:

    # uncomment to force a HDMI mode rather than DVI. This can make audio work in
# DMT (computer monitor) modes
hdmi_drive=2

    If you'd like to overclock, add the following lines, but make sure you have adequate cooling in your case first!

    #uncomment to overclock the arm.
over_voltage=6
arm_freq=2000
gpu_freq=700

     (The max settings for arm_freq is 2147, and the max for gpu_freq is 750).

    I also had to add these two lines to get the screen to size properly, but you may not need to add these lines:

    # uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output
hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# remove black borders around the display
overscan_scale=1  

    That's all for now! I'll go over further modifications after we get the rest of the components set up.

View all 8 instructions

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Discussions

Erik wrote 10/05/2022 at 15:15 • point

Would I be able to use a pi 3b+ with this project?

  Are you sure? yes | no

dearuserhron wrote 06/17/2021 at 21:26 • point

Tell about Li-pol. Do you use single Li-pol to drive RPi? Do you use step-up DC-DC? There will be a lot of drag. Look here (two Li-ion cells and step-down dc-dc) #Insane Pi 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Brandon wrote 06/18/2021 at 19:12 • point

I am going to be using one 3.7v lipo battery and the Helder RetroPSU to power my build. The RetroPSU boosts the voltage to 5v and outputs up to 6 amps which is more than enough to power the screen and Pi. Other cheap voltage boosters wont be able to power both devices, so the RetroPSU is pretty much the only option.

  Are you sure? yes | no

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