Quite recently we checked out a nice little loaded Batocera image for the Odroid XU4 whilst we loved the fortay of the XU4, and the great way it handled some games that Raspberry Pi simply could not, we were quite disappointed to find out there was no RetroPie based images, that is, until now! Odroid Retro Arena (ORA) dropped a lovely image this evening – the image does not contain any ROMS – but is the doorway to many a loaded image appearing (Watch this space!).
We absolutely LOVE this build, its nice and responsive and we cant wait to start playing with some LOADED images based on this awesome base – to everyone over at Team ORA, we take our hats off to you , the commitment and dedication put into this has been amazing, we have followed your progress and really do thank you for making this possible on the XU4.
Heres some info from Team ORA Readme (included in download)
First and foremost the Odroid Retro Arena team would like to give you a heartfelt thank you for taking the time to check out our work. Many of us on the team have poured our heart and soul for the last couple months into what we feel is a GREAT retropie base image for the XU4 board. Our mission in this is to allow for the growth of the Odroid XU4 community and encourage users to see that as an example this board is worth spending the extra cash compared to the Raspberry Pi boards and other less powerful alternatives like the OrangePi, etc.
- This is only the stepping stone on what our plans are and what the future hopefully holds for ORA.
- We wish this to be the beginning of what we hope is a solid and beneficial relationship for now and in the future.
- The credentials are as follows to access the system: root/odroid pigaming/retropie
KNOWN CAVEATS IN NO CERTAIN ORDER:
1) PPSSPP: When exiting PSP the emulator does not release the local keyboard therefore if local terminal or keyboard use otherwise is required you will need to either use the Soft Reboot option in the RetroPie Menu or restart the system. The keyboard not being released is apparently a known issue for PPSSPP across several platforms.
2) DESMUME: May crash the system on occasion depending on variables we have not yet identified. An example is that it happened on Atari Classics. We are relegated to using DESMUME as we have not been able to reach the Drastic dev to work on having that emulator’s code run with our board.
3) Kodi: Is a standalone installation and one that had to be compiled specifically for the XU4. Changing the skin on Kodi from Estuary will enable exit options that are not supported and may cause unexpected results. If other skins are wished to be used reach out to us for proper assembly. There is an issue with functions to leave the application other than exit when using attached storage.
4) PC-FX, PCE-CD, etc games need to have matching formatting within the filenames of the bin/cue files as well as the ISO references in the cue files themselves. This is mentioned as there are other OS’es that do not require this format to be used.
5) Kodi: Do not set two controller profiles for the same controller as it will become unstable and may crash.
6) Kodi: Local and Network LAN based streaming was successfully tested however plugins have not been tested. The only current supported version of Kodi for the XU4 to be stable is 17.3 Krypton on the 3.10 kernel. Be wary of this. ORA is not responsible for issues that may arise from installing additional plugins.
7) Kodi: After playing several videos files in a row you may notice that memory may not be releasing properly upon exit. It is advised to just perform a reboot.
8) Bluetooth: The BT stack has been installed however has not been fully tested due to lack of required BT dongle, etc. Use BT at your own risk.
9) External HDD: Minimal testing has been performed in regards to running the OS on EMMC or MicroSD and storing content on an additional drive. As always your mileage may vary.
10) OS Installation Media: This image has been designed to be run with a MicroSD and not currently on EMMC due to the expense that EMMC incurs. Changes will need to be made to the boot files if you wish to convert to EMMC. This has not been tested as of yet.
11) N64: We have noticed a possible compatibility issue with the iBuffalo SNES Controller mapping correctly. As of the release of this test image we have not been able to verify solid usage as of yet.
12) DESMUME: What else is there to say other than it is a bit buggy. It appears that tweaks will need to be made on a game by game basis. Also compatibility will be a concern and is outside of the scope of our responsibility therefore you mileage may vary.
13) Unlike the Raspberry Pi specific builds RaspiConfig is not part of the RetroPie installation therefore items such as the ability to change the keyboard and localization as not natively available via a menu structure currently however it is on the To-Do List.
14) Terminal Bleed Controller Config Wizard: A bug has been encountered where after finalization of the ES Input Wizard is completed and RA performs its mapping functions the terminal will bleed through the ES theme requiring the user to either press “back” or restart ES.
15) Core Override/Game Override: There is a known bug for all retropie builds where when you execute
16) HDMI-CEC: There is a known issue with the XU4 and CEC. You may notice the system become unresponsive if either a) turning off the tv/monitor or b) changing inputs.
NOTABLE ENHANCEMENTS TO RETROPIE FROM A USER PERSPECTIVE IN NO CERTAIN ORDER:
1) BGM: Background Music has been included in the base image. These files are located in the /home/pigaming/bgm directory. They can be accessed via ssh or via samba share. There are 36 tracks from Bubsy on YouTube which are 8 bit royalty free mp3 files to assist with avoiding possible copy-write situations.
2) BGM Toggles: The ability to turn of BGM is provided via custom scripts found in the BGM Toggle folder in the RetroPie Menu. As noted in the descriptions for the options to be executed there may be times where a reboot may be required for the desired results to occur.
3) Fan Control: A custom Fan Control menu has been provided for those that have a board with the Odroid stock fan or if you wish to upgrade the fan using the same connection. There are three selectable values which have descriptions for each. Implementing these options is immediate and can be done on the fly while in the ES base environment. NOTE: THESE OPTIONS TIE DEEPLY INTO THE KERNEL THEREFORE THERE IS NO IMPLIED WARRANTY OR OTHERWISE. ALSO THESE ARE IN NO WAY TIED TO THE GPIO HEADER.
4) Samba Shares: We have added as stated previously the ability to work in the BGM folder via samba however we have also added for convenience the themes folder as well if users so chose to install a theme manually. Proper permissions have been assigned.
5) PORTS: The full compliment of current supported PORTS have been installed and the PORTS system has had a custom gamelist.xml file as well as associated basic media/metadata to make the selection experience more pleasant.
6) Kodi System: Kodi has been moved from PORTS to its own standalone system in the system’s carousel. It has also had a custom gamelist.xml file created and associated basic media/metadata to make the selection experience more pleasant.
7) SSH ENABLED: Unlike the vanilla RetroPie releases we have SSH Enabled by default and not disabled. A person’s XU4 RetroPie build should not be exposed to the internet to receive packets without making an explicit request for packets therefore we feel if someone wishes to disable is themselves they may do so.
8) RetroPie Manager: This option has been turned on to make the user experience more pleasant.
9) MPG123: MPG123 rather than a python script has been used for the XU4 build. Even though it does not currently have the ability to fade out/in when transitioning between ES and an emulator we feel that after extensive testing is it an enhancement as it does not exhibit the behavior that has been noted to be seen with the python music script that is otherwise available in the wild. BGM volume has been extensively tested and it is set at a level that we feel is still pleasant while at the same time not interfering with Video Snap audio. As an FYI Video Snap audio is provided via a separate pulse audio installation to maintain compatibility with MPG123 and VLC.
10) Video Splashscreens: Video Splashscreens have been enabled by default and all related possible console test has been hidden for the users.
11) PSPMINIS: In order to step in line with the new path that theme makers are taking the pspmini system has been updated to reflect the plural form rather than singular.
12) Emulator Configurations: In order to provide what we hope is the best experience for users “out of the box” we have already made too many tweaks/adjustments to list. These changes we feel will not only enhance performance, but also viewing and auditory pleasure while using the environment.
13) Launching Image: We have included a custom ORA base launching image that we hope users will enjoy. This is not locked down of course and they have the freedom to change to whatever their heart desires.
14) Showcase Theme: We have worked with the creator to provide a custom “skinning” to a point of the Showcase Theme. It has had all systems that the build currently supported added so that users will not run into the dreaded “deadzone” when adding games for an obscure or otherwise seldom used system. The RetroPie System background has been updated to reflect the XU4 board and our logo. We feel that it is subtle enough that it will not cause any distaste. The theme of course can be changed by users at any time.
15) HTOP: HTOP has been installed for those that wish to monitor the processes in their system via ssh terminal access.
16) BASHWELCOMETWEAK: The Bash Welcome Tweak is not enabled by default therefore we have enabled it.
17) Auto Resize: Auto Resize has been enabled on first boot of the image to streamline the process for XU4 users and to mirror the experience that Raspberry Pi users are familiar with as of 4.3.
MISCELLANEOUS:
1) For users not used to using the FM-7 system disk load times are pretty long. This is expected and programmed behavior by the creators of the emulator to mimic what the original user experience was back in the day.
2) Attract Mode: Attract Mode will never be supported on the XU4. AM moved to requiring a 64 bit processor very early in 2016. The XU4 is a 32 bit CPU.
3) GameCube and PS2: See item 2 above. That is the quick answer.
4) Sammy Atomiswave: This system requires DEMUL for the emulator which is directx only therefore will not work on linux.
5) Sega NAOMI: See item 4 above.
Check out the official website HERE
The official FaceBook group HERE
DOWNLOAD FROM OUR ODROID IMAGES PAGE
Title = “[8gb]-XU4-ORA-Base-RetroPie4.3.8-Public-v1-TeamORA”
