Playing vintage games on RetroArch

Retro Console

Article from Issue 300/2025
Author(s):

Using Linux as a base, you can build your own couch-friendly retro-gaming console. All it takes is a PC, a game controller, and RetroArch.

Video games have been part of mainstream culture for about 50 years, meaning that there is now a fantastic history of older games to explore. Thankfully, for those of us who can't afford the time, money, and space needed to build up a collection of classic hardware, software simulations of nearly all of the old-time gaming hardware are freely available these days.

You have several options for running your games. A desktop computer gives you a lot of power and customizability, but a console offers a level of convenience that can add to the enjoyment of gaming.

So, this is my aim: to create a Linux-based system to explore vintage gaming in a convenient form by installing RetroArch as a front end on top of a standard Linux installation. This configuration will allow me to access the games via a fullscreen, controller-driven interface with all of the utility of a full computer behind the scenes, merely an Alt+Tab away.

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