How to Play Nintendo 64 Games on RetroPie

Gamers around the world have always shown unparalleled interest in Nintendo 64 games, owing to their top-class gaming features, smart and upgraded interface, and unmatched gaming experience. Being the latest editions of gaming technology, these are packed with everything needed for a next-level adventure and thrill into console gaming. To get Nintendo 64 games and enjoy them on your PC is something you would never regret.

Talking of suitable emulators for Nintendo 64 games, you can go for RetroPie without a second thought. This one is an ungraded and super easy means to explore the fantasies of your favorite Nintendo games. Here’s a complete user guide to install and use RetroPie for playing the aforesaid games:

Hardware

It is convenient to purchase any suitable RetroPie hardware package available in the market, like, Canakit, etc.

Installation

Step 1: Slot in the emulator’s MicroSD card in your PC.

Step 2:

• Visit the official site of the Raspberry Pi model in your hardware kit and download its ‘RetroPie.img.gz’ image. However, if you are using the Raspberry Pi Imager, skip this step and just select RetroPie from the images list available on the website.
• According to your preferred Raspberry Pi model, select an RPI image, like, when using the Raspberry Pi 4; choose the RPI 4/400 image.
• If you are clueless about your Raspberry Pi model, visit the Raspberry Pi Wikipedia webpage. Here, you can identify your exact model by viewing it through the model board. If you have access to SSH or a command line, run the ‘cat /proc/device-tree/model’ file to view your Raspberry Pi model.

Step 3:Download a suitable writer program for writing the ‘RetroPie.img.gz’ image file to the MicroSD card. You can prefer the following writer programs as per your system’s Operating System:

Windows

• Raspberry Pi Imager- https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/
• Etcher- https://www.balena.io/etcher/
• Win32DiskImager- https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/

 MacOS

• Raspberry Pi Imager- https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/
• Etcher- https://www.balena.io/etcher/
• Apple Pi Baker- https://www.tweaking4all.com/hardware/raspberry-pi/applepi-baker-v2/

You can also use the ‘dd’ command in case you can access a command line.

Linux

• Raspberry Pi Imager- https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/
• Etcher- https://www.balena.io/etcher/

For SSH access, use the ‘dd’ command.

You can optionally extract the ‘.img’ image from ‘RetroPie.img.gz’ file using the ‘gunzip’ command if you are a Linux or macOS user.

Step 4:Write the program’s image file to your MicroSD card. This may take a few minutes.

Step 5:Now, remove the MicroSD card from the PC and insert it into the Raspberry Pi disc slot to get it loaded.

Controller Configuration

• On an initial boot, you will see the configuration menu, which is there for the controller configuration of all your emulators. This will be succeeded by selecting ‘Standalone Emulators’.
• Using your keyboard or controller, hold any button you like, to see its name get displayed on the welcome window for a split second, followed by the appearance of a configuration menu.
• You will be guided with a series of on-screen instructions for configuring your gamepad. If the program prompts to define a button your gamepad doesn’t have, skip it by pressing any random button.

Hotkey

You can enable hotkeys to access functions like, loading and saving game states, opening emulator GUI, etc. You should preferably set an unused button on your gamepad as the ‘Hotkey Enable’ button. However, you should remember that hotkeys are exclusive to RetroArch and Libretro emulators.

On getting directed to ‘OK’, press the ‘A’ button to finish the process.

EmulationStation

On initial loading, you may get concerned about not finding the emulator systems. Relax, your emulators are there in the system, but they will be visible only after the respective ROM files get loaded.

Transferring ROM Files

You need to take this step to get access to the emulator game systems. Navigate to the following page for a complete user guide on transferring ROM files to RetroPie.

ROM Transfer Link: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Transferring-Roms/

Audio

If you are an HDML user, you will have a default audio play with your games. In case you encounter issues (if using a USB or RPi HAT audio device), visit the following page to get them sorted.

Audio Help Link: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Sound-Issues/

Ready to Play!

When you are done, restart your EmulationStation for the game systems to appear. You can either use the ‘sudo reboot’ command to restart EmulationStation with SSH or follow the path given below:

Start > Quit > Restart EmulationStation

You can additionally use cheat codes and enable Wifi for a world-class naming adventure!

Playing Nintendo 64 games is a cherished experience for gamers globally. The adventure and fun get multiplied when you enjoy these games on the perfect emulator. Looking for one, you can rely on RetroPie as one of your best emulator choices. This makes Nintendo console gaming all the more exciting and unforgettable!