The retro gaming world has seen a boom in recent years, especially as original games and consoles have become as valuable as works of art. However, many people just want to play these games on their TV like they once did. The problem is that placing a tower next to the TV is not a good idea and neither is the laptop. How about using a MiniPC as a retro console?
In recent years you will have seen many low cost systems capable of playing 8-bit and 16-bit games without issue, but already showing performance issues on 32-bit and higher systems. Well, the best solution is to be able to run such emulators and game ROMs without speed and compatibility issues. Which means spending a little more money on a MiniPC for retro gaming. This may seem like a waste, but keep in mind that original versions of these systems skyrocket in price.
What should the MiniPC take for retro gaming from the couch?
Most of the MiniPCs sold in the market are designed for the desktop, so they have very few powerful processors for the console emulation task, especially if we are talking about systems as powerful as PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U or Switch, and even Xbox 360. Although there are also performance problems when faced with more modest systems such as the GameCube and PlayStation 2. At the same time there is the problem of graphics capacity.
That’s why we thought the lesser option is a 5000-series Ryzen 5 with an integrated GPU, a point where AMD is well above Intel, so the choice was clear.
What performance can we expect?
- ps3 emulation we’ve found games like The Last of Us (30 FPS), God of War (stable 60 FPS) and Demon’s Souls (60 FPS) to perform on par or slightly better than the original console.
- In the case of emulate the Nintendo Switch we could see how games like Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Super Mario Odyssey run at standard speeds, just like the console. In the case of the green plumber game, we can enjoy it at 40 FPS, 10 FPS more than on the console, in its brother at 60 FPS stable.
So, as you will have understood, it can easily displace games from much more modest systems in terms of technical invoice. In any case, we must bear in mind that many emulators already include support for AMD FSR 2.0, which will help increase the frame rate and, therefore, the fluidity of the emulated games. This has changed the situation from a year ago and means that systems where emulation does not meet the required minimums now
What systems do we recommend?
We chose two different MiniPCs, but based on AMD Ryzen 5000 processors with 6-core integrated graphics and an AMD Vega 7 or 8 integrated GPU. Therefore, they have enough power to emulate all systems without problems. At least until the eighth generation. Of course, in the event that a title is available on PC, try to play it, you will do much better than on an emulator.