Build Your Own Retro Gaming Console in 1 Hour or Less With the Raspberry Pi 4 and RetroPie

by Clive Plainview

Overview

Build Your Own Retro Gaming Console in 1 Hour or Less

Using the Raspberry Pi 4 and RetroPie

SECOND EDITION
REVISED, EXPANDED, AND UPDATED FOR 2025

Ready to recapture a piece of your childhood and share the games of your youth with your friends and family? Then challenge yourself with a new tech project and get ready to build a retro gaming console with the Raspberry Pi 4 and RetroPie!

You've probably heard about these consoles or played one already. The problem is: where do you get one? How can you make one yourself? What does it cost? How long does it take? Where do you even start? That was the journey I was on a few months ago, and now I am going to save you the pain points and time it took me to figure out how to build my own retro gaming console.

In Build Your Own Retro Gaming Console in 1 Hour or Less With the Raspberry Pi 4 and RetroPie I will teach you how to build a retro gaming console that works just as well as the original games WITHOUT LEARNING CODE. In fact, this guide is for complete beginners—you don't need any previous technology, computer, or coding experience at all.

Stop Trying to Do This On Your Own

While the information in this book can be found scattered throughout various sources, there's no need for you to suffer and search through videos, posts and threads you don't fully understand or haven't been updated since 2018. I've already done the investigating, testing, and the hard part for you. This is a meticulous, step-by-step guide with detailed walk-throughs without the loose ends or trails that lead to dead ends. I've used my learnings to make building your own retro gaming machine fast, fun, and easy!

What You Will Find In This Book

I will take you through the main components and EXPLAIN what these components are, what they mean, and why you will need them. What will you learn about?

• Hardware: the physical pieces and components that are required
• Software: the programs you will need to download to run the machine (all free!). As I remind in the book, ROMs are copyrighted material
• The Build: putting hardware and software together
• Customizations: tweak and optimize your console to make it uniquely your own
• Resources: a repository of additional information about the Raspberry Pi and retro gaming

I have updated this edition to cover the latest software tools to make this faster and easier than ever before. I included visuals and screen captures to help you follow along and provide working examples. Lastly, there is an expanded section of customizations that cover adding themes, artwork, splashscreens, kiosk mode, optimizing emulation, short cuts, and more!

YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN RETRO GAMING CONSOLE and I've written this book to help you do it. Follow the simple steps in this book, and you'll be having a blast retro gaming in no time.

LET'S GOOOOOO!

Product Details

BN ID:	2940184619767
Publisher:	Clive Plainview
Publication date:	10/11/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

About Clive Plainview

Quality information that is tested and actionable shouldn’t be so hard to find. Blogs, articles, and aggregators serve up a ton of information on topics of interest, but they often take an angle that does not suit your needs. The financial costs are too high and your time is too valuable to waste looking for what you want. Instead, enjoy thoroughly researched, crisply written, and high-quality content provided at an exceptional value.

Clive writes on a variety of topics including technology, personal finance, and health and wellness. His incisive style cuts through the clutter to deliver straightforward steps that you can act on now.

Clive enjoys life by the beach, reading and writing about technology, personal finance, and health and wellness, and spending time with his family.