How to Turn Your Computer (or Other Device) Into a Retro Arcade Game With Lakka

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If you’re looking for a fun way to use an old computer, Lakka can turn it into an awesome retro slot machine. This simple setup doesn’t require any advanced Linux knowledge, and you can even use the controllers you already own to play your favorite old school games. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

What you get with Lakka and how it differs from other emulators

Lakka is a lightweight Linux-based operating system derived from OpenELEC (a version of Kodi home theater software) that brings together the best retro game emulators in one ready-to-install system. Once you’ve got all of this set up, you have a versatile game console to emulate everything from Atari games to Playstation games. Here is a complete list of systems you can emulate:

Once you’ve booted up your system with multiple ROMs, you’ll be able to navigate the Lakka menus and your games using just your controller. In fact, Lakka is similar to the RetroPie build we presented earlier , but with one major difference: Lakka can be installed on more than just the tiny Raspberry Pi mini-computer. It supports tons of different devices, including almost any regular PC .

Here are all the machines you can install Lakka on:

  • PC (remember this is a separate operating system, so you cannot run Windows or OS X at the same time)
  • A Raspberry Pi A + / B + (B + preferred)
  • CuBox-i
  • Hummingbird
  • Banana Pi
  • Cubieboard 2
  • Cubietruck

If you notice the Raspberry Pi 2 isn’t listed, you’re not crazy. Builds for the Raspberry Pi 2 and Odroid-C1 are still ongoing. You can still download and install Lakka, but at the time of writing, the developers considered it less stable on the Pi 2, so keep that in mind. Luckily, RetroPie works great on the Raspberry Pi 2, so you can use it now .

If you have a Raspberry Pi A or B + and are choosing between Lakka and RetroPie, there are some differences to note. If you prefer sleek and simple, Lakka’s interface looks a lot cleaner – much like a PS3 or PS4 operating system – with consoles running horizontally across the screen and games for each running vertically. RetroPie’s menus, while a little awkward – especially in the current 3.0 version – are more colorful and show the actual logo of each system as you explore. However, Lakka builds are constantly being updated and new icons are rumored to be coming.

When it comes to system settings, Lakka makes it easy to configure on the fly. You have a settings menu on the far left, filled with options that can be easily accessed without a keyboard. You can connect a controller with a Home button – PS3 / PS4 or Xbox 360 / Xbox One – and the controller will be recognized and ready to use immediately. You can then start playing the game, return to the main system menu using the Home button (your game state is frozen), change some settings using just your controller, and then return to the frozen game state as if it never happened. RetroPie gets better, making the settings more accessible, but Lakka overall feels a little faster and easier. In general, Lakka looks more like a real console, and the average user will like it more.

Of course, while Lakka will run great on compact systems like the Pi, an older PC will do a much better job of upgrading older systems . Obviously, if you’re interested in emulating games from systems like the Nintendo 64 and Playstation, the more power the better. Fortunately, if you install it on your computer, you will probably be more than capable of running everything smoothly. Or, if you have an old laptop, you can create a portable gaming console that you can take with you wherever you go. You can even gut your old PC case and easily fit it into a dedicated cabinet if you like. These things have certainly been done before, but Lakka makes it easy for everyone .

What you need

To install Lakka on your PC, you need a few things:

  • Mac or PC to download Lakka and create a USB stick installer.
  • An old PC (or other device mentioned above) that you don’t mind using as your Lakka console. Installing Lakka means installing it as the OS for the system. Don’t install it on a machine that you need for other purposes (there is an alternative method that we’ll look at later if you don’t have an additional PC for this).
  • An empty flash drive of at least 512 MB (at least 2 GB is probably better). You won’t be able to use this flash drive for anything else during this process, so back up whatever you have on it before erasing it.
  • USB keyboard for customization and some additional options and settings on the Lakka console.
  • Router (for transferring your ROMs over your home network).
  • At least one Ethernet cable (for connecting your Lakka computer to the router; Wi-Fi not supported yet).
  • Monitor or TV (unless you are installing Lakka on your laptop).
  • A copy of the free 7-Zip software (if you are a Windows user with no alternative to unzip files).
  • A copy of the free Win32DiskImager software (if you are a Windows user).
  • PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, or another controller that can be connected via USB.

Step one: prepare a dedicated Lakka machine

It’s worth repeating that installing Lakka on a PC means erasing everything that’s currently on the hard drive. Be sure to back up all the data you need before diving into the case. If you’re going to use a different hard drive for this setup, you’re good to go.

Before you can do anything else, you need to determine what kind of processor you have on the machine you are installing Lakka on. There are different download packages for 32-bit and 64-bit systems, so this is important. If the machine you intend to use still has an operating system installed, it is fairly easy to check:

  • Windows XP / 7 / Vista / 8: Open the Start menu> right-click your computer> select Properties. You should see 32-bit or 64-bit next to System Type.
  • Intel-based Mac: Click Apple menu> About This Mac> More …> Look for the Processor Name section and compare the name with this table from Apple .

Once you’ve taken care of these two things, you’re ready to install Lakka.

Step 2. Download and “burn” Lakka to a USB stick.

Go to your regular computer (the one you don’t install Lakka on). Whether you’re using Windows or Mac, downloading and installing Lakka is pretty straightforward:

  1. Download the 32-bit Lakka package or 64-bit Lakka package from the Lakka website.
  2. Unzip the package to get the Lakka image. On Windows, you can use a program like 7-Zip. On OS X, you can simply double-click the file to unzip it.
  3. If you are on Windows, insert your USB stick, open Win32DiskImager and set Lakka .img as your image file. Then select your flash drive as your device and select “Burn”.
  4. If you are on OS X, open a terminal (/ Applications / Utilities / Terminal) and run diskutil list to mark your current disks and partitions. Then insert the stick and run diskutil list again to determine which disk is your stick and write it down. Go to the folder with the Lakka .img file on your computer in a terminal and run sudo dd if=Lakka-*.img of=/dev/diskN (where diskN is the name of your USB drive that you previously identified. Make sure that you have the correct drive name! ). After a while, you will receive a message telling you how much has been transferred and you will be able to manage your request again.
  5. Pull out and remove the USB stick.

The Lakka installer is now ready.

Step 3. Boot from the USB stick and run the installer.

When you’re ready, connect your USB drive, keyboard, and monitor to the computer you want to use for Lakka. Then get ready to boot your Lakka PC from the USB stick in the system BIOS:

  1. Restart your Lakka computer and wait for the first screen to appear. You should see a quick message like “Press F12 to select boot device” somewhere on the screen. Click as soon as you see.
  2. After that, a menu should appear with a list of things from which you can boot. Highlight your USB drive and press Enter.
  3. If you don’t see your USB drive as an option, select the BIOS Settings or BIOS Setup option (you may need to reboot and press another key at boot to find this menu). Go to Boot Devices or something similar and make sure Boot from USB drives is enabled.

Once you are able to boot from your USB stick, follow these steps to install Lakka as your new PC OS:

  1. Boot from the USB stick and you should see the Lakka boot menu.
  2. Select Run Installer, click OK, and then select (1) Quick Install OpenELEC.tv (don’t worry about any other options).
  3. Now select the drive to install it (you probably only have one option)> select OK> you should see Lakka start installing.

When everything is ready, you will be prompted to reboot. Select reboot and remove the USB stick before it boots up again. It will quickly reboot again on its own, but after that you should see a clean red screen of the Lakka main menu.

Alternative option: launch Lakka Live from a USB stick.

When you opened the Lakka boot menu, you probably noticed that there is a Run Live option. If you are not interested in turning the entire machine into your retro gaming console, alternatively you can run the entire OS from a USB stick without erasing the original machine.

When you choose Run Live, you are greeted with the same welcome as the installation. Once you’ve loaded a few games onto a USB stick, you can boot from it, load Lakka, and play them on pretty much any computer with the same type of system (if you have a 64-bit image, you can run this on pretty much any 64-bit system). You can even store your saved games and screenshots on a USB stick. This is a great option for dual-use laptop while traveling. Plug in your USB stick, boot into Lakka and play retro games on the long flight. When you are satisfied, you can reboot into your normal operating system and work as usual.

Pro tip : Running Lakka live from a USB stick is a great way to check if your hardware supports Lakka. Lakka should work on most PCs, but the developers mention that hardware can vary greatly, so there is no guarantee that every system will work.

Step four: add the ROM to Lakka from the main computer

Assuming you already have your own ROMs (or game files), you need to transfer them from your main computer to your new Lakka console. To do this, make sure your primary computer is connected to your home network via Wi-Fi or direct connection to a router and follow these steps:

  1. Make sure your Lakka computer is turned on and connected to your router with a direct Ethernet connection only. Lakka does not currently support Wi-Fi.
  2. Find your ROMs on your main computer and copy them. Here is a list of the currently supported file types .
  3. If your primary computer is using Windows, select Start, then Computer, find Network in the list on the left and select LAKKA. Then open the ROMs folder and insert your ROMs. Be sure to wait for the transfer to complete. Windows several times had a hard time finding Lakka over the network for me, but I was able to work around it by typing “// lakka” in Windows Explorer and pressing Enter.
  4. If your main computer is using OS X, open Finder, find LAKKA in the list on the left, go to the ROM folder and paste your ROMs there. Be sure to wait for the transfer to complete.
  5. On the Lakka console, go to the leftmost settings menu, scroll down to Quit RetroArch and select it.

Lakka should reboot and when it comes back you will see that all of your ROMs are ready to go. Just navigate to the game you want to play, press B or O (circle) on your controller to select it, and press B or O again to start.

Controllers and other features

Lakka will automatically recognize almost any USB controller you plug in. Any PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, or Xbox One controller is guaranteed to work right out of the box. You can evenuse them wirelessly if you have a Bluetooth dongle . While most of the controllers I’ve tested worked fine, there were a few surprises.

The Nintendo Wii U Pro controller connected via USB didn’t work at all, which is no surprise. However, I was surprised when my PC Afterglow controller (which looks exactly like an Xbox 360 controller) didn’t work either. For controllers that are running, however, if they have a home button – like the Xbox and Playstation controllers – this will pause your game state and return you to the OS main menu.

The best surprise I encountered was when I tested real Super Nintendo controllers and they worked flawlessly. I have used this SNES PC USB Controller Adapter from Mayflash and no issues whatsoever. To be able to play classics with classics is pretty cool.

Lakka has some other pretty cool features as well. You can save screenshots and even record videos of your games. Of course the videos are in the ancient BSAVE bitmap format, so I’m not sure yet what you can do with them (if you let me know). It also has a built-in rewind function. If it’s on with your keyboard connected, you can press the “r” key to rewind everything that just happened in the game. If you miss a jump, get killed by an enemy, or make any other mistake, you can simply rewind and try again. This is a pretty handy feature for those tricky games that you want to feel nostalgic for but don’t want to bang your head.

Additional Resources

You should have everything you need to run or install Lakka on your computer. If you need help or are interested in more advanced advice, there are several places you can go:

  • Other Lakka Installation Guides : If you want to learn how to install on Raspberry Pis and other devices, here are the instructions for those settings.
  • LibRetro Forums : For troubleshooting or other complex issues.
  • RetroZone : A great source for old school controller adapters and USB controllers.

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