>> Hot dog, dude.
[bottles clinking]
We're building a time machine.
>> All of the toys that I have ever wanted
and now I have them.
They can't keep me from playing all of these games.
No one can stop me.
>> That was darker than I expected.
[forced maniacal laughter]
[feedback whining]
[Brian's voice echoes in the distance] ♪ MODERN ROGUE! ♪
>> ROBOT VOICE: The Modern Rogue discovers let's plays.
>> We're going to build a time machine back to third grade.
What am I looking at?
>> JASON: We are looking at a RetroPie emulator.
>> Okay, but not yet.
I mean, basically we have a, what, a Raspberry Pi?
>> We are looking at the components of a RetroPie emulator.
>> Okay, now I know that a Raspberry Pi
is a small what, Linux powered device?
>> Yes, it is a computer.
Look at that.
>> This is magic, man.
If you told me I'd live in the world
where I can crush the computer for ...
Oh, sorry, no?
>> No, don't do that, because the episode's over.
>> Is there any storage on a Raspberry Pi?
>> No, that is just like your motherboard
and processor basically.
>> So whatever is in the SD card has to have
all the brains of the operation.
>> Exactly.
>> It has the operating system and all that stuff.
>> Yeah, and you can get that all online.
What we're going to get is something called RetroPie,
and it comes in an image,
basically just put that on your micro SD card,
and then put the micro SD card right there.
>> When you say image, you of course don't mean
like a hidden image,
like a steganography or nothing like that [laughs]--
>> Not like, yeah, not like jpeg or anything like that--
>> It's not like something you have to decode.
>> Once we get everything set up
and we put the micro SD card in there,
it will be functional as a RetroPie.
But then we need to add the ROMs.
Now the ROMs are basically the images of the games.
>> Right, these are exact copies of every single aspect
of the hardware cartridges.
So given that this is a fully functioning PC,
I assume that we find some kind of image file,
some kind of brain basically, put it on a micro SD card,
plug that in, plug in the USB to a controller,
an HDMI to the monitor and that's that.
>> Pretty much, it's a little bit more complicated,
but it's not as hard as it sounds.
>> Yeah, well, it seems like this is more of an assembly job.
Than something we're building from scratch.
>> Yeah, and there are a lot
of really detailed walkthroughs online.
>> Here's one of those episodes that we have to take a moment
to acknowledge the legal undecidedness
of what we're about to engage in.
There are parts of the planet where it is totally legal
for you to download the ROM of a video game that you own,
and emulate it on some software.
There are other parts where it's totally illegal.
We're just going to have to default to saying,
check your local laws on all of this.
>> Yeah, I think that's fair.
>> What are all the pieces here?
>> Well, this is the key component, the Raspberry Pi Zero W,
it has WiFi capability, but you don't really need that.
This actually runs about $26 on Amazon.
>> $26, are you kidding me?
>> Yeah, it's super cheap.
>> And it should be noted that the Raspberry Pi,
there are all kinds of builds that let you make it
a whole bunch of different stuff.
Everybody should get a Raspberry Pi
just to play with, full stop--
>> Yeah, yeah, you don't have to make an emulator with it.
You can do all sorts of stuff.
You also have your micro SD card.
Now that's a 32 gigabyte one.
Here's the power.
Here's an extender for the power.
Here is a USB adapter.
Here's your HDMI adapter.
Here is your USB hub.
That's it.
>> As far as the brains, where do you want to go
if you want to get all the stuff to do this?
>> To do this, you go to retro pi.org.uk.
That'll walk you through everything.
>> Okay, so can I can I make some guesses here?
That one's labeled power, so I'm going to guess
that is where power goes right there, right?
>> JASON: You can do it directly or you can use this
to give you a little bit more room.
>> BRIAN: Yeah.
>> JASON: This isn't entirely necessary.
>> BRIAN: Oh, I would imagine if you wanted
to put this like inside a deck of cards or something,
you would want this to give you
a little more breathing room.
>> Exactly.
>> But for us we can plug it straight on in, right?
>> The cool thing about using one of these
is that you can hide them in sort of any casing.
>> For example, you have a cartridge
and you just plug directly into the cartridge
because you're using the extenders.
>> Precisely or if you wanted to carve out some space
in your skull and just insert it.
>> Yeah, you know what, tomato, tomato.
>> It's fine, sure.
>> Either way, this is a USB.
So I'm going to guess that you plug this into the micro USB
with the intention of plugging in
a full grown USB device, right?
>> JASON: Yes.
>> BRIAN: Okay, all right, look at this.
>> JASON: Okay. >> BRIAN: I'm a genius,
I'm a computer wizard.
>> JASON: Now that's your actual adapter.
>> Yep, yep.
>> Where's that go?
>> Oh well, I would imagine this USB hub
plugs into the USB thing, that is HDMI.
That is a mini to maxi.
I'm going to guess that we just plugged this guy in.
Like that, there we go, okay.
>> Now of course, one of the key features
is the micro SD card.
>> Yeah, in this case, I know that you
have already downloaded the emulator on this.
>> You know, we've put the RetroPie image on there.
That is what runs everything.
>> I swear to god this going to be
the shortest build we've ever done.
>> I know, well--
>> We bought these items [vocalizing] we're done.
All right, you know what?
I'm not even going to wait.
I'm going to guess this is the controller
that goes in the USB hub, right--
>> Correct, correct.
>> Give or take what's the whole expense
of this build that we've done so far?
>> Less than $100.
>> That's awesome.
>> Just shy of that.
Now, the prudent thing to do would be to test it.
So we plug it into some power.
>> BRIAN: Oh, just to make sure it turns on.
>> Let's just see if it's working.
>> I feel like Frankenstein.
For once, I mean Frankenstein, not Frankenstein's monster.
I mean, I am Frankenstein attaching these.
>> JASON: It's Frankenstein.
>> BRIAN: Okay, you.
Oh, there it is, lights flashing, things are flickering.
>> JASON: Okay.
>> BRIAN: Punch it, punch it.
>> JASON: Okay, cross your fingers ... yes!
>> BRIAN: RetroPie! >> JASON: Yes!
>> All right, I saw files.
>> I saw Raspberry.
>> I see London.
>> I see France.
There it is!
>> RetroPie's-- >> RetroPie.
>> Underpants.
The moment we're at a place
where it's like we're clearly looking
at a custom design user interface
where it's like, hello, welcome to literally anywhere.
I'm like, oh, we are apparently doing
the thing that we're supposed to be doing.
>> Progress, right.
>> Yeah, right.
It looks like it ran through a BIOS thing.
Now it's initiating something called an immigration station.
>> JASON: Yeah, and here we are at the main screen.
>> Yep, hit a menu button.
Start, there you go.
Hey, look at me, look at me, I'm doing the menu.
Hey, look, this is the best game ever.
I'm doing the menu.
>> Whee, menu!
>> BRIAN: Menu, the game.
>> We're going to need games, we're going to need the ROMs
>> Okay, so at this point,
this is where we get into legal territory where we say,
whatever you play, better be something
that you have the legal rights to do.
So check your local laws, all of that stuff.
>> First, we take a fat 32 formatted USB drive
>> Right.
>> And we plug it into the Raspberry Pi.
>> BRIAN: Shove it in the hub.
>> JASON: Shove it into the hub--
>> BRIAN: Shove it in the hub!
>> Now I've already done that.
So we take this and we plug it into the USB port.
>> Okay, and that's got all of the games in there.
>> Before it has the games on there,
we let it stop blinking, we pull it out.
>> Oh, crap, I fucked this up.
[game trilling]
I fucked it up, I fucked it all up.
I fucked it all up, I fucked up all the buttons.
How do I make the buttons fixed?
>> You are breaking it so bad right now.
>> I'm just going to keep on going.
>> It's not even plugged in, Brian.
No, I'm just kidding.
[laughing]
>> I would have believed you.
I would have believed you.
So you've got all the games on the USB stick?
>> Yes.
>> So, what just plug 'em in?
>> JASON: Plug 'em in and good luck.
>> BRIAN: It'll do everything automatically
>> JASON: I think so.
>> Okay, and go, and cast spell installer cuss, gammer cuss.
And we are go for games.
>> And game.
>> Dude, look at this thing, it's going nuts.
>> Yeah.
>> BRIAN: It's flicker, flackering.
Both the Raspberry Pi and the USB
are flicker, flackering now.
>> We may have to reboot again after the games are installed.
I'm sorry, maybe.
>> I mean, this is not new to me as a PC Gamer of 25 years.
I'm just waiting for the part where you tell me
we have to install like a 2x speed CD-ROM drive.
[Jason laughing]
So I can play the seventh guest.
>> JASON: There's no flicker, flacker anymore.
>> BRIAN: All right, so we're quitting.
>> JASON: Yep.
>> BRIAN: Restart.
>> JASON: Yes.
>> BRIAN: Okay.
>> JASON: Yes.
>> Really restart, like for reals,
for really, really, really restart.
That's new, that's new, 857 games available!
[clapping]
That's new, that's new!
>> Kick it.
>> That's, oh, yeah, I guess I can, oh!
[screaming]
Beetle Juice?
>> Oh, Beetle Juice, I remember that.
>> They made a Beetle Juice game?
>> Bible Adventures, that was one of my favorites.
>> It's got to be Blades of Steel.
Okay, the story I heard,
was that the reason there are no mini games
at the beginning as other games load,
is that Blades of Steel did that and then--
>> They copyrighted it.
>> Yeah, well, no, no, no, they patented it.
So that in order to make a mini-game
while you wait for a game to load,
thank you, Konami for sitting on the copyright, or patent.
>> BRANDT (voice-over): So there was a patent held
for playable mini-games during loading sequences,
although, the patent holder was Namco.
The patent was filed on November 27th of 1995
and expired on the same day of 2015, 20 years later.
The filing of this patent,
far postdates the publishing of Blades of Steel,
which was released in arcades by 1987.
That said, there was a mini-game that would play
during the second intermission of Blades o Steel,
which would advertise Contra and reference gradients.
The Invade-a-Load routine for Commodore 64
implemented a Space Invaders clone around the same time,
but neither were the first to explore the concept,
as Major Havoc paved the way for interactive loading screens
with a Breakout mini-game in 1983.
Why wait such a long time to patent?
Game consoles were transitioning from cartridges to CDs
and with the longer loading times that came with them,
controlling that space provided a distinct advantage.
>> So what, are we going to try?
>> All I can think of is the theme song to Kung Fu Master.
[vocalizing]
>> Oh, just Kung Fu.
>> Is that what it is?
The dude captured the princess.
>> Yeah.
>> You've got to use your kung fu skills.
>> Is this taking you back?
>> A little bit!
>> You having flashbacks?
>> A little bit!
[vocalizing]
That's not the right song at all.
[vocalizing]
[laughing]
>> I kind of want to play Karateka now.
>> BRIAN: Maybe you could save the princess.
>> JASON: No, I probably can't.
>> You're too good, You're too good.
This comes too naturally.
>> What games do you do right to left on the first level?
>> BRIAN: Oh, that is weird--
>> JASON: Oh, he beat my ass, that was the boss,
that was the boss.
>> All right pick another one, pick another one.
>> King Neptune's Adventure.
Kid Nicky Radical Ninja, one of my favorites.
>> Wait, there was a Jurassic Park video game?
>> JASON: Joust.
>> That doesn't look like Joust.
>> It doesn't look like Joust.
>> That's not Joust at all.
What is this?
Oh, it is Joust!
>> JASON: Wow!
>> BRIAN: Oh my god, dude, dude ...
[Jason vocalizing]
I used to ride all through--
[screaming]
>> Look at you accidentally kicking ass.
>> Hey, I accidentally just beat the first level.
How you like me now?
>> I can hear all the noise.
[Brian vocalizing]
>> Why didn't they call it fap, fap, fap, the game--
>> Maybe, maybe, maybe phrasing--
>> Probably not the best game--
>> JASON: Yeah, maybe phrasing.
>> On a scale of one to amazing, this is mind blowing, right?
>> Yes, absolutely.
>> Shockingly affordable.
Shockingly simple to put together.
I'm older than Glass Joe.
[Jason laughing]
>> Look at him, he looks like a crack-head.
Glass Joe looks like meth, not even once.
>> Ugh, you're killing me.
Highly recommended or super highly recommended?
>> Super highly recommended.
>> Yeah, make sure to check your local laws.
Don't blame us and meanwhile we'll be playing Punch Out.
>> Let's see how far you can get.
>> Face, face, body blow, face.
Oh, I'm out of energy.
>> Out of stamina, yeah.
>> Now I got to take it.
>> Oh yeah, because you got to conserve that.
>> BRIAN: Yeah.
[Jason laughing]
>> JASON: I love it, though.
>> Forget it, this game sucks.
>> I love it that Mario--
>> This game sucks, you suck, we all suck!
>> -is the ref.
[affecting an accent] "Oh, you've gotta your ass kicked."
[to the tune of Sega's load up sound] >> BRIAN: ♪ Asus. ♪
Dude, do you remember how mind blowing
it was to hear that chorus?
>> To hear that voice, yeah?
>> Yeah the chorus of voices going, Sega.
>> Or the opening of Super Metroid?
>> Yeah.