Hey everyone, it's Colin, how's it goin'?
A lot of people play older games in emulation on their computers,
but that doesn't provide for a very authentic experience.
Stick around and we'll take a look at a tabletop arcade kit that's loaded with retro appeal.
[♪ Music - Intro ♪]
This is the PortaPi Arcade from Retro Built Games.
It's designed as a DIY kit, which I was sent to build and review.
It comes with a 10 inch LCD screen,
stereo speakers,
and Suzo-Happ arcade buttons and joystick,
all in a custom laser-cut wood cabinet.
It also includes all the hardware and wiring needed to assemble it.
Basically, everything except the Raspberry Pi computer that's used to run it all.
I found the kit to be nicely organized.
All the wood panels fit together perfectly, and the cabinet is laid out efficiently inside.
There's no wasted space, so it's only as big as it needs to be.
But it's just the right size for comfortable casual tabletop play.
The cabinet parts come unfinished, but the plywood they're made out of is high quality
and easy to paint or stain if you want to.
Assembling the kit is a straightforward process.
I did a separate video showing how it's built, so be sure to check that out. I'll include a link in the description.
But in short, you only need to have a few tools and supplies
and just basic soldering experience.
Retro Built Games provides excellent detailed instructions for every step.
The PDF manual is over 150 pages
and their assembly video is almost an hour long.
Retro Built (VO): "And that will connect to... the specific location on our header of our Raspberry Pi, the GPIOs."
I think that with even a basic paint job, you can probably put it all together in a weekend.
The PortaPi is highly customizable.
To start, you get to pick what colors you want for the buttons during checkout.
There are also options for the control panel. It normally comes with six buttons,
but you can get it in other layouts, like the four button version I built.
Some optional add-ons are available too,
like an acrylic control panel cover,
and illumination kit for the marquee.
Retro Built also encourages doing your own mods to the console
to really personalize it.
There are extra holes in the back panel for any switches or buttons you may wanna add.
And with such clear assembly instructions, it's easy to understand how everything works, so you can tweak it how you like.
There are even some ideas for mods you can do right on Retro Built's site.
The PortaPi kit was designed for use with RetroPie, which is an all-in-one software package for
browsing and playing a ton of different video game systems in emulation.
It's got a very slick interface and you can operate it completely with the PortaPi's controls.
You can hook up a keyboard or game controller if you want,
and the Raspberry Pi's USB and Ethernet ports are easily accessible on the back.
Retro Built includes a custom build of the software on its website,
so no special configuration is necessary.
Just load it on an SD card
and off you go.
The display works really well here too.
It features a resolution of 1280x800 and it's nice and bright, with an LED backlight.
It uses an internal HDMI connection for the best quality video.
And as for sound, the PortaPi's built-in three inch stereo speakers do a solid job.
Here, have a listen.
[♪ Music & SFX - Chemical Plant Zone (Sonic 2) ♪]
I only have a couple of minor nitpicks about the PortaPi,
and they're not so much about the design, but rather the integration of parts.
I occasionally got warnings from the Raspberry Pi about receiving too little power,
even though everything worked just fine.
I ended up editing a config file in RetroPie to disable the warning.
Also, I got a low-level buzzing noise through the speakers, due to the Pi integrating the composite video output with the audio jack.
This could be reduced by using a different audio cable.
Now, these are really the Pi's fault and most people probably won't even notice,
but it would be nice to see them addressed in the kit.
For those who aren't interested in building the kit themselves, it can be ordered preassembled.
And conversely, just the wood panels can be had for those who wanna source the parts on their own.
There are also a few other variations, or form factors, available too.
Like a two player version,
a slightly larger model that has a bare control panel,
and one with the screen oriented vertically, perfect for shoot-'em-ups.
As I film this, the price for the ten inch PortaPi kit is $330 US.
I think that's pretty fair, since it includes everything you need to build it, except tools and the Raspberry Pi itself.
And while the kit's easy to assemble, it's not *too easy*.
To me, this is a good thing, even though some new to DIY might find it a little challenging at times.
But that challenge makes it really satisfying when you're done.
All along the way, you get lots of help from the instructions to put your PortaPi together.
But also plenty of opportunities to personalize it how you want.
So overall, I think the PortaPi is a well-designed kit that's fun to build and simple to get up and running.
And with such a strong retro feel, it's a great way to enjoy your favorite older games again.
I owe a big thank you to Retro Built Games for sending out a PortaPi kit for me to build and review.
I'll include links down in the description so you can check it out.
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And as always, thanks for watching.