## Waveshare Game Hat review
![Best DIY portable console](//developer.run/pic/gamehat.png) If IKEA made game consoles, it would be [Waveshare Game Hat](https://www.waveshare.com/game-hat.htm). Some assembly required, but you can get it working in 10 minutes without any special skills. And no soldering! After that, you've got all possibilities of standard Raspberry Pi (which are endless) in the portable factor. Besides playing games, you could easily install [Kodi](https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/KODI), and watch videos and [Youtube](https://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on:YouTube). And the list of compatible games goes [far beyond](https://eltechs.com/gaming-on-raspberry-pi/) console emulators. Personally, I recommend: * [Retro City Rampage](https://www.vblank.com/RetroCityRampage/) (DOS version is in Steam folder) * [Supaplex](https://www.myabandonware.com/game/supaplex-19v) * [Digger](https://www.myabandonware.com/game/digger-25) * [Wolfenstein 3D](https://www.myabandonware.com/game/wolfenstein-3d-1ko) * [Dangerous Dave](https://www.myabandonware.com/game/dangerous-dave-in-the-haunted-mansion-14m) * Alladin (Sega Genesis) * Lost Vikings (Sega Genesis) * Sokoban/Shove it (Sega Genesis) * Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX) * Exprore world of awesome [new Games](https://developer.run/49) This is standard Raspberry Pi running Linux, not custom chip. As you probably know Raspberry Pi 3 can handle 1080 movies and PSX games without any issues. Awesome. ### Pros & Cons * Pros - It is Raspberry Pi! - Good display - Really simple to assemble and setup - Cheaper and has better compatibility than [alternative](#alternatives) products * Cons - Buttons are bit loud - Joystick throw is too big. 3D printed [limiter](https://developer.run/pic/gamehat_limiter.png) solves this (see Elegant case ↓). - Due to technical specifics, if you unplug the device from the charger, it reboots. Don't forget to save! (plugging in works fine) - For PlayStation fans, note that there are only two shoulder buttons instead of 4 ⚠ For a faster boot, dont forget to disable `Wait network on boot` in `RetroPie` → `raspi-config` → `Boot Options` and enable `Parse Gamelists Only` in `Main Menu` → `Other Settings` (this will not scan for new ROM files until renabled). ### Case The device is pretty solid even without a case. You can 3d print one if you want. Currently, there are multiple options: * [Simple case](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3089677) - Looks a bit bulky - The author also suggests to solder on [DPad instead of Joystick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJAyBBdzbcg), but you can put it without any modifications * [More of them](https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=gamehat) * [Elegant case](https://gumroad.com/l/GdONp) - Your console will look like factory made and user-friendly product - The download of model costs 7 bucks (in addition to the price of 3d printing) - **[Optional]** Author says you will need to get [Adafruit silicone buttons](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3101) or (cheap alternative from Ebay) and solder them in instead of existing ones, but I've used 3d printed case **without any modifications** and it fitted ok - The model also contains [limiter](https://developer.run/pic/gamehat_limiter.png) for joystick, which makes handling better - You will also need two `M3x16mm` flat head screws and two `M1x5mm` screws. - Note that USB port will be not accessible, even if you drill a hole in the case - [Read comments](https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmR6lolcb1/?taken-by=3dhooly) [![Gamehat 3D printed case](//developer.run/pic/gamehat_case_small.png)](https://developer.run/pic/gamehat_case.png) ### Battery I bought [Keeppower 18650 Protected Battery](http://www.keeppower.com.cn/products_detail.php?id=374), with `3.7v`, `15A`, `3000mAh` for 10€. Works good, lasts around 3 hours. You can buy more expensive battery with higher `mAh`. Or if you feel adventurous try cheaper battery with the risk of explosion. ### Configuration If you are using [default Waveshare GameHat image](https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/Game_HAT#Images) almost everything will work out the box. Some additional useful keybindings: - Volume control on `Select` +`↓`/`↑` - Saving game state on `Select` + `TL (Left shoulder)` - Loading game state on `Select` + `TR (Right shoulder)` + Will also handy to skip all these loading screens/cutscenes on PlayStation Edit `/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/autoconfig/GPIO Controller 1.cfg`. Append: ``` input_save_state_btn = "7" input_load_state_btn = "6" input_volume_up_axis = "-1" input_volume_down_axis = "+1" ``` ### DOSBox To play DOS games on Waveshare Gamehat, you will need to download [config](https://gist.github.com/dmi3/e54b8d13d3173e0bc7a1bc1156814dd4) that maps joystick and buttons to the keyboard. ### Alternatives ![Best DIY portable console](//developer.run/pic/gamehats.png) Note that Waveshare also has smaller [GamePi15](https://www.waveshare.com/GamePi15.htm) (for Pi Zero) and larger [GamePi43](https://www.waveshare.com/GamePi43-Acce-US.htm). This fills void left after [Dingoo A320](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingoo). Raspberry Pi is standard de facto, and has much better compatibility/support than any other alternatives: * [PXP](https://developer.run/12) - Sega only * [Joystick for iPhone/Android](http://ipega.hk/gamehandle/53-98.html) - requires smartphone * [RS-97](https://obscurehandhelds.com/2018/02/opendingux-and-gmenu2x-for-the-retrogame-rs-97/) - lots of compatibility issues * [Retrostone](http://www.8bcraft.com/retrostone/) - No wifi/bluetooth - Custom made PCB, based Orange Pi not Raspberry Pi - The screen is connected via the analog port, more blurry that GameHat which uses HDMI * [PiGRRL Zero](https://learn.adafruit.com/pigrrl-zero/overview) - Pi zero is slow for PSX games * [PiGRRL](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3014) - more expensive, require soldering * **New** [Gameberry](https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=Gameberry) more expensive 🏷️DIY 🏷️ChinaGadgets 🏷️RetroGaming 🏷️Cli