Emulation is a great way to bring your retro library into the modern era, but there's a good chance you're not thinking outside the box enough. Like, sure, you can just boot up Windows, fire up your emulator of choice, and go to town, and there's nothing inherently wrong about that. However, what if I told you that you can dedicate an entire operating system to playing retro games?

Sure, it's not ideal as your daily driver; you're not exactly going to get your important work done on an operating system dedicated to gaming. However, there are so many ways you can spin it. Dual-boot your Windows machine into it, convert an aging PC into an emulation media center, or even turn your dormant Raspberry Pi into a retro hub. And to do that, we're going to use Batocera.

Getting started with Batocera is really easy

It's easier than you think

There are a handful of different Linux-based retro gaming operating systems out there, but my personal favorite is Batocera. Despite this, I do urge you to explore and try out different operating systems if Batocera doesn't do it for you; the benefit of free, open-source software is that you can shop around and find something that suits you best at no cost.

What I love about Batocera is how easy it is to set up. If you head over to the download page, you'll find installers for a wide range of devices. There are your typical PC downloads, but also packages for handheld consoles (like the Steam Deck), Raspberry Pis, and even computers that are over 20 years old. That makes it easier to get on all kinds of devices.

If you want to give Batocera a try before you install it on a partition or device, it's a good idea to spin it up in VirtualBox first. That way, you can sample everything it can do before you commit. Fortunately, Batocera published a full guide on how to get it working in VirtualBox, which works just fine.

Batocera also has the benefit of being compatible with essentially every single retro console ever to grace the earth. If you suspect it won't support your niche hardware, check out the Batocera compatibility list; you may be surprised. It's also a good idea to check it if you're planning on using a Raspberry Pi or RK3326 handheld, as the compatibility may be different from a PC.

Getting games running on Batocera is even easier

Probably my fave part of Batocera

So you may be wondering, if Batocera is an operating system in itself, and there's no browser, how do you get the ROMs onto it? Well, there are a few ways you can go about it. You could load the files onto a USB storage device, plug it into your PC, and then transfer. If you're dual-booting, you can log into your primary partition and move files into Batocera's folders. However, my favorite way is over the network.

Right out of the box, Batocera can allow connections from over your WiFi. That means, as long as your Batocera machine is turned on and connected to your network, you can just access the files from your daily driver machine. Open up your computer's file explorer, access the network, open Batocera, put the ROMs you want in their respective folders, and you're good to go. Easy.

There's a ton of customization here, too

Get your games working the way you want

Are you a scanlines-on or scanlines-off kind of person? If you grew up playing your games on authentic hardware, there's a good chance you like them turned on (at least, when they're done right) for that realistic look. Others really don't like them and prefer their visuals to be clear and uncluttered.

Fortunately, you don't have to make do with one or the other. Batocera lets you tweak the visual settings for each game so you can pick and choose what you want. There's a ton to go through, so be sure to check them out by holding down the south face button with a game selected and take a peek.

By default, the ROMs you use won't have a title or a picture. If you don't want a ton of placeholder titles and graphics clogging up your collection, you can customize them to your liking. And if you don't want to go through each and every game, you can instead use the Scraper feature to fetch and apply box art and game statistics automatically.

Batocera is a great way to make a retro gaming device

The next time you have a spare device lying around, think about converting it into a cool Linux-based retro gaming device. It's really easy to get everything set up and running with Batocera, so give it a go and see what it can do for you.