What Is RetroPie?
The Raspberry Pi is a super affordable single board computer that can be used to realize any number of DIY projects. One of the most popular things to do with a Raspberry Pi is to turn it into a retro gaming machine with RetroPie. The RetroPie software is an operating system bundled with a suite of emulators. It is capable of running a myriad of home consoles, like the NES and Sega Genesis, as well as arcade machines and even vintage computers. Furthermore, it features a graphical user interface that makes organizing and playing games easy.
What Is Kodi?
Kodi is a powerful home theatre software available for a wide variety of platforms. It manages all of your media, including TV shows, movies, music and more, making everything easily accessible from an attractive user interface. Furthermore, Kodi supports various “add-ons.” These plugins act as access points for a variety of streaming media services, such as Netflix and YouTube. This makes Kodi super convenient, as it houses all of your local media and streaming services under one roof.
Which Raspberry Pi Can Run RetroPie and Kodi?
There are multiple models of the Raspberry Pi, and all of the versions out in the wild are capable of running RetroPie and Kodi. That being said, an Internet connection is required to install Kodi within RetroPie. The models most commonly available at the time of writing are the Raspberry Pi Zero and the Raspberry Pi 3. Both have access to the Internet; however, it’s important to note that there is a version of the Zero that does not include built-in Wi-Fi. If you have a Raspberry Pi Zero without built-in Wi-Fi, you can use a USB Wi-Fi adapter to connect to the Internet.
Installing RetroPie and Connecting to the Internet
Thankfully, integrating Kodi alongside all of your video game emulators within RetroPie is pretty straightforward. Before you get started, you’ll want to get RetroPie up and running on your Raspberry Pi. Once RetroPie has booted up, you’ll want to connect it to the Internet. If you have a Raspberry Pi with an Ethernet port, simply connect the Raspberry Pi to your router with an Ethernet cable. Your Raspberry Pi should connect to the Internet automatically.
If you have a Raspberry Pi without an Ethernet port, you’ll need to connect via Wi-Fi. To do so, just head to the RetroPie menu, and scroll down to the Wi-Fi option. Follow the prompts and you’ll be connected to the Internet in no time.
Download and Install Kodi
Now that you’re connected to the Internet, you’re going to need to download Kodi. Navigate back to the RetroPie menu – it’s the one with the Retropie joystick logo. Scroll down to “RetroPie Setup” and select it. Upon selecting it, you’ll transition to a blue screen with a menu. If you’re unable to naviagte the menu using your controller, plug in a USB keyboard. From there, select the option labelled “Manage Packages.” Next, you’ll want to select “Manage Optional Packages.”
Here you’ll be presented with a list of the optional software packages available. Scroll down and select “kodi.” From there you’ll be presented with two options: “Install from binary” and “Package help.” Select “Install from binary” to begin the download and installation process. You should see a black screen with lines of white text. Don’t be alarmed, this is simply RetroPie downloading and installing Kodi.
Restart EmulationStation
Once the download and installation process has completed, you can back out to the main RetroPie menu. If you scroll through the various available emulators, you’ll notice that Kodi is absent. In order to get it to show up, you’ll need to restart EmulationStation. To do so, simply hit start on your controller to pull up the options menu. From there, select “Quit -> Restart EmulationStation.”
When the system reboots, you’ll be able to launch Kodi. You’ll find it under the “Ports” section of your RetroPie’s main menu. Have you installed, or are you planning on installing Kodi on your RetroPie? Let us know in the comments!
