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{{stub}}An '''emulation box''' is an unofficial term for a device built with for the specific purpose of running emulators. They generally consist While it can technically be any small computer, the emulation boxes we list here are primarily single-purpose embedded devices intended to capitalize on nostalgia despite a multitude of overpriced better alternatives being readily available (like computers, mobile devices, and locked-down ARM microcomputers and some game consoles). There are more so just "collector's items". They should be avoided as your computer will generally provide better performance overall. two types of boxes:

*[[wikipedia:NES_Classic_Edition|NES Classic Edition/Famicom Classic Mini]] ($59.99) ;First- Official Nintendo product designed to only emulate the NES. Includes 30 games.party boxes*[[wikipedia:SNES_Classic_Edition|SNES Classic Edition/Super Famicom Mini]] ($79Use the official branding of a console, with the support of the company who made it.99) - Official Nintendo product designed to only emulate More often than not, modern console manufacturers are not the SNES. Includes 21 games. Uses ones who come up with the same hardware (motherboardidea, SOC and are usually approached by some other company who offloads some or all) as of the NES classic with different firmwarework of getting it running.*[[wikipedia;Third-party boxes:PlayStation Classic|PlayStation Classic]](<strike>$99.99</strike> $40) - Official Sony product designed Use their own branding because they don't have a license to only emulate use the PS1. Includes 20 games. Uses [[PCSX-Reloaded#PlayStation_Classic|PCSX-ReARMed]] as itactual companies's emulator*[https://wwwtrademarks.snk-corp.co.jp/us/neogeomini/ NEOGEO Mini] (<strike>~$110</strike> $89.99) - Offical SNK product designed A legal ruling for emulators has allowed them to only emulate use the NEOGEO. Includes 40 games. Uses a [https://github.com/xugamezhouyuhua/neogeominiemu modified version name of NJEMU].*[http://www.capcomhomearcade.com/home CAPCOM Home Arcade] the console in marketing (~$254) - Offical CAPCOM product designed such as advertising the ability to emulate CPS1 and CPS2 arcade play games. Includes 16 games. Uses [[FinalBurn Alpha]] as it's emulator and has lead to some [https://www.google.com/search?q=capcom+home+arcade+illegal&oq=capcom+home+arcade+illegal controversy] as FB Alpha's license doesn't allow for commercial use. Schedule to launch October 25th, 2019 and will most likely flop.*[[wikipedia:Sega_Genesis_Mini|Sega Genesis Mini]] ($79.99from a specific console on the packaging) - Official SEGA product designed to only emulate the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Includes 42 games and is schedule to launch September 19th, 2019. Unlike but not as the other "mini's", this one may offer [https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/4/18652108/sega-genesis-mini-mega-drive-tower-price useless add-ons] that are purely name for aesthetics and provide no additional features. *[[Retron5]] ($159.99) - Emulates NES/GBC/GBA/Genesis/SNES and includes cart readers for those systems. Illegally uses RetroArch, Snes9x, and Genesis Plus GXthe box itself.

==DIY Solutions==*Nvidia Shield TV (Android TV Emulation boxes are frowned upon because, aside from a first party box fast enough for 2D & 3D 's value as a collector's item, the hardware in an emulation of many consoles)*LattaPanda (Windows 10 computer with integrated Arduino. Fast enough box is often nothing more than a cheap, locked-down, ARM-based system-on-a-chip, and the price you pay for Saturn emulationobtaining it is marked up by the designer in order to make easy money.)*Odroid To make matters worse, numerous boxes have been found using emulators illegally, due to a prohibition in the emulator's license (Decent speeds for Saturn emulationlike commercial distribution or locked down hardware)*Raspberry Pi (Eg, resulting in many controversies unfolding over the matter. Lakka.)

==First-party boxes=={| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"! scope="col"|Product! scope="col"|Manufacturer! scope="col"|Reimplements! scope="col"|MSRP! scope="col"|Emulator used! scope="col"|Notes|-|[[wikipedia:NES_Classic_Edition|NES Classic Edition / Famicom Classic Mini]]|[[Nintendo]]|[[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System]]|$59.99|[[Kachikachi]]| Official Nintendo product designed to only emulate the NES. Includes 30 games.|-|[[wikipedia:SNES_Classic_Edition|SNES Classic Edition / Super Famicom Mini]]|[[Nintendo]]|[[Super Nintendo emulators|Nintendo SNES]]|$79.99|[[Canoe]]|Official Nintendo product designed to only emulate the SNES. Includes 21 games. Uses the ''exact same hardware'' (motherboard, SoC and all) as the NES Classic, but with a different firmware.|-|[[wikipedia:Sega_Genesis_Mini|Sega Genesis Mini]]|[[Sega]]|[[Sega Genesis emulators|Sega Genesis]]|$79.99|m2engage|Official SEGA product designed to only emulate the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Includes 42 games. Interestingly, it has the same specs as the (S)NESC. The emulator used was developed by [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], who are best known for handling emulation of various re-releases of games including several Sega ports and the Genesis Virtual Console on the Wii.|-|[https://www.konami.com/games/pcemini/gate PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Mini]|Konami|[[PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16]]|$99.99|?|Official Konami product. Includes 57 games (58 in Japan) and has about an equal mix of American and Japanese exclusives. The casing and branding has the same regional differences as the original (Japan is the original white PC Engine, Europe is the Core Grafx revision, and the USA is the TurboGrafx-16). The emulator used was developed by [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], the same company that did the Sega Genesis Mini and other console ports.|-|[[wikipedia:PlayStation Classic|PlayStation Classic]]|[[Sony]]|[[PlayStation emulators|Sony PlayStation]]|<strike>$99.99</strike> $20|[[PCSX-Reloaded#PlayStation_Classic|PCSX-ReARMed]]|Official Sony product designed to only emulate the PS1. Includes 20 games.|-|[https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/neogeomini/ NEOGEO Mini]|SNK|[[Neo Geo and variants|Neo Geo]]|<strike>~$110</strike> $89.99|modified version of [https://github.com/xugamezhouyuhua/neogeominiemu NJEMU]|Offical SNK product designed to only emulate the NEOGEO. Includes 40 games. |-|[http://www.capcomhomearcade.com/home CAPCOM Home Arcade]|Capcom|[[Arcade emulators|CPS1 & CPS2]]|~$254|[[FinalBurn Alpha]]|Offical CAPCOM product designed to emulate CPS1 and CPS2 arcade games. Includes 16 games.|} ==Third-party boxes=={| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"! scope="col"|Product! scope="col"|Manufacturer! scope="col"|Reimplements! scope="col"|MSRP! scope="col"|Emulator(s) used! scope="col"|Notes|-|[[Polymega]]|Playmaji|Multi-system|$299.99-$499.99 <small>(Deluxe bundle)</small>|[[Mednafen]], [[Mesen]], [[Kega Fusion]], and [[MAME]] |Modular system. First emulation box with CD support and one of the few to run on an Intel processor instead of ARM. Emulates PS1, Saturn, Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, TG-16/CD, Neo Geo CD, NES, SNES (only disc-based systems are supported out of the box, cartridge-based systems requires a separate add-on for each system). |-|[[Retron5]]|Hyperkin|Multi-system|$159.99|[[RetroArch]], [[Snes9x]], and [[Genesis Plus GX]] |Emulates NES/GBC/GBA/Genesis/SNES and includes cart readers for those systems.|-|Sega Genesis Flashback|AtGames|[[Sega Genesis emulators|Sega Genesis]]|$79.99|? <br/>(Genesis-on-a-Chip ?)|Produced under license from Sega. Emulates the Master System and the Sega Genesis. It also has a cartridge port that can load original cartridges to some degree. Very disappointing and the ensuing outcry has led Sega to drop their planned further partnership with AtGames for their actual Sega Genesis Mini.|-|Arcade1Up Home Arcade|Arcade1Up|[[Arcade emulators|Arcade]]|$200-$500 (Depends on the game)|[[MAME]], [[FinalBurn Alpha]], [[RetroArch]], and MOO <small>(their own commercial emulator)</small><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Arcade1Up/comments/a02870/hack_original_board_not_just_replace_w_pietc/</ref>|Officially licensed recreations of selected arcade cabinets. Emulates whatever arcade cabinet they can get the license for. Many have criticized its short height (about 3/4 the size of a normal cabinet), lack of a CRT monitor nor any filters for it, and minor inaccuracies compared to the original. Many hobbyists have even gone as far as to replace the main motherboard with a Raspberry Pi just to use [[MAME]] instead. |-|Pandora Boxes|Unknown|[[Arcade emulators|Arcade]]|$30-$170 (Depends on model and peripherals)|[[MAME]], [[FinalBurn Alpha]] (Older ones) / [[RetroArch]] (Newer ones)|A kind of plug & play device filled with hundreds of pirated arcade game ROMs, which was designed to be used as substitutions for actual arcade boards in commercial arcades. Emulation quality is always hit or miss, with issues like unbearable slowdowns, input latency, and screen tearing in some games.|} ==Controversy=====Poor catalog===A first party box may prove to be lacking due to its game catalog missing some essential title. This is often the result of messy licensing issues that continue to plague consoles today, as many games are a nightmare to relicense due to some external factor. It doesn't help that first-party boxes often lack the ability to load games externally. This is done to prevent the manufacturer from having to admit support for cartridge and disc formats that the emulation community uses, as it would by extension imply support for unofficial emulation. These limitations have caused many to [[Modding Consoles/Flashcarts#NES.2FSNES.2FPSX.2FMD_.28GEN.29_Classic|modify]] their systems just to be able to get more use out of it. ===Licensing===Some of the products have attracted the ire of parts of the emulation community over issues not necessarily related to the product's quality, but ones related to open source emulators. In some cases, it's because negotiations with open source emulator and/or frontend developers fell through and the company used a "lesser" option as a replacement. In others, an arrangement was reached, contracts and money were exchanged only for the project maintainers to turn out not to have gathered the complete consent of all contributors, some parts are licensed as a strictly non-commercial license, and similar issues. Sometimes, it might have to do with an incomplete source code release from companies that have to abide by GPLv3 obligations. And of course, the company might be acting malicious towards emulator developers. Since the problem with these is primarily meta, and is controversial within emulator developer circles, they may not affect the experience that the box itself provides. Some examples where this has happened: * Retron5: Its problems are explained at [[Retron5#Controversy|its page]].* Capcom Home Arcade: Koch Media (under license from Capcom) announced that they would use [[FinalBurn Alpha]] as the backend for games on the Capcom Home Arcade. This is despite the fact that FinalBurn Alpha was developed and released under a license that forbids commercial use (which was taken from versions of [[MAME]] before they had relicensed in 2015). When other FBA developers were questioned on the issue, they were completely unaware that this happened, resulting in the the project maintainer revealing that he had greenlit its use. The resulting fallout led to the creation of [[FinalBurn Neo]]. ==DIY solutions=={{WIP|section}}If you don't want to be limited by any consumer product, but still have something you can technically call an "emulation box," you can make one yourself! These single-board computers tend to be cheaper and offer more than a first party box will: ;Nvidia Shield TV:An Android TV box fast enough for 2D and 3D emulation of many consoles.;LattePanda:A Windows 10 computer with integrated Arduino. Fast enough for Saturn emulation.;ODROID:Has decent speeds for Saturn emulation.;Raspberry Pi:A very popular single-board computer that can run projects like Lakka off an SD card. You'll want to use a Raspberry Pi 3 or newer for decent performance. For more convenience, a [[Frontends|frontend]] is recommended with these devices. ===Distributions===These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for single board computers and other systems. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"! scope="col"|Name! scope="col"|Architecture! scope="col"|Frontend! scope="col"|Latest Version! scope="col"|Active! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]|-|[[RetroPie]]|ARM|[[EmulationStation]] fork|[https://retropie.org.uk/download/ {{RetroPieVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}|-|[[Lakka]]|ARM, x86|[[RetroArch]]|[http://www.lakka.tv/get/ {{LakkaVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}|-|[https://batocera.org/ Batocera.linux]|ARM, x86|[[EmulationStation]] fork|[https://batocera.org/download {{BatoceraLinuxVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}|-|[https://www.recalbox.com/ Recalbox]|ARM, x86|[[EmulationStation]]|[https://archive.recalbox.com/ {{RecalboxVer}}]|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}|-|[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS]|x86|Steam Big Picture|[https://chimeraos.org/download 28]|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}|} ==See also==* [[FPGA]] - Devices that make use of programmable chips instead of ARM processors. ==References==<references /> ==External Linkslinks==