Hmm, I think I have thought of all the questions except which Pi I want to use. For the face button layout, I'm thinking either the Game Boy Advance or the SNES, either is fine. For the screen size, I think the Game Boy Advance's screen would do well. And for form factor, I actually don't know anything about that. But after searching that up, I guess something like the size of the Game Boy Advance's motherboard? I'm sorry if these answers don't provide enough information. I'm a complete noob, but I'll try to keep it as detailed as I can.You have a lot thinking to do, like: which Pi do you want to use? What face button layout? What size screen? What form factor? There's a lot more to take into consideration, but check out these links to get an idea of what is needed to get started:
Wow. That is pretty complicated. (For me, at least) I have a few questions:In your case, if you want a complete custom design, it would be best to start with gathering your components, then designing the case around it when you've got the circuitry figured out. If you want a slimmer form factor and don't plan on doing anything super intense, I'd go with a Pi Zero. Again, this is up to you. If you want something with power, you could go on the complete opposite side of the spectrum and go with the Pi 4B. In terms of screens, you could always go with the tried & true backup camera monitor, but since it is cheap, the video quality won't be great. I don't know much about the new Pis, but the old ones have composite video out, which while it is easy to wire, it looks not so great. I'm not sure if Adafruit still has any screen Pi hats in stock, but they're really easy to use and look better. Wiring the buttons is super easy with the Pis GPIO, so most of the thought for that will come later when you have to make a mounting board for your buttons. Audio is also fairly straightforward. Power isn't too hard, given all the lipo charging / boost boards readily available. Once you figure out all your electronics, you can get into CAD to make a case for it all.
i can answer #3 for youWow. That is pretty complicated. (For me, at least) I have a few questions:
1. By anything "super intense," do you mean stuff like N64 and PlayStation emulation?
2. The backup camera monitors look like they don't have any wires to me, would that be a problem?
3. I don't know what a screen Pi hat is, nor a Pis GPIO, mounting board, lipo charging, or boost board is. I searched them up, but even then it looks pretty complicated for me.
4. When I get into CAD, how would I design the case?
I'm terribly sorry if this makes this harder than it has to be! I'm just a bit confused.
Okay, so I understand the casing, screen (Is there a version of the screen without the touch screen?) and Pi. I still am curious about a few things, like the buttons, audio, wiring, and software used to emulate. The biggest question is about the buttons. Do I buy spare buttons from other consoles? Or do I 3D print them along with the case? Also, what wires do I buy? Thanks to you and @A_s6 for helping answer my questions!1. For N64 / Playstation, you're probably going to want to use the Pi 4. Those emulators are very resource intensive iirc.
2. If you were to go with the backup monitor, you'd have to pop open the back, mod it to run off of either 5v or 3v3, and then wire your video directly to it. Since you're a beginner, it would probably be better to look into a pi hat. This works with the Pi 4 and is pretty straightforward to use: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2441
3. Regarding all that stuff, research is key. I understand it's all brand new to you, so I highly suggest reading through the PiGRRL 2 and similar manuals that Adafruit put out alongside the kits. They are very helpful, especially if you're brand new to the hobby. Here's one of them: https://learn.adafruit.com/pigrrl-2
4. I am not the best with CAD myself, but look up some simple tutorials on YouTube, they can be a great way to start.
Hope some of this helps!
all the PiTFTs that are 3.5" have touch. the display in the pigrrl zero doesn't have touch, but it's pretty tiny at 2.2"Okay, so I understand the casing, screen (Is there a version of the screen without the touch screen?) and Pi. I still am curious about a few things, like the buttons, audio, wiring, and software used to emulate. The biggest question is about the buttons. Do I buy spare buttons from other consoles? Or do I 3D print them along with the case? Also, what wires do I buy? Thanks to you and @A_s6 for helping answer my questions!