22 replies to this topic

[bennnnnny]

I am a high school senior looking to build a virtual pinball table for a club called Technology Student Association. I would like to go as cheap as possible and I happened to have a raspberry pi 3. I was wondering if I could use this to run all the ROMs, or would I need something more powerful? Any suggestions help!

[gtxjoe]

No. To play visual pinball, the Visual Pinball exe only runs on Windows machine

Edited by gtxjoe, 24 October 2019 - 12:33 AM.

[htamas]

Apparently, there is a way to get the full Windows 10 installed on a Raspberry Pie 3: https://www.youtube....h?v=OoTE-jqUUU0

However, due to the demanding graphics, it is unlikely it would run well. Perhaps some less demanding VP9 tables or VP8 would work.

[DDH69]

Definitely no for a Pi 3 for practical game play.  I've been playing around with Raspberry Pi 4's since their release.  A Pi 4 with 4Gb of RAM would be an interesting test running Windows 10.  I would stress this is a thought only, I haven't even loaded Windows 10 on a Pi 4 yet!

 

The Pi 4 has two HDMI outputs at 4K, so in theory dual monitor OK, but of course speed and performance of the video could be an issue.  I currently have 4K playing video for a Pi 4 media centre (Kodi).  A three monitor setup for a cabinet would require additional devices.  For the moment, unless you wanted to experiment (which comes at a cost, so contrary to your aim), I'd steer clear of the Pi idea.

[STV]

Cool idea.  As mentioned, graphics card...   If you could turn the project into hooking a GTX 1070ti to a pi  then.. You might be on to something marketable.  Oh... right.   

[htamas]

Even if hooking it up to the Pi is even possible somehow, the processing power of the Pi would likely bottleneck the video card.

Edited by htamas, 24 October 2019 - 07:27 AM.

[toxie]

Why not use a intel board? There are also systems-on-a-single-board with intels. And they are not bad nowadays. Good enough to run VP9 tables without problems.

[JLPicard001]

Suggestion. Get a cheap used pc. Most 'puter nerds have these lying around. Max out the ram add a video card and a $30 ssd and run vp9x.

[tattguy]

in theory you could if you could install a linux build with wine.  i have gotten vpx and future pinball to run perfect on manjero

[mrjcrane]

Tattguy, was that Linux install on a Pi4 or other PC based mobo? If on the Pi4, how is the overall performance. I want to build a small pinball box for my friend's grandson using the Pi4, and curious to know if the Pi4 can handle some more of the simple tables.

[Mitchell]

I don't understand why would anyone want to use a slow Ras... to play games on. lol

[32assassin]

a PI has a place in this world

I removed all the  console systems from my cocktail cab and now

 

I play all the console games on my Pi connected to my TV

I play all my arcade games on my arcade cab

 

https://www.youtube....nnel=32assassin

 

 

one thing I would not do is stick a PI in an arcade cab or pinball cab.

 

 

Tattguy, was that Linux install on a Pi4 or other PC based mobo? If on the Pi4, how is the overall performance. I want to build a small pinball box for my friend's grandson using the Pi4, and curious to know if the Pi4 can handle some more of the simple tables.

 

what exactly do you consider a simple table

 

 

a PI runs on Linux,  Visual Pinball needs Windows to run

 

Unless you find a way to run windows on a PI  you will not be able tor run VIsual Pinball  1-10  on it.

 

 

their are other single board PCs  that run Windows and Visual Pinball

Don't be under the impressing that you will be able to run VPX  or a large screen with this set up

 

[BrandonLaw]

So...as a user of many-a-pi, the 4 in all of it's iterations is revolutionary.  NOW, what you could do...iis install a LITE version of windows.  I know Windows XP, and 7 both had lite versions and I'm certain folks still run VP from Win7.   A quick Goog shows there are iterations of Win10 lite.  

 

Curious at the results.  Also, you want to be cool? Check out an external GPU with the Pi4.  Seems others have been working at it as of Sept 19'...so I assume there is progress.  

 

I believe you can do this.

[wiesshund]

Thats an ARM processor

 

Dont think there is an ARM XP or 7 version of windows.
CE, maybe, though i dont think it would be very suited for gaming

[toxie]

I think the best solution is really one of those tiny NUCs with a modern Intel or AMD processor in it. Integrated GFX are not great, but good enough to run VPX with most tables/non-high end resolution/settings.

[endeemillr]

Visual Pinball may be a long shot.  However, I put Android on my pi3b+ and it miraculously runs Williams Pinball. Williams Pinball is great because it responds to keyboard and gamepad control, has great recreations of real life tables, and is free and completely legal.  You can pay to unlock tables quickly, but you gradually unlock new tables by playing old ones in challenges, which also frequently include unlimited ball save. You don't need to see a single ad other than in-app purchases.

 

It is slow to get running, but once it does, the gameplay is actually quite good.  The app claims it requires Google Play to run, but that is not exactly true.  It will still run and record your progress just fine.  You need Google Play to watch the videos that earn a fourth bonus after each challenge.  The arcade, challenge, and league play options, which is a great way to try out tables, works fine without Google play.  I believe there is a way to add Gapps to the pi, but I have not tried it due to the risk of slowing performance.  You begin with full arcade access to one table, which you will also play in the challenges, earning "arcade Parts" to access new machines. A couple weeks obsessive playing unlocked most of the tables to 2 star, arcade play.  You can burn tickets to reset the challenges, as you will always earn more tickets than you need.  My only regret was that I should have never unlocked the tables I hate.  Only unlocked tables show up in the challenges.

 

This is where I found the image for lineage for my pi.  You can also find versions optimized for other pi's

 

https://konstakang.c.../LineageOS16.0/

 

Installation went without issue. I was also able to download the williams apk and install.  The first time it runs, it goes really slow as it is also connecting and updating the table information.  I had to close the program, and run it a second time before it allowed me to pick my first table and start completing challenges.  Medieval Madness is my favorite mix of entertainment and ease of challenge completion.  Fish tales is probably the easiest for challenges.

 

At this point, you can only play in landscape mode, boring for a pin cab.  You need to do two things. 

1. Download and install the Set Orientation apk.  Doing only this simply allows you to play in portrait mode on a landscape oriented monitor.  Not sufficient for a cab!

 

2. Change the system files- which as a non-programmer I actually managed to do without messing up the entire system!

a. Enable developer options by clicking on "Build number" in device settings multiple times.

b. In advanced settings, choose developer options and select "Root"

c. Download a terminal app apk.  The built-in one did not work for me. I used Termux 

d. Run it and enter the following code shared at 

 

 

su

mount -o rw,remount /system

echo "config.override_forced_orient=true" >> /system/build.prop

reboot

 

Adding reboot is just something I added to restart the system. After doing so, run Set Orientation to Portrait and start playing pinball!  You'll need a keyboard or gamepad connected, or hook up real buttons to either a keyboard or gamepad interface and build a simple cab.  Shoulder buttons and shift keys control the flippers. Enter is a launch button.  You'll need a mouse to navigate menus, although with root access, I think there are ways to do it with a keyboard or gamepad.

[dudemo]

I have a Pi 4 and I also setup Android on it. I've managed to get The Pinball Arcade working fairly well and  using the instructions provided by @endeermillr I was even able to get it playing in portrait mode. The Pinball Arcade has quite a few licensed tables that play pretty darn well on a Pi 4 with 4Gb on Android 10 (LineageOS 17.1). I'm really happy. I'd like to test a second screen, but I don't currently have a second microHDMI to HDMI adapter, so I'm waiting on one of those. Having a translight/DMD screen would be pretty sweet, though I'm not sure Android allows dual screen.

 

If it doesn't, I know The Pinball Arcade also works on Linux, so I may go back to Raspbian and try that instead. I'd like to make a small tabletop virtual machine with a 7" translight screen and a 12" playfield screen.

Edited by dudemo, 30 January 2021 - 01:05 PM.

[armando2002]

Happy to help test this if I can, I have a Pi4 inside of a Ms. Pac-Man style cocktail cabinet for Retropie, been wanting to play some Bad Cats on it with the local bar closed.

[dudemo]

So, I wanted to update this. I really went down the path of getting some kind of "realistic" pinball on a Raspberry Pi. I started looking at what I have available. After running Android for a while, I couldn't make it work with a keyboard encoder and it really didn't like my project screen, so I looked into other options. Checked Linux and saw there really weren't any good pinsims available other than... Zaccaria Pinball. I tried everything I could to get Box86 to work with it but in the end I gave up.

Looked into Windows and saw that some folks called Windows On Raspberry managed to get a full fledged version of Windows 10 ARM on the Pi. Yup. I'm doing that. So I did. I'm less than impressed by the speed, but more impressed by compatibility. It's ran everything I've thrown at it except a few things. Wifi doesn't work, but ethernet does.

So I grab the latest VPInstaller and install it. Works great. I know it can't run VPX, but maybe VP9?

Sure enough, with some tinkering I have it running VP9 tables pretty good.


https://ibb.co/HPHWNBY

Got it even better, and even got full screen!

https://ibb.co/sHdQdfF

Edited by dudemo, 20 March 2021 - 01:56 PM.

[heyitsjoebob]

Popping into this old thread to ask if you think it'd be possible to run VP9 in order to build out a Pi-Powered shuffle bowler utilizing this: Chief Shuffle Alley Bowler (United) (1953) (Rascal) (1.0) (FS) (Backglass only with Pins for dedicated shuffle cab) - Hybrid Files - Virtual Pinball Universe (vpuniverse.com)

 

Doesn't make sense for me to dedicate a PC for a single use, a Pi would be perfect and I'm itching for a good woodworking project now that the garage is cooler.