Just thought I'd start a thread on the Pi 4 so we can post any updates on rumors, development, images and packages that get released as it's fairly early days and everyone is really keen to see what the new Pi can do
Have to say I am totally impressed with the new board, the release took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting it until next year but snapped a couple up as soon as they launched. Bought a 2GB model which I think might be the one to go for if you're after an emulation setup and a 4GB to test it out as a desktop replacement. So many good things in the new package, USB 3.0, gigabit ethernet, new processor and graphics core, all awesome, the only thing I'd complain about is the dual 4k video out - do we need this in a single board computer? who asked for it?! could be Raspberry Pi Foundation showboating a bit or going firmly for the desktop market, who knows but it's annoying! I'd have been perfectly happy with a single full size HDMI, I don't mind the USB C for power as it can also act as a USB host port which is funky, not sure I'll ever use it mind you ...
Onto performance, it feels probably twice as fast as the Pi 3B+, stats suggest 3 or 4 times the speed, either way it's a significant upgrade that's for sure. I tested 240p output to make sure they hadn't messed with the low pixel clocks and it works great, in fact it's a real step up as LewisGamer and Jochen Zurborg from arcadeforge found in detailed testing, turns out the pixel clock is open and free of any restrictions we previously had to work around. This means no more approximations or closest fit resolutions and refresh rates, you'll get it exactly as per the original arcade board
So when will the images be released right? let me get cracking with the new shizz! Not quite that easy I'm afraid, turns out the shiny new graphics core means a lot of recoding for developers of the emulators, the front ends and distros like RetroPie and RecallBox so it might be a month or two before we get something to play with. If you want to get started on testing games and see what the Pi4 can do, I was asked for some instructions for compiling advmame and retroarch so I'll post them below if anyone wants to play, I'm also uploading my test image which is configured to run using a Gert666 but you can edit the config.txt file to switch it to 1080p over HDMI if need be.
Have to say I am totally impressed with the new board, the release took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting it until next year but snapped a couple up as soon as they launched. Bought a 2GB model which I think might be the one to go for if you're after an emulation setup and a 4GB to test it out as a desktop replacement. So many good things in the new package, USB 3.0, gigabit ethernet, new processor and graphics core, all awesome, the only thing I'd complain about is the dual 4k video out - do we need this in a single board computer? who asked for it?! could be Raspberry Pi Foundation showboating a bit or going firmly for the desktop market, who knows but it's annoying! I'd have been perfectly happy with a single full size HDMI, I don't mind the USB C for power as it can also act as a USB host port which is funky, not sure I'll ever use it mind you ...
Onto performance, it feels probably twice as fast as the Pi 3B+, stats suggest 3 or 4 times the speed, either way it's a significant upgrade that's for sure. I tested 240p output to make sure they hadn't messed with the low pixel clocks and it works great, in fact it's a real step up as LewisGamer and Jochen Zurborg from arcadeforge found in detailed testing, turns out the pixel clock is open and free of any restrictions we previously had to work around. This means no more approximations or closest fit resolutions and refresh rates, you'll get it exactly as per the original arcade board
So when will the images be released right? let me get cracking with the new shizz! Not quite that easy I'm afraid, turns out the shiny new graphics core means a lot of recoding for developers of the emulators, the front ends and distros like RetroPie and RecallBox so it might be a month or two before we get something to play with. If you want to get started on testing games and see what the Pi4 can do, I was asked for some instructions for compiling advmame and retroarch so I'll post them below if anyone wants to play, I'm also uploading my test image which is configured to run using a Gert666 but you can edit the config.txt file to switch it to 1080p over HDMI if need be.
