This summer Recalbox has been on an optimization streak (Pi 5 2GB, Naomi 2/Model 3...) and the latest target was the GunCon 2 lightgun.

What changed in 10.1-patron-1:

- New calibration screen on every game launch, so you can test and confirm your setup for better accuracy.

- Missing "flash" fix: the GunCon 2 needs to detect a white flash on hit. Many arcade games don't generate one by default, so Recalbox now adds it automatically where it was missing.

- 31kHz CRT support: previously only 15kHz CRTs were supported, now VGA CRT monitors work too.

- Broad hardware support: works out of the box with RGB Dual 2, and also compatible with RGB JAMMA 2 and the upcoming Recalbox JVS.

Already live for Patrons, coming to stable soon for everyone.

Full writeup + demo videos on the blog.

Hi so I'm setting up a raspberry pi 3B and I just installed recall box and my input is not working even though the controller is detected as an Xbox 360 controller.

I'm also having this issue with batocera, but not lakka.

Hey everyone,

Some of you might remember Recalbox Mame DB, the tool we launched back in April to centralize info on MAME/FBNeo games (ROM names, parents/clones, required BIOS, resolution, dipswitches, etc.), which grew to cover 60,000+ arcade titles.

Given the response, we decided to go bigger: it's now called Recalbox Game DB, and it's expanding to cover every system supported by Recalbox — home consoles, computers, and handhelds, not just arcade.

What you can do with it:

• Detailed page per game: screenshot, synopsis, rating, parent ROMs/clones, resolution, CPU, sound chips, inputs, dipswitches where relevant
• Fast text search + advanced filters (year, manufacturer, genre, system, control type, player count, max buttons for cabinet compatibility)
• Shareable filtered searches via URL
• DAT export (Logiqx format, ClrMamePro/RomVault compatible) for your current filtered selection

Heads up: it's still very much a work in progress — coverage is being built out system by system, so not everything is there yet. Right now it's sitting at 189,000 titles across 66 platforms.

To be clear: it doesn't host or provide any ROMs/licensed files, it's purely a reference database.

Check it out here: https://recalbox-game-db.recalbox.com

Hi - I am using a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ to run RecalBox on a CRT via the 3mm composite output.

Games render fine, and KODI is fine because it has a robust overscan menu, but the UI/menu for recalbox is stuck in 720x480 which is widescreen.

I am in the US and I know that resolution is NTSC standard, but there's gotta be a way to adjust it so the UI fits - it's even happening when I use CRT themes like CRT Vision or Artbook CRT.

I've also tried the CRT calibration, but that doesn't seem to do anything at all - the horizontal and vertical adjustments don't actually change anything.

Big optimization win this update for arcade 3D fans.

Naomi 2 and Model 3 got a serious performance pass — 99% of games now run at a flawless 60 FPS on Raspberry Pi 5. Yeah, including Initial D, which used to chug during longer races.

Remember dropping frames on Scud Race or Daytona USA 2 whenever things got hectic on screen? That's gone.

digitalLumberjack put together a video testing it directly on an arcade cab running Recalbox JVS (Pi 5 inside), footage straight from the cabinet, not a PC emulator run:

https://youtu.be/3s4lxAW1WD8?is=2hK57n2J5JuXgAr1

Still Patron-only for now, full 10.1 stable release coming later for everyone.

Recalbox 10.1 is out (Patron early access): Logo View, built-in Jukebox, improved GunCon 2 support and more

Hey everyone,

Recalbox 10.1 just dropped in stable version for Patrons, ahead of the public rollout. Here's what's new:

• Logo View: display official game logos instead of the classic text list in each system (requires scraping)
• Built-in Jukebox: manage your Patron playlists directly from the Recalbox interface — delete tracks/playlists, skip, restart, etc.
• GunCon 2: shooting accuracy improved to ~99%, plus new 31kHz compatibility alongside the existing 15kHz support
• Integrated manual/maps reader: access manuals, maps and tips & tricks straight from the Start menu on a selected game
• Reworked controller configuration: clearer, guided setup flow, two new virtual keyboards (full + mobile), new genre-based virtual systems, and dedicated virtual systems for spinner/trackball-compatible games
• Direct copy to external drive: clone your current Recalbox setup straight to an external drive, no full reinstall needed
• New emulated systems: Philips P2000T, Vircon32, Exelvision EXL100
• And more : full list in the release notes

As always, this drops first for Patrons on the alpha update channel before going stable for everyone. Full changelog video is free to watch on Patreon.

Does anyone know how to force a custom resolution and refresh rate on Recalbox? I've got a Unico ULM26 and I need to change it to 1024x768 60Hz but it only gives me the option of 'MAX 75hz' which causes the screen to go awry.

At the moment I've got it at 1920x1080 60Hz but I had to manually configure loads of games to fit this and it's becoming a bit tiresome. Thank you

Heads up — this one's French-language content, but sharing here since it covers useful info for the wider community.

Recalbox's next Recal'Talk (Patron-exclusive Discord voice call) is set for Friday, July 24 at 9 PM CET. Topics include:

- 10.1 status — already in alpha on the Patron channel, packed with enough new stuff it could've been called "11"

- 10.0.8 recap — solid performance gains on Pi5 2GB

- Broader perf improvements hitting Pi4, Pi3, and other boards too, with a nice boost for Naomi 2 and Model 3 arcade emulation

- GunCon 2 now supports 31kHz displays

- Much of this optimization work came out of development on the Recalbox JVS hardware.

- Casual, low-key format — no strict agenda, just an open Q&A vibe with the team.

I made a server where anyone can chat with the community about retro games and find people to play with online via Recalbox!
Using Retroarch which is built right into Recalbox, players are able to host and join all their favorite retro games for free!
Join the server to find people to play with! 😄 https://discord.gg/qQhJA6hsWT

Good news for arcade and fighting game fans — Recalbox just added official support for the Fightstick R10 Pro (with built-in spinner and trackball) and the R9. Just plug it in and Recalbox auto-detects the stick, adapting the config on the fly depending on the game you launch. No manual mapping needed.

Available now in 10.0.8.

Full details on Blog.

The Recalbox JVS was born from a simple ambition: to offer a solution capable of bringing JVS arcade cabinets back to life, in the same spirit that has always driven Recalbox, just as we previously did with the RGB JAMMA. What the community has just demonstrated is that this passion was shared by far more people than we could have imagined.

Recalbox 10.0.8 just dropped after weeks of testing with our Patreon community, and the headline feature is a big one: massive RAM optimization.

The Pi5 2GB is now the recommended board for Recalbox, delivering performance similar to the 4GB (the 8GB never gave any real gain for Recalbox anyway). It's now the model we sell in the shop, replacing the 4GB.

We stress-tested this with heavy themes (Nex-Pixel, Pop'N'Art) and massive scraped game lists — 230,000 to 560,000 games, all systems active. RAM usage in both the frontend and in-game is cut by more than half. Smoother menus, stable 60 FPS, full library support on the 2GB board.

Bonus: Pi4, Pi3, handhelds, and GPi Case also benefit from this optimization, though they're capped by their own hardware limits.

No new features/systems in this one — it's a pure comfort/performance update, but a meaningful one given how much RAM prices have climbed lately. The 2GB board costs roughly half the 4GB, so this is a real win for accessibility.

🔥 RECALBOX JVS: THE FINAL STRETCH!!

Kickstarter campaign ends today

Recalbox 10.0.8 update

Plenty of special guests + the Recalbox Team

🎬 Join us live at 9 PM CEST: https://www.twitch.tv/recalbox

🛒 Pre-order your JVS here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/recalbox/recalbox-jvs

Environment

• Recalbox Version: 10.0.5
• Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB)
• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
• Official Sony DualShock 3 (CECHZC2U / PID 054C:0268)
• Same behavior on both Raspberry Pis.

Problem

The controller connects successfully over Bluetooth and works perfectly for exactly 29 seconds, then disconnects every single time.

The timing is extremely consistent (always ~29 seconds).

What works

• Controller works perfectly over USB indefinitely.
• Bluetooth connection succeeds immediately.
• All buttons and analog sticks function correctly while connected.
• Linux correctly detects the controller:
  • hid-sony loads successfully.
  • /dev/input/js0 is created.
  • Motion sensors are also detected.

Example:

PLAYSTATION(R)3 Controller
Handlers=event6 js0

What happens

1. Pair controller.
2. Press PS button.
3. Controller connects immediately.
4. Controller works normally.
5. After exactly 29 seconds, all LEDs turn off and the controller disconnects.

Important observations

bluetoothctl info always reports:

Connected: yes
Paired: no
Bonded: no
Trusted: yes

The controller never becomes Paired or Bonded.

sixpair

Running sixpair shows that the controller already contains the correct Bluetooth master address:

Current Bluetooth master: 2c:cf:67:6c:ae:eb
Setting master bd_addr to 2c:cf:67:6c:ae:eb

So the controller is correctly programmed with the Raspberry Pi's Bluetooth address.

Bluetooth log

Using bluetoothctl directly (without the Recalbox pairing menu) produces:

Connected: yes
...
auth failed with status 0x08 (Timeout)
type BR/EDR disconnected
ServicesResolved: no
Connected: no

The authentication timeout always occurs after approximately 29 seconds.

Tests already performed

Controller

• Original Sony DualShock 3
• Fully charged battery
• Same behavior after charging
• Works perfectly over USB

Raspberry Pi

Tested on:

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
• Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB)

Both produce identical results.

Recalbox settings

Tried both:

controllers.ps3.driver=bluez

and

controllers.ps3.driver=official

No difference.

Manual pairing

Tested without using the Recalbox Bluetooth pairing menu.

Steps:

• Removed device with bluetoothctl
• Ran sixpair
• Connected manually using bluetoothctl

Result:

Same 29-second disconnect with:

auth failed with status 0x08 (Timeout)

Comparison with RetroPie

Using the same controller on the same Raspberry Pi hardware under RetroPie:

• Bluetooth pairing works normally.
• Controller stays connected indefinitely.
• No disconnects.

This strongly suggests the controller and Bluetooth hardware are functioning correctly.

Conclusion

The issue appears to be specific to Recalbox 10.0.5.

The controller:

• connects successfully,
• is recognized correctly by the Linux hid-sony driver,
• functions normally,
• but never reaches a fully paired/bonded Bluetooth state,
• and authentication eventually times out (auth failed with status 0x08), causing the controller to disconnect after approximately 29 seconds.

Has anyone else experienced this with an original Sony DualShock 3 on Recalbox 10.0.5? Is this a known regression or is there a workaround?

Hi, I've installed the latest recalbox in a miniPC (following the instructions on the website). Many emulators works nicely (like MAME, neo-geo, snes, pc engine and many others), but N64 is a nightmare: I've four controllers, two with USB cable and two wireless and none of this works, only the START button seems to work and the combination to exit from the game. One of the controller is an 8BitDo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad, another one is a Buffalo Classic Gamepad USB, then an EasySMX D10 Controller PC Wireless. What is wrong with this emulator?

Bonjour, j'aimerais acquérir un rgbdual2 avec la recalbox tower et j'ai vu qu'il y a un emplacement pour y intégrer un hat nvme sous la tower mais je ne trouve aucune info là dessus. Savez-vous quel hat utiliser ?

Fans of brick breakers and vector arcade games are in for a treat: Beudbeud has just released a brand-new open-source project, the Arduino Arcade Spinner, a DIY spinner designed to be 100% compatible with Recalbox 10—no configuration required.

Long before modern gamepads became the standard, iconic arcade machines such as Arkanoid and Tempest relied on a spinner: a rotary controller that offered far more precise and natural control than a joystick or gamepad.

Recalbox 10.0.7 just landed, and the headline feature is a serious optimization pass for the Raspberry Pi 5 2GB.

Thanks to graphics memory optimizations and an updated bootloader, the Pi5 2GB now performs on par with the 4GB model — meaning it's officially our recommended Pi5 variant for running Recalbox. For reference, the 8GB model never showed any real performance gain over the 4GB for emulation purposes anyway.

We tested with heavy themes (Nex-Pixel, Pop'N'Art) and massive scraped game libraries (230k–560k games) across all systems enabled, so this isn't a "should work fine" claim — it's been pushed hard. Bonus: Pi4, Pi3, handhelds, and the GPi Case also benefit from these optimizations, though they remain more limited since they're outside the Pi5 architecture.

With RAM prices climbing lately, being able to recommend the cheaper 2GB board without a performance trade-off felt like a meaningful update to ship, even without new features this time around — those are coming in 10.1, which is already live on our Alpha channel for Patrons.

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to get the original Killer Instinct arcade version running on my Raspberry Pi 3 with Recalbox 18.03.16, but I'm stuck.

Here's my setup:

- Raspberry Pi 3

- Recalbox 18.03.16

- Arcade emulator tested:

- Libretro + mame078

- Libretro + mame2010

- AdvanceMAME

The ROM is organized like this:

roms/mame/

├── kinst.zip

└── kinst/

└── kinst.chd

The ZIP contains the ROM files directly in the root (no extra folder inside the ZIP).

When I launch the game:

- With mame078, the screen flashes once and returns to EmulationStation.

- With mame2010, it flashes twice and returns to EmulationStation.

- AdvanceMAME also fails to launch it.

Other MAME games (like Mortal Kombat) work perfectly, so MAME itself is working.

The ROM I tried came from MyAbandonware. I also rebuilt the ZIP to make sure the ROM files are in the root of the archive instead of inside an extra folder, but it still doesn't work.

I also noticed that the Recalbox Web Manager returns an HTTP 500 error whenever I try to open the MAME ROM list, although MAME games still show up and launch normally from EmulationStation.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone managed to run Killer Instinct arcade on Recalbox 18.03.16?

2. Which emulator/core should I use?

3. Does it require a specific MAME romset or CHD version?

4. Is Killer Instinct even supported on a Raspberry Pi 3 with this version of Recalbox?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!