--- title: I turned an old PC into a retro console with Batocera,... description: Installing Batocera turns an old PC into a dedicated retro console that boots straight into a game library. The OS bundles emulators and handles controller... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-an-old-pc-into-a-retro-console-with-batocera-and-it-boots-straight-into-my-game-library-7cihuab6t twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: I turned an old PC into a retro console with Batocera, and it boots straight into my game library | daily.dev og:description: Installing Batocera turns an old PC into a dedicated retro console that boots straight into a game library. The OS bundles emulators and handles controller... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-an-old-pc-into-a-retro-console-with-batocera-and-it-boots-straight-into-my-game-library-7cihuab6t og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/7cIHuab6T.png og:image:alt: I turned an old PC into a retro console with Batocera, and it boots straight into my game library og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I turned an old PC into a retro console with Batocera, and it boots straight into my game library **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 5 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Installing Batocera turns an old PC into a dedicated retro console that boots straight into a game library. The OS bundles emulators and handles controller mapping, so a single setup works across consoles. It needs at least 32GB of storage plus extra space for games, and most Intel or AMD machines use the x86_64 image. NES, Mega Drive and SNES titles run easily, but PS2 or GameCube games demand more processing power. Save states let players save progress at any point, and the author rarely needs the keyboard after setup, including to shut down. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How much storage do I need to install Batocera on a PC? Batocera needs at least 32GB of storage for full functionality, plus additional space for the game collection itself. Cartridge-based games take relatively little space, while disc images for systems like PS2 can fill a drive quickly, so total storage needs depend heavily on library size and which consoles are being emulated. _Planning a retro console build? daily.dev surfaces more emulation and hardware repurposing guides like this one._ ### Can Batocera run PS2 and GameCube games well on older PC hardware? PS2 and GameCube emulation requires significantly more processing power than older systems like NES, Mega Drive, or SNES, which run easily on most hardware. A PC that handles older systems smoothly won't necessarily run newer ones well, and higher rendering resolutions add further strain, so hardware should be checked against the specific emulators needed. _Weighing hardware against emulator demands is easier with guides daily.dev collects on retro PC builds._ ### What architecture version of Batocera should I download for an Intel or AMD PC? Most Intel and AMD PCs should use the x86_64 version of Batocera, downloaded as an image from Batocera's website. That image can be written to a USB drive with a tool like Raspberry Pi Imager and tested before committing to a permanent installation on the internal drive, which wipes the destination disk entirely. _daily.dev keeps hands-on setup walkthroughs like this handy for anyone building a Batocera console._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I removed every reason to touch a keyboard](https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb) · XDA Developers · 3 upvotes · 0 comments - [I turned my old laptop into a retro gaming station with Batocera, and it's better \(and worse\) than I expected](https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-my-old-laptop-into-a-retro-gaming-station-with-batocera-and-it-s-better-and-worse-than-i-xeduu5yx9) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [I turned an 8th Gen Intel PC into a retro console, and it surprised me](https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-an-8th-gen-intel-pc-into-a-retro-console-and-it-surprised-me-g73fmurok) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [DIY Game Console Does It With Optical Disks](https://daily.dev/posts/diy-game-console-does-it-with-optical-disks-ezj6hrkbk) · Hackaday · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I turned my partner's old laptop into a perfectly curated retro emulation machine for free](https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-my-partner-s-old-laptop-into-a-perfectly-curated-retro-emulation-machine-for-free-d0vs50erf) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#gaming](https://daily.dev/tags/gaming), [#self-hosting](https://daily.dev/tags/self-hosting) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-an-old-pc-into-a-retro-console-with-batocera-and-it-boots-straight-into-my-game-library-7cihuab6t) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"I turned an old PC into a retro console with Batocera, and it boots straight into my game library","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-an-old-pc-into-a-retro-console-with-batocera-and-it-boots-straight-into-my-game-library-7cihuab6t","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-turned-an-old-pc-into-a-retro-console-with-batocera-and-it-boots-straight-into-my-game-library-7cihuab6t"},"datePublished":"2026-11-08T23:03:46.674Z","dateModified":"2026-11-08T23:04:18.867Z","description":"Installing Batocera turns an old PC into a dedicated retro console that boots straight into a game library. 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