--- title: I wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I... description: An old Windows laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 and 8GB RAM was converted into a dedicated retro gaming console using Batocera, a Linux-based emulation OS that... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: I wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I removed every reason to touch a keyboard | daily.dev og:description: An old Windows laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 and 8GB RAM was converted into a dedicated retro gaming console using Batocera, a Linux-based emulation OS that... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/EwbAqvCXb.png og:image:alt: I wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I removed every reason to touch a keyboard 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 wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I removed every reason to touch a keyboard **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 3 min read · 3 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary An old Windows laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 and 8GB RAM was converted into a dedicated retro gaming console using Batocera, a Linux-based emulation OS that bundles emulators and the EmulationStation frontend. The setup boots straight into a game library, supports controller-only navigation (including exiting emulators via Hotkey+Start), automatic controller recognition, Bluetooth pairing, and save states, eliminating the need for a keyboard during regular use. Games mentioned include Super Mario World, Sonic 2, Tetris, Tekken 3, Crash Bandicoot, and Mario Kart: Super Circuit. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I exit an emulator in Batocera without using a keyboard? Press Hotkey plus Start on the controller to close the running emulator and return to the EmulationStation game library. From there you can select another game entirely with the controller, without reaching for Escape or hunting for a launcher window. _Anyone building a controller-only retro setup can browse similar console-conversion tips on daily.dev._ ### What hardware do I need to run Batocera for retro gaming? A modest machine works fine; an AMD Ryzen 5 laptop with 8GB of RAM handles many retro systems including the original PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. Batocera runs from a USB drive or external SSD, so replacing the existing OS isn't required, though a full install is possible for a dedicated device. _daily.dev surfaces more hardware repurposing guides for developers tinkering with old machines._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [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) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb) ```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 wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I removed every reason to touch a keyboard","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb"},"datePublished":"2026-09-30T19:02:07.928Z","dateModified":"2026-09-30T19:02:33.077Z","description":"An old Windows laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 and 8GB RAM was converted into a dedicated retro gaming console using Batocera, a Linux-based emulation OS that...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/0ff88d86975de511cb3eea0a165a418f?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/0ff88d86975de511cb3eea0a165a418f?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"linux,gaming","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"I wanted my emulation PC to feel like a console, so I removed every reason to touch a keyboard"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-wanted-my-emulation-pc-to-feel-like-a-console-so-i-removed-every-reason-to-touch-a-keyboard-ewbaqvcxb#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I exit an emulator in Batocera without using a keyboard?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Press Hotkey plus Start on the controller to close the running emulator and return to the EmulationStation game library. 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