A free, retro videogame emulation live CD - simply download, burn and boot!
Puppy Arcade 8 features upgraded
emulators, easier to use, more help,
with a quick start dialog, a browser
installer, automatic BIOS and frontend downloaders, default emulator
choosers
and a lovely all-in-one, cabinet-friendly, multi-emulator rom-loader!
System requirements: Pentium 166mhz, 128MB RAM, CD-ROM drive. Based on TurboPup Xtreme, Puppy 4.2, kernel 2.6.25.16
Important Changes:
Puppy Arcade now has its own custom-built frontends for many emulators,
which
have all been integrated into the most important new app, 'Rom-Loader',
which
supports fullscreen, joypad navigation, rom-browsing, emulator settings
and more.
More emulators are included than before, including 3 new 'Apple Mac'
emulators,
while others have either been upgraded (SDLMAME replaces GxMAME) or
they've
had their frontends improved.
When launching your emulators from either Wbar or the start menu, you
can choose
which emulators or frontends are loaded by default. Which
emulator/frontend you
choose is up to you, and can be controlled by the 'Frontend-Chooser'
tool.
The 'Rom-Loader' frontends (designed by myself and zigbert) replace the default emulator frontends where
possible as standard,
although this can be changed back very easily with the "Frontend-Chooser", so you can load your roms how you like.
The ISO is only 105mb! This means lots of things had to go or have been
replaced by
smaller alternatives. For example, a browser installer has been
included, and no browser
is installed by default! You'll need to choose which browser you want
when you boot.
All BIOS files have been removed, including the files included in
previous versions.
But a simple BIOS file downloader is now availiable, to get you started
more quickly.
Lastly, VLC 0.8.6h and VLC-GTK have replaced Gxine and xine, as VLC
supports more
filetypes, has great subtitle support and is very fast, even on old PCs.
Pmusic is of course
included, while MOC and xmp are included for CLI audio playback of even
more files.
Thanks:
Thanks to all the lovely people who helped me on this.. You know who you
are!
loliloli - "O-M-G! This is exactly what I need. I'm building an arcade machine with a 400MHz computer and this is the
Holy Grail to me :D"
Feel - "Great job, Sc0ttman! This was what the world of
retrogaming was waiting for!"
SpideyLinux
- "Many thanks for this distro. It again
helps
answer the question what can be done with an older machine."
hypnobluez
- "To sc0ttman for creating this
unique puplet.. Thanks a MILLION for
creating and sharing this
treasure with us sc0ttman.
YOU ARE THE MAN!!!
."
wilde - "I have the version 4.. Now downloaded the version 5.. Excellent !!!"
dudadas - "Excellent work. Seriously, I was looking
something like that."
Puppyt - "sc0ttman - you're a Champ!
Thank you so much for your selection and compilation of games here and
for your fabulous effort."
lagbusguy - "Holy shit, that’s badass."
Trip[ABK] - "fuckin nice...noyce..and NIIIICE!"
Jonathan Frederickson - "N64? PSX? Damn that’s cool. I’ve played around with Puppy Linux in
the past, but this is just… awesome."
skinnie - "gr8 work on this ... I have been searching for something like this a long time ago! The "look" of the distro is very,
very good"
kandkyo - "This is great!, VBAM very works well.."
deniros - "To sc0ttman, big thanks for Arcade :p
Tried your 'Arcade' and it works just great! No
dependencies to hunt for, it just works. great stuff!"
The Puppy Arcade desktop is not a normal Puppy Linux desktop.
There are no normal desktop icons, only Wbar, and when you
click on the desktop, a small apps menu
will appear, with links to the most important stuff, such as file
manager, browser, control panel and so on.
left-click on the deskop for the apps menu (see above)
right-click on the desktop for the full puppy menu
you'll see an animated icon bar at the bottom (called Wbar),
showing all the
emulators
left-click on the emulator you want to load, then browse for a
rom file.
right-click on the emulator icons to reset/refresh the menu
go to 'Menu->Desktop->Wbar configuration centre' to edit
your desktop icons
in wbarcc, click on 'profiles', choose the one for your
resolution and click 'apply'
the main taskbar at the very bottom of the screen is set to
auto-hide
the wallpaper can be changed by right clicking on any image any
choosing 'Set as wallpaper'
the file manager has all the most important bookmarks added
already, in the toolbar
Saving your settings:
Click on "Save Settings" in the apps menu, to create your
save file before you shutdown, so you don't lose any changes
when you shutdown for the first time, you should be asked to save
your session
after creating a savefile, you will be asked whether to save to
it or not, at each shutdown
Once you've created a save file, you can use Start Mount to
automatically load your drives and apps at boot up!
QuickStart: A custom-made panel with quick links to all the
essential tools of Puppy Arcade. Loads automatically at startup,
until you create a save file.
Wbar: A nice menu, showing all your emulator desktop icons,
can be configured how you like it, using "WbarCC".
ROX Filemanager: a fast, windowed file-manager with many
right click options
VLC-gtk: a media player with minimal GUI. Supports many
formats, DVDs, streams, etc. Supports keyboard controls only during
playback - no play, stop, next, prev buttons
Browser Installer: choose to download and install your
preferred browser. Firefox 3 is recommended, as is Firedog, which was
built just for Puppy Arcade.
Rom-Loader: Designed just for Puppy Arcade - an all-in-one
multi-emulator frontend, for loading your roms quickly
BIOS-Checker: Automatically checks and downloads the BIOS
files required by your emulators
Frontend-Chooser: This tool allows you to choose which
emulators or frontends are launched by default. Your preferred
frontend can then be loaded automatically, using either Wbar or the
start menu. You can choose either "Default" or "Puppy Arcade"
(Rom-Loader) frontends.
Rejoystick Control Center: This tool allows you to map
keyboard keys to joypads buttons This is useful for any apps that
don't support joypads, such as Dega, FCEU, GTK
Pmount: Mount and view your hard drives or your USB, DVD or
CD drives. To start Pmount, you can just click on the desktop and
choose "Drives".
Start Mount: This tool can auto-mount your drives and
auto-start any apps you choose (requires a save file)
Task Manager: easily monitor, control and kill (terminate)
any running apps
Control Panel:
a tabbed navigation panel showing most of the settings and tools
available
choose the 'Gaming' tab to configure your emulators config files
if needed, use one of the network wizards to setup your internet
connection (it should work automatically)
Some emulators require not only roms, but BIOS files too. These can
now be installed easily using the BIOS-Checker
- Amiga: needs a kickstart file (kick13, kick20, kick31) in
'/usr/lib/uae'.
- Atari 800: needs '/usr/bin/atarixl.rom' to be installed
- Atari ST: needs '/usr/share/hatari/tos.img' to be installed
- VICE: needs a pack of system roms, in the relevant folders in
'/usr/lib/vice'
- NES: needs disksys.rom to enable Famicom Disk System emulation, which
is optional!
- NeoCD: needs 'neocd.bin' in '/usr/local/neocd'
- PupDoom: needs prboom in '/usr/share/games/doom/prboom.wad'
- Spectrum: needs many (tiny) BIOS files, installed to various
locations!
NOTES: You are not allowed to own the BIOS of any systems that you have
never purchased!
Joypads
- Plug in any joypads before the desktop has loaded and Puppy
Arcade should get it working.
- To make FCEU and Dega support joypads you must use Rejoystick
Control Centre
- Use Rejoystick to map keyboard keys to your preferred joypad buttons
- type 'killall -9 rejoystick' in the terminal if you need to close
rejoystick
- Puppy Arcade now supports Wacom drawing tablets. See more
wacom info
- I cannot include roms with this release, but here are some great
links where you can get them
- Rom-World.com, Romhustler.net, Emuparadise.org, Snes-O-Rama.us,
Doperoms.com and so on
NOTE: You are not allowed to own the ROMs of any games released
commercially, that you have never purchased.
- left-click on the desktop and choose 'Drives' to see all your
drives, using Pmount
- all your storage drives can be found at '/mnt/' - but not until you
'mount' them
- hard drives are listed as sda1, sda2, sda3, sdb1, sdc1 and so
- after saving your settings (see below), you can use 'startmount' you
mount your automatically drives at boot
- After booting, you can simply replace your Puppy Arcade live-CD
with a CD/DVD full of roms.
- Mount the DVD/CD drive with Pmount and your roms will be available at /mnt/sr0/
or
- Put your savefile on the same drive as your roms, and your roms will
be available at '/mnt/home/path/to/your/roms'
- You also symlink your roms folder to /roms/ - so it's nice and
fast to reach them
- To do this, type 'ln -s /path/to/your/roms /roms' in the terminal, or
drag and drop in the file manager (called 'ROX')
- For more, random tips, look in the folder /root/quick-tips
Emulator help files can all be found through the emulator frontends that have been built just for Puppy Arcade, or you can reach them through the main Puppy Arcade help file, in /usr/share/doc/arcade.html
You'll simply need to download and install the correct dot pet file for
your graphics card.
Then (optionally) follow the softwares' instructions and restart X.
PETS FOR NVIDIA CARDS:
The 'nvidia-7186.pet' is for ancient nvidia graphics cards (riva TNT to
Geforce 1).
The 'nvidia-9643.pet' is for most nvidia cards (officially Gf2 to Gf4
but tested on Gf7 OK).
The 'nvidia-100.14.19.pet' is for latest cards (Gf5 to Gf8).
I am using puppy arcade on a athlon 64 2800, 1 gig of mem, and an Ati 9200se.
At first i had problems with low resolutions (mame), but after i installed the ati driver it all works fine.
Admin, commented at 24/02/2010
Fullscreen resolutions can be changed in the MAME display options.. If that helps.
Helpless, commented at 26/02/2010
Cool idea, but I can't open a pdf file to read instructions. Neither auto nor can i get epdfview to run from menu. ver5 installed nor ver7 live CD. P3-450 w/192MB, do i need a better computer?(altho that defeats the reason for trying this)
Admin, commented at 27/02/2010
Hi Helpless,
Nothing is wrong with your PC. Download the bug fix file, listed under the main download link. This will fix it.
Colin, commented at 02/03/2010
Is it possible to run this on PS3?
Admin, commented at 02/03/2010
In short, no. The PS3 is a PPC based system, not i386.. Everything would need to be re-compiled from the ground up. More info: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=27814
Robert, commented at 04/03/2010
I'd first like to thank you on the most amazing thing that has ever come out of linux, my wishes have been granted.. almost. I ran puppy v4 for a few days now and I'm almost familiar with it. So I wanted to give the puppyarcade a try, but it doesnt see my keyboard at all! :( it boots up to the pick your mouse and i can't select my mouse any suggestions? btw i'm using V5 of the arcade
Admin, commented at 10/03/2010
Robert, I looked everywhere for a solution, or other users with similar problems and I am stumped.
I can only suggest trying another keyboard or finding and copying your keyboard drivers from a standard Puppy 4.x into Puppy Arcade (but they should already be the same!)..
Nurbit, commented at 12/03/2010
Hi Scott
I stumbled across your site while looking into making a linux distro similar to your own.
I don't need to anymore :)
Thanks a lot
Admin, commented at 12/03/2010
You're welcome... I hope it's up to scratch for you!
Peanutmans, commented at 14/03/2010
hi scott. i have a problem not being able to access the package repository in puppy arcade 7.I tried to install the fix pet to see if it helped but like a few other pets(7zip etc). But it wont install as my cpu hits 100% then becomes unresponsive is there any way around this?. Im using a acer travelmate 2491lci with 1.46ghz cpu and 256 ram
Admin, commented at 14/03/2010
It may be a network problem, as PetGet should work fine. But if not, you can browse the Puppy Repo here, in your browser: http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/puppylinux/pet_packages-4/
Peanutmans, commented at 21/03/2010
hi sorry to bother you again but i still have a problem my usb joypad is not recognized by rejoystick i downloaded usb view so i know it conncts fine here is the info outputted by usb view
It sounds as though the joypad you're using is not supported by Puppy Linux. You'll need to download the linux drivers for your device, which should be found on the manufacturer website or using a good ol' fashioned Google search.. Also, email me the link if you get it working, it will be included next time.
Dan Betancourt, commented at 26/03/2010
Hi, I want to if you know how to make the system to run with out rebooting the system like windows or other system
Admin, commented at 27/03/2010
Puppy Arcade is a complete Linux distro and live CD and cannot therefore be run at the same time as Windows.
It's only possible to boot Puppy Arcade *within* Windows by using a 'virtualisation app', such as 'QEMU'. However, this method is too slow for proper gaming.
Peanutmans, commented at 28/03/2010
Hi, I just want to know how to use the xp driver for my joypad on puppy arcade please
Admin, commented at 28/03/2010
Using your joypads XP drivers in any Linux distro, including Puppy Arcade, is unfortunately impossible. :( Sorry
Erk, commented at 28/03/2010
I can't get the rejoypad/stick to work. have triied to start it from control panel, but nothing happends, also tried from fun->, but same there
and:
# rejoystick
error occured: Failed to open joystick device. Exiting...
what to do? and thanks for the best puppy
Erk, commented at 28/03/2010
The soundcard (with gameport) wasnt installed, my bad!
Peanutmans , commented at 29/03/2010
What I meant to ask is if there is anything like ndiswrapper for normal drivers
Admin, commented at 30/03/2010
Hope all is well now, Erk..
And Peanutmans, I don't think there's an ndiswrapper style utility for anything other than the network interfaces, as I actually tried to find just that for you, after your first post.
Peanutmans, commented at 31/03/2010
:( sux! its annoying as works perfect with XP.. oh well
Rfxcasey, commented at 04/04/2010
I'm also having a problem installing the fix package. Downloads fine but installing it makes the system freeze. I am able to browse the internet and have also downloaded and installed nvidia drivers but this fix package seems broken. Any hope on getting it resolved?
Admin, commented at 05/04/2010
Try running Puppy Arcade without a save file, and without your Nvidia drivers. The install the bugfix and see if that works. You can manually copy everything from your save file and save a new one. Then install the Nvidia drivers. This will help you identify the problem.
HazMatInk, commented at 07/04/2010
Had an issue with my HP EliteBook, doesn't seen any of my network adapters. How do I resolve this?
Admin, commented at 09/04/2010
Extra drivers for Puppy can be found here: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/index.php?f=48
Kyle, commented at 10/04/2010
I simply cannot get the Nvidia graphics driver to work, have tried on 2 computers one with a geforce 8400 the other with a GTS 250 neither work, the basic driver will display and run the basic emulators fine but when I install the nvidia drivers Xorg nolonger works at all (have spent multiple hours googling and trying various ideas)
Admin, commented at 10/04/2010
First, only N64 requires OpenGL.. Most emulators run fine without it. When Xorg breaks, it means the wrong drivers or settings were added.
It took me a while to choose the right drivers for my gfx card...
You should post a request at the Puppy Linux Forum, they are very helpful..
Here are some more nvidia drivers: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=34001 and http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=37901
Kernel 2.6.25.16 is what you need.
Admin, commented at 10/04/2010
All Nvidia drivers are here: ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/
WonderAlex, commented at 17/04/2010
Quick question - will Puppy Arcade work in a Cabinet with a linux-based front-end? I want to free myself of windowsXP in my cabinet.
WonderAex
Admin, commented at 17/04/2010
Puppy Arcade *is* a linux-based frontend - it's a full linux distro, packed with emulators, 'out of the box'..
WonderAlex, commented at 18/04/2010
I understand that - by the looks of it I still have to use a mouse/keyboard to run emu's - I want to turn on my cab and use the arcade controls to chose emulators and games - avoiding the mouse/keyboard thing entirely. On WinXP I use AtomicFE - does PuppyArcade need something like that (Wah!Cade perhaps?) or does it have it's own built-in cabinet GUI?
WonderAlex
Admin, commented at 19/04/2010
Currently not, although you can map key presses to your joystick, with the rejoystick app, and do it that way. But check these out: http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Front-Ends
Admin, commented at 19/04/2010
SDLMAME also has a joypad friendly frontend, but its not pretty. IT can be downloaded at the Puppy Arcade forum thread.
WonderAlex, commented at 19/04/2010
Thanks - I'm familiar with Arcade Controls i'll install PuppyArcade on a VM and run some tests and let you know.
WonderAlex
Admin, commented at 22/05/2010
Puppy Arcade 8 has been released and it's now MUCH closer to an ideal solution for home-made 'arcade cabinets' :)
Retrogamer, commented at 22/05/2010
hi there, nice project, thumbs up :)
what is the minimum required configuration to run this? (if I missed the page with requirements, you should highligth it somewhere better :)
Admin, commented at 22/05/2010
I'll add the minimum requirements for Puppy Arcade to the main summary. But each emulator has its own requirements
Bob, commented at 22/05/2010
when I select the Mirror 1 I go to the Multiupload site. I do not see a way to the iso for arcade 8. I get an application for an ipad. Am I being redirected or is there another Mirror I can go to?
Admin, commented at 22/05/2010
Bob, try megaupload.com/?d=S58YLT69
Polymorph, commented at 22/05/2010
Hey, I downloaded this today so I could actually have a good use for my laptop, but when I put the CD into it, it stays stuck at "Booting the kernel.".
Admin, commented at 23/05/2010
Hi Polymorph.. Either the download was not correct, the burn was not correct, or the bad news - Puppy Arcade does not support your laptop.
Check the md5sum of your downloaded ISO matches the one on this page, and verify your burnt CD..
Peanutmans, commented at 25/05/2010
hi just wondering if joypad support has been improved in the new ver
thanks
Admin, commented at 26/05/2010
In some ways joypad support is much better in v8, although the list of supported devices is the same. :(
Which device do you have? Have you ever found Linux drivers for it?
John, commented at 26/05/2010
Just wanted to drop in and give you a big thanks for your devotion to this project. It seems you have provided a very awesome, very complete package here, and your tolerance to support individuals on a case by case basis in the comments here rivals any technical support I have ever encountered.
I intend to use this on a leftover PC in the near future, and was wondering where I could find a list of supported gamepads/joysticks.
Additionally, is there any way for individuals to create a cust
John, commented at 26/05/2010
[continued]
Is there any way for individuals to create a customized live CD (even better, a bootable USB drive) which can include user-specified ROMs?
If not, I have noticed Pmount can access other devices--can Pmount mount NTFS file systems?
To add your ROMs, use 'Remaster Live CD' in 'Menu->Setup'
And NTFS is fully supported
Roger Williams, commented at 05/06/2010
I finally found a linux distro that works with my hardware!
Man, this thing just *WORKS*!
Question:
Can any icons/shortcuts be added to the desktop?
Thanks!
Will Howard, commented at 09/06/2010
You have outdone yourself this time ... Ill have to give it a go!
Kurt, commented at 10/06/2010
no neogeo screenshot? and mame?
Admin, commented at 11/06/2010
No screenshots for NeoGeo or MAME. I show only a few.
Incidentally, NeoGeo is emulated by MAME in Puppy Arcade, although GnGeo packages are available on the fourm thread.
Admin, commented at 11/06/2010
Roger, yes they can. I will get back to you with the details. It takes a few steps to enable desktop icons, but it's simple and possible.
Roger, commented at 16/06/2010
This is exactly what my kids wanted :-) ....... is it possible to boot from USB-stick ?
Admin, commented at 16/06/2010
Yes it is...
Check out http://tinyurl.com/pa8installer
Admin, commented at 22/06/2010
I use Multiupload, not MegaUpload.. Although that is one of many mirrors available..
I get over 200 downloads a day, so don't have enough bandwidth to host it myself.
Micah, commented at 23/06/2010
Is there anyway I can dual boot this and windows 7 and/or xp?
Admin, commented at 23/06/2010
Here are some dual boot details, from the Puppy Linux forum:
http://tinyurl.com/plinux-dualboot
http://tinyurl.com/plinux-dualboot2
Arosas, commented at 03/07/2010
Is the download mirror is not working is there a way that you can make another one.
Thanks!
Admin, commented at 05/07/2010
Arosas, I will do that as soon as possible.. Thanks for your interest.
GeneralFaliure, commented at 07/07/2010
Puppy arcade is great, but your site is attracting a lot of spammers.
Greets, Ger.
Admin, commented at 08/07/2010
I know, sorry about that... When I get time, I'll add a captcha to the comments..
Arosas, commented at 08/07/2010
is there a way you can edit the updates on your site I've kept getting emails about updates on the comments. Thanks!
Admin, commented at 08/07/2010
Done. Sorry guys!!
Admin, commented at 12/07/2010
Added a direct download link for Puppy Arcade 8 to the main description.
Kgjihfmp, commented at 15/07/2010
Cool site good luck :)
Fmegppjz, commented at 15/07/2010
Excellent work, Nice Design
Ndra NCs, commented at 16/07/2010
Is there a modules for ext4 in puppy arcade? my other partition is in ext4 filesystem, i can't access it in puppy arcade.
thanks!
Admin, commented at 17/07/2010
To enable ext4, you can edit the init script inside initrd.gz. More info:
http://tinyurl.com/pup-add-ext4
http://tinyurl.com/pup-ext4
Ndra Ncs, commented at 19/07/2010
I was follow the link, but i stil can access my ext4 partition, i think the problem is because the kernel version TurboPup is not 2.6.31 like Puppy 4.3.1 used. But thanks!!
Admin, commented at 20/07/2010
OK, I thought replacing guess_fstype would do it.. But I will soon remake PA8 as an addon that can be added to any version of Puppy Linux.
Admin, commented at 28/07/2010
Puppy Arcade now available as an SFS file, so it can be added to any version of Puppy Linux:
http://tinyurl.com/pa8sfs
