Lakka, the lightweight operating system aimed at converting small computers like the Raspberry Pi into full-blown retro game consoles, recently hit version 5.0. This new release adds many updates and improvements that promise to further refine fans’ gaming experience of classic titles.
The core of Lakka 5.0 is based on LibreELEC 11.0, ensuring a stable and efficient operating environment. Major changes in this release include updated RetroArch, a frontend for emulators, game engines, and media players, to version 1.17.0. It is the backbone of Lakka’s gaming experience, allowing a polished interface and support for many emulator cores.
In light of this, special attention has been given to updating emulator cores to the latest version, which ensures better compatibility and performance with a wide diversity of classic games.
Notably, new core additions include “dirksimple,” a Dragon’s Lair player; “dosbox-core,” which supports classic DOS games; and “ep128emu,” which covers several old-school platforms like the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum.
At the same time, “geolith” comes with Neo Geo AES and MVS cartridge support for lovers of arcade systems, while “vitaquake2” ports Quake II over for platform fans. Other additions include “vircon32,” a virtual game console inspired by 16/32-bit systems, and that too with continuous updating, as seen in Lakka, which keeps supporting a wide variety of history in games.
Mesa 24.0.4 improves the graphics experience, and new support for NVIDIA GPUs is available in Linux kernel 6.1 versions built for some hardware platforms, such as Raspberry Pi. Lakka 5.0, on its part, now lands with refreshing its hardware support, including Raspberry Pi 5.
Meanwhile, the functionality to add compatibility has reached a new target: SBC devices from the BananaPi series, OrangePi 4 LTS, Radxa Rock Pi 4, and others. Thus, users can set up an even more flexible favorite retro gaming station.
Lastly, dynamic wallpapers and a new theme called ‘Retrorama’ for the XMB interface ensure that users enjoy excellent performance and an aesthetically pleasing gaming environment.
Despite these exciting updates, users are advised to check the Lakka GitHub page for a list of known issues and possible workarounds. For those eager to try out Lakka 5.0, it is available for download on the official website. The release announcement provides more about all the novelties in the new version.
