AmigaVision Expands Support to Raspberry Pi via RePlayOS
The AmigaVision project, widely regarded as a premier curated environment for Amiga games and the demoscene, has officially launched dedicated support for the Raspberry Pi. This move brings the low-latency performance previously associated with FPGA hardware to the accessible Raspberry Pi ecosystem.
Overcoming Technical Hurdles
Historically, the AmigaVision team withheld full support for the Raspberry Pi due to concerns regarding input latency, audio lag, and the complexities of outputting to analog CRT monitors. Standard emulation setups often struggle with these “feel” factors that are critical for authentic retro gaming.
The breakthrough came through a collaboration with the developers of RePlayOS, a custom Linux distribution designed specifically for retro gaming. Unlike most distributions that rely on RetroArch, RePlayOS utilizes libretro cores directly to minimize software overhead.
Key Performance Improvements
Through rigorous testing and development, the AmigaVision and RePlayOS teams achieved several technical milestones:
- Reduced Audio Latency: Audio lag has been lowered to 20–32ms (approximately 1–2 frames). This is significantly lower than typical Raspberry Pi emulation setups.
- Enhanced Input Stability: Fixes were implemented for mouse polling issues that previously caused erratic behavior in Workbench and specific game titles.
- ExFAT File System Support: By adopting exFAT as the default, users can now host the entire AmigaVision library on their storage media without the file-size or partition limitations found in older formats.
The Bridge to Analog: RGB-Pi Integration
For enthusiasts seeking a period-accurate experience, the new setup fully supports the RGB-Pi 2 adapter. This hardware converts the Raspberry Pi’s HDMI signal to a SCART RGB signal with zero added latency.
This functionality mirrors the “Direct Video” mode found on MiSTer FPGA systems, allowing the Raspberry Pi to output a native 15kHz signal compatible with consumer televisions and professional video monitors (PVMs).
Comparison of Platforms
While MiSTer FPGA remains the project’s benchmark for accuracy, the new Raspberry Pi implementation offers a highly competitive alternative.
| Feature | MiSTer FPGA | Raspberry Pi (via RePlayOS) |
| Setup Difficulty | Moderate | Easy (File copy) |
| Latency | Near-Zero | 1–2 Frames (Optimized) |
| CRT Support | Native/Analog Board | Supported via RGB-Pi |
| File System | ExFAT | ExFAT |
Implementation
The AmigaVision team has integrated RePlayOS as a fully supported platform. The installation process is designed to be user-friendly, requiring only a few file transfers to a microSD card. The project leads have indicated that further optimizations for the Raspberry Pi hardware are expected in future updates.
Checkout the AmigaVision website for more information.