Playing retro games is easy on a Raspberry Pi - and that pocket-sized computer is pretty good at it too! All you need is a little help to connect buttons and a joystick up and you can custom design your own arcade console, desktop or stand-up machine, even just a simple controller box. It makes for a fun weekend project that will last all year.

This Adafruit Arcade Bonnet is designed to make small emulator projects a little easier to build. Here's what you can look forward to!

It is the same size as a Pi Zero, so for really compact builds, this is super small. You can also use it with a Pi 2, 3, B+, 4, 5, or any 2x20 connector Pi.
It has JST sockets, so you can plug in six arcade buttons easily using our quick connects.
Header breakouts for use with both clicky-type switched joysticks and...
Header breakout and converter for using analog-type joysticks or thumbsticks with potentiometers inside.
A 3W digital speaker output that can drive 4-8 ohm speakers when using with a TV output, audio-less HDMI display, or PiTFT. Works even when the Pi doesn't have a headphone jack!
Switches are all managed with an I2C-GPIO converter with interrupt out. The converter is very fast and frees up all the pins, so you can use this Bonnet with a PiTFT or any other accessory/device that uses a lot of pins!

If you don't need an amplified speaker output, analog-joystick input or minimal pin usage, check out our plain-jane Retrogame tutorial, which just plugs all the buttons and joysticks right into the Pi directly.

This item is sold as a mini-kit, with a Bonnet and headers that need to be soldered in to attach it to a Raspberry Pi! It only takes a few minutes, but soldering iron and solder are required.

Note: The terminal block included with your product may be blue or black.

It also does not come with any of the extras, so you can choose which buttons/joysticks/speaker you want! Here is a list of the items you can use:

Joysticks:

Small Arcade Joystick
Mini Analog Joystick
Assembled 2 Axis Joystick
Analog Thumbstick
2 Axis Joystick
PSP Analog Joystick
PSP3000 Analog Joystick

To connect them, you may want some 20 x 12" Female jumper wires.

Speakers:

4 ohm 3 Watt speaker
8 ohm 1 Watt speaker
Mono enclosed speaker
Mini Metal speaker (may need to turn the volume down in Emulation station)
Thin Plastic speaker (may need to turn the volume down in Emulation station)

Arcade Buttons:

The JST connectors on the Bonnet mate perfectly with these quick-connects, which we really like.
Any of our Arcade buttons will work. You can use any switch you like, really – doesn't even need to be a button!
The translucent 30mm ones work nicely with the quick-connects and are recommended!

Note: Raspberry Pi, arcade buttons, joysticks, speaker, display, and quick-connect wires are NOT included, and must be purchased separately.

Once you've picked out all your buttons and joysticks and stuff, check out our Getting-started guide to help you get going!