Can’t afford the C64 Ultimate? Worry not, as you can emulate any classic PC or home computer with a Raspberry Pi 500+
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced a new version of the Raspberry Pi 500, the all-in-one SBC built into a keyboard. Following on the heels of the 500, the 500+ comes with an incredible 16GB of RAM and programmable RGB LEDs inside the mechanical keyboard. It’s an incredible package, one that you can use to run pretty much any emulator.
With the keyboard, that makes it particularly suited to use as a C64, BBC Model B, BBC Archimedes, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari 400/800, Amiga, Atari ST, or even an old-style MS-DOS IBM PC. Plenty of other computer platforms can also be emulated on a Raspberry Pi 500+, and it’s a lot more affordable than a Commodore 64 Ultimate.
(I’m in the process of installing a DOS emulation system onto a Raspberry Pi 5 over on Patreon.)
The machine also features an M.2 socket for NVMe SSD storage devices.
Raspberry Pi 500+ hardware specification
Here are the full specs of the Raspberry Pi 500+
- 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, with cryptography extensions, 512KB per-core L2 caches and a 2MB shared L3 cache
- 16GB LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM
- Internal 256GB Raspberry Pi SSD
- Support for M.2 NVMe SSDs up to 2280 form factor
- 84-, 85- or 88-key mechanical keyboard (depending on regional variant)
- Gateron KS-33 Blue low-profile switches
- Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi®
- Bluetooth 5.0, BLE
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 2 × USB 3.0 port and 1 × USB 2.0 port
- Horizontal 40-pin GPIO header
- 2 × micro HDMI® port (supports up to 4Kp60)
- H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
- OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics
- SD card support: microSD card slot for operating system and data storage
- Power: 5V DC via USB-C connector
The new Raspberry Pi 500+ is more expensive than both the Pi 500 and 400, retailing at $200 or £172. Head to the Raspberry Pi 500+ listing page to find a local retailer.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
