Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max is better as a retro gaming device than a streamer

Here’s an open secret: every cheap streaming stick really sucks. Yes, it’s great that people can access so many shows and movies with devices that cost less than $50. It’s great that the best of them no longer force you to suffer from constant lags and performance issues. But over time, the Faustian bargain we make with these things becomes more and more evident. We save money upfront, then pay off our debt with a poor user experience.

I’ve been thinking about it since the purchase Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max few months ago. This is a good example of this handshake: it is been on sale for $40 for most of the last few months, and at that price, it’s material is a fantastic deal. It’s fast, works with major HDR and Dolby Atmos formats, and supports all the required apps.

But Amazon’s Fire OS is shamelessly bloated. Big, honking ads dominate the user interface, most of which put Amazon services like Freevee, MGM+ or Prime Video – always the bargain of blockbuster streaming services – front and center. Some ads directly promote products you can buy on Amazon. My friend, you haven’t seen the dystopian future until the top third of your 55-inch TV suggested you buy a KitchenAid espresso machine. Once I’m streaming something, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is great. But I must resist all the ads he peddles to me, to mentally block parts of the device I bought with my own money, to get the most out of it.

So why did I buy one anyway? Mainly because I don’t use it the way Amazon wants me to. Instead, I use it to emulate old video games, which is still the easiest route to my heart. Of course, it’s possible today to run retro games on just about anything: a PC, an iPhone, a million different handhelds, a fridge and more. You can do this sort of thing with other Android streamers such as Google Chromecast Or Amazon’s cheaper Fire TV Stick 4K Also. Delta emulator is now allowed on iOS, and you can also get there with an Apple TV as well, but via AirPlay instead of a native connection. I opted for 4K Max simply because it seems to have more of a performance safety net than most other low-cost streamers. And it’s much cheaper than a high-end box like the Apple TV or NVIDIA Shield.

Either way, having a dedicated device for TVs is convenient, unlike those non-streaming sticks. I’m not lugging a giant gaming PC from my office to my living room, and I’m not paying extra for a mini PC when I can spend a lot less on a dongle that emulates pretty well. Official consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 are full of retro games in their libraries, but far from everything. And even though I’m a collector who has spent way too much money on consoles and games from decades past, the process of getting that original hardware to work properly on a modern TV is difficult. notoriously laborious. Sometimes I just want to play half an hour of NHL ’94, Ken Griffey Jr. presents Major League Baseball Or the trigger of a stopwatch without having to take out the SNES (or Genesis), upscale and a bunch of cables from my closet. (Related: I’d also like a bigger apartment, but that’s life in New York.) Emulation on Fire TV Stick isn’t as faithful as the real thing in terms of picture quality, but it’s definitely playable and generally less so. a hassle to turn on and use.

After setting it up, of course. Turning a Fire TV Stick into a retro gaming center isn’t particularly complicated but does require a bit of preparation. There are plenty of tutorials that will walk you through the process, but here’s how I made it work. First of all, I needed some accessories: a Bluetooth controller, some kind of USB key (any old USB 2.0 model will do) and a OTG adapter with a microUSB connector that can power the Fire TV while connecting that external storage. I used that old SNES style 8BitDo controller, just to get a more period-appropriate feel, although a PS4 or PS5 gamepad would also work. The USB stick contains the ROM and BIOS files for the games and systems I want to emulate. This is where I remind you that Engadget does not tolerate piracy, and while emulators are perfectly legal, sharing ROMs over the Internet is not, so be careful. But backing up files from old games that I have already purchased, for personal use only, is game-roms-ever-legal” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:at least fuzzier;cpos:22;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>at least more vague.

After formatting my USB drive and loading it with my games, all I had to do was download the popular interface. RetroArch from the Amazon App Store, downloading the “cores” of each console I wanted to emulate in RetroArch, pointing the app to the correct folders on the USB drive, and setting up my gamepad controls. I’ve done this on dozens of devices over the past couple of years as I’ve delved deeper into the retro-gaming rabbit hole, so the whole process took me well under an hour . Debunking RetroArch would take me another 1,000 words, so I’ll direct you to this superb video tutorial by Retro game Corps. It’s long, but this thing always requires a little pain at first, and I think it’s worth it. Turning a device like this into something completely different feels like I’m getting away with something. It’s exciting, even if it means I finish looks like this guy.

As for what’s actually playable on this thing, I’ve found that 4K Max works best emulating consoles up to the original PlayStation. Games from the PS1, NES, SNES, game Boy, GBA, Genesis and older arcade machines were consistently smooth. It is technically It’s possible to run content from the N64, Dreamcast, PSP, or Nintendo DS, but those are more hit or miss, so I wouldn’t count on it unless you’re the type to sadist who likes to play with resolution scaling and cycling between the two. emulators. Still, that leaves me with hundreds of games to enjoy. Some are essential (Donkey Kong), some have been lost over time (UN Squadron), some make me want to defenestrate myself (Ecco the dolphin) and none are live service slags designed to disrespect my time.

I understand this is a weird niche business. Emulators are intimidating at first, and many old games feel like relics for a reason. Yet somehow, turning this ad- and data-riddled streamer into a retro mini console made me feel like I was regaining ownership of the gadget I paid for. The ads are still there and my home screen will continue to pester me to watch the Anne Hathaway movie. latest romantic comedy on Prime Video. (My wife and I gave in; it was fine.) But with a little trickery, I folded it to show more of what I I want to see – and I’ve gained an easier way to have nostalgic fun in the process.