What You Need to Install Lakka on a PC
Before you get started, you’ll need the following items:
A spare Windows PC A USB flash drive A USB PC game controller
You’ll also need to download Lakka. Make sure to choose the download that works with any operating system. Depending on the CPU architecture of the PC, choose between the 32-bit or 64-bit version. You can tell if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows by checking the Control Panel. You may also need a program like 7-Zip to uncompress the Lakka installer files.
How to Create the Lakka Installer for PC
After you download Lakka, create the installer medium.
Download Win32 Disk Imager and install it on your computer. Plug the USB flash drive into the PC. Open Win 32 Disk Imager and select the blue folder under the Image File section. Locate and select the Lakka ISO file that you previously downloaded. Select the Device drop-down menu and choose the letter assigned to the USB flash drive. Select Write, then select Yes to proceed. This process deletes the files and data on the flash drive. Move the files you want to keep to your hard drive. Once the process is complete, remove the USB drive.
How to Install Lakka on a PC
To turn a Windows PC into a dedicated gaming device using Lakka:
With the computer turned off, plug the USB flash drive and game controller into the spare PC. After powering on the PC, enter the BIOS and modify the boot order so that it starts up with the USB flash drive. The Lakka bootloader screen appears. When you see the word boot, type installer, and then press Enter. On the main menu, select Install Lakka. Select your USB device and wait for the installation to complete. When prompted to do so, remove the USB drive, then select OK and Reboot. Once the reboot is complete, the Lakka main menu screen displays.
How to Add Games to Lakka
Lakka is based on the Retroarch emulator. If you know how to use Retroarch, you’ll feel right at home with Lakka. To add game files to your Lakka PC:
On a different PC, save the ROM file for the game you want to play on a flash drive. Plug the flash drive into your Lakka PC. From the Lakka main menu, go to Load Content > Start Directory > USB. Choose the ROM file for the game you want to play. If the ROM is contained in a compressed format, such as a ZIP file, select the entire file. Choose an emulator for the game system you want to use.
Where to Download Video Game ROMs
Downloading ROMs for games that you don’t own a physical copy of is illegal in many places. Nonetheless, a Google search can unearth thousands of ROM repositories for most retro consoles.
