retropie on raspian

https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Manual-Installation

Install RetroPie

After that, we install the needed packages for the RetroPie setup script:

    sudo apt-get install git lsb-release

Then we download the latest RetroPie setup script with

    cd
    git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup.git

The script is executed with

    cd RetroPie-Setup
    chmod +x retropie_setup.sh
    sudo ./retropie_setup.sh

The screen should look like this then:

Full Install

Manage Packages >> Quick Install

This will install the core and main packages which are equivalent to what is provided with the RetroPie SD image.

Now, you have to copy your rom files into the ROMs directory. If you followed the steps above the main directory for all ROMs is ~/RetroPie/roms (or /home/pi/RetroPie/roms, which is the same here). In this directory there is a subdirectory for every emulated system, e.g., nes, snes, megadrive. Attention has to be taken for the extensions of the ROM files. All the information needed for each system is detailed in this wiki (see wiki home page or sidebar for systems)

EmulationStation can be run from the terminal by typing emulationstation in the terminal

Partial Install

Say you don't want to bloat your system with all of RetroPie- you also have the option to only install the emulators you want.

You will want to start by installing the core packages.

Core Packages

The core components needed for RetroPie to function are:

• RetroArch: Frontend for the libretro api, necessary for most emulators to run.
• EmulationStation: Frontend for sorting and launching all of your games.
• RetroPie Menu: Menu in emulationstation for simpler configuration of your system.
• Runcommand: The runcommand launch menu that assists launching your games with proper configurations see related wiki page HERE.

Main / Optional / Experimental

Emulators can be installed and updated individually from the Main, Optional, and Experimental packages.

Samba Roms

If you want to use samba shares you can set them up from the setup/tools option of the retropie setup script.

Boot to emulationstation

Follow the steps here: https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/FAQ#how-do-i-boot-to-the-desktop-or-kodi

If you're booting to the desktop you'll want to disable the retropie splashscreen from the setup script first.

Further Optimizations:

On Debian Jessie add consoleblank=0 to the existing line in /boot/cmdline.txt (with a space before it so it's an additional parameter). This prevents the screenblanker kicking in. With it, runcommand dialog is always displayed.
There is also a gui option in RetroPie-Setup -> Configuration / Tools -> Raspbian Tools to disable the blanker, but it doesn't work in Jessie due to a Debian bug.

https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/FAQ#where-did-the-desktop-go