Playbox Tutorial

TV arcade, power-on to first ROM.

Tight walkthrough for the dedicated retro box: boot ES-DE, play, add games, connect remotely, fix the usual gremlins.

Boot → ES-DEStraight into the library. Controller first.

NES → PSPClassics through handhelds + arcade.

Home + awayLAN at home. Tailscale when out.

1. Overview

Playbox is a dedicated mini-PC arcade. Boots into ES-DE, plays via RetroArch (+ a few standalone emulators), and exposes web tools for ROM management.

On the TV

ES-DE game browser
Controller-first navigation
Save states + quit hotkeys

On the network

RomM — drag-and-drop ROM manager
Syncthing — file sync
VNC — live TV screen
SSH — admin shell

Public tutorial: no passwords. Use private vault notes for credentials.

This is the TV arcade box

Dedicated gaming machine, not the main lab server.

Controller first, browser second

Play on TV. Manage ROMs from any device.

2. Power on and play

No login screen. Power → ES-DE → controller → go.

First session

Press power
Wait for ES-DE
D-pad to browse
Press A to launch
Hold Select + Start to quit

In-game shortcuts

Select + StartExit → menu

Select + RightQuick save

Select + LeftQuick load

Select + YFast forward

Kid-proof mode may lock RetroArch GUI. Home + Start is the exit path if configured that way.

Launched a game with A

Any short title is fine.

Quit back to ES-DE

Select + Start (or Home + Start).

3. Controller map

Default pad: 8BitDo SN30 Pro in Switch/USB mode.

Physical	Role	Notes
A (right)	Confirm	Launch in ES-DE
B (bottom)	Back	Cancel / run
X / Y	Face buttons	Nintendo-style layout
Minus / Plus	Select / Start	Hotkey combos
Home	Hotkey mod	Home + Start exits kiosk mode
D-pad + sticks	Move	USB is the reliable path

Bluetooth can show connected without creating a working input device. If buttons die after reboot: replug USB, restart kiosk.

4. Add games

Three ways in. RomM is the easy path.

Easiest RomM

Open RomM in a browser
Library → Upload ROMs
Drag and drop
Run Scan
ES-DE → Start → scan for new games

Other paths

Syncthing — drop into the shared folder → /srv/roms/
SCP — copy into the platform folder, then scan

scp game.zip mudly@PLAYBOX:/srv/roms/snes/

System	Folder	Example
NES	`/srv/roms/nes/`	`Mario.nes`
SNES	`/srv/roms/snes/`	`Zelda.sfc`
Genesis	`/srv/roms/genesis/`	`Sonic.md`
GBA	`/srv/roms/gba/`	`Metroid.gba`
N64	`/srv/roms/n64/`	`Mario64.z64`
PS1	`/srv/roms/psx/`	`.cue` + `.bin`
PSP	`/srv/roms/psp/`	`Game.iso`
Arcade	`/srv/roms/arcade/`	`sf2.zip`

Uploaded a ROM

RomM, Syncthing, or SCP.

Scanned in ES-DE

Title appears under the right system.

5. Access cheat sheet

LAN at home. Tailscale when away. Copy buttons work. No fake clickable service links that 404 from the public web.

Path	Address	When
Wi-Fi LAN	`192.168.0.125`	Home Wi-Fi
Ethernet	`192.168.0.124`	Wired backup
Tailscale	`100.108.150.102`	Away / stable remote

Web

RomM → http://IP:8080
Syncthing → http://IP:8384

Screen + shell

VNC → IP:5900
SSH → ssh mudly@IP

Skip macOS Screen Sharing for this box. Use TigerVNC / RealVNC / a phone VNC app.

PLAYBOX QUICK CARD
LAN Wi-Fi:  192.168.0.125
LAN Eth:    192.168.0.124
Tailscale:  100.108.150.102
RomM:       http://100.108.150.102:8080
Syncthing:  http://100.108.150.102:8384
VNC:        100.108.150.102:5900
SSH:        ssh mudly@100.108.150.102

6. Systems & cores

ES-DE is the front door. RetroArch cores (plus Flycast) do the work.

System	Core / emulator
NES	Nestopia
SNES	bsnes-mercury
GB / GBC	Gambatte
GBA	mGBA
NDS	DeSmuME
N64	Mupen64Plus-Next
Genesis	Genesis Plus GX
Saturn	Mednafen Saturn
PlayStation	PCSX-ReARMed
PSP	PPSSPP
Dreamcast	Flycast (standalone)
Arcade / Neo Geo	FinalBurn Neo

One game misbehaving? Try another core before blaming the ROM.

7. Fancy extras

Optional polish after the basics work.

CRT shaders

If menu access is unlocked: RetroArch shaders → try crt-easymode or crt-royale → save core preset.

Saves

Save state — instant snapshot
In-game save — normal battery/RPG saves

Themes

ES-DE → Start → UI Settings → Theme Set.

Achievements

RetroAchievements can be enabled in RetroArch if you want trophies on old games.

8. Common fixes

Most failures are kiosk, controller, Docker, or display.

Black screen / ES-DE dead

sudo systemctl status arcade-kiosk
sudo systemctl restart unbind-fbcon
sudo systemctl restart arcade-kiosk

Controller silent

ls /dev/input/js*
groups arcade
# replug USB, then:
sudo systemctl restart arcade-kiosk

RomM / Syncthing down

cd /srv/apps
docker compose ps
docker compose logs
sudo systemctl restart playbox-stack

Game → black

Try another core
Check folder + extension
PS1 needs matching .cue + .bin

TV black bars: Picture Size → Screen Fit / Just Scan.

9. Admin commands

For the maintainer. No secrets.

# status
sudo systemctl status arcade-kiosk
docker ps
htop
df -h

# restart frontend
sudo systemctl restart arcade-kiosk

# restart docker stack
sudo systemctl restart playbox-stack

# logs
journalctl -u arcade-kiosk -f
journalctl -u playbox-stack -f

# reboot
sudo reboot

Playbox tutorial