One of the cool things about the Banana Pi is that it allows you to basically do whatever you want. One of the applications of the Banana Pi is that it can be used as a media device, and even in this aspect, it isn't restricted to movies and music. The Banana Pi has a much more robust hardware than the Raspberry Pi. The Banana Pi allows you to play games on Android and Linux, which is something that the Raspberry Pi can't quite handle.
There are a few options when it comes to playing games on the Banana Pi. You are restricted to the fact you are still on Linux, which requires support. We are also running an Arm board. So, there will be a restriction on the hardware that the games are built for. I have found that retro game emulators and anything that is built for Android works great. The following picture shows Mario being played on the Banana Pi that runs on Android:
The main focus of this book has been running Linux and building some awesome stuff, but when it comes to gaming, Android beats Linux. Most of the games for Android are designed for a touchscreen. If you are using a touchscreen display, you are in luck. Otherwise, you will need to find some other alternatives.
Unfortunately, the Banana Pi lacks Xbox 360 controller support. However, other controllers are supported. The best controller that I have found so far is an app called BT Controller on the Google Play Store that I can use on my phone or tablet. Of course, this assumes that you are using an Android phone or tablet. The following screenshot shows the BT Controller app for Android:
Setting up BT Controller is simple. You have a couple of options that are easy to configure. First, on the Banana Pi, you will need to set the controller as the server. On the phone, you will need to search for the IP address of the Banana Pi. I have only been able to get the Wi-Fi part of this working as the Banana Pi has not been able to use any of my Bluetooth accessories on Android, but they work fine on Linux. This may be a hardware issue with the Bluetooth dongles that I have available here.
The following image shows the controller app running on a phone:
Some games work better than the others, but the hardware on the Banana Pi has been proven to provide great results. You are only going to miss out on touchscreen games, which won't be an issue if you have a touch-enabled display connected to the Banana Pi.
Classic game emulators for systems such as Nintendo 64 and Play Station work perfectly. I can't tell you where to get games for them. The controller support is generally quite robust and supports a perfect gameplay. At this point, the Banana Pi can be considered the ultimate media device.