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Review: Lakka 6.1
Quoting: DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. —
In my opinion, Lakka mostly works as it is designed to work. The distribution is meant to be just enough operating system to run RetroArch and it does this, on a variety of hardware platforms. So whether you think Lakka is a good fit for you will probably depend on your experiences and opinions concerning RetroArch.
Personally, I don't feel at home with Retroarch. To me, the interface feels like the worst aspects of consoles where there are a lot of options, but navigating them requires scrolling through each item, one at a time. Plus we need to load cores, media, and ROMs from another machine. Using RetroArch is like using a console without the plug-and-play controller support and without convenient access to games.
By comparison, I find using a laptop or desktop machine with a modern software centre (or Steam installed on it) a much smoother, more convenient, and easier to navigate experience. Though, admittedly, I'm reminded that I'm of an aging breed. My generation grew up with keyboards and mouse pointers, not touch screens and Wii controllers, so there is something to be said for personal preferences.
I will say though that the above observation is what makes me wonder about who the audience for Lakka and RetroArch is. The console-like interface is set up for people who like modern gaming consoles and their interfaces over, for instance, a keyboard or touchscreen. However, to load content onto the Lakka machine, the user needs to be familiar with Samba shares or OpenSSH command line tools. I'm not sure how big the overlapping area of the Venn diagram would be for people who like low-end computers, OpenSSH, and PlayStation style menus is, but my guess would be that is it small. However, if you live in that area of overlap then Lakka will be a breath of fresh air and can turn your low-level computer or Pi into an inexpensive gaming console.