Mini PC and Batocera: The ultimate portable LAN party setup

The mid-2000s were incredible for local area network (LAN) gaming experiences. We had the absolute magic that was Halo 2, which essentially kicked everything off with excellent local multiplayer support. I recall gaming into the early hours of the next morning with a bunch of friends playing through Halo and even running events to see which team could smash through the campaign on legendary first. It was a different time from how gaming is handled today, with everything usually carried out online. Even if you get together, there's a good chance your actual game will still pass through your router to the outside world.

Setting up LAN parties just isn't the same anymore. Gone are the days of messy cables, bulky CRT monitors, and old TVs hogging all the space. I even remember Unreal Tournament 2004 fondly with its array of custom maps, many of which are still available from archives today. Gaming is just different today, which is why it requires a new approach to kick-start and relive those fond memories. I've used an affordable mini PC, free software, and a few controllers to create the ultimate portable LAN party experience that can be taken just about anywhere with a power source and a large enough screen.

Mini PCs are excellent for local gaming

Ample power and I/O

There is no shortage of mini PCs, costing as little as $200 all the way up to north of $1,000, depending on what you need it to do. I opted for the GMKtek NucBox K8 Plus with its impressively powerful AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor and speedy DDR5 RAM. Powering this setup is a copy of Batocera, a free Linux distro that focuses on providing a big-screen gaming experience. Think similar to your Xbox or PlayStation, but with the capabilities to launch just about any game you could imagine. This combination transforms a simple mini PC that could be attached to the rear of an office PC into a versatile gaming machine.

Whether I require something for a LAN event like Insomnia or bring it along for a quick gaming session with friends, a mini PC makes perfect sense. Although compact and much smaller than a Microsoft or Sony console, the NucBox K8 Plus is very potent with a surprising amount of power for such a small form factor. The star of the show is clearly the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, a high-performance mobile processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. This thing can boost all the way up to 5.1GHz, and the integrated Radeon 780M graphics easily handles games at decent settings. It won't run Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K, but this iGPU is just what I require.

This mini PC relies on USB-C power delivery, allowing me to use any charger that can pump out enough current. HDMI and DP ports are also available for connecting any display, and since Batocera is optimized for gaming with gamepads, we don't need a mouse and keyboard for setting everything up. This means I can go from zero to hero with a killer LAN setup in less than a few minutes. While at home, the K8 Plus sits below our 55-inch TV, which provides a dream canvas for enjoying all our favorite games, including everything from Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis to It Takes Two on Steam.

I managed to pick up the K8 Plus for around $390, which isn't a terrible value since I already had an NVMe drive and some RAM to use inside the mini PC from another device. The mini PC itself has two fans, one dedicated to the CPU (and GPU) and a second larger one on top of the device for all the other internal components. This is great for not only keeping the system cool under load, but also ensures we get as much performance out of the K8 Plus as possible when gaming hard with more than one player. Installing and running Batocera was just as easy.

Batocera works like magic

It's not just for retro gaming

You've likely heard of Batocera, but if you've somehow been under a rock long enough, it's essentially a Linux-based distro that supports various emulators and even Steam. With a legally obtained ROM collection at hand, it's possible to load up the Batocera PC with all your favorite games and load each one from the same interface. Batocera handles the rest, everything from connecting your gamepad, launching emulators, and making sure it all works. The best part is that most of it is automatic. Once game files are detected, all the systems will start to populate from within the GUI.

Playing classic titles with friends (and a loved one) is a great way to enjoy some healthy doses of nostalgia, though it's also possible to load up your Steam library on the Batocera installation and download multiplayer games that can be launched from within the UI. If you've never heard of Jackbox Party Pack, it's a collection of small games that can be played with nothing but your smartphone, allowing for up to eight players for local gameplay. But you've got some other options like Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Stardew Valley, Castle Crashers, and even UNO.

If you're intrigued to try Batocera, here's how to get it up and running:

1. Download Batocera.
2. Write the downloaded ISO to an available USB drive (use Rufus if you need some way to create a bootable drive).
3. Connect the USB drive to the mini PC (or the device you wish to use for a gaming rig).
4. Fire up the PC and Becotera using your system's UEFI or boot menu.

Batocera can run from the USB drive, but I recommend installing it on an SSD. This can be carried out by going into the settings and selecting "Install Batocera on a new disk". Now, every time you boot the system, Batocera will automatically load up the home screen with quick access to all your loaded games. With all this configured, anyone could turn on the big screen and the K8 Plus and be greeted by the home screen in a few seconds, making it easy for even those less tech-savvy than I to enjoy a game or two. But it doesn't have to be a brand-new mini PC to run Batocera.If you have an old laptop, PC, or some other device that can run Batocera and has some sort of integrated graphics, you should be good to run some multiplayer games up to a specific generation of console emulation. All you need alongside Batocera and your chosen system is some popcorn, a few drinks, and lots of laughter.

Building the ultimate LAN console

Although gaming has gradually moved to the online space, it's still possible to enjoy countless classics and even some modern games without requiring an internet connection. That's where Batocera and a compact mini PC such as the GMKtek NucBox K8 Plus come into play. You don't even need a powerful mini PC to achieve decent results. There are resources available that can show just how far you can push the mini PC with Batocera and whether it can achieve FHD or above with all the supported consoles. Now, if you'll excuse me, we've got Streets of Rage II to finish.