I give up on Retroarch

[HextarVigar]

Just a little rant.

I know, i know, retroarch is amazing emulator of community, simply on union of better of better of games for games.

But, i believe what is no for me, every year (and already has some) i download retroarch, i try to use her, waste hours configuring, download cores, change theme and simply I always get tired her, in point i tired to try change a small detail and opening one, two, three menus for acess a small option to change, for found what i change in core wrong.

Just he is a big emulator your configuring is confuse e tired, nothing is simple to apply, I don't like any of the themes, mainly that one ps3.

I wanted be able to like him, i try serious, but i always after getting frustrated again with retroarch, i back for normal emulators that have simple configs, for exemplo, duckstation, PCSX2. I see a lot of cool stuff the community is releasing for him, I wanted to be a part of that.

Sometimes I think I'm just dumb for not knowing how to use it. ???

I prefer downloading emulators separately - it takes up less space.

 

[Sumea]

Small notice to people who noted in this thread that RetroArch has better emulation cores for some systems than anything standalone etc.
But if you hate RetroArch so much and do not know what F5 does when you are using it on Windows/Linux, I think one alternative for you "do it like 1998" people is BizHawk
If I remember Right BizHawk uses same/similar cores to retroarch and is a libretro something but should be all in all pleasing experience to those who find RetroArch not so much.

 

[HextarVigar]

Small notice to people who noted in this thread that RetroArch has better emulation cores for some systems than anything standalone etc.
But if you hate RetroArch so much and do not know what F5 does when you are using it on Windows/Linux, I think one alternative for you "do it like 1998" people is BizHawk
If I remember Right BizHawk uses same/similar cores to retroarch and is a libretro something but should be all in all pleasing experience to those who find RetroArch not so much.

I used it once and found the cores they had that I wanted were older ones. Anything I get from the emulator's site is generally fresh from the oven.

PCSX2 updates literally daily too, so it's easier to just use it directly.

 

[Trainer Red]

it seems the comments went from retroarch usage on mobile devices to how it goes on PCs ~ interesting

something to note again -
on ios you can access the overlays and place your own custom versions
on android you gotta root that apparently to see those folders :/ which is sad because i wanted to swap the overlay buttons to match the xbox controller i use

 

[Sumea]

it seems the comments went from retroarch usage on mobile devices to how it goes on PCs ~ interesting

something to note again -
on ios you can access the overlays and place your own custom versions
on android you gotta root that apparently to see those folders :/ which is sad because i wanted to swap the overlay buttons to match the xbox controller i use

That would be VERY false. The retroarch files on android are in accessible place I made one setup I thought I would use more than I did, but the files are accessible.

Also that point how this was about the phone version first, and also all the windows version users making complaints from one narrow viewpoint.

I swear I will make that RetroArch Q&A Thread.

 

[Trainer Red]

That would be VERY false. The retroarch files on android are in accessible place I made one setup I thought I would use more than I did, but the files are accessible.

I swear I will make that RetroArch Q&A Thread.

Yeah ? Where's the Overlay folder then? I can access that in iOS but not through Samsung's

 

[Sumea]

Yeah ? Where's the Overlay folder then? I can access that in iOS but not through Samsung's

You should try online updater on your samsung and first update the overlays, and see if the folder pops into that location from there, makes things easies.
If not, your default configuration on samsung has a weird location for overlays or needs to be set manually in directories setting. Usually if RetroArch has not generated a folder by itself you can just make one yourself, heck, anywhere and just config RetroArch in this setting menu to there.


This is the way I use my steam version of RetroArch, almost all of my Steam version directories point to the standalone version's directories making them share the same data with some benefits I can pull off, like using and updating non-steam cores.

 

[Trainer Red]

well then i can't really be *false* then ?‍ because we're practically comparing how retroarch sets itself up on PC compared to certain android OS ...

also i update the assets, controller, etc on a regular basis on the samsung phone
it shows where the default overlays folder is but there's no way to access it like i stated unless i change it's location to an accessible one ( which i already knew ) and there's no option in the menus i've looked through that'll just magically make it appear in the directory the moment i plugged it my phone to a PC

would be nice if liberto in the future makes the overlays folder visible like they made it be on ios

in the meantime ... ?‍ ?‍ ?‍ ?‍

 

[Sumea]

well then i can't really be *false* then ?‍ because we're practically comparing how retroarch sets itself up on PC compared to certain android OS ...

also i update the assets, controller, etc on a regular basis on the samsung phone
it shows where the default overlays folder is but there's no way to access it like i stated unless i change it's location to an accessible one ( which i already knew ) and there's no option in the menus i've looked through that'll just magically make it appear in the directory the moment i plugged it my phone to a PC

would be nice if liberto in the future makes the overlays folder visible like they made it be on ios

in the meantime ... ?‍ ?‍ ?‍ ?‍

This does not feel like libretro issue. The folder should be visible it is not hidden on any of six platforms I used retroarch on, including andoird phone I have used, this is a very much "happened to you" issue you think is a widespread issue needing address from the team. If the folder became actually a hidden folder or something, for real, on your samsung that is weird but likely not something mandated by RetroArch team.
You can usually access the folder if it is hidden by typing the path into address bar in explorer. My bet is that the folder is not generated or something makes the default location for it fucked. On android, NOTHING user installs aside licensing data and such meta is not out of reach from user's hands, everything android is more than less user accessible.

But being clear; Something weird happened with your phone with your RetroArch Installation in your part of the country at this time of year entirely located in your phone alone; And you are blaming RetroArch team for it. And it is an easy fix that you knew about and still elect to complain too.

 

[kuroninneko]

I been thinking about using Unity to make my own little front end for opening roms. Nothing fancy just box arts that open the correct rom and emulator. Possibly also a 3D model of the cartridge/disk being placed in the console. If using a naming convention such as no-intro it might also be possible to automate the rom list with linked box arts. If I do I will share it with the community

 

[Sumea]

would be nice if liberto in the future makes the overlays folder visible like they made it be on ios

in the meantime ... ?‍ ?‍ ?‍ ?‍

I made sure, current retroarch from Play Store indeed obsfuscates overlays into data folder by default, Which still is user accessible just not in the same location, but the data is not visible there. The defaults are indeed borked on android that you are not wrong about, but user can also fix this extra easily.
I also mentioned this to the RetroArch discord but may need bit more noise to become a fix, it is extremely likely unintentional. Play Store version has not been maintained in years so it is better to use F-Droid to keep RetroArch on android updated.

 

[DjQuick2008]

I like retroarch already set up by somebody else standalones are easier for me to use however. I had a hyperspin USB stick and completely messed up the menu controls.

 

[PurpleShoes]

I feel you, Retroarch is always so complicated and can never seem to map my controllers right. I've been messing with Saturn emulation lately, and I spent weeks of my life trying BeetleSaturn and messing with controller settings until I just downloaded Mednafen and it was so much simpler.

 

[Trainer Red]

I made sure, current retroarch from Play Store indeed obsfuscates overlays into data folder by default, Which still is user accessible just not in the same location, but the data is not visible there. The defaults are indeed borked on android that you are not wrong about, but user can also fix this extra easily.
I also mentioned this to the RetroArch discord but may need bit more noise to become a fix, it is extremely likely unintentional. Play Store version has not been maintained in years so it is better to use F-Droid to keep RetroArch on android updated.

yeah i figured as much :/
cause the app itself is able to access the com.retroarch folder ... but obviously when you try to view it through a PC it's not there ( kinda reminds me of how GTA San Andreas DE has it's save file hidden that way ... but the netflix version has it visible ... which is kinda unfair)

i felt like before in the past it was viewable in 2021 ... before they stopped the updates on google play
( i just install the apk off their website nowadays )

well hopefully they fix it up because i rather access the default folder than having to create a duplicate or ... umm folder filled with custom ? ( but then doing the updates would place all those overlays in that folder too heh )

anyway ... good luck ! hopefully it gets addressed
i'm sure if it was read they'd be like 'oh damn !'
here's to looking forward to 1.21.0 lol

 

[Sumea]

anyway ... good luck ! hopefully it gets addressed
i'm sure if it was read they'd be like 'oh damn !'
here's to looking forward to 1.21.0 lol

Yeah, I mentioned it in the discord which is a little help but it is a way some people involved with the project more than shitposting can see it. I mean, I think raising stink in discord few times and bumping threads few times in reddit about lack of JPG support for thumbnails made it so that current array of official RetroArch versions have had the support enabled. Vita actually seems to have issues with JPG format so I had to make optimized PNG's, overall smart Thumbnail setup when it comes to resizing into smarter resolution and file size is still user's job so hope every user knows batch image conversion tools.

Still, had to say when I was wrong, no idea why the data folder is also hidden unless that is actually caused by newer android versions being even securer than ever™

 

[DanCalibur]

I used to have a basic rule:
For emulators with modern interfaces (Duckstation, PCSX2, Dolphin, Cemu, Ryujinxs), use the standalone emulator;
For emulators with crappy interfaces (RetroArch, RetroArch, RetroArch, etc), use a unifying front end of your choice to fix that (Batocera, Retrobat, LaunchBox, etc).
But now all the standalone emulators are so perfectly integrated on the front ends that I don't even bother to use them anymore.

 

[Trainer Red]

Yeah, I mentioned it in the discord which is a little help but it is a way some people involved with the project more than shitposting can see it. I mean, I think raising stink in discord few times and bumping threads few times in reddit about lack of JPG support for thumbnails made it so that current array of official RetroArch versions have had the support enabled. Vita actually seems to have issues with JPG format so I had to make optimized PNG's, overall smart Thumbnail setup when it comes to resizing into smarter resolution and file size is still user's job so hope every user knows batch image conversion tools.

Still, had to say when I was wrong, no idea why the data folder is also hidden unless that is actually caused by newer android versions being even securer than ever™

All good ~ I kinda figured there was some misunderstanding as well
Anyway yeah I've been using Retroarch since 2019-2020 ... I was actually a lot like most of the people that post here ... hating the complexity at first ... but after giving it another try since I wasn't content with standalone emulators ... I ended up having to learn how to use it's functions properly

Actually you're correct on that part about the security thing
Samsung changed the way their UI behaved since UI One 5 ... or whatever version it was in 2021
That's when I first noticed they were starting to make certain folders less accessible
There was a time where it was actually difficult to have Retroarch read off the microsd card on a Note20 Ultra since the version back then wasn't able to read off external slots anymore -_- ( Glad they fixed that part later that year though )

Not sure about the other android variations but UI One has gotten more painstaking in accessing certain files ... I really do hope the overlays being hidden in the com.retroarch folder was just an oversight

I guess we'll see what happens in their future updates ... I'll take a look at their future.md at some point to see what else they plan on doing ... hopefully they read up on what you mentioned on discord !

Forgot to add ... one of the main reasons I mentioned overlay folder in the first place was I noticed that one of them made a tool to edit the overlay buttons
RetroPad Editor
I found it fun to play with ... but yeah ... would be nice to play around with the png in the default folder instead of creating an alternative

-------

Anyone that's reading this part and experiencing FPS drops while using citra / playing 3ds files... I sorta have an idea of what affects some of the lag ... I was playing around with the latency since I was trying to find a good number to pick for the input block delay from 0 to 4 for fighting games and keeping the polling behavior at normal ... when I switched to playing Rune Factory 4 I noticed the opening intro was actually playing without slow down o_o ( when it was at 4 it sounded so scratchy the audio >_< ) so it was nice to see this game play at 60fps mostly ! ... not sure about the other games but it's worth making some adjustments if there's anyone wanting to reduce the lag playing 3ds games even if it's just slightly ~

( eh I'm half awake so I hope whatever I just posted here makes some sense loll )

 

[_Lorenzo_]

With Retroarch I never had any major problems, although at first I was confused by all those unclearly divided options. With time and also some patience I can use it without problems, but I agree that standalone emulators are ultimately the best choice. Take Duckstation, Dolphin or PCSX2 for example: the sections are very clear with lots of captions when you hover over them with the mouse pointer. Incidentally, the Mednaffe GUI is also available (albeit currently in beta) for Mednafen, which makes the gaming and especially configuration experience much more appreciable.

 

[nattybohman]

Retroarch has quite a bit of a learning curve to it. I usually want a quick and easy experience when it comes to emulator setup and play, but I did hunker down and learn to use it...via the PS Vita version of Retroarch.
It was somewhat easier configuring it on a Vita due to the Retroarch build having cores pre-loaded on it, and from messing around with the software I do understand and appriciate how flexible and configurable the program is now.
As always you put the legwork in and you get results. Take a moment to stop to learn where the console systems files need to go, how to globally or locally save settings, and many other things.

If ONLY it was a moment. I downloaded one that was pre-configured for my Pi5 and it was fine. Unfortunately, I've already sunk a lot of time into RA and I'm in the same boat as many of the people posting above. I've given up on configuring it myself.

 

[Perseonn]

Sometimes I think I'm just dumb for not knowing how to use it. ???

You are not alone and not dumb. Retoarch is too convoluted for me too. I'd rather use multiple stand alone emulators than one for all emulators who's a navigational nightmare.

 

[Sumea]

If ONLY it was a moment. I downloaded one that was pre-configured for my Pi5 and it was fine. Unfortunately, I've already sunk a lot of time into RA and I'm in the same boat as many of the people posting above. I've given up on configuring it myself.

With that though, you end up with the problem of always buying your food from McDonald's since you don't cook for yourself. If you know how to cook for yourself, you also know how to fix issues and do tricks.

One thing from one comment above about clearly captioning the options (which I never seen a drop down menu do but ok) is that retroarch has captions but it is dependent on theme how readable they are. And I think currently the Ozone theme that is also the default is the worst for it and I would almost recommend the XMB theme with it's captions enabled for newbies, since aside most people not apparently liking it, it is one of the easiest ones to read/understand the concept with. Also historical since it was kinda first vision for retroarch, not somewhat abandoned under the Switch UI clone.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

Well this is a nice surprise. Started up Metroid Prime for Gamecube on Batocera. Not that long ago I'd updated; Last time i tried to play the D-Pad and Left Stick were interfering with eachother, so every time you tried to move you were switching modes at the same time (quite annoying, couldn't really fix it).

But now it works correctly...

 

[rugal]

do use retroarch its a pain to setup every time i need to install a new linux in my pc
to change all settings and disable alot of things i do not use takes time
its very complicated
but when retroarch is setup and running it works great

still i do have separate emulator installed so if i do not want to use retroarch i just use a emulator instead