Dreamcast I'm looking for a Dreamcast emulator

[Coon]

Hello friends, I've started playing with the Dreamcast and have discovered a few good games. I just have a problem: I can't find a good emulator for Android that works properly. Is there even a good one for Android? I've tried Flycast and Reicast, but they don't work well.

 

[Glimbo]

The only other DC emu for Android is Redream.
It's a freemium emulator. You'll have to pay $6 if you want more than one save state slot and resolution upscale.

 

[Jellyjamlu]

Hello,
I Personally recommend RedDream, it's a very simple to use emulator with flexiblity for saving & speeding up the emulator if need be, although one small catch is to utilize most features like higher resolutions and more save state slots, you would need to purchase or find a Premium key.

I have personally used this emulator for months now and not ran into any real problems.

 

[Coon]

Hello,
I Personally recommend RedDream, it's a very simple to use emulator with flexiblity for saving & speeding up the emulator if need be, although one small catch is to utilize most features like higher resolutions and more save state slots, you would need to purchase or find a Premium key.

I have personally used this emulator for months now and not ran into any real problems.

Hello, what kind of device does this emulator need? A strong one or will a weak one work too?

 

[Enian]

Hello, what kind of device does this emulator need? A strong one or will a weak one work too?

Don't know about phones, but on my laptop it did hog more resources than PCSX2. Also, you can cheat the premium features. Don't remember how, or if the same method would work on Android. That said, Redream was the most solid Dreamcast emulator I tried.

 

[thecrow2313]

Hello friends, I've started playing with the Dreamcast and have discovered a few good games. I just have a problem: I can't find a good emulator for Android that works properly. Is there even a good one for Android? I've tried Flycast and Reicast, but they don't work well.

What android device are you using? What are the specs?

 

[Coon]

Finally, a glimmer of hope! Thank you, friends. This console is new territory for me; I have no experience with it.

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:01 PM

What android device are you using? What are the specs?

I have an Android device with Android 9, an octa-core processor from MediaTek, and around 2 GB of RAM. It's a medium-low-performance device, I'd say.

 

[thecrow2313]

Finally, a glimmer of hope! Thank you, friends. This console is new territory for me; I have no experience with it.

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:01 PM

I have an Android device with Android 9, an octa-core processor from MediaTek, and around 2 GB of RAM. It's a medium-low-performance device, I'd say.

Adjust settings to your liking to avoid hiccups, it'll still play, ymmv.

 

[Jellyjamlu]

Hi, the weakest device I have personally used Redream on is a Steam Deck both handheld mode and docked mode, it works pretty darn perfectly for me, so i assume specs aren't particularly high.
Give it a whirl!

 

[Enian]

Hi, the weakest device I have personally used Redream on is a Steam Deck both handheld mode and docked mode, it works pretty darn perfectly for me, so i assume specs aren't particularly high.
Give it a whirl!

To be fair, the Steam Deck is also not a particularly low spec device.

 

[OPT1MUS]

@Coon - Weird, I use Flycast v2.2 and it works great even with "heavy" games like - for example - Daytona, Soul Calibur, etc.
From what I know, it also works well on low-end devices...

What doesn't work well for you???

 

[Coon]

@Coon - Weird, I use Flycast v2.2 and it works great even with "heavy" games like - for example - Daytona, Soul Calibur, etc.
From what I know, it also works well on low-end devices...

What doesn't work well for you???

My device is probably too weak for that, I don't know. It works, but sometimes it crashes or just freezes.

 

[thecrow2313]

@Coon - Weird, I use Flycast v2.2 and it works great even with "heavy" games like - for example - Daytona, Soul Calibur, etc.
From what I know, it also works well on low-end devices...

What doesn't work well for you???

CI builds @ https://flyinghead.github.io/flycast-builds/
2.5 @ https://github.com/flyinghead/flycast/releases/tag/v2.5

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:32 PM

My device is probably too weak for that, I don't know. It works, but sometimes it crashes or just freezes.

Try current stable

Release v2.5: DCNet, new on-screen gamepad, DreamConn+ and DreamPicoPort adapters · flyinghead/flycast

What's Changed DCNet: a free dedicated VPN service for Dreamcast games that only needs a basic Internet connection. 30 game servers are already available and more are coming. Improved on-screen ga...

github.com

 

[Coon]

Redream runs better than I thought, even though it's only a free version. Such crap, really, why does every emulator always run differently!

 

[OPT1MUS]

@Coon - Oh, I see.
Well, as thecrow2313 just said, try that stable version he linked.

Anyway - when malfunctions happen - usually it is better to first try previous versions, which very often work better.

 

[qw90700]

My device is probably too weak for that, I don't know. It works, but sometimes it crashes or just freezes.

Well it can be many things:

- Not enough RAM.
- Increased heat make the system lower the performance so hard emulator experiences freeze and crash.
- Both of the above.

Considering it's an emulator you do need extra hardware resources for stable gameplay. Unless a smartphone is expensive and what a Christmas miracle they actually cared to develop it decently they are usually trash, not even ok for very old consoles', even rubbish Nintendo handheld consoles' emulation.

The mathematical formula is:

Heat + rubbish smartphone = screen doesn't work anymore and repair of the screen usually costs as much the phone itself lol. Does emulation worth to play on a rubbish smartphone is the actual question here.

IDK I would rather buy a Steam Deck for such stuff.

 

[thecrow2313]

Well it can be many things:

- Not enough RAM.
- Increased heat make the system lower the performance so hard emulator experiences freeze and crash.
- Both of the above.

Considering it's an emulator you do need extra hardware resources for stable gameplay. Unless a smartphone is expensive and what a Christmas miracle they actually cared to develop it decently they are usually trash, not even ok for very old consoles', even rubbish Nintendo handheld console's emulation.

The mathematical formula is:

Heat + rubbish smartphone = screen doesn't work anymore and they usually cost as much the phone itself lol. Does emulation worth to play on a rubbish smartphone is the actual question here.

IDK I would rather buy a Steam Deck for such stuff.

I agree with you there. Planned obsolesce.

 

[Morgana Veil]

Redream works great on low-powered devices. I have Batocera on an HP Chromebox 2.

(One of these E-waste POS's)

Specs
CPU: Intel Celeron 3215U
RAM: 4GB DDR3L.
Gpu: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500.
Mind you I installed Batocera on it for Shits n' Giggles. To my surprise, Redream ran pretty well up to 720p on the Chromebox. So I would say that for a phone, it would run fine, maybe even at 1080p.
Well, if you fork over the 6 batbucks for the license anyway.

But just out of the box, it runs spectacularly well. Also, you don't need BIOS for Redream.

 

[nobitakun]

Redream works great on low-powered devices. I have Batocera on an HP Chromebox 2.

View attachment 95178
(One of these E-waste POS's)

Specs
CPU: Intel Celeron 3215U
RAM: 4GB DDR3L.
Gpu: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500.
Mind you I installed Batocera on it for Shits n' Giggles. To my surprise, Redream ran pretty well up to 720p on the Chromebox. So I would say that for a phone, it would run fine, maybe even at 1080p.
Well, if you fork over the 6 batbucks for the license anyway.

But just out of the box, it runs spectacularly well. Also, you don't need BIOS for Redream.

These devices are magnifficient, I mean their format factor. You can even install Linux or Batocera in those and enjoy life. I've bought a bunch of them for fun at ridiculous prices. My last adquisition was an Intel N5095 with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for 15€, but they usually don't go for those prices although from time to time one of these pop up. People don't like low powered devices nor anything that does not start with i3-i5-i7 or Ryzen, so finding them cheap is quite easy. You can even use thin clients for that purpose.

I don't know how is the second hand market in your country, but I am sure you can find bargains that can allow you to play Dreamcast comfortably :)

 

[Morgana Veil]

These devices are magnifficient, I mean their format factor. You can even install Linux or Batocera in those and enjoy life. I've bought a bunch of them for fun at ridiculous prices. My last adquisition was an Intel N5095 with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for 15€, but they usually don't go for those prices although from time to time one of these pop up. People don't like low powered devices nor anything that does not start with i3-i5-i7 or Ryzen, so finding them cheap is quite easy. You can even use thin clients for that purpose.

I don't know how is the second hand market in your country, but I am sure you can find bargains that can allow you to play Dreamcast comfortably :)

Yeah, these are more or less junk here. Most people sell them for 5 or 10 bucks, if even that.
The particular one I got, I think I paid 3 USD for it. I got it home, threw the write protection screw in the trash, and installed Linux on it for a while, then Batocera.

Now it's in a drawer or box somewhere. I haven't used it in well over 2 years

 

[nobitakun]

Yeah, these are more or less junk here. Most people sell them for 5 or 10 bucks, if even that.
The particular one I got, I think I paid 3 USD for it. I got it home, threw the write protection screw in the trash, and installed Linux on it for a while, then Batocera.

Now it's in a drawer or box somewhere. I haven't used it in well over 2 years

Wow, for that price I would prepare a Batocera machine for every member of my family and place it at their homes so I can play when I am there lol.

 

[Morgana Veil]

Wow, for that price I would prepare a Batocera machine for every member of my family and place it at their homes so I can play when I am there lol.

Or just take it with you. You can almost fit them in a pocket

 

[Fateman 2006]

I'm using flycast to play grandma, I recommend you give it a try.

 

[minimug]

like everyone else has said- "flycast" core through retroarch or redream for a standalone. both work on android. redream premium might be worth $6 extra for some nice features, but the free version is solid

 

[Morgana Veil]

but I am sure you can find bargains that can allow you to play Dreamcast comfortably :)

Oh, for emulation I have a Dell Optiplex 790 Tower with a GeForce GTX 1650 OC edition GPU.
16 GB of DDR3 RAM, an i7-2600 CPU at 3.40 GHz, and a 1 TB SSD for storage.
I don't play anything past the Wii U anyway, so it works perfectly for what I want. I rarely play anything past PS2 and Dreamcast anymore. I got the computer for, I think 50 USD and I had the GPU and RAM on hand anyway.

I also bought a GIGABYTE 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular Power Supply for it.
It's a bit overkill, but I can always use it in something else if I need to. I think it was around 55 USD, give or take.