Retroarch is now on Retail Mode (Xbox Series S/X)

[TomRiddle]

It's been a while since I've been involved with the Xbox Scene. I wanted to share something super cool with the community. You can now install Retroarch on your Xbox Series S/X or Xbox One on Retail Mode. You DO NOT need a whitelist. And no you will not get banned from Xbox Live. This is great because dev mode is no longer required. With retroarch on Retail Mode games have full access to the hardware and you have all of your games in one place. No longer do you have to switch back and forth when you want to play Xbox Games or Retro Games.



I've linked the video tutorial here so you can give it a watch if you prefer a more in depth guide. All credit goes to Gamr13. This guy is doing the lords work. Basically there are a few steps to getting Retroarch setup in Retail Mode on your Xbox.

1. Open Edge Browser
2. Navigate to https://gamr13.github.io/
3. Once there, click on Retroarch and select "Download App"
4. You will be taken to the Microsoft Store where you can download Retroarch.
5. After Retroarch is finished downloading just configure it, add your games and you're ready to go. Enjoy Retro Gaming on Retail.

That's it. If you have any questions drop them here.

Thanks for this news, now I can tell my friend that he doesn't have to purchase dev mode for retroarch while not getting banned in retail mode, I think he'll have a fun time...

 

[the_randomizer]

I don't know if it's been answered, but can you use the same config files from dev mode on retail mode or do I have to configure it all over again?

 

[wiired24]

I don't know if it's been answered, but can you use the same config files from dev mode on retail mode or do I have to configure it all over again?

Yes it's the same config file doesn't matter whether you're on dev or retail. If we're talking about Retroarch config files then yes.

 

[wiired24]

Thanks for this news, now I can tell my friend that he doesn't have to purchase dev mode for retroarch while not getting banned in retail mode, I think he'll have a fun time...

Yeah for sure haha. I don't think anyone will miss having to drop $20 just to get retroarch

 

[godreborn]

Yeah for sure haha. I don't think anyone will miss having to drop $20 just to get retroarch

how will I know for sure which is my external hdd if it's formatted by the xbox for bc games? is there a certain folder I should look for? I think I already have the Q drive, which I assume is an internal partition. the O drive seems to be the optical drive, since it made a sound when I tried to access it. I don't have the hard drive yet, probably not till next week or so.

 

[wiired24]

how will I know for sure which is my external hdd if it's formatted by the xbox for bc games? is there a certain folder I should look for? I think I already have the Q drive, which I assume is an internal partition. the O drive seems to be the optical drive, since it made a sound when I tried to access it. I don't have the hard drive yet, probably not till next week or so.

It will show up in Retroarch. It will be (Drive Letter) followed by a long sequence of characters.

 

[godreborn]

well, I just learned that you can't use the same drive for both xbox games and retroarch stuff. the external hdd isn't detected via ftp unless it's formatted as a media drive, where it will be drive D. you can use an ntfs drive as well, and I think if it's mbr formatted it won't ask you to format it if it's 2TBs, which is what I have.

 

[godreborn]

I got retroarch to work, had to format it to media. however, I can't get artwork or ps2 games to work. I'm using the same files I was using in dev mode.

 

[godreborn]

I had an idea that might work, putting boxart and other stuff on the internal drive. I'll let you know if it works.

 

[godreborn]

Yep, it worked. Everything needs to be on internal besides the games it would seem. The way it's setup using the drive as a media drive, it works when connected to pc and the internal drive is the Q drive, external is D. It doesn't ask to be formatted anymore if you save it as media.

 

[godreborn]

just to let you know, I got everything to work, including ps2 games, just needed to put all files except for the games on the internal ssd. one question though: I put the files in the local state folder of retroarch. does that mean that when there's a new update, the entire retroarch folder will be deleted, since you'll have to uninstall retroarch in order to install the new build? if so, is there anywhere else you can place the files to avoid having to retransfer your files?

 

[N7Kopper]

Yeah for sure haha. I don't think anyone will miss having to drop $20 just to get retroarch

Also it's RetroArch in dev mode, whereas this is RetroArch as a game. Pretty sure that makes a difference.

 

[godreborn]

Also it's RetroArch in dev mode, whereas this is RetroArch as a game. Pretty sure that makes a difference.

you can change from app to game in dev mode. think app uses 1GB of ram while game uses 4.

 

[Chary]

Is there any possible chance you can sync up a real Wiimote and use it on the series? Really curious if that'd work.

 

[wiired24]

Is there any possible chance you can sync up a real Wiimote and use it on the series? Really curious if that'd work.

Haven’t tried it myself but as long as the dolphin core supports it I don’t see why not

 

[godreborn]

Haven’t tried it myself but as long as the dolphin core supports it I don’t see why not

Does the dolphin core support wbfs?

 

[godreborn]

Is there any possible chance you can sync up a real Wiimote and use it on the series? Really curious if that'd work.

I was able to get wbfs running on dolphin on the series x, but I was unable to figure out any way to get a wiimote detected. if you go into controls, you can set the series x controller to wiimote, wiimote (vertical), etc., which you can set per game. I tried syncing the wiimote to the xbox with dolphin opened up, but it didn't detect the wiimote.

 

[N7Kopper]

I was able to get wbfs running on dolphin on the series x, but I was unable to figure out any way to get a wiimote detected. if you go into controls, you can set the series x controller to wiimote, wiimote (vertical), etc., which you can set per game. I tried syncing the wiimote to the xbox with dolphin opened up, but it didn't detect the wiimote.

I think you would need lower level access than userland to do that.

 

[godreborn]

I think you would need lower level access than userland to do that.

I'm not quite sure how it would work unless dolphin kept a config file with say the wiimote's mac address or something whenever you synced. retroarch still detects controllers, including the series x one, as an xbox 360 controller. I tried dkc returns. it doesn't seem to read the game name of the folder either, just the name of the wbfs, which is kinda annoying, since all my games are named like they normally would be with wii backup manager. it was a bit glitchy too.

 

[GABO1423]

Is there any possible chance you can sync up a real Wiimote and use it on the series? Really curious if that'd work.

Nope. It's impossible. And those adaptor accessories don't work either since it makes a Wii Remote emulate an Xbox Controller, which is in turn emulating a Wii Remote.