# Just got my first smartphone and well, heh



## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

My shitty flip-phone finally conked out after nearly four years of use   So I went to my local retailer and traded it for in-store credit for a somewhat low-end Android smartphone. But the CPU is actually quite decent, a 1.4 GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm MSM8230 (I think, decent, emulators should work), micro SD support to 32 GB SDHC, which is plenty for my needs, esp. for pics, music, and uh, *cough* backups *cough*. Also a Snapdragon 400 GPU, which also, isn't the worst on the market AFAIK, so for Snes9x, RetroArch, maybe even ePSXe, speed shouldn't be much of an issue.  Not the most high end or most powerful, but hey, it's helluva lot more powerful than my last phone 

So, this leads me to asking questions on what I can do to get the most out of this device, with the in-store trade of my old phone, I didn't have to pay, plus it was on sale, around 55 dollars.  While I don't expect anything super miraculous, emulation shouldn't be much of an issue, correct? And with the fact it has Bluetooth support, could I use a BT controller instead of the touch screen for emulators? It's my first Android phone, and it came with Jellybean, I suppose I could go with Kitkat, but I hear that version has issues with loading files off of SD cards (like games, music, etc), is that true?

The phone is a Z740G, once more, I didn't nor do I want to go high end for quite some time, just need some pointers and other tidbits to get me rolling


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## mrtofu (Nov 6, 2014)

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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

WatchGintama said:


> Play some mobile games like Monster strike, Puzzle and Dragons, etc. You've been missing out on these. Flip phones only play tetris and snake.


 

And emulators? They should work fine with specs like that, correct?  Are those freely available on the Google Play store, those games you mentioned? Sorry for the numerous questions, I've a lot of catching up to do


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## mrtofu (Nov 6, 2014)

deleted


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## Joe88 (Nov 6, 2014)

that cpu will handle the emulators fine
looking at the specs it seems they cheaped out on the screen (4" @ 480x800) and ram (1GB) and internal storage (4GB) though lucky there is a microsd slot at least


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

WatchGintama said:


> Monster strike and Puzzle and Dragons are both free. I'll save you time and link you some games:
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.gungho.padEN&hl=en
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.mixi.monsterstrikeUS
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mistwalkercorp.guardians
> ...


 

Ah, well, good to know, and thanks for the links 



Joe88 said:


> that cpu will handle the emulators fine
> looking at the specs it seems they cheaped out on the screen (4" @ 480x800) and ram (1GB) and internal storage (4GB) though


 

Yeah, they did, but I didn't expect miracles for $50 (after the discount from the trade-in and the store sale), but emulators running fine is a big plus. The screen does look pretty nice nonetheless, so not a deal-breaker  And recommended apps? I know that Android doesn't like installing apps on external flash (i.e SDHC or Micro SD), but other files, like ROMs, music, etc would still run fine off of those, correct? And, it seems to have Bluetooth, would I be able to sync a BT controller to it? I only ask as I've never played an emulator on a touchscreen before. Once again, I'm still quite new to Android   The internal storage is pretty bad, and it is expandable via micro SD, but what can I use that for if apps won't install on there?


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## Joe88 (Nov 6, 2014)

you can keep roms on the external storage as well as music, videos, documents, pics, ect... will all be able to read fine
I use the .emu apps for emulation https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Robert Broglia you can get them for "free" if you know where to look
bluetooth controllers will work fine assuming its not a piece of junk

as far as kitkat, im not seeing an official upgrade so you might be stuck on jellybean
the problem is there doesnt seem to be much a community for this device, so finding rooting methods, customs roms, kernel mods, ect... will be significantly difficult

the majority of my recommend apps require root access unfortunately


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

Joe88 said:


> you can keep roms on the external storage as well as music, videos, documents, pics, ect... will all be able to read fine
> I use the .emu apps for emulation https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Robert Broglia you can get them for "free" if you know where to look
> bluetooth controllers will work fine assuming its not a piece of junk
> 
> ...


 

I believe I may have seen a few videos, but that can be risky and will void the warranty I'm sure, so far, I've seen http://hexamob.com/devices/devices-...te-z740g-with-android-version-4-x-jelly-bean/ how trustworthy it is, well, yeah, I fear lest I screw something up, once again, I don't expect to do miracles (that would cost way more than I want to spend), so, for now, well, anything's better than the old phone I had.


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## The_Dragons_Mast (Nov 6, 2014)

Rooting really isn't that risky. It's what you can do while rooted that can screw up your phone. As for warranty, if the device turns out to have some defect unrooting is quite simple & leave very little traces behind & even those can be removed by a factory reset if your need the extra insurance.

For rooting you can try the SRS method in your link or try Framaroot. Worst case scenario is that they will do nothing, so don't be afraid of giving it a try.

In case you decide to go ahead & root the main app that I would recommend is Link2Sd. It will allow you to install apps on your microsd which will save you from the pain of only being able to install 10 apps at a time.


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## Nathan Drake (Nov 6, 2014)

Rooting isn't dangerous for most phones, but do be wary: my old phone worked great until I rooted it. Only a couple weeks later, it got stuck in a bootloop and became a fantastic brick that absolutely refused all potential fixes, and no, I didn't do anything but install a couple of harmless apps that needed root access. I know my situation isn't common, but do pay attention if there are any warnings regarding rooting and your phone. They aren't to be taken lightly. All things considered, the average user doesn't really need to root anyways. Emulators work fine without rooting, games work fine without rooting, the majority of misc apps work fine without rooting, etc. If you want to flash a custom ROM, root away. Otherwise I'd just pass on it and enjoy your phone as is.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

The_Dragons_Mast said:


> Rooting really isn't that risky. It's what you can do while rooted that can screw up your phone. As for warranty, if the device turns out to have some defect unrooting is quite simple & leave very little traces behind & even those can be removed by a factory reset if your need the extra insurance.
> 
> For rooting you can try the SRS method in your link or try Framaroot. Worst case scenario is that they will do nothing, so don't be afraid of giving it a try.
> 
> In case you decide to go ahead & root the main app that I would recommend is Link2Sd. It will allow you to install apps on your microsd which will save you from the pain of only being able to install 10 apps at a time.


 

Yeah, I'll keep messing around with it (getting use to it, try out emulators and so on, which this device seems to be quite capable or running quite well), also it has VLC player, er, well, I got from the Play Store; solid app right there  



Nathan Drake said:


> Rooting isn't dangerous for most phones, but do be wary: my old phone worked great until I rooted it. Only a couple weeks later, it got stuck in a bootloop and became a fantastic brick that absolutely refused all potential fixes, and no, I didn't do anything but install a couple of harmless apps that needed root access. I know my situation isn't common, but do pay attention if there are any warnings regarding rooting and your phone. They aren't to be taken lightly. All things considered, the average user doesn't really need to root anyways. Emulators work fine without rooting, games work fine without rooting, the majority of misc apps work fine without rooting, etc. If you want to flash a custom ROM, root away. Otherwise I'd just pass on it and enjoy your phone as is.


 

Right, but the option's always there, one advantage I've heard of is uninstalling bloatware to free up the internal space, but I really don't need all that much, esp. if I can buy a cheap 16 or 32 GB micro SDHC card to store pics or music or well, games for emulators *ahem*.  Aside from that, I have no intent on rooting it, for now. Sure, it isn't on Kitkat, but for my purposes, it's more than sufficient. Also, since it has Bluetooth, that means I could get a BT controller for that and use it for emulators, correct? I've honestly never used an emulator for a touchscreen, so, I've no idea on how comfortable or precise those controls are.


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## Joe88 (Nov 6, 2014)

You should check out mx player instead, much better then vlc

And adobe flash
http://download.macromedia.com/pub/...roid/11.1.115.81/install_flash_player_ics.apk

Firefox is one of the last browsers to still support flash


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## Clydefrosch (Nov 6, 2014)

yes you can use a bluetooth controller, though be wary that once in a while, cheap bluetooth things dont work wonders with one another.

as for playing on touch screen, dont bother trying anything beyond rpgs and stuff like fire emblem and advance wars. things where precision and perfect timing aren't important are your friends.
also dont bother with 3d and stuff.

really, with a controller and everything, why not just play on a pc?


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

Clydefrosch said:


> yes you can use a bluetooth controller, though be wary that once in a while, cheap bluetooth things dont work wonders with one another.
> 
> as for playing on touch screen, dont bother trying anything beyond rpgs and stuff like fire emblem and advance wars. things where precision and perfect timing aren't important are your friends.
> also dont bother with 3d and stuff.
> ...


 

Um, portability, and because I want one? What's wrong with getting a BT controller for on the go or if I visit a parent's house? Besides, someone linked this to me http://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-A-MOG...US_Video_Game_Controllers&hash=item4d245012d8 Cheaper than getting from Best Buy  I dunno, because I'm not always at my PC, and well, I like portability 



Joe88 said:


> You should check out mx player instead, much better then vlc
> 
> And adobe flash
> http://download.macromedia.com/pub/...roid/11.1.115.81/install_flash_player_ics.apk
> ...




Fair enough, I'll check it out


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

Firstly, grab an app off the store to check what the refresh rate of your phone is. If it isn't 60hz your gonna have to go with retroarch for your emulation needs and that can sync to refresh (which will result is slightly slower or faster emulation depending on the refresh rate, but at least it will be stutter free).

If it is 60hz, then go with the .Emu series (just the like S7800!) you wont go wrong with them.

GooglePlay - FPS Meter


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Firstly, grab an app off the store to check what the refresh rate of your phone is. If it isn't 60hz your gonna have to go with retroarch for your emulation needs and that can sync to refresh (which will result is slightly slower or faster emulation depending on the refresh rate, but at least it will be stutter free).
> 
> If it is 60hz, then go with the .Emu series (just the like S7800!) you wont go wrong with them.
> 
> GooglePlay - FPS Meter


 

FPS meter? I see FPS Test on the Play Store..... Running test now, not sure how long it takes. I do have RetroArch installed.


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## Clydefrosch (Nov 6, 2014)

as i said, be wary that the moga controller does not work with every phone. check if it does with yours if you can first.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

Edit

Sorry ignore this, wrong program.  Use the one below, takes 5 seconds and it will tell you what your screen refresh is.  Its what I used on the S7800 to find out about the HDMI problems.

Its this

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mortalpowers.android.openglfpstest


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aatt.fpsm


 

What the....? That's a dead link, BTW. What were you trying to link?

Edit: Ninja'd. Gotcha. Would that tell me for sure?

Edit: Damn, it's not perfectly 60 fps. 




Clydefrosch said:


> as i said, be wary that the moga controller does not work with every phone. check if it does with yours if you can first.


Yeah, I know, but there's no way to know without getting one first.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

Yes it will be pretty accurate. What is it coming back with?

If its something like 59.8-60.2 or something, then it will be fine


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Yes it will be pretty accurate. What is it coming back with?
> 
> If its something like 59.8-60.2 or something, then it will be fine


 

No, it's not as high as I'd like, so I'm on RetroArch, but um, how do I close that popup screen, how do I close that prompt when I navigate once I load a ROM? And I might have to go with the .emu series emulators. Dammit.....I knew this phone wasn't high end....but...


Edit: Yeah, it's not quite 60 Hz.....damn.....guess I can't use emulators, at all. No way to change the Hz, at all?  Well this....ugh......damn...


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

You can. You can use emulators on retroarch. Its been a while since I used it but there is an option somewhere to let retroarch do a scan to determine your refresh rate and then to allow emulators to match your refresh rate. This will take out all jumpyness of not being 60hz and you will get no stutter or sound crackles because retroarch will slow or speedup the emulators to match your screen refresh.

So if your device is say 59hz, then a snes emulator say will play fine, no stutters, but will be the difference in percentage slower than what 59 is to 60 (which is what, about 1.4% difference at a guess). If its 61hz, then your looking at about 1.4% faster, so on and so forth.

I had to use retroarch back when I had the Xperia Play phone when I was using emulators because that had a 58hz screen.   So the choices were either to use the .emu series which would skip every now and again due to the inconsistency between 58hz and 60hz or use retroarch which has a workaround to bridge the gap


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> You can. You can use emulators on retroarch. Its been a while since I used it but there is an option somewhere to let retroarch do a scan to determine your refresh rate and then to allow emulators to match your refresh rate. This will take out all jumpyness of not being 60hz and you will get no stutter or sound crackles because retroarch will slow or speedup the emulators to match your screen refresh.
> 
> So if your device is say 59hz, then a snes emulator say will play fine, no stutters, but will be the difference is percentage slower than what 59 is to 60 (which is what, about 1.4% difference at a guess). If its 61hz, then your looking at about 1.4% faster, so on and so forth.


 

It's barely 58 Hz in the test, I think in part due to the bloatware, which I have no way of removing. RetroArch, I can't even get to work as that stupid screen pops up saying "press so and so to close the window". I load the ROM, and the core, but I can't get past the

It shows "Basic RGUI controls......unknown, unknown, etc..." but then it just hangs there. I don't think it's compatible with my device, it doesn't detect the controls, I can't tap out of it, I have to close the app back to OS menu. I can't even navigate once I load a ROM. What a damn shame, I can't even run emulators on this thing 

It prompts me to press "okay" what the hell? How can I confirm it if there's no "okay"?


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> It's barely 58 Hz in the test, I think in part due to the bloatware, which I have no way of removing. RetroArch, I can't even get to work as that stupid screen pops up saying "press so and so to close the window". I load the ROM, and the core, but I can't get past the
> 
> It shows "Basic RGUI controls......unknown, unknown, etc..." but then it just hangs there. I don't think it's compatible with my device, it doesn't detect the controls, I can't tap out of it, I have to close the app back to OS menu. I can't even navigate once I load a ROM. What a damn shame, I can't even run emulators on this thing


 

Its not. The 58hz thing will be kernal based. Nothing you can do about that unless over on XDA or somewhere there is a custom rom which fixes it etc. Removing bloatware or programs won't have any effect on that.

What version of android is it running?

EDIT:

If I were you, and wanted something on the cheap that does the job and will play emulators, then take this phone back, and have a look out for an Xperia Play.  They should be cheap as chips these days and will do everything you want.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Its not. The 58hz thing will be kernal based. Nothing you can do about that unless over on XDA or somewhere there is a custom rom which fixes it etc. Removing bloatware or programs won't have any effect on that.
> 
> What version of android is it running?


 


Jellybean, short of rooting it, I can't fix the Hz or run RetroArch, this is pure BS, I simply just give up. I can't get past the "Press Accept/OK to continue" screen, at all. How can I do that if it doesn't let me do anything? RetroArch isn't compatible with Jellybean it seems. Dammit.... I give up. Bollocks.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

have you tried anything from the .emu series? They should work.  Give Snes9xEX.emu a spin and turn frameskip to 0 etc and see how it runs.  You might find the jumps are unnoticeable.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> have you tried anything from the .emu series? They should work. Give Snes9xEX.emu a spin and turn frameskip to 0 etc and see how it runs. You might find the jumps are unnoticeable.


 

Ugh.....this had better work....


Nope, it's worse, with the frame skip set to zero. I am officially shit outta luck for emulation. Period   I might as well give up, did you see my problem with RetroArch, it's stuck at the "confirm/OK" screen.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Ugh.....this had better work....
> 
> 
> Nope, it's worse, with the frame skip set to zero. I am officially shit outta luck for emulation. Period  I might as well give up, did you see my problem with RetroArch, it's stuck at the "confirm/OK" screen.


 

Why what happens?  Does it just run like shit? lol


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Why what happens? Does it just run like shit? lol


 

Yeah. with frameskip set to 0, the audio stutters and goes to hell. Damn, I think this device just can't run emulators, at all. Why the hell do I even bother wishing for it....? Did you see my prob with RetroArch? I can config it fine, I can navigate the menu, and load a ROM, but when I do, a popup shows and shows the RGUI controls, but they are all saying "unknown" and I can't close the "Press okay/confirm to close".  This is BS, man, this device is too chinsy it seems


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

get rid.  Go on the hunt for an Xperia Play.  Over in the UK you can pick these up now for about £25 ($35-40).  Its only a 1Ghz CPU but because its more of a standard phone chip, it works totally fine.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> get rid. Go on the hunt for an Xperia Play. Over in the UK you can pick these up now for about £25 ($35-40). Its only a 1Ghz CPU but because its more of a standard phone chip, it works totally fine.


 

Uh, I don't exactly have funds to get another device, I'm temporarity stuck with this, and I need a phone, but I doubt my provider has that device.


Wii remote syncs fine though.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

The only other thing left to try is the older version of snes9x that is in the .emu series.  Thats needs lesser requirements. 

http://www.explusalpha.com/home/snes9x-ex/downloads


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> The only other thing left to try is the older version of snes9x that is in the .emu series. Thats needs lesser requirements.
> 
> http://www.explusalpha.com/home/snes9x-ex/downloads


 

Too bad that has the core prior to blarrg's s-smp so it's gonna sound like garbage. The thing is, the machine has a 1.4 GHz CPU, that shouldn't be the cause of all this. Well, I got the game to run in RetroArch, but I need to tweak the settings.

It calibrates to 58.3443434234234 etc Hz. I have to find a custom ROM for this to force 60 Hz.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Too bad that has the core prior to blarrg's s-smp so it's gonna sound like garbage. The thing is, the machine has a 1.4 GHz CPU, that shouldn't be the cause of all this. Well, I got the game to run in RetroArch, but I need to tweak the settings.
> 
> It calibrates to 58.3443434234234 etc Hz. I have to find a custom ROM for this to force 60 Hz.


 

Thats your issue then.  Youll notice games in retroarch will play a tiny bit slower but they should be smooth still and not a mess like the .emu series will be (they assume that you have a 60hz device see, hence why they don't play nice on devices with differing refresh rates.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Thats your issue then. Youll notice games in retroarch will play a tiny bit slower but they should be smooth still and not a mess like the .emu series will be (they assume that you have a 60hz device see, hence why they don't play nice on devices with differing refresh rates.


 

I see a developer option called force-enable GPU rendering. RetroArch should run fine, the controls are jacked up even with the Wii remote, I can't seem to navigate the game once it loads up. I really need a better controller.  Should I force enabled GPU rendering?


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

GPU rendering in Retroarch or Snes9x?  If its the Snes9x then I wouldn't bother, you need a REALLY powerful device to get the best out of that.  That basically gives you the options of having the filters that you get on the PC like 2Xsai and Eagle engine etc.  I tried that on the S7800 but that didnt enough to cope with it either and that was a 1.6ghz device with a decent Mali chip.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> GPU rendering in Retroarch or Snes9x? If its the Snes9x then I wouldn't bother, you need a REALLY powerful device to get the best out of that. That basically gives you the options of having the filters that you get on the PC like 2Xsai and Eagle engine etc. I tried that on the S7800 but that didnt enough to cope with it either and that was a 1.6ghz device with a decent Mali chip.


 

Turned off, no difference. I need a real controller, trying to navigate RA on touchscreen is proving to be a royal pain in the arse. There is a community for this and other such devices. I'll check it out. 1.4 GHz is more than enough for Snes9x EX+, that requires 1 GHz minimum. The issue is the Hz, it's crappy programming on their part.

Rooting it might be my only choice if I want to force-enable 60 Hz.

http://www.kingoapp.com/

http://www.cricketusers.com/content/cricket-wireless-gsm-phone-zte-sonata-4g-803/

http://www.cricketusers.com/zte-sonata-4g-gsm/173023-[root-method]-root-cricket-wireless-zte-sonata-4g.html

http://hexamob.com/devices/devices-...te-z740g-with-android-version-4-x-jelly-bean/


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Turned off, no difference. I need a real controller, trying to navigate RA on touchscreen is proving to be a royal pain in the arse. There is a community for this and other such devices. I'll check it out. 1.4 GHz is more than enough for Snes9x EX+, that requires 1 GHz minimum. The issue is the Hz, it's crappy programming on their part.
> 
> Rooting it might be my only choice if I want to force-enable 60 Hz.


 

Snes9xEx even still should run close to OK.  I would of expected it to run full speed with little stutters in the framerate at worse.  Normally if the device is fast enough, its only the video that gets affected due to the refresh difference.  Its been ages since I toyed with Snes9xEx so Ill have a look at my settings

Video:

Frame Skip 0
Image Effect - OFF
Fast CPU-GPU Copy - ON

AUDIO:

Make sure Buffer size is as high as it can go (I believe its 12)
You can drop sound rate down to 22hz as it makes no difference whatsoever through a phones loudspeaker.

Under System, Also make sure Process Priority is Very High.

What will also benefit you is rooting the device so that you can mess with things like SetCPU to see fi you have any room for overclocks, and changing the governors so that you can make the device run maxxed out during certain apps to make sure your getting everything you can out of emulators.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Snes9xEx even still should run close to OK. I would of expected it to run full speed with little stutters in the framerate at worse. Normally if the device is fast enough, its only the video that gets affected due to the refresh difference. Its been ages since I toyed with Snes9xEx so Ill have a look at my settings
> 
> Video:
> 
> ...


 

Yeah, the device can be rooted (updated my last post to show links to software that can indeed root it), setting CPU would help, though, it would come at shorter battery life, not sure how high I can set the CPU without killing it too much. That could help a lot I'm sure. Refresh rate, well, we'll need to see. I'll ask the folks on that forum I linked about the refresh rate, I'm sure there's something I could to to force it to at least 59 Hz. I don't understand why Android OS is weird that way, why 58 Hz and not 59.99 or whatever.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Yeah, the device can be rooted (updated my last post to show links to software that can indeed root it), setting CPU would help, though, it would come at shorter battery life, not sure how high I can set the CPU without killing it too much. That could help a lot I'm sure. Refresh rate, well, we'll need to see. I'll ask the folks on that forum I linked about the refresh rate, I'm sure there's something I could to to force it to at least 59 Hz. I don't understand why Android OS is weird that way, why 58 Hz and not 59.99 or whatever.


 

Nothing to do with Android OS unfortunately.  Just lazy ass developers .  In fairness, the 60hz thing is only really an issue when it comes to emulation.  And I doubt phone manufacturers take that in to account when making phones.   I have a Note 2 as my main phone now which is pretty mainstream and even that rund at 58hz.  Its just luck of the draw really whatever manufacturers decide to set their devices to I think.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Nothing to do with Android OS unfortunately. Just lazy ass developers . In fairness, the 60hz thing is only really an issue when it comes to emulation. And I doubt phone manufacturers take that in to account when making phones. I have a Note 2 as my main phone now which is pretty mainstream and even that rund at 58hz. Its just luck of the draw really whatever manufacturers decide to set their devices to I think.


 

Should I root my phone using http://www.kingoapp.com/ anyways? I'll still ask around those forums if there's a custom ROM, because, surely, even a custom ROM could overcome bad Hz. Anyways, I when I loaded in RetroArch, the audio was suttery as hell, it was worse than the Snes9x EX in terms of audio stutter (I can try the audio buffer at max). Only thing, I void the warranty if I root it that's the thing. There has to be a solution, I can at least uninstall bloatware. What about force-upgrading to 4.2 Kitkit?


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Should I root my phone using http://www.kingoapp.com/ anyways? I'll still ask around those forums if there's a custom ROM, because, surely, even a custom ROM could overcome bad Hz. Anyways, I when I loaded in RetroArch, the audio was suttery as hell, it was worse than the Snes9x EX in terms of audio stutter (I can try the audio buffer at max). Only thing, I void the warranty if I root it that's the thing. There has to be a solution, I can at least uninstall bloatware.


 
Did you run retroarch to match the refresh after you did the scan to determine it was 58.XXXXXX?  If so that should slow down the video emulation and audio emulation to match.  If you did do this and it still stuttered loads, then its possible that you phones chipset just isn't up to snuff or fully supported because it doesn't sound too well known from what I can gather.


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## Ryukouki (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Should I root my phone using http://www.kingoapp.com/ anyways? I'll still ask around those forums if there's a custom ROM, because, surely, even a custom ROM could overcome bad Hz. Anyways, I when I loaded in RetroArch, the audio was suttery as hell, it was worse than the Snes9x EX in terms of audio stutter (I can try the audio buffer at max). Only thing, I void the warranty if I root it that's the thing. There has to be a solution, I can at least uninstall bloatware. What about force-upgrading to 4.2 Kitkit?



Also remember that if you root you can also easily unroot the device to restore the warranty. Also something of note is that when you mess with the Hz settings it's messy if you don't know what you're doing, so ask here if you're in trouble. At least, that's something my phone says if I wanted to modify those values.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> Did you run retroarch to match the refresh after you did the scan to determine it was 58.XXXXXX? If so that should slow down the video emulation and audio emulation to match. If you did do this and it still stuttered loads, then its possible that you phones chipset just isn't up to snuff or fully supported because it doesn't sound too well known from what I can gather.


 

Yep, sure did, I think it's entirely the Hz's fault in this regard, rooting it might be my only course of action, short of getting an nVidia Shield someday, which is also a plan of mine. The Snapdragon GPU is pretty danged powerful, but methinks that either the CPU is being taken up by too many background apps, or that the Hz is at fault, I might as well root it to see if there's a custom ROM for the Hz. just like how there was a custom ROM for the JXD devices and forcing 60 Hz,



Ryukouki said:


> Also remember that if you root you can also easily unroot the device to restore the warranty. Also something of note is that when you mess with the Hz settings it's messy if you don't know what you're doing, so ask here if you're in trouble. At least, that's something my phone says if I wanted to modify those values.


 

Oh, will do. My only fear is bricking it, which I do NOT want to do, you know? Can I trust that program on the link I posted? I'll look at the settings to see if I can't bump it up at least one Hz and maybe overclock the CPU by another 100 or so MHz. I assume I have to set the device in USB debug mode.


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## Ryukouki (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Yep, sure did, I think it's entirely the Hz's fault in this regard, rooting it might be my only course of action, short of getting an nVidia Shield someday, which is also a plan of mine. The Snapdragon GPU is pretty danged powerful, but methinks that either the CPU is being taken up by too many background apps, or that the Hz is at fault, I might as well root it to see if there's a custom ROM for the Hz. just like how there was a custom ROM for the JXD devices and forcing 60 Hz.
> 
> Oh, will do. My only fear is bricking it, which I do NOT want to do, you know? Can I trust that program on the link I posted? I'll look at the settings to see if I can't bump it up at least one Hz and maybe overclock the CPU by another 100 or so MHz. I assume I have to set the device in USB debug mode.



Trust me, I've gone from the "See a Verizon Store to restore your phone" error to getting fully back online with all files intact within an hour. It's not bad at all. If you severely hard brick your device which is bloody fucking difficult to pull off, I have no words, but recovery from your traditional error is quite easy. 

As far as the program you listed I dunno, I used a different means to root my S4. I would suggest googling the development forums for your phone on XDA Developers and then getting a question out there, because they specialize in this stuff. I hate overclocking or messing with the default Hz values because those tend to have bad consequences if you screw up. Again, best you ask XDA.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

Ryukouki said:


> Trust me, I've gone from the "See a Verizon Store to restore your phone" error to getting fully back online with all files intact within an hour. It's not bad at all. If you severely hard brick your device which is bloody fucking difficult to pull off, I have no words, but recovery from your traditional error is quite easy.
> 
> As far as the program you listed I dunno, I used a different means to root my S4. I would suggest googling the development forums for your phone on XDA Developers and then getting a question out there, because they specialize in this stuff. I hate overclocking or messing with the default Hz values because those tend to have bad consequences if you screw up. Again, best you ask XDA.


 
Good, that actually gives me a lot of hope as far as hacking this device goes, as there very well could be a solution to this. I feel like a damn fool all the same, as I had no idea that the Hz would give me this much grief for emulation. CPU wise, it's more than enough to run it, as is the GPU, or so it seems, but damn....anyways, I'll sign up on those forums and ask away, hopefully I get a decently fast response  Thank you again


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

I might well be wrong here but I'm pretty sure that you cannot just change the Hz of the phone by rooting it.  I mean, an android phone is surely no different to an android tablet in that respect and you cant do it with one of them.  I'm sure thats a change on a kernal level and not something that can be easily done.  If it was, then people wouldnt of had the 66hz issue with their JXD devices which lasted for the best part of a year!


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> I might well be wrong here but I'm pretty sure that you cannot just change the Hz of the phone by rooting it. I mean, an android phone is surely no different to an android tablet in that respect and you cant do it with one of them. I'm sure thats a change on a kernal level and not something that can be easily done. If it was, then people wouldnt of had the 66hz issue with their JXD devices which lasted for the best part of a year!


 

Again, hence a custom ROM, only something like that could change the Hz, which I believe it the root of all the stuttering audio problems I'm having right now. So I'll ask them because there has to be something out there that can override that stupid decision on their part. Then again, I really was damn fool to think that I could enjoy emulation on this phone  Go fig, the_randomizer, go fig.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Again, hence a custom ROM, only something like that could change the Hz, which I believe it the root of all the stuttering audio problems I'm having right now. So I'll ask them because there has to be something out there that can override that stupid decision on their part. Then again, I really was damn fool to think that I could enjoy emulation on this phone  Go fig, the_randomizer, go fig.


 

The odd thing is though is that you should be able to.  Thats the part here that I'm getting confused with.  Just because its 58hz shouldnt make a difference.  Especially where retroarch is concerned.  If you are getting stutters having matched it to your refresh in retroarch, then you are going to get stutters if it was actually the correct figure of 60hz.  I'm 100% sure of this.  I will install retroarch onto my Note 2 now to clarify.  Did you just use the latest version off the play store?


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> The odd thing is though is that you should be able to. Thats the part here that I'm getting confused with. Just because its 58hz shouldnt make a difference. Especially where retroarch is concerned. If you are getting stutters having matched it to your refresh in retroarch, then you are going to get stutters if it was actually the correct figure of 60hz. I'm 100% sure of this. I will install retroarch onto my Note 2 now to clarify. Did you just use the latest version off the play store?


 

I'm not trying to doubt you, at all, I must have jacked up the settings, as for being the recent version? Well, I downloaded the only one that I saw on the download page. As for controls, that's something that's confusing the hell out of me. I can use touchscreen controls to navigate the menu, and once it shows the OSD, I can't use those to control the game, so, I might have to uninstall the app and start over. I don't know why hell I'm having so many issues with this, it's starting to irk me big time   I need a Bluetooth controller so I don't have to keep mucking about trying to get the screen controls to let me control the game. Specs are way more than the requirements ask for.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

The first thing I would be trying before rooting and messing with custom roms is emulation of older hardware. So try get hold of GB.emu or NES.emu and give them a run with zero frameskip. If your device is coping with those at full speed what you should be getting is full speed, with slight video hiccups. Sound should be fine.

If this is how it is, then its just unfortunate that your device just doesnt cut it for SNES emulation.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> The first thing I would be trying before rooting and messing with custom roms is emulation of older hardware. So try get hold of GB.emu or NES.emu and give them a run with zero frameskip. If your device is coping with those at full speed what you should be getting is full speed, with slight video hiccups. Sound should be fine.
> 
> If this isis how it is, then its just unfortunate that your device just doesnt cut it for SNES emulation.


 

Which I think is bullshit, pardon my french. Snes9x EX actually works pretty darn well, much better than RetroArch does (for some reason). I do have a GBA emulator, if that works, I will laugh.  I still might get a Shield, at least that has perfect Snes emulation.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

what I think is happening is that on paper, your device should be quick enough to handle it, but I reckon that various emulators just havent been optomized for the one in your phone and its not too mainstream.  The GPU side of things I believe, doesn't have any bearing on emaultors, espeically older 8 and 16 bit machines.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> what I think is happening is that on paper, your device should be quick enough to handle it, but I reckon that various emulators just havent been optomized for the one in your phone and its not too mainstream. The GPU side of things I believe, doesn't have any bearing on emaultors, espeically older 8 and 16 bit machines.


 

Shit bollocks and bugger....well that tears it, I made a mistake and now I feel like an idiot because I'm stuck with this phone......  Way to go.....way to make a mistake. No hope, no point, why the hell should I even bother with this thread anymore? Screw it. 

What baffles me is that it says "

This app is compatible with your device.


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## kristianity77 (Nov 6, 2014)

I still say, to make totally sure.  You should give 8 bit emualtion a whirl and see if the issues your having still persist or not.  That way you will know for definite where the issue lies.  If you find that things like Master System, NES, GB etc play flawlessly in either retroarch or the native .emu emulators, then you know its that the hardware doesnt cut it.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 6, 2014)

kristianity77 said:


> I still say, to make totally sure. You should give 8 bit emualtion a whirl and see if the issues your having still persist or not. That way you will know for definite where the issue lies. If you find that things like Master System, NES, GB etc play flawlessly in either retroarch or the native .emu emulators, then you know its that the hardware doesnt cut it.


 

Trying out MD.emu, sound seems to be perfect, the framerate ain't perfect, but audio seems to compensate. No audio stuttering at all. I suppose the .emu emulators will need to do for now. C'est la vie  I'm sorry I angered you...


Edit: Huh...I'll be damned....RetroArch seems to be working....hold on.... What in the.....?


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## the_randomizer (Nov 7, 2014)

Quick question for all ya, what free apps do you recommend for music?


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## Joe88 (Nov 9, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Quick question for all ya, what free apps do you recommend for music?


You can use googles built in music but I recomend poweramp


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## the_randomizer (Nov 9, 2014)

Joe88 said:


> You can use googles built in music but I recomend poweramp


 

Is it free, like, as in, not a limited trial/shareware, correct?  And also, what settings/configs do you recommend for saving as much battery as possible? The reason I ask is, well, like say I use my phone to hook up to my car stereo, I'd need to create playlists, shuffle them, etc while having the screen go off during play, does that make sense? Also, uh, well, I just want to conserve power, you know? I hate being a noob to Android, I don't know all there is to offer, to get the most out of it, etc.


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## _v3 (Nov 9, 2014)

Puzzle and Dragons is all you need.


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## The Real Jdbye (Nov 9, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> My shitty flip-phone finally conked out after nearly four years of use  So I went to my local retailer and traded it for in-store credit for a somewhat low-end Android smartphone. But the CPU is actually quite decent, a 1.4 GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm MSM8230 (I think, decent, emulators should work), micro SD support to 32 GB SDHC, which is plenty for my needs, esp. for pics, music, and uh, *cough* backups *cough*. Also a Snapdragon 400 GPU, which also, isn't the worst on the market AFAIK, so for Snes9x, RetroArch, maybe even ePSXe, speed shouldn't be much of an issue. Not the most high end or most powerful, but hey, it's helluva lot more powerful than my last phone
> 
> So, this leads me to asking questions on what I can do to get the most out of this device, with the in-store trade of my old phone, I didn't have to pay, plus it was on sale, around 55 dollars. While I don't expect anything super miraculous, emulation shouldn't be much of an issue, correct? And with the fact it has Bluetooth support, could I use a BT controller instead of the touch screen for emulators? It's my first Android phone, and it came with Jellybean, I suppose I could go with Kitkat, but I hear that version has issues with loading files off of SD cards (like games, music, etc), is that true?
> 
> The phone is a Z740G, once more, I didn't nor do I want to go high end for quite some time, just need some pointers and other tidbits to get me rolling


I think that should be able to run DS games well, maybe even PSP. N64 and PSX should run great.


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## Joe88 (Nov 9, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Is it free, like, as in, not a limited trial/shareware, correct? And also, what settings/configs do you recommend for saving as much battery as possible? The reason I ask is, well, like say I use my phone to hook up to my car stereo, I'd need to create playlists, shuffle them, etc while having the screen go off during play, does that make sense? Also, uh, well, I just want to conserve power, you know? I hate being a noob to Android, I don't know all there is to offer, to get the most out of it, etc.


 
You are gonna need root access to do any real battery saving


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## the_randomizer (Nov 10, 2014)

Joe88 said:


> You are gonna need root access to do any real battery saving


 

There are a few ways to route it, and it does make me somewhat wary to do so. I'll need to look into routing it. Now, that Poweramp app, that's completely free correct?


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