Homebrew Retroarch Emulation Thread (Nightly Builds Included)

[Vague Rant]

@aliaspider : thanks a lot for fixing the pce_fast core. I guess you might have noticed there is a small video bug: the last horizontal line is full of garbage (in every rom I have tested). I guess there is a tiny bug like a +1 or -1 which is wrong somewhere in screen size calculation.

The Mednafen PCE core is one of the few where you can set the screen height manually. I don't have my 3DS on me currently to check the exact setting names, but look under the Quick Menu > Core Settings for First Line and Last Line. It sounds like you might have it set to something like 0 and 242 (i.e. 243 lines total). Try dropping the last line down to 239. Practically or possibly even literally zero games use every line.

 

[Smoker1]

For those using Gateway on any of the Variants of the 3DS, while the new Release has Cheat Codes, it does however have issues with .cia Files. In order to run any of your CIA Games or Homebrew, you need to run a .3ds/.3dz Game FIRST, then while in-game, hit the Home Button, dont close the Game, but instead select a CIA Game/Homebrew. Once you have a CIA loaded, everything works perfectly.........
Except for RetroArch. For some reason, you will need to either have a .3ds/3dz Game loaded, or (I think) you can have a CIA Game loaded and do the same as above. Hit Home, select and run a RA Core. Failure to do so will cause it to lock up after setting the Screen Resolution making you have to Force-Shutdown.
After you successfully run a RA Core, the rest will work as normal. Took me 2-3 test to make sure. Got the CIAs to load up, but the Cores got stuck for some reason. Then I decided to do a 2nd 3DS run and it worked perfectly afterwards.
Every time you turn on your 3DS Device and run GW, you will need to do this. Just so you know if you were not already aware. Hopefully they fix this at some point so it wont be a problem for everyone.

 

[johntemp]

The Mednafen PCE core is one of the few where you can set the screen height manually. I don't have my 3DS on me currently to check the exact setting names, but look under the Quick Menu > Core Settings for First Line and Last Line. It sounds like you might have it set to something like 0 and 242 (i.e. 243 lines total). Try dropping the last line down to 239. Practically or possibly even literally zero games use every line.

You are totally right. The default settings are: 0 and 242 which makes 243 lines and should be 0 to 241 (242 lines). Changing this setting effectively removes the "garbled" line at the bottom.

I am not sure if I should open a ticket on github for such a small defect (change the default to 241) or maybe the devs are just looking here and I should be enough.

Thanks a lot.

 

[raystriker]

Has anyone managed to run Megaman Battle Network games at full speed? All i get is 12fps at most on my 2DS

 

[ArugulaZ]

Try the Neo-Geo Pocket version? (Sorry, that's probably not very helpful.)

My beef is that MAME 2000 is really crash-happy at the moment. When you adjust settings, then return to the game, it's frozen rock solid and you've got to use L+R+B+D to get out. MAME 2003 any better?

Also, to the person who was playing Game Boy Advance games... what specific emulator are you using? The filters seem to slow my system down using GPsp. Also, I get little dots on the edges of some pixels, making them kinda ugly.

 

[the_muteKi]

Argh, I'm also getting the "unsupported payload" error. Ironhax 2.5 on 10.1.0-27U, new 3DS.

 

[ody81]

For those using Gateway on any of the Variants of the 3DS, while the new Release has Cheat Codes, it does however have issues with .cia Files. In order to run any of your CIA Games or Homebrew, you need to run a .3ds/.3dz Game FIRST, then while in-game, hit the Home Button, dont close the Game, but instead select a CIA Game/Homebrew. Once you have a CIA loaded, everything works perfectly.........
Except for RetroArch. For some reason, you will need to either have a .3ds/3dz Game loaded, or (I think) you can have a CIA Game loaded and do the same as above. Hit Home, select and run a RA Core. Failure to do so will cause it to lock up after setting the Screen Resolution making you have to Force-Shutdown.
After you successfully run a RA Core, the rest will work as normal. Took me 2-3 test to make sure. Got the CIAs to load up, but the Cores got stuck for some reason. Then I decided to do a 2nd 3DS run and it worked perfectly afterwards.
Every time you turn on your 3DS Device and run GW, you will need to do this. Just so you know if you were not already aware. Hopefully they fix this at some point so it wont be a problem for everyone.

THANKYOU!!!
I'd have loved this info earlier, but I made the mistake of reading through the GW3.5 thread's 18 pages of flaming.

 

[kiwiis]

Argh, I'm also getting the "unsupported payload" error. Ironhax 2.5 on 10.1.0-27U, new 3DS.

Update whichever *hax you are using by reinstalling them. If your debug screen doesn't have a date of 11-03 you are out of date.

 

[raystriker]

Also, to the person who was playing Game Boy Advance games... what specific emulator are you using? The filters seem to slow my system down using GPsp. Also, I get little dots on the edges of some pixels, making them kinda ugly.

I've tried both mGBA and GPsp but still can't manage to get the games to play faster
and i think one of the above refuses to even run, don't remember which one

 

[duwen]

Argh, I'm also getting the "unsupported payload" error. Ironhax 2.5 on 10.1.0-27U, new 3DS.

Update whichever *hax you are using by reinstalling them. If your debug screen doesn't have a date of 11-03 you are out of date.

Technically you're also out of date with the 2015-11-03 payload, as the latest one is 2015-11-09 - but I believe that's only for 10.3.0.28fw.

 

[trancepara]

I've tried both mGBA and GPsp but still can't manage to get the games to play faster
and i think one of the above refuses to even run, don't remember which one

Only the new 3ds can get good speed on GBA games overall unless you have <9.2 for kernel hax and GBA injections.

 

[the_muteKi]

Yeah, running the ironhax installer and updating boot.3dsx fixed it. Leave here for a couple days and it's like everything's changed

 

[RegularMoron]

All available cia versions tested with GS2 the lost age.

Releases before the 10/17 have the infinite loop on GS2 (otherwise running at 59 FPS)

Releases from the 10/17 to the 10/20 (included) curiously have no infinite loop and no crashing, but run at approximately 27-30 FPS! Also these versions are incredibly talkative on the bottom screen.

Releases after the 10/20 are freezing/crashing on GS2 (and GS1 is now also broken) - both running at 59 FPS before the crash

Tested on gPSP core, cia build, 9.0 N3DS using Rxmode (Rxtools latest Lavanoid nightly)

The crash/freeze is gone on the latest cia builds. BUT the reset/infinite loop problem is back on GS2 on gpsp (runs near-full speed otherwise). There is no reset on mGba, but the game runs at 26 FPS.
I guess GBA emulation still has a long way to go, even on 9.0 N3DS with kernel access.

 

[raystriker]

Only the new 3ds can get good speed on GBA games overall unless you have <9.2 for kernel hax and GBA injections.

Kind of a newbie to all this, but my 2DS has sysnand 9.2 and emunand 10.2
And i have homemenuhax, ninjahax(2 i think) and browserhax

So basically, i can't do anything. (?)

 

[TheBroCode]

I haven't tried any of the recent builds but it sounds like gpsp is still randomly freezing

 

[sj33]

Kind of a newbie to all this, but my 2DS has sysnand 9.2 and emunand 10.2
And i have homemenuhax, ninjahax(2 i think) and browserhax

So basically, i can't do anything. (?)

Only the New 3DS is fast enough to play GBA games at a decent speed.

 

[andremario81]

Why am I getting a monitor refresh rate sample error when loading sonic cd? It says it does not have enough samples for monitor refresh rate needs to run for at least 4096 frames?

 

[matt!]

Why am I getting a monitor refresh rate sample error when loading sonic cd? It says it does not have enough samples for monitor refresh rate needs to run for at least 4096 frames?

Most likely cause is bad rom set, read the preceding errors. The error you quote just means emulation can't get going because of some other issue.

 

[Vague Rant]

Sounds like @andremario81 forgot to get a BIOS for Sega CD. Check the topic post for instructions.

 

[ShadowOne333]

Just wanted to post here that I got Jurassic Park (U) inside buildings working indeed thanks to the suggestions about a bad ROM dump.

Thanks again!