L4T Lakka Switch - now with audio and Vulkan

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Lakka Switch, L4T edition
I am proud to finally release the L4T version of Lakka Switch!
New kernel, new logo, new drivers, audio... everything is fresh and clean.

Did I mention Rayman 3 was full speed on Dolphin? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

General system updates
  • New Linux kernel and underlying operating system, based on Linux4Tegra and Jetson Nano drivers
    • mainline kernel has been deprecated
    • system features should now be on par with the L4T Ubuntu distribution, except for dock support
    • Bluetooth was lost in the battle and needs some rest to come back stronger
  • aarch64 is now the default and mainly supported architecture
    • arm has been deprecated since L4T doesn't support it
  • New logo made with the help of jaames and the R:S community
New features and improvements
  • Audio now works through the internal speakers and headphones
  • The new GPU driver supports both Vulkan and OpenGL
  • RAM is now locked at full speed (1600Mhz), was 800MHz before
  • The system is now way more stable and should boot for everyone with a decent SD card (no more black screen of death)
  • RetroArch has been updated to add menu widgets (fancy onscreen notifications)
  • Overclock profiles have been updated :
    • Renamed all profiles
    • Added more overclock profiles
    • Added underclock profiles
New cores
  • mupen64plus-next (N64 emulator)
    • The core is full speed, even on aarch64 thanks to the new dynarec
    • Includes the updated version of the GlideN renderer
  • picodrive (various Sega consoles)
    • The core replaces Genesis Plus GX (Game Gear support has been dropped)
  • Beetle PSX HW (PSX emulator with OpenGL and Vulkan renderer)
    • The core performs worse than PCSX ReARMed for now, even with Vulkan
  • reicast (Dreamcast emulator)
    • The core is full speed on all commercial games, no visual glitches
    • The OIT renderer works (better accuracy), speed is still good on 1x resolution
    • The core needs the Dreamcast BIOS files to be placed in /lakka/storage/system/DC
    • WinCE games are currently not supported - there is a WinCE version of the reicast core in the works but the aarch64 dynarec is too slow for the games to be playable (for now)
  • Yaba Sanshiro (Saturn emulator)
    • The core is full speed on all commercial games
    • Yabause and Kronos were also added but both perform worse than Yaba Sanshiro
  • theodore (Thomson MO/TO emulator)
Updated cores
  • Dolphin : Vulkan support
    • With Vulkan, Dolphin runs decently - some games are playable, some are full speed... see for yourself, try it and experiment with different games and settings!
  • PCSX ReARMed : Switch optimizations and CHD support
  • PPSSPP : doesn't crash anymore when closing content
Removed cores
  • mupen64plus
  • parallel-n64
  • Genesis Plus GX
  • Ishiiruka
    • It might come back once the core is updated with the (beta) Vulkan renderer
Credits
  • Kernel and drivers work: NVIDIA, switchroot team (especially ByLaws and langerhans)
  • Lakka Switch work: natinusala and plaidman
  • RetroArch, original Lakka distribution: libretro team
  • mupen64plus-next: Gillou and m4xw
  • PCSX ReARMed: Switch optimizations by m4xw, CHD support by aliaspider
  • Dolphin core: aliaspider
  • reicast core: flyinghead

Download link

The Lakka Switch website has been updated with the new version: https://lakka-switch.github.io/documentation/

Please note that you can't dual boot Ubuntu and Lakka Switch for now (it will always boot Ubuntu).
 

Dee8282

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dude, they JUST should work out of the box... If they don't and there's nothing wrong with your ra configs, then it's something with your joycons. The only way is to try out another pair of joycons an see if they work.

Sucks nothing is wrong with my joycons i admit when I first booted it up I had the hori connected
 

Shaneus

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Played around with Dolphin and Geometry Wars Galaxies plays great. Somehow runs even faster using OpenGL than with Vulkan? Seems to be full speed even with stock handheld clocks.

Very weird.
 

GalaxyYT

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logonav.png

Lakka Switch, L4T edition
I am proud to finally release the L4T version of Lakka Switch!
New kernel, new logo, new drivers, audio... everything is fresh and clean.

Did I mention Rayman 3 was full speed on Dolphin? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

General system updates
  • New Linux kernel and underlying operating system, based on Linux4Tegra and Jetson Nano drivers
    • mainline kernel has been deprecated
    • system features should now be on par with the L4T Ubuntu distribution, except for dock support
    • Bluetooth was lost in the battle and needs some rest to come back stronger
  • aarch64 is now the default and mainly supported architecture
    • arm has been deprecated since L4T doesn't support it
  • New logo made with the help of jaames and the R:S community
New features and improvements
  • Audio now works through the internal speakers and headphones
  • The new GPU driver supports both Vulkan and OpenGL
  • RAM is now locked at full speed (1600Mhz), was 800MHz before
  • The system is now way more stable and should boot for everyone with a decent SD card (no more black screen of death)
  • RetroArch has been updated to add menu widgets (fancy onscreen notifications)
  • Overclock profiles have been updated :
    • Renamed all profiles
    • Added more overclock profiles
    • Added underclock profiles
New cores
  • mupen64plus-next (N64 emulator)
    • The core is full speed, even on aarch64 thanks to the new dynarec
    • Includes the updated version of the GlideN renderer
  • picodrive (various Sega consoles)
    • The core replaces Genesis Plus GX (Game Gear support has been dropped)
  • Beetle PSX HW (PSX emulator with OpenGL and Vulkan renderer)
    • The core performs worse than PCSX ReARMed for now, even with Vulkan
  • reicast (Dreamcast emulator)
    • The core is full speed on all commercial games, no visual glitches
    • The OIT renderer works (better accuracy), speed is still good on 1x resolution
    • The core needs the Dreamcast BIOS files to be placed in /lakka/storage/system/DC
    • WinCE games are currently not supported - there is a WinCE version of the reicast core in the works but the aarch64 dynarec is too slow for the games to be playable (for now)
  • Yaba Sanshiro (Saturn emulator)
    • The core is full speed on all commercial games
    • Yabause and Kronos were also added but both perform worse than Yaba Sanshiro
  • theodore (Thomson MO/TO emulator)
Updated cores
  • Dolphin : Vulkan support
    • With Vulkan, Dolphin runs decently - some games are playable, some are full speed... see for yourself, try it and experiment with different games and settings!
  • PCSX ReARMed : Switch optimizations and CHD support
  • PPSSPP : doesn't crash anymore when closing content
Removed cores
  • mupen64plus
  • parallel-n64
  • Genesis Plus GX
  • Ishiiruka
    • It might come back once the core is updated with the (beta) Vulkan renderer
Credits
  • Kernel and drivers work: NVIDIA, switchroot team (especially ByLaws and langerhans)
  • Lakka Switch work: natinusala and plaidman
  • RetroArch, original Lakka distribution: libretro team
  • mupen64plus-next: Gillou and m4xw
  • PCSX ReARMed: Switch optimizations by m4xw, CHD support by aliaspider
  • Dolphin core: aliaspider
  • reicast core: flyinghead

Download link

The Lakka Switch website has been updated with the new version: https://lakka-switch.github.io/documentation/

Please note that you can't dual boot Ubuntu and Lakka Switch for now (it will always boot Ubuntu).



Any chance for cheat support? (Specifically Dolphin) I have a few 16:9 codes that I want to use but there isn't a Enable Cheats option in the core options nor Lakka/retroarch options as far as I could see. I also tried editing the .ini files on my SD card after running Lakka and the EnableCheats line had no effect.
 

Silent_Gunner

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So, I just tried this for a couple of minutes and only the DC stuff that I got. I didn't try NAOMI/Atomiswave or anything that, AFAIK, apparently depends on WinCE's functions to work. Part of the reason for the rushed testing is that my Switch's battery was about to bite the dust and it seemed like plugging the portable battery I like to use wasn't charging it. Granted, this was using the fast charging USB port of the battery (it's that really large and heavy Imuto one from Amazon with the percentage counter to tell you how much it's charged up), and I know for the Joy-Con grips they will only charge on the USB charging hub that I got on the non-turbocharge USB ports. Usually, it doesn't charge the system up while it's active, it only slows the battery drain down for all practical intents and purposes regardless of whether the Switch is running OFW or Lakka in this case. I'm just curious, does the USB-C port just not work when running Lakka?

And to move on to another concern of mine, and maybe I just didn't notice this when running games and other homebrew, but this is the first time I paid any mind to the sound the Switch tablet itself makes. And I have to say, I could hear the hum of my fan going while running Reicast. Maybe I just didn't notice it until now, or maybe I'm just being extra cautious as this is my first time actually running this CFW solution! I'll have to test this out!

All that being said, I did try a few games out not called Sonic Adventure 1 or 2 or either of the Shenmue games. Unlike with the Reicast port to Horizon (not to knock that port in any way, I wish them the best of luck and hell, I wish the best of luck to everyone developing homebrew for the Switch!), I can say that everything rendered correctly, and at full speed with just minor hiccups not unlike the performance of an ODroid XU4 (the only games with significant slowdown that I tried was Virtua Fighter 3tb because 60fps and Virtua Tennis 1, which are both playable, with the latter just slowing down during transitions between the gameplay and cutaways after points are scored or points are won, though it did seem like it was slower than usual), if a little better and this is without having changed any settings as I was pressed for time as my battery was ticking towards 0% (seriously, is there NO way to upgrade the internal battery on the Switch!?). So I haven't tried Vulkan and compared its performance to OGL which I'm sure is going to be a step up.

I also haven't tried Yabause or anything GC because none of that was on my MicroSD card when I was trying all of this out. I'm giving my hacked Switch some time to charge here before doing anything else so I can actually dig in, because the potential of Lakka, hell, the potential of anything Ubuntu or Linux or Open Source on this device has me excited for the future, and I'm glad that I can play this and actually hear the games. While everything isn't ready feature-wise, the potential this CFW has for bringing retro games that otherwise would never make it to the Switch because of licensing reasons (*looks at the Capcom Vs. games*) and others on the go is something that I'm sure would blow my older brother's mind who got the Dreamcast on launch in '97/'98!
 

KotuMF

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Does anyone know if there is a way to reboot into a payload instead of rebooting to RCM?

It would be really useful to boot into Hekate, that way I don't need a computer to get out of RCM, as it's the only thing keeping me from using this as often as I'd like. :>
 

ploggy

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@natinusala Dock support was removed because bluetooth's not currently working with L4T Lakka?
I have a NS Adapter, that would have worked right? Since the Controller connects through that and doesn't use the Switches own bluetooth connection? I guess the Gamecube Adapter would work too?
 
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natinusala

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@natinusala Dock support was removed because bluetooth's not currently working with L4T Lakka?
I have a NS Adapter, that would have worked right? Since the Controller connects through that and doesn't use the Switches own bluetooth connection? I guess the Gamecube Adapter would work too?

It's also because the current controller mapping is hardcoded into RetroArch, any other controller plugged into the dock will mess things up and make the Joy-Cons unusable. I need to take care of that first.

What can I do when a game file is to big for the fat32 sd card?

If you're trying to play a Wii game, use the WAD format ;)
 
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Ericthegreat

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Honestly, probably both lol but overclocking is still below the hardware spec of the CPU isn't it? Nintendo underclocked it from Factory didn't they??
Yes, but I still think they under clocked it for a reason(you could say, just for battery, but then why not oc it when it's in the dock or include a high performance button), running it over locked all the time for hours, I personally feel could still be dangerous, and I've yet to see anyone prove otherwise, yes Nintendo now does it during loading screens, but only during loading screens.
 
Last edited by Ericthegreat,

KingAsix

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I'm getting constant black screens. I see that the most likely explanation is the SD card, but my card is real and it works with everything else I use it for. Is there anything else I could try?

I've tried several sd cards too and I'm also getting a black screen every time I try to boot into Lakka.
 

Csmrcc

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I've tried several sd cards too and I'm also getting a black screen every time I try to boot into Lakka.
try to do a fresh install, erase lakka folder and put it again new, i needed to do it sometimes yesterday when lakka crashed while changing settings

guys, why when i play GC games (kart, sunshine and zelda tp) after one minute or so the game closes and i return to lakka menu? any clue?
my sd is fat32, i oc cpu to high performance and no oc at all on the gpu, choosed vulkan as driver, fresh installs, and i see the start of the game very smooth but then it is closed :(
sd corruption? thank you
 
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wizra

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I am very impressed with how well performance has improved for Super Mario Strikers on Dolphin!

I was wondering if anyone can give advice on other settings I can try?
I tried like this:
Vulkan for driver
over clock settings GPU 691 Mhz, CPU 1785 MHz

Audio is choppy and FPS drops to 40’s. Threaded video option didn’t make a difference. It’s almost perfect though! I look at the countdown timer during the soccer match (to observe the seconds are actual seconds) and it’s running at full speed mostly, just slows down when there’s a lot happening on the screen. Also, during the loading screen, the screen messes up for like 20 seconds, but then it’s all good again and you’re in the match.
 
Last edited by wizra,

sj33

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Both reboot to payload and sleep mode are the most commonly requested features, so they do know that people want them.

You don’t need to use a separate SD card for this, but it is at your own risk. I have had no issues after weeks of testing, but you may be unlucky.
 
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MartianMSK

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Can someone, having good overall performance on dolphin and reicast, link their retroarch.cfg?
Honestly I think I'm messin too much with my configs and I'm not perfectly sure of what it's productive and what's not... Hope someone will be that kind.
 

sj33

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Don’t get hopes up too much regarding Dolphin. You should use Vulkan and also overclock the CPU to 1.7GHz. If using portable mode, also overclock the GPU to 460MHz.

Even then, only specific games will run well. The following are known to work well (maybe with some issues).

-Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 & 2
-Animal Crossing GameCube
-Resident Evil Code Veronica X
-Killer 7
-Pikmin
-Viewtiful Joe 1/2
-New Super Mario Wii (slow cutscenes)

There’s some to get you started.
 

MartianMSK

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Don’t get hopes up too much regarding Dolphin. You should use Vulkan and also overclock the CPU to 1.7GHz. If using portable mode, also overclock the GPU to 460MHz.

Even then, only specific games will run well. The following are known to work well (maybe with some issues).

-Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 & 2
-Animal Crossing GameCube
-Resident Evil Code Veronica X
-Killer 7
-Pikmin
-Viewtiful Joe 1/2
-New Super Mario Wii (slow cutscenes)

There’s some to get you started.
Thank you a lot. So the problem really is that I've probably tried unplayable games:


F-zero (Max perf and Vulkan) doesn't even reach 30 fps;
Soul Calibur is around 45-50 fps;
Resident Evil Rebirth is quite playable, I'm enjoying it;
Super Smash Bros. always stays below 50 fps, a lot of stuttering...

Let me know if some of you all has better performance in one of those particular games.
 
Last edited by MartianMSK,

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