Switch a good emulator hardware?

[naddel81]

I got a new iPad and I am very disappointed because retroarch will not even emulate PSX properly (enhanced resolution etc.). I guess it is because JIT is missing. Is there anything that can be done to improve emulation on the iPad?

 

[faithvoid]

I was looking into a good console that I could play on my tv for emulators, but also handheld would be a plus. Is the switch good hardware to run most emulators? My main thing is simplicity plug into tv and grab a controller instead of a mini pc to set things up and then grab a controller. Open to all options, but needing my emulator fix and I dont game on my computer screen at all. So its tv and some handheld. Thanks.

I'd argue that it's pretty good for what it is. I constantly use RetroArch on my Switch to play PS1, NES/SNES and Sega Genesis games with a slight overclock (I usually OC the CPU to 1224MHz/1428MHz and downclock the GPU to 76MHz as there's usually tons of GPU headroom left over) with pretty much no major issues, and using the sys-con and Mission Control plugins I can use a whole variety of different system's controllers perfectly (although you may not need any plugins at all for USB controller support in RetroArch? I'm not fully sure). PSP/Dreamcast games also work, but those tend to work a lot better in L4T Ubuntu / L4T Android or Lakka (Games like GTA LCS/VCS pretty much run full-speed but are plagued by stuttering issues as the world loads, most other games that don't stream data constantly should be fine though, except for more graphically intense titles like God of War). N64 games are a bit of a struggle but SM64 has a native homebrew port and Zelda OoT works fine enough with some tweaking so the Big Two (tm) work at least. I'd watch a few videos about emulators on the Switch before biting the bullet on getting a Switch for retro emulation use just so you can set your expectations accordingly.

 

[Deleted member 42501]

Are you saying the steamdeck, or are there different handhelds that will have hdmi out to tv? not caught up on anything other than the steamdeck

No, not the Steamdeck. The same old 100 bucks android based handhelds manufacturers (and some new ones) are using new, more powerful chips and Linux emulation this year for around 350 and will emulate upto Gamecube/PS2 level with ease. TV output, external controllers etc..

Way above and beyond the Switch and hands on previews have been promising but the mid season versions coming later are the ones to watch for as they'll be the ultimate all in one emulation solution. No need to mod prehistoric Switch hardware and then use crappy ports of barely optimized emulators when the dedicated Open Handhelds will run well developed apps directly.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Why u guys are suggesting steamdeck? Wtf…. I could buy what? 3 or 4 switches for the price of one steamdeck IF im lucky enough to even be able to get one…

 

[almmiron]

Pretty basic hardware. If you want to emulate until snes and neo geo, you will be fine with retroarch. After this, not so much. ps1, n64 and saturn you will get mixed results.

6 generation and up, you don't even think about it.

Also, you can't use advanced shaders like crt royale. Switch can't handle. Simple scanline effect at most.

 

[Minattz]

Anyone consider a nvidia shield pro? Im trying to think of ease of use for tv turn on and pick up a gamepad.

 

[CloudStrife190100]

Emulation for me on the switch is hit and miss. I'll stick to using my Samsung galaxy s20fe with the snap dragon processor. This thing runs most things up to wii at decent speeds

Steam deck on the other hand is probably something you should invest in especially if a docking method releases

 

[deathblade200]

(Games like GTA LCS/VCS pretty much run full-speed but are plagued by stuttering issues as the world loads,

this isn't an emulator issue even the official pbp shop files on psp had this issue due to it being compressed so you are 100% using a cso file. use an iso file instead

 

[faithvoid]

this isn't an emulator issue even the official pbp shop files had this issue due to it being compressed so you are 100% using a cso file. use an iso file instead

Nope, all my PSP games are in uncompressed .iso format and I don't get any stutters playing them on my desktop. Trust me, I know all about .cso compression as someone who owned a PSP as long as they were relevant. LCS/VCS are just finnicky I think.

 

[deathblade200]

Nope, all my PSP games are in uncompressed .iso format and I don't get any stutters playing them on my desktop. Trust me, I know all about .cso compression as someone who owned a PSP as long as they were relevant. LCS/VCS are just finnicky I think.

the only time the gta games should ever have that issue is if they are compressed I didn't have that issue at all

 

[CloudStrife190100]

LCS / VCS using ppsspp on my switch run perfectly fine with no stutters

 

[zerofalcon]

Pretty basic hardware. If you want to emulate until snes and neo geo, you will be fine with retroarch. After this, not so much. ps1, n64 and saturn you will get mixed results.

6 generation and up, you don't even think about it.

Also, you can't use advanced shaders like crt royale. Switch can't handle. Simple scanline effect at most.

Dreamcast and Gameboy Advance are systems from the 6th generation, both run great with or without overclock. Nintendo DS from 7th gen using melon DS runs almost perfect for the majority of games. N64, as said, is a mixed bag. Between HOS, switchroot android and lakka we can play almost the full N64 library. Some nice widescreen mods (super mario world and super metroid) can be played (lag free or stuttering) with bsnes hd beta with a full overclock on HOS (2295 cpu, 921 gpu, 2131 ram), same for some arcade demanding games (cruisin usa). An overclock practice not recomended for mixed reasons, but the system can reach a good performance if pushing it to the next -warning- level.

 

[Esdeath]

Why u guys are suggesting steamdeck? Wtf…. I could buy what? 3 or 4 switches for the price of one steamdeck IF im lucky enough to even be able to get one…

Sure m8, tell me where I can get the switches for that price, cause I could probably sell them for double on eBay, especially since they need to be unpatched.
The Steam deck or similar devices provide a much better experience and should be a much better investment than a 5 year old console, except of course the switch could be obtained for a bargain.

 

[Rahkeesh]

Just a heads up that the Ayn Odin, while a great android handheld, the docked experienced seems to be quite bad at the moment in terms of massive input lag. I would at least research that for any solutions before jumping in to it.

If you're willing to give up handheld there's a bunch of other TV-only options. But personally I would only go that route if you're gaining something big for the sacrifice, like the following:

Pi: Normally quite cheap ($50) and handles up to 5th gen, but seems to be super scalped at the moment.

Mister FPGA: Same kind of systems as Pi, but it is absurdly accurate, zero lag, perfect timing, but far more expensive at around Switch prices. More for the purist given the price gap.

Xbox Series S: You can install Retroarch and play up to Gamecube quite well. But this is probably more about the versatility of having a digital xbox, especially with gamepass.

Mini-PC: Opens up 3DS, Wii U, PS2 and the like, but you will need to use mouse to interact with emulators from time to time, which could be a dealbreaker.

As for more powerful handhelds, Steam Deck is the best one on paper, but getting one for MSRP will be challenging if you aren't willing to wait like a year. And the Deck's main performance advantage over competing handheld PCs is more on the GPU side, which isn't as relevant for emulation. Still the competition tends to be more around $1000 so its quite expensive just for picking up some of the 6th gen+ systems the Switch can't manage.

 

[Draxzelex]

Despite being handheld, it doesn't make for a very good emulator. Ports are a different story however but not all ports are created equal.