PS1 Emulation on the New 2DS/3DS XL has come a long way since the early days.
In simple terms. Make sure you update/install the latest Retroarch 3DS build with required PSX Rearmed components and convert the games images from bin/cue to CHD.
I followed this tutorial and PS1 performance is great with all the random games I tried. Only gripe. The contrast and volume can be a bit low on some games with the New 2DS XL I am running them on.
In simple terms. Make sure you update/install the latest Retroarch 3DS build with required PSX Rearmed components and convert the games images from bin/cue to CHD.
I followed this tutorial and PS1 performance is great with all the random games I tried. Only gripe. The contrast and volume can be a bit low on some games with the New 2DS XL I am running them on.
Last edited by g12345567,
For anyone trying to still get full speed ps1 on your 3dses, I personally recommend following this guide (some games break with disc access set to async, change it to sync for games that crash the 3ds before running said games)
Been playing around with the latest PS1 Emulation in Retroarch stable build 1.9.14 on a NEW 2DS XL with CFW and here are the results I have come across.
1. The core crashes when loading any ROM bug in latest stable 1.10.0/nightly builds has been fixed. Latest working nightly build is from 23 January 2022.
2. Performance is great on most games with latest stable build. Constant and stable 50 or 60 FPS. Playing in CHD format.
3. Small number of games not working and crash retroarch on startup.
4. Retroarch sometimes still crashes but usually not when playing games. Ie exiting, closing or loading new content etc.
5. Contrast can be a bit dark on some games. EG Fox Hunt, Crash Bandicoot.
6. Audio can be a bit choppy on some games. EG Monkey Magic
7.Analog & Dualshock controller setting not work on alot of games. Ie Setting input > Controller Port 1 to Dual shock or Analog results in no controls working when running games. Changing back to standard control setting and controls work. This results in not being able to use thumbsticks to play game. Only d-pad ETC
1. The core crashes when loading any ROM bug in latest stable 1.10.0/nightly builds has been fixed. Latest working nightly build is from 23 January 2022.
2. Performance is great on most games with latest stable build. Constant and stable 50 or 60 FPS. Playing in CHD format.
3. Small number of games not working and crash retroarch on startup.
4. Retroarch sometimes still crashes but usually not when playing games. Ie exiting, closing or loading new content etc.
5. Contrast can be a bit dark on some games. EG Fox Hunt, Crash Bandicoot.
6. Audio can be a bit choppy on some games. EG Monkey Magic
7.Analog & Dualshock controller setting not work on alot of games. Ie Setting input > Controller Port 1 to Dual shock or Analog results in no controls working when running games. Changing back to standard control setting and controls work. This results in not being able to use thumbsticks to play game. Only d-pad ETC
Last edited by g12345567,
doesnt work.... the retroarch thinks its the PrDoomUPDATED 2/9/2019 2pm
Final Edit, unnecessary info removed, easier to read/follow
(after thought edit:
Tldr;
this tutorial is to try and get the most speed out of this port.
most of these directions are for turning basically all sound off, plus adjusting a couple other settings.
i want to note that some games play fine with sound. but if its unplayable or not playing at all, read this tutorial.
lets keep in mind, this emu was not designed for the 3ds, its a port,
while i do not consider it abandoned and unfinished, it could use some updates.
while the core its self uses a built in bios, you can increase your compatibility with games by using the proper bios file.
Or just by a used psp for 50 Dollars on craigslist.
ONLY WORKS ON NEW 3DS/NEW 2DS XL!! WILL NOT WORK ON OLD 3DS/2DS
Here i will tell you how to get games to play at 50-60 fps on the PS1 emulator, "PCSX reARmed" that is included in RetroArch for the NEW 3ds/2ds.
If you already have Retroarch installed, backup your config files to your SD somewhere or your PC.
you may need to update your build if installed version is lower than 1.7.6.
Step 1. Download the latest stable release of RetroArch first, if having some problems, try a nightly.
or an earlier stable version.
The .3dsx version method is not recommended. For some reason it runs slower that the CIA version.
Stable versions can be found here:
http://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/
Nightly Versions can be found here:
http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/nintendo/3ds/
2. Unzip your download with 7z on your desktop,
you will see a cia folder and a retroarch folder
3. Inside that cia folder, move the retroarch.cia to the cia folder on your 3ds SD card
and put the retroarch folder on the root of the SD card.
4. Put your SD back into your system, use fbi, navigate to the cia folder to install retroarch,
5. Then navigate to the retroarch folder>cores, and install the PCSX core
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IF you downloaded a game, and extracted it and found multiple .bin files instead of just 1, merge them, super simple.
1. download isobuster
https://www.isobuster.com/dl.php?d=isobuster.com&v=1&l=0
2. open iso buster and drag your .cue file into it
3. Click File>CD>Extract CD (Image)>RAW .bin
4. it will combine all .bin files into 1 and will make a new .cue.
there you go, delete the old bins and old cue file.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have any trouble during any process, like accidentally changing a button layout (which made the app unusable, i made the left dpad do something....idk...)
With a file explorer or on your pc, Navigate to SD/retroarch/retroarch-core-options.cfg, and any .cfg files, and delete them.
then restart PCSX and dont forget to change ALL settings again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before we launch the pcsx core,
Put the games in .bin+.cue format anywhere on the sd card,
I put my games in SD/RetroArch/Games/PS1/
Place your Bios in SD/retroarch/cores/system)
(have different bios in a different folder or on ur pc, some bios dont work with certain games, the PCSX core has a bios built in so you dont need one, but is recommended for better compatibility.)
Launch the PCSX core from the 3ds home menu, don't load a game just yet.
Before we load any games,
1. Go down to settings
2. Go to driver, make sure audio re-sampler is set to null/off.
(also while in Driver, if you want that fancy Sony XMB menu style,
head to menu/ui and choose xmb, a reset is required to take effect)
there are a few other choices, r is default. I dont believe there is a performance lag using the xmb ui, i tend to use the default ui for better speed, cuz im weird and paranoid.)
3. Go back, head to audio, turn audio enable off, make sure audio sync enable is off, everything in audio off.
(try this first, then experiment with sound later.)
then go back to main menu, load your game
3. when game loads, tap the touchscreen,
(Note: touching the bottom half of the screen in-game will toggle the menu while touching the top half of the touchscreen will toggle the bottom screen on/off)
go to options,
set frame-skip from 1-2 depending on the game, 3d games run slower than 2d,
make sure sound reverb and sound interpolation are off.
then resume the game (tap the touchscreen)
HAVE FUN!!!!
--Try the game in .bin format first. which is what it should be when downloaded.
-- if that doesnt work,
-- try a different bios,
-- if problems persist, backup, then delete the bios and use none.
-- if that doesnt work, get the rom from a new source, repeat steps 3 and 4,
-- if still doesnt work, convert it to a .pbp (PSP EBOOT)
(.ISO format will not work)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want everything pixel perfect? Go to Settings and set these: Video -> Aspect Ratio: Set it to 1:1 PAR. Video -> Integer Scale: Set it to On.
Note that this will make some consoles quite tiny, but do as you'd like.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All screenshots taken with Rosalina from my console
New 2DS XL 11.0.9-42U - Luma3DSv9.1 CFW B9S
RetroArch Nightly build 2/8/2019 9:48
XMB GUI
R-Type Delta
Chrono Cross
Lunar - Silver Star Story Complete
Tenchu 2 - Birth of the Stealth Assassins
wam bam thank you mam.
I've been playing with homebrew and now tried this PS1 emulation on 3ds, must say I'm impressed how the games are running so good. Tested Castlevania, Crash Trilogy, Megaman 8 and Resident Evil 2, all very playable.
However on Bust a Groove 2 gameplay, the songs are desynchronized, no surprise... I've struggled emulating this on pc, only worked in Mednafen. The game runs really well but with the beat slightly desynch.
Anyway, just wanted to thank your post, the performance improved following those configs
Hi i've been trying to play Castlevania SotN but i don't like the way it feels, i use a .pbp because .bin file doesn't work as good, i tried every options people are posting , the only thing i'm not sure is if it's using the right BIOS, can't someone help me ?
It may help to be just a touch more specific, for instance what is it you don't like about the way it feels? Does it feel laggy and unresponsive, or is it a graphical issue?
Hi all! Thanks for these awesome tips
On the last version of Retroarch/core I don't seem to find the "CD Access Method" option. Did they remove it? I've checked tons of times.
Pretty much every new version of Retroarch's PCSX_ReArmed I've tried is missing the "Options" menu and also the "CD Access Method" option. I did have a version at one point with these settings, but every version I've tried so far is missing these features and runs with significantly worse performance. I accidentally deleted the version I used to have, so I'm not sure which version it was. There is a "Core Options" tab now but it's organized completely differently and is missing settings.
Same, I thought I would update to a newer version but now I have games that aren't working properly anymore and missing configuration options. Latest Nightly 12/21/22.
Edit: it looks like someone up above was able to follow the instructions and get it working last September, so I'll try a build from then and see if it works.
Edit2: It seems to be working fine, CD Access option is present as well. If you're having trouble I recommend you roll back to that build as well.
Last edited by AVVVVVV,
Glad to hear you got it working!
Are you using the September build of Retroarch too, or just the Core?
Also, what's the build version? Just so I can make sure I'll get it right.
Just the core, stable, build date 9/30/22
They did move the CD Access switch, but it's there under Quick Menu/Core Options/System. And just below "Enable Second Memory Card". I deleted and regenerated the core configuration too, just in case.
Since switching back to 9/30/22 I've been noticing that PSX emulation is messing with my battery. I was playing Final Fantasy Tactics and after some amount of time the light will suddenly turn red and turn off the console, however, the battery is still fully charged and the system can handle official Ocarina of Time 3D and Gunman Clive perfectly fine without suddenly dying.
and that isn't happening with anything else? Did you try other games on PSX? How are you running the game, is it in .chd format?
Last edited by WizardWell,
I'll have to test other games, I have quite a few from running psx emulation before, all in chd format. This doesn't happen with non homebrew as far as I can tell, nor have I noticed it with say SNES emulation.
It's really bizarre, it just goes from full to dead instantly after between 10 and 20 minutes, but it's not dead, the battery indicator has been at about 75% on reboot.
Edit: It just happened on ftpd while transferring a different version of retroarch. So uhhh, looks like I'm going to be looking into a battery replacement.
It's really bizarre, it just goes from full to dead instantly after between 10 and 20 minutes, but it's not dead, the battery indicator has been at about 75% on reboot.
Edit: It just happened on ftpd while transferring a different version of retroarch. So uhhh, looks like I'm going to be looking into a battery replacement.
Last edited by AstraKnight,
Hello, people! Sorry for going completely silent. I've been dealing with real life stuff, and haven't really had the time to work on it. I did however manage to finish a more primitive version of the tool before I took a break. I still probably won't be able to work on it very much, but it serves the purpose for now. From what I can tell the previous performance issues are gone, and it seems to run at full speed. I can't guarantee the performance for every game however.
Before I disappeared, I underwent an operating system change. As a result, the current tool is made for Ubuntu Linux. I'll upload it to GitHub now, but if you need a Windows version let me know and I'll get to work on that.
Again, sorry for leaving you all in the dark.
I... made this post on the wrong thread. Sorry.
Clicked on the wrong notification and didn't realize it.
Before I disappeared, I underwent an operating system change. As a result, the current tool is made for Ubuntu Linux. I'll upload it to GitHub now, but if you need a Windows version let me know and I'll get to work on that.
Again, sorry for leaving you all in the dark.
Post automatically merged:
I... made this post on the wrong thread. Sorry.
Clicked on the wrong notification and didn't realize it.
Last edited by SirFluff,
I have been searching for a solid answer for this for a while and I do not understand.
When looking up where to place the BIOS files, I find: Settings->Directory->System/BIOS (although this tutorial says to put them some place else, which I tried). Am I supposed to make a subfolder in the settings folder called directory, then another called system, and finally add the BIOS files?
When looking up where to place the BIOS files, I find: Settings->Directory->System/BIOS (although this tutorial says to put them some place else, which I tried). Am I supposed to make a subfolder in the settings folder called directory, then another called system, and finally add the BIOS files?
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