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Retroarch on Series X and S |OT| Too many games

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
Esppiral Esppiral CrustyBritches CrustyBritches What Res and Fps were you getting for Mario Galaxy and Tony Hawks I'll add them to the op.
Sorry I never include the performance metrics or setup. Sometime here I'll just sit down and test a big list of games. I'm just running the BIOS-free version of PCSX ReArmed and it looks and plays just like PSX. On PPSSPP I'm using 4xPSP res, Sharpening filter, and x16 AF. There are occasional slowdowns, especially when the music switches tracks. Otherwise it runs everything I've tried just fine even off USB.

P.S.- If people just want a smooth, fun experience to start I recommend going with PSX and PSP. Especially PPSSPP retail standalone. It's fast and easy to configure, has great image quality, and you can load a ton of great games right off USB. PSP had a killer library.
 
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Hostile_18

Banned
Sorry I never include the performance metrics or setup. Sometime here I'll just sit down and test a big list of games. I'm just running the BIOS-free version of PCSX ReArmed and it looks and plays just like PSX. On PPSSPP I'm using 4xPSP res, Sharpening filter, and x16 AF. There are occasional slowdowns, especially when the music switches tracks. Otherwise it runs everything I've tried just fine even off USB.

P.S.- If people just want a smooth, fun experience to start I recommend going with PSX and PSP. Especially PPSSPP retail standalone. It's fast and easy to configure, has great image quality, and you can load a ton of great games right off USB. PSP had a killer library.

I'm looking forward to trying Crysis Core 😁

If everything works as planned this evening with regards to the transferring my roms I'll be testing the Mortal Kombat 3d trilogy and Shaolin Monks tonight.
 

dwish

Member
Awesome!
So how does this work. Is it some kind of dual boot between Xbox X|S OS and RetroArch?
Do you store games on an external drive or on the SSD?
Can it run discs too? E.g ps1/2
 

Hostile_18

Banned
Awesome!
So how does this work. Is it some kind of dual boot between Xbox X|S OS and RetroArch?
Do you store games on an external drive or on the SSD?
Can it run discs too? E.g ps1/2

Its complicated but its essentially an app that houses various emulators. You load the game and the emulator. Two ways of running the app Retail via a white list on the store and dev via dev mode which you pay a one time fee to access. Retail is far better in my experience. It offers more emulators, more up to date and fully uses the hardware.

You can run some games off an external but not all. Its far better to transfer the files to your xbox via an ftp app on your pc. Discs I'm not sure about, it can on PC I believe.
 

01011001

Banned
Sorry I never include the performance metrics or setup. Sometime here I'll just sit down and test a big list of games. I'm just running the BIOS-free version of PCSX ReArmed and it looks and plays just like PSX. On PPSSPP I'm using 4xPSP res, Sharpening filter, and x16 AF. There are occasional slowdowns, especially when the music switches tracks. Otherwise it runs everything I've tried just fine even off USB.

P.S.- If people just want a smooth, fun experience to start I recommend going with PSX and PSP. Especially PPSSPP retail standalone. It's fast and easy to configure, has great image quality, and you can load a ton of great games right off USB. PSP had a killer library.

yes and I urge everyone to actually use the standalone PPSSPP not the retroarch core.
I had issues whenever the PSP system menus came up for saving or loading save states.
in the standalone version, no issues at all!

so download that standalone PPSSPP from the provided link
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Esppiral Esppiral CrustyBritches CrustyBritches What Res and Fps were you getting for Mario Galaxy and Tony Hawks I'll add them to the op.

What FTP is everyone using? I couldnt get Filezilla working. Copied the IP address bit wasnt sure of what port information it was asking for (and on the xbox the port was editable from 21 also).
Filezilla was literally just put the IP address in (the local one, 192.168.x.x most of the time) and the port number (21) after you've clicked the 2 buttons on the ftp app on the xbox - set local folders, and then start.
 

Mmnow

Member
Mario Kart: Double Dash runs 4k at, I believe, 60fps with some very rare minor stuttering on Series X.

Wide-screen hack does cause some issues, so I turned it off as quickly as I turned it on.

Out of interest, where's the FPS counter for the Dolphin core? Couldn't find it.
 
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Hostile_18

Banned
Filezilla was literally just put the IP address in (the local one, 192.168.x.x most of the time) and the port number (21) after you've clicked the 2 buttons on the ftp app on the xbox - set local folders, and then start.

For some reason I get a connection issue if I put port 21 into filezilla and an error saying most likely wrong port (even though that's what the xbox says). I'm using one called WinSCP that seems to work fine now 👍😁
 
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Serious question:

How much of this trans stuff is really about gay people being ashamed of being gay?
You already have dev mode activated after that... I had the same problem... just go to settings, console info and in that screen hit RT, LT, RB and LB at the same time... you'll get the hidden menu and will be able to access dev mode.

That did it thanks! Now is there any way to actually get games on it without a thumb drive? I haven’t used one in like ages so I guess it’s time to buy one. I can’t find one anywhere in my home and 10 years ago I had them everywhere lol
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Whats the final word on s vs x, is there any advantage with the X's extra power or are they running the same?
 
Whats the final word on s vs x, is there any advantage with the X's extra power or are they running the same?

No. It will run basically the same 99% of the time since emulation is CPU bound. There should be some filters/presets that may give X a bit of the boost but that's about it.

I'm parroting what MVG (youtuber) who knows a lot about the emulation scene. He calls the Series S the best emulation box you can get at that price point.
 
No. It will run basically the same 99% of the time since emulation is CPU bound. There should be some filters/presets that may give X a bit of the boost but that's about it.

I'm parroting what MVG (youtuber) who knows a lot about the emulation scene. He calls the Series S the best emulation box you can get at that price point.

Has anyone compared the One X to S though? I’m messing around with my One X for now but might go full retard on SEx too if it probably not banned.
 
Has anyone compared the One X to S though? I’m messing around with my One X for now but might go full retard on SEx too if it probably not banned.

One X compared to Series S? I remember reading about spotty n64 performance. One S/X was in that weird spot where it's clearly more capable than raspberry pi and could emulate 16 bit era and maybe PS1, but has issues with n64, dreamcast, PS1, GC, Wii in various ways.

That's the reason why Retroarch on Series S/X is getting so much buzz. It's getting close to full speed on all the emulated systems mentioned above.
 
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One X compared to Series S? I remember reading about spotty n64 performance. One S/X was in that weird spot where it's clearly more capable than raspberry pi and could emulate 16 bit era and maybe PS1, but has issues with n64, dreamcast, PS1, GC, Wii in various ways.

That's the reason why Retroarch on Series S/X is getting so much buzz. It's getting close to full speed on all the emulated systems mentioned above.

Cool I’m testing it out on my X but will definitely get it over to the SeX
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Kind of hoping Self High Five is right on this one, I kind of think mvg said something similar.
I have a series s on the way and I dont think I want to risk my series x with this. I know it's supposed to be fine and all but you never know......
 

TLZ

Banned
I'm trying PCSX2 now. Anyone know why the image stays blurry even after increasing internal resolution to 4k? On my PC when selecting 4k the image becomes much clearer. I have the same game loaded on both PC and SX and the SX looks bad, like it's still on native res. I can't find anything else in the settings to change either.

Also, when I'm idle for a few seconds, the game slows down a lot. I have to move the analogue stick for it to go back to normal speed again.

EDIT: fuhhhh nevermind I found the fix to my blurry issue. Apparently it's a specific issue only to Captain Tsubasa. On PC I have to enable the "half pixel offset" to fix it. This option isn't available in RA so can't do much there. Oh well!
 
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jaysius

Banned
Has anyone played Super Mario Galaxy 1 or 2 on their Series X and tweaked it to get perfect performance?

I'm having the occasional stutter which goes away when I press a button or interact in some way.

It's pretty smooth but the occasional stutter sucks.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
I'm still having issues getting my files over to the Series X. Trying a third way now. Onto my external ssd then copied over to my series x via "My File Explorer" free trial on the Series X. If that dosnt work I'll have to consult with someone on here who actually has got it to work 🙈.

So games go in the obvious directory. Where do the PS1 and PS2 bios filed go? If this works expect loads more game play testing today.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
Amazing PS2 guide added to the OP and here, courtesy of Rossco EZ Rossco EZ ❤.
So firstly assuming you have the retail version of retroarch (retrospection app) and the FTP app. Open retrospection and go to 'Online Updater'. Once you are there update core info files and update assets, when that's done close the retrospection app.

Now on your pc download you will need to download the PS2 Bios.

You will also need to download whatever roms you want to play (and legally own).

Also you will need a program to unzip the folders, i used 7-Zip.. https://www.7-zip.org/download.html

Ok now last thing to download is FileZilla.. https://filezilla-project.org/

Open 7-zip and find your PS2 Bios you downloaded and right click, click 7-Zip and then 'Extract to' and follow the same step for whatever game you have downloaded. (follow this step any time you download any other system bios or any games)

Once everything is downloaded, open the FTP app on your Xbox. When you open it click 'Set Local Folder' then go down and click start. At the top of FileZilla you will see 'Host:' and you will need to put the IP address of your Xbox that shows on the FTP app. Don't worry about the username or password part leave those blank and then for port enter 21 then click 'QuickConnect'. You should now be connected to your Xbox.


From here on the left of your screen will be local files on your pc and the right will be files on the Xbox. On the right hand side in the top box under 'Remote Site' the second folder should be the one you want as it will say Retrospection. Double click and then go to 'LocalState'. Double click again and look for 'System'. This is where you will want to drag the PS2 Bios you downloaded earlier (find the PS2 Bios folder where ever you saved it using the left box and then drag to right into the system folder) congrats you have done the system bios part.

Now for the steps on where the games go.. On the right hand side again we wanna go Retrospection/LocalState/Downloads and you need to make a folder for your PS2 games, right click on downloads folder and 'Create Directory'. i literally just called it 'PS2 Games' but name it whatever you want. This is where you will need to drag your games to, so Retrospection/LocalState/Downloads/PS2 Games.

After that's all done and make sure everything has finished sending over to the Xbox (you should see a bar at the bottom showing current progress) you can go onto the xbox and click stop on the FTP app and quit the app.

Now open the Retrospection app, go to 'Load Content', 'Downloads', 'PS2 Games' and then click whatever game you want to play and then the top option that says '.bin.' at the end. This will then open up 'Suggested Cores' scroll down until you find 'Sony - PlayStation 2 (PCSX2)' click that and your game should start
 
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Rossco EZ

Member
Amazing PS2 guide added to the OP and here, courtesy of Rossco EZ Rossco EZ ❤.
So firstly assuming you have the retail version of retroarch (retrospection app) and the FTP app. Open retrospection and go to 'Online Updater'. Once you are there update core info files and update assets, when that's done close the retrospection app.

Now on your pc download you will need to download the PS2 Bios.

You will also need to download whatever roms you want to play (and legally own).

Also you will need a program to unzip the folders, i used 7-Zip.. https://www.7-zip.org/download.html

Ok now last thing to download is FileZilla.. https://filezilla-project.org/

Open 7-zip and find your PS2 Bios you downloaded and right click, click 7-Zip and then 'Extract to' and follow the same step for whatever game you have downloaded. (follow this step any time you download any other system bios or any games)

Once everything is downloaded, open the FTP app on your Xbox. When you open it click 'Set Local Folder' then go down and click start. At the top of FileZilla you will see 'Host:' and you will need to put the IP address of your Xbox that shows on the FTP app. Don't worry about the username or password part leave those blank and then for port enter 21 then click 'QuickConnect'. You should now be connected to your Xbox.


From here on the left of your screen will be local files on your pc and the right will be files on the Xbox. On the right hand side in the top box under 'Remote Site' the second folder should be the one you want as it will say Retrospection. Double click and then go to 'LocalState'. Double click again and look for 'System'. This is where you will want to drag the PS2 Bios you downloaded earlier (find the PS2 Bios folder where ever you saved it using the left box and then drag to right into the system folder) congrats you have done the system bios part.

Now for the steps on where the games go.. On the right hand side again we wanna go Retrospection/LocalState/Downloads and you need to make a folder for your PS2 games, right click on downloads folder and 'Create Directory'. i literally just called it 'PS2 Games' but name it whatever you want. This is where you will need to drag your games to, so Retrospection/LocalState/Downloads/PS2 Games.

After that's all done and make sure everything has finished sending over to the Xbox (you should see a bar at the bottom showing current progress) you can go onto the xbox and click stop on the FTP app and quit the app.

Now open the Retrospection app, go to 'Load Content', 'Downloads', 'PS2 Games' and then click whatever game you want to play and then the top option that says '.bin.' at the end. This will then open up 'Suggested Cores' scroll down until you find 'Sony - PlayStation 2 (PCSX2)' click that and your game should start
gotta give props to MrFunSocks MrFunSocks for helping me with parts i was stuck on
 
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Hostile_18

Banned
I'm on the verge of giving up with PS2 games. Tried for hours.

Gamecube, N64 and PS1 all work fine. PS2 it's a nightmare. It should be working and it's not 🙈.
 

splattered

Member
So this still isn't in danger of being blocked? I was seeing comments about having until Sunday but i think that was just for using it via non dev-mode? I don't mind paying $20 for this at all i just don't want them to block my gamertag or anything, i've had it for well over a decade haha
 

Hostile_18

Banned
FINALLY got the PS2 running. I think it must of been a combination of my hardware I'm running it didnt like (it's an old laptop). It was FLASH FXP that finally worked for me.

Did someone say the had a rumble issue earlier? Seems like I've got it to, but I'm sure that fix will be alot easier. Phew!
 

Hostile_18

Banned
More testing;

Deus Ex 4k 60fps
Buffy: Chaos Bleeds 1440p 60fps*
Silent Hill 2 4K 60fps*
Simpsons Hit and Run 4k 60fps*
Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks: Unplayable

Mortal Kombat is slow and does not allow for the quick menu/main menu at all to adjust. Simpsons plays on a tiny segment of the screen a couple of inches wide... too small to adjust to a normal resolution.
 
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01011001

Banned
More testing;

Deus Ex 4k 60fps
Buffy: Chaos Bleeds 1440p 60fps*
Silent Hill 2 4K 60fps*
Simpsons Hit and Run 4k 60fps*
Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks: Unplayable

Mortal Kombat is slow and does not allow for the quick menu/main menu at all to adjust. Simpsons plays on a tiny segment of the screen a couple of inches wide... too small to adjust to a normal resolution.

I had an issue with God Hand where the screen is small on the top left and if you open the emulator menu it is squished and almost impossible to navigate.
to fix this you sadly have to change the resolution every time you play. only after you change the resolution does it diplay correctly

so a small PSA for everyone facing that issue in PS2 games:

open the emulator menu with your set shortcut,
press down 10x (this will highlight the video settings),
press A,
press up 2x,
press A,

now you are in the resolution settings, change that one up or one down and try to navigate back to the resume button.
after you hit resume your screen will go black for a second and when it comes back should be normal size

___________

ANOTHER PSA different isssue tho:

if you notice slowdown during curscenes or other scenes where you didn't use or press anything on your controller in a while... move the right or left stick and it should return to normal speed.

yes, it seems that not using any controller inputs actually causes slowdown.
I just played GodHand and the cutscenes always slowed down during some scenes. then it happened after I exited a challenge mission. my character was standing there and all on screen was a wall but still massive slowdown!
AS SOON AS I MOVED MY LEFT STICK it went back to normal speed!

and sure enough from that point on I tried simply moving the left stick a bit during cutscenes, AND NO SLOWDOWN IN ANY SCENE!

so, it's weird, but not using your controller after the game does either a camera cut or loads something in seems to caise slowdown. just moving the sticks around a bit every so often fixes this.
 
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cheststrongwell

my cake, fuck off
Using Xbox One X here. Is it normal for games to load slow? I've transferred some SNES and PSX roms to the Xbox hard drive, and it usually takes maybe 10 seconds to load a game. PSX games take even longer. Once loaded, games are running perfect. Just a slight annoyance, but thought I'd ask.
 

LDS

Banned
Using Xbox One X here. Is it normal for games to load slow? I've transferred some SNES and PSX roms to the Xbox hard drive, and it usually takes maybe 10 seconds to load a game. PSX games take even longer. Once loaded, games are running perfect. Just a slight annoyance, but thought I'd ask.
How do the games run otherwise? I have a One X and was thinking of doing this.
 

cheststrongwell

my cake, fuck off
How do the games run otherwise? I have a One X and was thinking of doing this.
I've only tried SNES, PSX, and Genesis, but they all run perfect. I already own a Shield, the Genesis and SNES Analogue systems, and a Raspberry Pi, but I love tinkering around with these things.
 
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LDS

Banned
I've only tried SNES, PSX, and Genesis, but they all run perfect. I already own a Shield, the Genesis and SNES Analogue systems, and a Raspberry Pi, but I love tinkering around with these things.
Same, the shield pro works pretty well but was hoping to be able to run PS2 potentially with the new core
 
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