Hacking Emulation RetroArch/Libretro Thread: PS Vita Edition! Nightlies Included

[SeongGino]

Nightly update: Right now the buildbot bugged and any emulators below WonderSwan are not available in the current build.

However, our second THIRD newest addition, Final Burn Alpha, is now available for testing.

EDIT:
Apparently all the clones previously are deprecated; now snes9x replaces CatSFC and PocketSNES.

Also, our (proper) second newest addition to the Libretro cores, Stella, is now available as well for testing via the latest August 5th Nightly (Not the current August 6th version). Adding both to the thread shortly...

I just realized, yay we made it to page 2!
Anyways, just tested Stella and... er...

Marking Atari 2600 under "Unplayable" for the moment.

 

[VincentBeasley]

fbalpha2012_libretro replaces CPS1 and doesn't boot. Whats with all the snes cores???

 

[Shinigami Kiba]

Sorry about the stupid question, if it was answered in the other topic I missed it.
THE only reason I want to not use retroarch releases for the moment is because I don't know how to enter the settings menu where I can select my frameskips, clock speed, that kinda stuff.

in the stand alone CATSFC release, that first one that came out you just hit L+R
I tried everything and I can't do this in retoarch

im very confused

 

[SeongGino]

fbalpha2012_libretro replaces CPS1 and doesn't boot. Whats with all the snes cores???

Well, it IS straight off the proverbial oven...
Killing two birds with one stone and marking this under "Nonfunctioning." PicoDrive, you have a friend now.

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Sorry about the stupid question, if it was answered in the other topic I missed it.

Eyyy, we're the ONLY thread now! : D

...Go on.

in the stand alone CATSFC release, that first one that came out you just hit L+R
I tried everything and I can't do this in retoarch

im very confused

And you'd be right in being confused! By default, RetroArch's key combo is, for some reason, L1 + R1 + Select + Start.
If you navigate to RetroArch -> Settings -> Input, you can change the Quick Menu pullup combo there. I personally use L1 + R1 + Down + Y (Square).

...Sounds like, however, you're new to Libretro as a whole. You'll need some time to adjust to the menus, but it's worth it as everything performs (so far) infinitely better than any standalone emulator available for HENkaku.

 

[VincentBeasley]

Sorry about the stupid question, if it was answered in the other topic I missed it.
THE only reason I want to not use retroarch releases for the moment is because I don't know how to enter the settings menu where I can select my frameskips, clock speed, that kinda stuff.

in the stand alone CATSFC release, that first one that came out you just hit L+R
I tried everything and I can't do this in retoarch

im very confused

When you first boot up a core you will see the menu. Find settings>input>hotkeys> and configure a button for the menu. The default is L+R+start+select

 

[Chesskid1]

buildbot must be really buggy. doubt they'll remove catsfc, it was the best one

 

[SeongGino]

When you first boot up a core you will see the menu. Find settings>input>hotkeys> and configure a button for the menu. The default is L+R+start+select

Only problem, personally, is there's only three PRESET options; you can't make your own. And before, L1 + R1 + Select + Start was previously just Select + Start. Way easier/conventional.

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buildbot must be really buggy. doubt they'll remove catsfc, it was the best one

It is. This happened to 3DS RetroArch one time as well. It'll fix itself in the next "build".

 

[VincentBeasley]

Only problem, personally, is there's only three PRESET options; you can't make your own. And before, L1 + R1 + Select + Start was previously just Select + Start. Way easier/conventional.

I have mine set as: Right stick enables hotkeys and L button for the menu. That way L functions normally unless I use the right stick

 

[SeongGino]

I have mine set as: Right stick enables hotkeys and L button for the menu. That way L functions normally unless I use the right stick

I should probably use then! At least then the right stick gets some use.

 

[VincentBeasley]

Well the only thing on right stick is enable "hotkeys" and then I have all the face and shoulder buttons as hotkeys =] the left stick can also be mapped

 

[VitaType]

fbalpha2012_libretro.vpk - FB Alpha 2012 v0.2.97.30, Arcade Machine Emulator (Various) *NEW*

I try to find out what that exactly is. Was there a kind of standard in the hardware of Arcard Machines or why is there a emulator for these?
It seems to me to be more of a categorie rather then concrete hardware

 

[VincentBeasley]

I try to find out what that exactly is. Was there a kind of standard in the hardware of Arcard Machines or why is there a emulator for these?
It seems to me to be more of a categorie rather then concrete hardware

Well CPS1 CPS2 NeoGeo and standard arcade are 4 different types of games. We have the first 3, now heres the fourth lol Its basically the first three are specific hardware and games and then this core is just everything else

 

[VitaType]

Well CPS1 CPS2 NeoGeo and standard arcade are 4 different types of games. We have the first 3, now heres the fourth lol

So it isn't this (a generic term) but some kind of (obscure) console?

 

[SeongGino]

So it isn't this but some kind of (obscure) console?

Final Burn Alpha is essentially a HEAVILY optimized MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) that mainly focuses on a few cores. CPS1/2 and SNK Neo-Geo are the popular ones, but also supports CAVE machines (Basically hardware meant for bullet-hell-ish shooters), and a few other niche pieces of hardware.
I can't exactly call it Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator because:

A) That exists already.
B) It doesn't emulate anywhere NEAR as many ROMs as MAME (1000-ish ROMsets[?] vs. 10k+ ROMsets)

Visit here for more info if you'd like specifics on Final Burn Alpha.

 

[VincentBeasley]

So it isn't this (a generic term) but some kind of (obscure) console?

No no it IS an arcade cabinet. Basically Capcom and Neo Geo had special cabinets that only their games would play on (CPS1, CPS2 and NEOGEO) and then everything else was standard cabinets (this core). Nintendo and Cave had their own lines of arcade cabinets as well.

 

[VitaType]

Final Burn Alpha is essentially a HEAVILY optimized MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) that mainly focuses on a few cores. CPS1/2 and SNK Neo-Geo are the popular ones, but also supports CAVE machines (Basically hardware meant for bullet-hell-ish shooters), and a few other niche pieces of hardware.
I can't exactly call it Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator because:

A) That exists already.
B) It doesn't emulate anywhere NEAR as many ROMs as MAME (1000-ish ROMsets[?] vs. 10k+ ROMsets)

Visit here for more info if you'd like specifics on Final Burn Alpha.

Oh, it's a collection of cores they somehow share optimization techniques/strategies.
Thanks for clearing up. I thought it was one core per VPK. As "Snes9x 2005 -> a SNES core with interface" and "FCEUmm-> a NES core with interface".

 

[SeongGino]

Oh, it's a collection of cores they somehow share optimization techniques/strategies.
Thanks for clearing up. I thought it was one core per VPK. As "Snes9x 2005 -> a SNES core with interface" and "FCEUmm-> a NES core with interface".

...That still sorta applies here, though.
FBA as a whole still counts as a singular core, just like every other Libretro release here. But for filesize reasons (As the 3DS doesn't like large launcher files without tinkering) and portability's sake, it's normally broken down to the bare essentials for devices like the PSP, 3DS Homebrew Channel, and Vita Rejuvenate. So now we get the whole package with HENkaku...

EVENTUALLY.

 

[VincentBeasley]

...That still sorta applies here, though.
FBA as a whole still counts as a singular core, just like every other Libretro release here. But for filesize reasons (As the 3DS doesn't like large launcher files without tinkering) and portability's sake, it's normally broken down to the bare essentials for devices like the PSP, 3DS Homebrew Channel, and Vita Rejuvenate. So now we get the whole package with HENkaku...

EVENTUALLY.

I actually prefer it to be separated. It's easier to get to, just find the bubble and your off!

 

[sj33]

FB Alpha is an emulator that emulates a wide range of arcade boards, similar to Mame. This isn't really confusing or new,

The main reason CPS1/2/3 and Neo Geo are spun off as separate cores is because their ROMs tend to be massive and require a lot of RAM. The FB Alpha core itself is huge, so it is helpful to have builds with single cores that are a fraction of the size, thus saving RAM which could be put towards loading larger ROMs. This is more important on the 3DS where RAM is more limited.

 

[SeongGino]

FB Alpha is an emulator that emulates a wide range of arcade boards, similar to Mame. This isn't really confusing or new,

The main reason CPS1/2/3 and Neo Geo are spun off as separate cores is because their ROMs tend to be massive and require a lot of RAM. The FB Alpha core itself is huge, so it is helpful to have builds with single cores that are a fraction of the size, thus saving RAM which could be put towards loading larger ROMs. This is more important on the 3DS where RAM is more limited.

Preeeeeetty much exactly what I said, thanks for hammering the point home.
Although, I wish we had the CPS3 available as a separate core...
I was going to comment saying the Vita had memory limitations as well, but now the Vita can play every Neo-Geo game when the 3DS (I think) is still limited to a specific file size limitation.
But yeah, FBA ain't really special. It's just that it's more feasible to emulate properly than ALL of MAME. All four versions of it spanning a decade at that. This is the better, more economic choice in my opinion.