Homebrew RetroArch Switch

[lordelan]

1. Bilinear filtering off, no additional filter
2. Bilinear filtering off, 1. Pass: scalenx 2xSFX/shaderscale:2x 2. Pass: reverse antialiasing/shaderscale: dont care
3. Bilinear filtering off, 1. Pass: omniscale-legacy/shaderscale:2x 2. Pass: reverse antialiasing/shaderscale: dont care

First of all, thx for your work (not only pointing everything out but posting screenshots here as well).

I'm surprised at myself. When I started using emulators back then (in most cases SNES games with ZSNES on Windows) I always wanted the game to look like what it does at your 3rd option.
But becoming a pure retro lover I'm completely fine with the "nude art" which would be your option 1.
I'm not that retro to prefer scanlines though. Just the pure pixel graphics the roms provide.

 

[FellowTemper]

Hi!

My Joycons (and Pro Controller too) stopped working in Retroarch. The app itself seems to be working (background animation).
This happened when i updated from 6.0 to 6.0.1, dont know if that is the reason.
Any help?

Thx in advance

 

[KHEOPS]

Here a few more findings regarding shaders:

The reverse anti aliasing filter is a good addition to both omniscale-legacy and scalenx 2xSFX, as it adds a little more pixel "noise" back into the filtered presentation. For most gba games the "correct" shader scale for both the omniscale-legacy and scalenx 2xSFX filters would be 2x (for Phoenix Wright 5x is preferable). Increasing shader scale increases "edge contrast".

For GBA games, lets look at three presentation options in detail.

1. Bilinear filtering off, no additional filter
2. Bilinear filtering off, 1. Pass: scalenx 2xSFX/shaderscale:2x 2. Pass: reverse antialiasing/shaderscale: dont care
3. Bilinear filtering off, 1. Pass: omniscale-legacy/shaderscale:2x 2. Pass: reverse antialiasing/shaderscale: dont care

Those three options "smoothen" the image increasingly more - and may be used depending on the "detail level" of the pixel art you are dealing with.

Final Fantasy Tactics Adv Option 1 and Option 3:

Final Fantasy 6 - option 1, 2 and 3

Spoiler

Mother 3 - option 1, 2 and 3

Spoiler

Metroid Zero Mission - option 1, 2 and 3

Spoiler

The "best" option for each game might depend on the detail of the pixel art, and the font used.

In FFT for me its option 3, in FF6 option 1, in Mother 3 option 2, in Zero Mission option 3. In Phoenix Wright option 3 with shaderscale set to 5x instead of 2x (even more edge contrast).

Hi good post, but just to say, and it only involves me, but this gba filter is horrible, not at all suitable for our screens, and does not respect the properties of the gba screen, so apart from using cpu resources, the result is ugly.
It's time I think to refresh my memory and bring out his gba, and look 5 min how the image is then come back here to make a report.
This is a gba with backlight mod, it will look more like the target screen you want to imitate
Switch brighter than a gba we agree on this point

And now screen 3 here is soft as on a gba screen AGS 001, there are less good models of screen, less bright, among other things, see more sharpness on other
The result of an lcdX3 shader on mgba, with nearestX1 and nearestx2 filter provides image 4 with more sharpness
This is not a criticism here, the shaders, it's a matter of taste, everyone does what they want or what they can, the one who has never had a gba, can be satisfied with sabr or all those things that degrade the original image, without respecting any rule of the targeted machine, in this case the gba.

 

[notimp]

I'm not that retro to prefer scanlines though. Just the pure pixel graphics the roms provide.

I'm usually the same. I use scanlines in some older games, but usually not that many (= cant play Chrono Trigger without them ), and up until today was very happy with point filtering (bilinear filtering on PSX titles, because it doesnt impact performance (I'll upload some MGS screens that still look killer, to proof the point, that even bilinear filtering has its uses.. )).

But then - I had some time today, and the GBA version of Phoenix Wright looked especially horrid, so I looked into filters. After about 15 minutes circling through the newer ones (know the usual candidates from way back in the day) - I found that Phoenix Wright (GBA) is so much improved, that I wouldnt play it sans filters anymore. As you can see in the gif I've posted, gradients and linedrawing are much improved, blur isnt significantly higher and the font suffers a little, but not that much - and overall, because the filter gives the font a more solid white kerning, readablity improved. (Which is a huge plus for this game.)

I've played around with filters a little more, and I'd say - if I'd use them or not, depends very much on how the filter treats the font of a certain game.

I'd never use it in FF6 (also would never play the GBA version of that game.. ), in FFT Adv. battles and the map screens look improved, but menu navigation becomes "harder", because with the filters on it feels "swimmy" (no sharp edge alignment anymore).

So long story short - in some games It can be an improvement, in some games its the exact opposite. GBA felt like an ideal platform to test, because the resolution is crap, the art often was downsized for the plattform, but its "almost widescreen", so you'd actually want to play some of those releases..

For Phoenix Wright I'd definitely leave them on with most of the others its still up in the air.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Here are some MGS screens with only bilinear filtering enabled. Game looks killer on the switch in portable mode. Also - (+/-) its the first title, that used cinematic presentation it its story sequences (reveals, screen framing, establishing pans, camera movements around characters, FPS while in the airducts, pov shots (low to the ground, high in the air...)).

After months of playing older titles, this flashed me hard. Its one of those milestone moments, I only could appreciate years later, and I did so, playing it on a mobile platform. We've come a long way..

https://imgur.com/a/l7s1ekq/layout/grid

for non grid view:
https://imgur.com/a/l7s1ekq/

 

[CrazyRach82]

Anyone had any trouble launching megadrive/genesis files? I scan the directory but once its scanned nothing happens?. Im using the smd file format.

 

[KHEOPS]

Just to say that mother3 is perfect here, I never change shader, compared to a font? Then you need to have a preset of colorful games? A preset to make them? And so on...
None of this here, I start a game, and it's perfect, all the time, whatever the game, and I have over 1000 games, and all of them are beautiful...finally 80 ℅ ,there are original graphic rotten games, the shader doesn't help in this case, logical....

Here is mother 3 tests now, check the quality on your smartphone, fullscreen when zooming in....

Afterwards we are all different, people will ignore the shaders, and others like me, will work 3 days to create a monochrome gb color palette, which I did to adapt the colors, to the target screen, if your smartphone screen is at 9000k and your wife's at 7000k, ideal ( 6500K) in short the same game, on the same emulator, they will never be identical.... Color drift, that's why I made my monochrome color palette....
By see you.

 

[psbernitz]

But is overclocking the console safe for it?

 

[Esppiral]

Any news on n64/DC/GC emulation?

 

[pseudoSue]

Any news on n64/DC/GC emulation?

It's highly requested and being worked on. I'd assume N64 will happen someday, but it could be days/weeks/months away. Nobody knows for sure, but the talented devs are working on it.

 

[angelhp]

Pokemini core doesn't work
I tested three roms

 

[m4xw]

Majoras might be playable (with some more changes):

1.5Ghz OC, audio is smooth as butter

 

[hippy dave]

Woop, any significant charring of flesh in handheld mode when overclocked?

 

[m4xw]

 

[ShadowOne333]

View attachment 147412

Oh shit 58fps?!
DAMN

 

[m4xw]

Oh shit 58fps?!
DAMN

I didnt expect that. Gotta be honest.

 

[Rahkeesh]

Any updates on this supporting the extra RAM in HBmenu 2.0?

 

[m4xw]

Any updates on this supporting the extra RAM in HBmenu 2.0?

https://gbatemp.net/threads/use-atmosphere-to-access-full-ram-with-homebrews-without-nsp.521240/

 

[ShadowOne333]

Any updates on this supporting the extra RAM in HBmenu 2.0?

If you use the RetroArch NSP, you should already have the extra RAM available, unless I am missing something.

 

[FanNintendo]

https://gbatemp.net/threads/use-atmosphere-to-access-full-ram-with-homebrews-without-nsp.521240/

im curious without nsp install can I just run Switch Homebrew Menu then run Atmosphere to get full ram ? My Switch is on 3.0.0 doesnt want to install any nsp unless it requires and dont want it update with auto rcm n jig right joycon.

 

[m4xw]

im curious without nsp install can I just run Switch Homebrew Menu then run Atmosphere to get full ram ? My Switch is on 3.0.0 doesnt want to install any nsp unless it requires and dont want it update with auto rcm n jig right joycon.

U didnt read what I posted.

 

[FanNintendo]

U didnt read what I posted.

yes i have and i want to double check. its like fuse the hot wire before time goes boom! LOL

 

[zacly]

The wallpaper picker appears to be broken. I was able to change the main wallpaper by editing the assets/xmb/monochrome/png/bg.png file.

For Dynamic backgrounds to work, you need a png that matches the name of the playlist or menu item.

Where do you put the image file?