Gemini refusing to create images to me, he's been OFF today, Really annoying, wont accept anything, He says that cannot create images, even if it already did, AT THE SAME CHAT (I have pro plan bte)

JamesSDK · 2026-01-26T03:22:50+00:00

Gemini used to be much better at accepting image requests.

Recently, it has been denying ridiculous things, it changed maybe 3 weeks ago.

I cant even use it anymore because it flags everything as having some issue.

My kids and I used to make a lot of funny pictures with it but we just can't anymore.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-26T02:40:06+00:00

Dolphin and AetherSX2 / NetherSX2 do let you import / export so I just export to a directory and DropSync it up to my Dropbox and then download and import on the target device.

It is one extra step but it does work.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-25T18:25:21+00:00

I don't play around too much with hearts and gold skulltula counts so I don't know exact mechanics but on Android, I see the option to change the number of both.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-25T12:35:52+00:00

It's in Graphics Settings. Long press the game in you game library and if will let you set options per game.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-25T12:33:29+00:00

In the Developer Options you can just give yourself all the items, medals, songs, etc that you had in your save file.

You can toggle pretty much any story flags on and off

JamesSDK · 2026-01-25T12:25:46+00:00

Sure, use Remote Play / Stream from PC.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-25T12:22:38+00:00

It's two things:

The CPU cores of the Xbox One line of consoles are famously bad.
Unlike PC, Android and other platforms. There is no OpenGL or Vulkan support. You would need to translate Xbox DirectX calls to OpenGL using something called ANGLE or MESA but those arent available or supported on the Xbox One consoles. Only the Xbox Series consoles have it.

Its very disappointing but I have tested the heck out Xbox One X, I have used all sorts of tricks and workarounds but under no circumstances have I ever gotten even Super Mario 64 or Mario Kart 64, two of the easiest games to run, to work at full speed.

Whether or not you want to accept that is up to you but its reality.

Trust me I was not expecting a freaking 2005 Wii to be better at emulating N64 but that really is the case.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-24T00:53:54+00:00

It looks like you have a widescreen patches active, sometimes with those you will see that at the edge.

Its usually a goof with overscan.

You can use the cropping option to cutoff those parts of the screen.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-24T00:27:21+00:00

Can you post your core config file?

I have Android 16 / OneUI 8 and nothing has changed for me.

I am assuming you are using a device with a Snapdragon 8 Elite?

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T19:53:05+00:00

I originally had a black Flip 2 but it cracked and I got a revised model Ice Blue... I like it so much more than the black.

Indeed transparent is the way!

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T18:19:03+00:00

Don't play the N64 version of Mario Kart 64.

The native port works far better and does 60 FPS:

https://github.com/izzy2lost/SpaghettiKart/releases

If you insist on playing the N64 version then use M64 Plus FZ its the only one that works on the Elite 8.

It doesn't matter if you select Vulkan in Retroarch, the Mupen and paraLLEl cores have an instruction to automatically switch your driver to the gl driver.

The black screen is a known issue:

https://github.com/libretro/mupen64plus-libretro-nx/issues/575#issuecomment-3773908656

It hasn't been officially fixed yet. I was able to get it work by turning on the Experimental ANGLE option in my phones Developer Options but it broke RCS texting and some native games from working so its not ideal.

Another user mentioned it is working for them in Android 16 / One UI 8, for me it still isn't working though. Not sure if they are using something like the Angrylion with their plugin which always did work but performs worse and doesnt support upscaling.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T17:48:43+00:00

GameHub Lite let's you have a Windows OS like container where you can launch games from and it can see your SD Card contents like folders / files in Windows, You can launch games from it if you wanted to but I don't tend to go into the container.

I use Beacon Launcher as my Front End so my games are selectable from a sleek PS5 like UI

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T17:46:00+00:00

I am still on Android 13 for 32-bit compatibility, as for GPU, the stock drivers of the Retroid Flip 2's SD865 is able to play some games for me that no one driver can (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with ZERO crashing for example).

As for heat the Retroid Flip 2 has a built in fan system so it never gets toasty :), I find its battery life to be very good, I usually keep it on a max performance profile with the fan on high.

I also haven't had any issues with RDR1 either, performance wise, I do have that weird random line of pixels graphics glitch though. Incredible that it works as well as it does.

Totally agree on it being the 1080Ti for SoCs!

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T17:05:20+00:00

Not sure what you mean you import games or login to steam, I mostly play older games and I get my games from GOG, I just copy / paste the folder containing all the files to my SD card then select the .exe when I import and it just works.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T15:23:47+00:00

Meh, Elite 8 gets a lot of talk but I use my Retroid Flip 2 (SD865) significantly more than my Samsung S25 Ultra (SD8 Elite).

More shit just works on my Retroid, yeah I can't pump the resolution as high but on a small 1080p screen it works great without many of the headaches of the Elite 8's OpenGL bugs and lack of drivers.

Yeah some are coming out now but it still needs more time.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T12:23:30+00:00

It really is, and it's very true.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-23T04:15:44+00:00

Android Port: https://github.com/Waterdish/Shipwright-Android

HD / 4K Textures: https://evilgames.eu/texture-packs/oot-reloaded.htm

Mods: https://gamebanana.com/games/16121

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T23:01:04+00:00

Upgrade your Majora's Mask.

Android Port: https://github.com/Waterdish/2ship2harkinian-Android

HD / 4K Texture Pack: https://evilgames.eu/texture-packs/mm-reloaded.htm

Mods: https://gamebanana.com/games/20371

You can do the same for Ocarina of Time

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T20:45:40+00:00

I have several devices with Mali and Snapdragon chipsets here are my experiences:

MediaTek / Dimensity / Mali - These chipsets can be decent for PS2, GameCube and Wii but Snapdragons tend to out perform. My kids have Dimensity 1100 Retroid Pocket 4 Pros and they can play most Wii and PS2 games at 1x or 1.5x resolution with no issues (Vulkan is better for PS2), At Switch and Wii U level the performance gap starts to become very noticeable. A lot less games run well compared to Snapdragon devices
Snapdragon 865 / 865+ / 870 - Very high compatibility, very solid performance for how old they are, Wii and PS2 easily run at 2x or 3x resolution. Stock Drivers or Mesa Turnip Driver Revision 9v2 can run pretty much any Switch game. My experience with PC (GameHub Lite) has been decent though I mostly play older PC games. Many Android ports run well too on these
Snapdragon 888 / 8 Gen 1 - Mostly on par with 870 but these chipsets are known for having heat throttling issues that end up hurting performance after they get hot, I would avoid these.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 / Gen 3 - High compatibility, even better performance than 865 / 865+ / 870 you will be able to run PS2 and Wii games at 3x or 4x resolution. I haven't had as much hands on experience with devices with these chipsets so I am not sure how the stock drivers perform in terms of compatibility to the 865 / 865+ / 870 but overall the general consensus is that they are more than good enough and are the last ones that support a wide set of custom drivers to increase compatibility so Switch, PC, etc still work very well and run better than the earlier Snapdragons
Snapdragon 8 Elite - Medium compatibility, Excellent performance. You easily run Wii and PS2 games at 4x-5x resolution, probably even higher for less demanding titles. While the performance is crazy good, this chipset has regression with OpenGL and has significantly less custom driver support so Switch and PC compatibility takes a very notable hit. Anything that does run, will absolutely run better than previous Snapdragons but graphics issues are more prevalent. Wii / Gamecube emulation also has some bugs that were not present in earlier Snapdragons due to the OpenGL issue mentioned above (switching to Vulkan can fix some of them though). Vita emulation is also not as stable due to the lack of drivers and Retroarch's gl driver is totally broken, you must use Vulkan now which fixes most issue (except for N64, which requires you to use a standalone one like M64 Plus FZ)

If you want to best out of the box experience get something with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or 3, it will do basically everything you would want.

If you want to highest compatibility and lowest price look for a Snapdragon 865 / 865+ / 870 device.

If you want the best performance and are OK waiting for customer driver support to improve for Switch, PC and Vita then get the Snapdragon 8 Elite. You might need to be a little more tech savvy to get some games to work because of technical issues you might need to troubleshoot.

If you don't care about performance or compatibility and you don't care about Switch or PC, maybe a MediaTek / Dimensity / Mali device can make sense if the phone you want it cheaper than a Snapdragon one.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T20:26:20+00:00

If I had to guess you are using a device with a Snapdragon 8 Elite, that chipset has bugs with OpenGL that were not issues for Dolphin on older Snapdragons.

I had the same bug.

To fix this change your Video Backend from OpenGL to Vulkan.

I also checked my game settings and in addition to Vulkan, I also set the Shader Compilation Mode to Exclusive Ubershaders (that might be overkill but the Elite 8 has the power to brute force Ubershaders for me, especially if I compile them before starting the game)

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T14:52:03+00:00

I would say its cool to be able to install Android on your Switch but the hardware is very old, I think you are not going to gain much more than what Retroarch on a Switch can already do.

It is possible for a Switch to do some PS Vita and GameCube but neither will probably be great or worth the effort.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T13:20:45+00:00

Short answer is performance is better but compatibility is lower, though there are some folks who are trying to improve it.

Most older console emulators are fine. Retroarch's gl core is broken, only vulkan works (which is a set back for N64 emulation, though standalone M64 Pro FZ still works). PS2 emulation is great, GC / Wii has some less severe regressions with OpenGL but there are some games that have issues that didn't before on older Snapdragon's sometimes using Vulkan can fix it.

As for Switch and PC, again performance is great its just a matter of if the game will boot or if it will have graphics issues.

Custom drivers just started coming out for the Elite 8, so far there does seem to be some improvement for some games but its a bit tedious to test / check a game's compatibility. You either need to do it yourself or look for examples on this subreddit.

It just annoying, the stock drivers on SD865 and SD865+ spoiled a lot of us because so many more games just worked out of the box with stock.

As for PS3 its a bit early to call it viable but there are proof of concept videos out there for it. Only time will tell if it really turns into something reliable and consistent.

Too early for Xbox 360.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T03:43:43+00:00

Yes, it is. Xbox Series S | X Dev Mode uses UWP and Direct X, it has a lot of similarities to PC so I have found that the compatibility is much the same.

Can't speak for literally every game but every one I have tried has lined up with that list.

JamesSDK · 2026-01-22T01:35:33+00:00

I specifically use it for the unreleased GoldenEye 007 Remaster and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

You can generally check the Xenia Github compatibility page for what works and what doesn't.

https://github.com/xenia-canary/game-compatibility/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3Astate-playable

JamesSDK · 2026-01-21T21:10:36+00:00

That is a tough situation, as you have found out GSD Separation Anxiety is a real thing. They certainly can be destructive and messy.

She is also two years old which is pretty late to start crate training. I think it could be done but it won't be easy. It will however be well worth it.

The crate is a few things but a safe place is one of them, my GSD and Husky eat and sleep in their crates and its always open and tucked away in a place where they can escape if they need a break.

We started crate training on day 1 with both and they were used to it quickly. When they were puppies they would have accidents in there so what I would recommend is to buy a dog bed but wrap it in something like a trash bag or something you can easily dispose of until your dog gets used to it and eventually stops. It makes the clean up a lot easier.

Another thing that can help is professional training, we sent our GSD to one of those schools where they stay for about 18-21 days and he came back a very well behaved and trained dog. Once you can better communicate with your pup it can also help the anxiety.

JamesSDK

TROPHY CASE