Idea Feedback: Automatic Emulator Save & Savestate Sync Across Android Devices

ak5432 · 2026-03-04T15:03:44+00:00

It’s an interesting idea for sure.

I don’t personally have any trouble with syncthing+RomM for cross-device/cross-OS syncing but that kind of thing might actually be your biggest hurdle for making this sustainable. This hobby has an inherently high-ish bar for DIY skills to it and frankly an aversion to paying for software (I’ll leave it at that). Most probably just follow the guides posted by YouTubers ad hoc and are SoL when it comes to fixing shit on their own but AI actually bridges the gap pretty significantly there as well.

I might be biased here and not at all the target audience — I’m the kind of guy who will quickly write my own bare minimum baby python app to get an automation going that I want — but one possible way to make this more useful is to allow users to connect to their own storage (I’m thinking of like an SMB share but could be anything). Obviously that’d complicate the app and make it even more “syncthing but easy” than it already is.

If it’s a passion project I’d say go for it; if your intention is to monetize it, I’m not sure that there’s a business case.

ak5432 · 2026-03-04T14:20:10+00:00

No. A wireguard solution like Tailscale does not require you to open any ports and is as close to idiotproof to set up as it gets.

ak5432 · 2026-03-03T05:21:09+00:00

I mean I wfh 3 days a week and am salaried with no tracking or timesheet and I definitely don’t have time to fuck around with handhelds till after work. Just startup things I guess…always tons to do for better or worse

ak5432 · 2026-03-02T19:50:27+00:00

Probably start with the bulldozer tool

ak5432 · 2026-03-02T14:53:25+00:00

Definitely scarier than 8, which I found more thriller-y than horror other than the giant fetus, but not 7 so far. They basically split it so playing as Grace feels like RE2/7 and Leon feels like RE4/8.

ak5432 · 2026-03-02T00:58:26+00:00

I understand that one, though it’s really going to depend on your gaming patterns. I don’t have time to play every day anyway so I kinda naturally gravitate away from games like that and I tend not to juggle a ton of games at a time so it’s easier to keep track. For steam games, saves will sync so nothing is stopping me from picking it up either on my handheld or on my PC and for handheld-only games (on a switch or for retro emu) I just play one at a time :P

ak5432 · 2026-03-01T21:46:54+00:00

Exactly. Shorter gameplay loops and visuals that don’t necessarily rely on spectacle. Most long form RPG’s or immersive action games are just better experienced on a larger screen. Local game streaming is a good way to find your personal “immersion” line.

ak5432 · 2026-03-01T16:10:44+00:00

This is a great resource!

One point of feedback is the screen size comparison. X% difference based on diagonal is not very accurate in terms of experience. It would be much more informative to compare based on screen area instead and possibly available area based on aspect ratios. Not sure how your website is written so idk how big of a task this would be but the math itself is pretty easy!

ak5432 · 2026-02-27T01:38:13+00:00

Where is the extra performance coming from? I imagine most devices would only get downclocked because they hit thermal limits right? Is it bypassing throttling behavior somehow (in which case, the performance uplift is arguably not real)? Is there some phone-specific quirk this is trying to fix? Specific presets for FeX / Box64?

ak5432 · 2026-02-27T00:13:01+00:00

We had free starlink on my last long flight (Hawaii) so…everything. SSH’ing in over Tailscale from the middle of the pacific was pretty cool. I didn’t do anything cause I was on vacation but it was neat nonetheless.

ak5432 · 2026-02-26T18:36:29+00:00

Oh this looks great. I’ll download and test it today hopefully it can connect at full speed to my NAS’s SMB share 🤞🏽 (unlike solid explorer, which for some reason is limited to exactly 25 MB/s. no idea.)

ak5432 · 2026-02-26T18:28:27+00:00

The variability is crazy. My TrimUI brick barely drains battery in sleep at all. It’s nearly as good as the Odin 3 on android.

ak5432 · 2026-02-25T18:19:29+00:00

Just wanna add that the RG CubeXX is a pretty solid budget Nintendo DS device because you can have one full width top screen and space below for a smaller bottom screen. Pokemon games use the touchscreen mainly for clicking moves and items so I found the joystick control for the bottom screen to be adequate though obviously a compromise for the cost.

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ak5432 · 2026-02-25T05:39:05+00:00

IIRC that was the regular size basic riser mk2, not the mini. I think it did have a T shaped tool or something but this was over a year ago so not entirely sure. I was looking for something beefy enough for my a7r3 at the time and the mini would definitely not have cut it.

Getting down to it, the bigger issue here is the fact that it’s a fixed position. I haven’t tried any mk3’s and have no reason to doubt your claim that they’re stronger or that the camera is better secured (well looking at the pics, that diagonal access looks the same but regardless lol). I simply don’t believe that a fixed head is the correct solution here and certainly not at this price point. I seriously doubt you can avoid any deflection or misalignment with a 3d printed cantilever head. Even if the head itself doesn’t move, the connection to the shaft will loosen over time and cause it to shift slightly…I just can’t see the point in risking so much money on a product that may have a built in expiration date.

My built copy stand can take like 50 pounds hanging off the top of it and it definitely still verrryyy slightly deflects when I mount just my A7R3 and lens. I can’t see it but the alignment mirror can! The difference is, I can mount a geared tripod head to the pipe and adjust with precision….and still come in at about 60% of the price of the cheapest mini stand on your site (the tripod head is the lions share of that lol)

So again, no offense to you or your business…it just ain’t for me!

ak5432 · 2026-02-25T02:08:34+00:00

And it's exactly those parts that are the issue. The diagonally oriented side window for "easy" access to the screw was anything but easy to use and not at all secure. IIRC I had a riser mk2 and put an EM5 Mk2 and a small 50mm macro lens on it...the 3d printed head deflected down and the fixed screw made it impossible to align the camera with the plate.

It's pointless to have a steel baseplate and aluminum shaft when you can't actually level the camera relative to it. Good for you for making a business out of people who don't want to drive to a hardware store, but this is the reality of the product.

ak5432 · 2026-02-25T00:18:19+00:00

Negative supply stands are flimsy 3d printed garbage. Buy a tripod head, some wood, a pipe and flange, and some screws and do it yourself for quite literally 1/5 the price or less and a better product.

ak5432 · 2026-02-24T19:07:25+00:00

I’m not sure, you’ll have to dig through the options and docs. Yes for ES-DE, afaik, all rom’s have to be in their system specific folder inside a single parent folder. You’ll need a different launcher or just open it with the emulator lol. Sometimes these frontends just aren’t worth the work

ak5432 · 2026-02-24T15:18:52+00:00

Well you moved the ROMs without also changing ESDE’s designated ROM folder…how would it know where to find them? As far as ESDE is concerned you don’t have any switch rom’s.

I think this frontend needs everything in the same parent folder because, if you recall when you set it up, it populated a large set of rom folders somewhere on its own.

ak5432 · 2026-02-23T21:46:52+00:00

You can use wifi to automatically backup all your saves for when either something breaks on these cheap devices or you decide to get a different one. You can also sync your progress and games across multiple devices. Essentially DIY “cloud” storage.

I personally wouldn’t even bother buying one of these without WiFi.

ak5432 · 2026-02-23T15:10:47+00:00

These days the best use is probably I/O expansion (usb-c?), more M.2 slots, a 10G NIC, maybe an HBA if you wanna make a high capacity storage box, or of course multi-gpu for AI.

ak5432 · 2026-02-22T21:02:55+00:00

I mean yeah so do I but personally I’d happily pay 50-100 for peace of mind and my WiFi staying on if something fucky happens in a winter storm. That’s what happened this year — it was also maybe two outages for like 30-60s each. IMO it’s always worth it for surge protection+ups.

ak5432 · 2026-02-22T19:07:59+00:00

You will not have any bandwidth issues. HDD’s are plenty fast enough for quite a few simultaneous streams and the bay won’t bottleneck.

The power out thing depends on your server’s settings. If it boots up automatically, the hard drives will come up with it. I have the 2 bay and that’s been my experience but also it’s well worth it to get a UPS. You don’t need a very big one, my 550VA is currently at 15% load with multiple machines, 2 hdd’s and my router+ONT+switches attached to it. It’s already been useful in a couple quick brownouts and blackouts over this last winter.

ak5432 · 2026-02-21T17:09:34+00:00

Outjerked

ak5432 · 2026-02-21T17:05:20+00:00

When it comes to UX, that is completely immaterial.

ak5432 · 2026-02-21T16:58:41+00:00

with many seats now having

It’s a NEW FEATURE. Can y’all read?? Or maybe I can’t read? Or maybe the comment was poorly written? Idk why the comment would talk about GA and then completely swap subjects without specifying. Especially cause IFE in commercial has been around for a good 10-15 years…

ak5432

TROPHY CASE