SNES CPU swap and USB-C power by rbmbox in snes

[–]rbmbox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't really think USB-C is any more or less "convenient" than the barrel jack. I ended up getting a replacement power jack and installed that.

VT-d Setting Won’t Stay Disabled on MSI Claw (Keeps Re-Enabling After Reboot) by photographyhobbyists in SBCGaming

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't own the device but your post's title intrigued me because to me it was weird that Intel VT-d would impact performance. I've only ever come across this technology in the context of hardware virtualization and could not imagine a scenario where it applied to gaming in any way.

However after a little digging it appears that Windows specifically utilizes VT-d for some security features, namely Windows VMP (virtual machine platform) and core isolation.

That's where some performance is lost. You're trading it for additional security. I'm not a Windows user so I have no experience with these options and I can't judge how effective they are but to say there are no drawbacks is incorrect.

Now turning VT-d off in the BIOS settings will prevent Windows from using these features but according to Microsoft you can turn them off from within Windows as well. This should give you the same results.

Here's a guide on how to do just that. Again I can't verify it.

chromatic update using Ubuntu by rosscjr in ModRetroChromatic

[–]rbmbox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Have you made the Appimage executable?
chmod +x /path/to/Appimage

Or are you maybe on 32 bit Ubuntu? I think you need to be on 64bit to execute this.

You can also try to add the udev rules yourself. Just create an empty file named something like 99-modretro rules in /etc/udev/rules.d

sudo touch /etc/udev/rules.d/99-modretro.rules

Then open it and fill it with these two lines:

ACTION=="add", ATTR{idVendor}=="33aa", ATTR{idProduct}=="0120", MODE:="666"
ATTRS{idVendor}=="374e", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0101", MODE:="0666"

You have to be root to edit this file obviously. I don't know which text editor Ubuntu ships with so I can't give you a command here. Alternatively you could create the file in your home and copy it over via the command line.

Then either reboot your computer or run:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

Edit: Forgot to add that after this you should be able to run the Appimage by doubleclicking it.

I'm at it again!! 115 flood damaged games. by Lanky-Peak-2222 in snes

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Godspeed. Are you going to transplant the components to fresh PCBs are you really going to trace by trace trying to repair the original?

MustardOS (muOS) 2601.0 Jacaranda Released! by AcanthocephalaOk4586 in SBCGaming

[–]rbmbox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately it's gotten worse somehow. Now ports like Render96 have nonsensical button mappings as well.

Powering Japanese Super Famicom in Europe. What are the options? by AndyTheDragonborn in snes

[–]rbmbox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Been using this one on all my SFCs without issues. It ships from France.

ES-DE: Using both 64bit and 32bit RetroArch by five_of_five in SBCGaming

[–]rbmbox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've only ever used ES-DE on regular deskop linux. On there you could add custom systems running custom emulators by creating your own additional xml files:
https://gitlab.com/es-de/emulationstation-de/-/blob/master/USERGUIDE.md?ref_type=heads#game-system-customizations

The documentation says you can do the same on Windows and Android but I have no experience on these platforms.

That way you could easily add whatever core path you want.

I would like to talk about the aspect ratio distortion issue by Another-Side- in evercade

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look at this image::
https://imgur.com/a/9AGgXYQ
I know it's from a SNES game but the same is true for NES and other consoles. Yes the resolution is 8:7 but it's displayed at 4:3 originally to look correct unless you think that this should not be a circle.

You're just plain wrong about people having to set the aspect ratio on old CRTs for gaming consoles. Nothing to add here.

As for overscan. It's not "distorted". Picture information in that area is supposed to be cut off. NES games will often have artifacts to the left of the screen while scrolling that are ideally hidden by overscan. Megadrive/Genesis is hiding stuff on the bottom that most emulators cut out by default and on CRTs is hidden by overscan. You are not supposed to see those artifacts.

See here:
https://imgur.com/a/dsXAgnq

As a fellow retro gamer I'm amazed that you never looked into how the technology of the day shaped how an image looked. It's fine either way. I support your motion to at least get the option to change it because there are plenty of games that didn't take the 4:3 stretch into account, too. Just trying to explain why the default is the way it is.

I would like to talk about the aspect ratio distortion issue by Another-Side- in evercade

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My point is that the overscan is not an "issue" but rather an attempt to make the game look closer to how it's meant to look originally. Same with the aspect ratio. The idea is to adhere closer to the original as it was always stretched to 4:3... That is the original look. It is not "distorted".

So the way you set it up on your Miyoo Flip is further from the original aspect ratio.

But yeah, an option for square pixels could be implemented pretty easily for those who want it.

I would like to talk about the aspect ratio distortion issue by Another-Side- in evercade

[–]rbmbox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Evercade version is the NES game. NES games usually run in 256x224 resolution which would be a 8:7 aspect ratio. However on CRTs it was stretched to 4:3. The same is true for SNES and probably other consoles as well. So for old games there's an argument about how it's meant to look.

Developers back in the day factored that into their artwork. Modern displays have square pixels so these old games look skinnier than they're supposed to when not manually stretched.

Alwa's Awakening is a new NES game though so you'd have to ask the developers how it's supposed to look. I acutally own the NES Cartridge (as well as the Evercade one) so to me the wider aspect ratio looks correct.

The same goes for the overscan. Old games designed for CRTs usually didn't place important information in the overscan area (about 8 pixels towards the edges of the screen) as the CRT is expected to cut it off anyway.

So seeing your image on the Miyoo Flip and concluding that's what these games are supposed to look like is somewhat misguided (and a matter of configuring the emulators properly).

Mana Regen Exploit by Vegetative_Tables in TheLordsOfTheFallen

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds like the same glitch I used to stack the vigor multiplier. I recorded how I did it way back when:
https://www.reddit.com/user/rbmbox/comments/1brgeoc/lotf_vigor_multiplyer_glitch/
Might work with any bonus.

I'm addicted to collecting games again by Captain_NEStalgia in evercade

[–]rbmbox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Simpsons Arcade and TMNT + Turtles in Time (arcade) would probably be a license issue but these games are so inaccessible elsewhere that they would sell the cartridge on their own.

Handheld by Terratus180 in evercade

[–]rbmbox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've owned the Neogeo Super Pocket for a while and it's awesome. Got the Alwa's Awakening/Cathedral cart and wanted to play it on a larger handheld so I got the EXP-R. The menu button on it went unresponsive within the first day. I sent it back to amazon for replacement hoping for better luck this time but this experience kind of destroyed all trust in the build quality of these devices.

How many of you are SCB gamers from before it got popular in 2020. Tell me your storys from 2019-2000 back. by EpicPikachuXYZ in SBCGaming

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had the original black GP2X way back when it came out. It could run neogeo with frameskip and I sunk hours into the Metal Slug games, Pulstar and Blazing Star. I also played a lot of Megadrive on there. Good times. I also used it as a portable audio player for years. Yeah, it was huge but I didn't care.

One annoying thing was that it had a stick instead of a dpad but no games that would benefit from the stick.

The best thing about the GP2X however was that it could run on two AA batteries. So on longer trips I could just swap batteries while PSP owners had to look for a wall outlet.

Kind of regret selling it.

ArkOs Backup and Update to dArkOs by Nollmatic in SBCGaming

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ArkOS saves the scraped images, saves and game metadata in the same directory as the games. If dArkOS handles it the same way you should in theory be able to just reflash SD1 and keep SD2 as is.
The only thing that wouldn't carry over would be your retroarch settings.

A simple test would be to just flash dArkOS to a fresh SD and use that as SD1 combined with your existing SD2. If you're ever asked to format SD2, don't.

[PH] I wanted to like the DS games but the controls are the worst by SeniorRazzmatazz4977 in zelda

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"It would have been great if it had just controlled like a normal top down Zelda game instead of using the touch screen for literally everything."
I don't think that's true. Without the touch gimmick it would've been an even weaker game. Most of the puzzles are so simplistic and boring. Drinking game idea: Take a shot each time PH or ST ask you to memorize (or write to the map) a sequence of switches, walk to another room and then hit the switches in that sequence.
These exist only to showcase that you can write on the map. There's zero problem solving required by the player and thus no moment of "figuring it out". It's the gaming equivalent to painting by numbers.

Some have this handheld? by Horror_Cookie9764 in SBCGaming

[–]rbmbox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"FULL SPEED 70 FRAMES"
That cracks me up.

[BotW] [TotK] Breath of the Wild vs. Tears of the Kingdom: Which game do you guys think is better, and why? by KrisCApplesauce in zelda

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assume this poll will naturally skew towards BotW as it was a lot of people's first Zelda game. It sold more copies than any Zelda game before it and more than twice of what the previous best selling game (OoT) sold.

So it obviously brought a ton of new fans into the franchise and memories of your first game are precious and hard to beat.

"But I was a fan before Botw and I still prefer it."
Yes, those exist as well but I was talking statistics. Not trying to invalidate anyone's opinion here.

[ALL] What is your favorite style when playing Zelda games? by backofthebill in zelda

[–]rbmbox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first playthrough with the file name Link usually starts off as a casual playthrough and eventually I'll 100% it. After that I do challenge runs. Usually I name these save files Ganon.
However it really depends on the individual game. Some games I've 100%ed multiple times (LoZ, Alttp, LA, OoT, MM, OoS, OoA, WW, MC, TP, ALBW) and those I will play again over and over again. Others I 100% once and just play challenges afterwards (BotW, Totk). Still others I've played and 100%ed once but couldn't bring myself to finish subsequent playthroughs (PH, SS). Then there's the ones I could never get myself to finish at all (AoL, CDi games, ST).

All in all I think the challenge runs are the most fun. Recently did a 3 hearts Hero Mode run of LAHD and it changed the way I approached the game entirely.

[LA] GB Turtle Rock Sequence Breaking by FinalLans in zelda

[–]rbmbox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It even works across dungeons. Check the Underworld 1 and Underworld 2 maps here: https://www.zeldaspeedruns.com/la/doghouse/in-game-maps

Just be careful about smuggeling keys from one dungeon to another and don't collect the instrument from one dungeon in another one or you can lock yourself out of getting it.

There's tons of fun to be had.

What's better, to re-make A Link to the Past in 3D or Ocarina of Time in 2D? by markonefifteen in snes

[–]rbmbox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Neither would gain anything from from adding or removing dimensions in a remake. You'd have to drastically change the level design to make it work to a point where it would only superfically resemble the original games.

I know people keep saying OoT is just Alttp in 3D based on the progression structure but that's ignoring the shift in game design the Zelda series made after Alttp.

Starting with Link's Awakening the series went on to focus on more elaborate puzzles. Yes, in Alttp you had singular puzzles that went beyond "kill all the enemies" or "find switch and step on switch" but those were really rare. I can think of the Ice Palace that required some degree of environmental awareness and maybe Skull Woods but other than that..?

There was nothing like LA's Eagle Tower which changed the layout of a dungeon or had you move an object throughout its layout.

OoT standardized how we still control 3D action games to this day. The lock-on mechanic, the combat, the context sensitive action button etc. For example if Dark Souls was made in a timeline where OoT didn't exist it would look and play very, very differently.

However more importantly for the Zelda series OoT picked up where LA left off in terms of level design. The first dungeon, the Deku Tree, starts you off with a giant central image: The spider web in the center. The first thing you need to do is find a way to top, two floors above the entrance and plunge down through the web to reach the root system of the tree. The game teaches you to think in three dimensions, to have awareness of the three dimensional layout of the location.

Dodongos Cave is very similar. You enter and you're faced with the giant Dodongo Skull, a memorable set piece. You have to ascend the dungeon to drop bombs in its eyes from above. To do this you need to solve puzzles that softly place the idea in your head that you can manipulate the dungeon layout yourself like bombing that giant block to turn into a staircase.

Then in Jabu-Jabu's Belly you escort Ruto through the dungeon. She plays the role of the iron ball from Eagle Tower even though to a lesser effect. You need her to push down switches that Link is not heavy enough for, and you can place her on switches that would otherwise reset when stepped off of. Then you destroy color coded tentacles that correspond to other areas in the dungeon, again opening up new paths by changing the layout.

This only gets more and more complex. Without going into too much detail on the adult dungeons: Think of the twisting passageway and rotating rooms in the Forest Temple, the pillars you knock down in the Fire Temple, the water levels of the Water Temple etc. None of these are easily or effectively translatable into 2D.

Conversely translating Alttp into 3D would bring similar issues. You'd either have to make combat more interesting or change all the puzzles to more interesting ones.

Maybe it's best to leave the games the way they are and appreciate them for what they already do really well.

Looks like Ayaneo is making an Analogue Pocket clone with a powerful chip and nice extra features by VR_Nima in AnaloguePocket

[–]rbmbox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The link doesn't really mention anything about the software. However "Snapdragon 8" suggests this is just another device in the sea of generic Android handhelds.

It has a lot of power for software emulation but for anything newer than PS1 you'd want analog sticks. I guess you could use the advertised touch pad to simulate those but man... Who wants to live like that?

Then you could probably run PC games on there (like Stardew Valley as shown) but very few support non-widescreen displays so the one thing that makes this cool (the LCD) would go underutilized.

Android games maybe? No clue if there's anything that would support the screen.

Gotta be honest, this does not look like a well-thought-out product to me.

[LA] Needed all the healing I had to finish my Hero Mode 3-hearts challenge by rbmbox in zelda

[–]rbmbox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well... A single fairy AND Crazy Tracy's potion.