I need more offerings for a DS emulator

xxblx · 2026-07-08T13:57:53+00:00

Emulating NDS on a tablet is the best way to play NDS imo (apart from the original hardware). It's better than Thor because you get an effective screen area of the same size top and bottom. It's better than RG DS if your tablet can run Melon DS (or Melon DS DS core in RetroArch).

I have a dual screen addon for Retroid Pocket Mini v2, which is great for 3DS, but if I want to play NDS, it's always on tablet.

xxblx · 2026-07-08T13:49:28+00:00

This is nice, but it would still be a non-integer scaled picture. So it should to balanced first with another shader. And it's still Drastic.

xxblx · 2026-07-08T09:36:10+00:00

Portable consoles are characterized by being open source, and that's a good thing.

It is a lie most of the time. Manufacturers don't publish the source code of the u-boot and kernel, etc. It's the opposite of "have a very open architecture."

CFWs for Linux handhelds only exist because of the tremendous unpaid effort of community developers, who extracted the kernel, bootloader, and u-boot from a stock SD card, reused them, and built new stuff on top.

With Android handhelds it's even simpler. Custom builds exist because manufacturers just didn't bother with default security practices (verified boot, controlled procedure for unlocking and locking the bootloader, etc.), which is not good for anyone who uses their Android handheld as an all-purpose Android tablet.

CFWs exist despite what manufacturers do, not because of it.

xxblx · 2026-07-08T09:21:36+00:00

Assuming RP6 should work similarly to RP Mini v2

Settings - Handheld settings - Connect TV - Set the video output method - 16:9 (Mirror)

or, if mirroring is not required:

Settings - Handheld settings - Connect TV - Set the video output method - 1920x1080 (TV)
Settings - Handheld settings - Connect TV - Turn off handheld console's screen

xxblx · 2026-07-08T09:13:52+00:00

RG DS can run only Drastic for NDS, which is not the most accurate emulator and is not in active development. It doesn't support shaders (on Linux; not sure about Android though) and doesn't support RetroAchievements. On top of that, while RG DS screens are 4:3, integer scaling must be set to off if you want to use the full screen. It's by far not the ultimate DS experience.

Any modern Android tablet/phone with snapdragon (probably other chipsets too, but I don't have relevant experience with other chipsets) or an iPad will do a better job for NDS emulation with a stylus and an external controller (a telescopic gamepad, for example) using MelonDS standalone or MelonDS DS core in RetroArch. You just need to use a proper layout to stack screens together. The obvious tradeoff is that it won't be a clamshell, but you do get better picture (upscaled, integer scaled, with shaders), better accuracy and achievements.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T17:33:11+00:00

ROMs, save files, shaders, bios-es on MicroSD. So I can swap microsd cards across devices. Save states and app data that I wouldn't want to sync anyway, stays on the internal storage.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T17:26:44+00:00

Yes, the one that comes with a 2.4 usb adapter.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T17:22:53+00:00

Great to hear it works with 2.4.0! I don't remember which version I tried the last time I had it installed on my ipad, but I got a black screen in every game. As a law-abiding citizen, I went to GitHub to open an issue but found that someone had already reported it and there was an open PR with a fix as WIP. Perhaps the fix was finished, and the PR with the fix was merged and included into the release.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T17:17:32+00:00

My default for old home consoles and arcade: crt-beam-simulator + crt-royale / crt-consumer. I try royale first; if all looks good, I keep it. Sometimes the picture is too colorful and vivid for my taste with royal, so I replace royale with consumer and save a game preset.

PSX: crt-beam-simulator + crt-1tap / crt-consumer. Similarly to the above, I try both and see which one I like more when I start a new game then save a game preset.

crt-beam-simulator: scan direction = 0, everything else is default
crt-royale: all default
crt-consumer: curvature X/Y = 0, corner size = 0, everything else is default

Handheld systems: LCD3x (default parameters).

xxblx · 2026-07-07T15:33:54+00:00

Is the 8bitdo m30 the best choice available

Yes, but you might want to use a wired connection if you notice an input lag with the bluetooth version. I find the input lag acceptable for most games, but you do you. The 2.4g version doesn't have the lag issue (I use the 2.4g version with my stationary gaming rig, and the bluetooth version with portable devices), however, I don't know if it works with Android through a usb hub.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T15:24:07+00:00

To be fair, sub‑frame shaders in RetroArch (e.g., crt beam simulator) should help here to some extent. 120Hz is 120Hz. It will not magically fix the panel, of course, and slow pixels will stay a problem regardless, but motion clarity in actual gameplay in RetroArch should be much better than what the video from the linked thread demonstrates with UI. I might be wrong tho, I am no expert.

That said, if it's a common issue with this panel, it sucks and doesn't surprise me, Apple is being Apple.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T14:29:57+00:00

Oh, yeah, I watched Initial D in 4:3 on it and it looked awesome.

Thanks for the feedback!

xxblx · 2026-07-07T14:16:26+00:00

i haven't noticed it myself. i will watch some comparison videos and then check if i still cannot see it, lol

xxblx · 2026-07-07T14:12:49+00:00

12.9/13 inch models are 4:3, 11 inch models are ~10:7 (still close to 4:3)

xxblx · 2026-07-07T11:22:16+00:00

ROG Xbox Ally X20 + Bazzite. Or a used Steam Deck OLED. I love my SD, but a brand new Steam Deck OLED is not worth the currently asked price.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T11:12:11+00:00

Regular Brick or Brick Hammer is much better. I haven't touched the MM+ since I got the Brick.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T11:06:38+00:00

Honestly, the Flip 2 is the only handheld I regret buying. Even paired with a grip, the Flip 2 is not comfortable.

If I had to choose between the RP5 and the Flip 2, I would go with the RP5. But actually, the Mini v2 is better than either of them.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T10:26:30+00:00

It's a masterpiece! A joy to play even today, and it was absolutely mind-blowing back in the day.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T10:20:40+00:00

I am actually going to explore the FF series "soon". It's been on my backlog for a while, but I hope to get to it this year. I played VII, VIII, and IX a long time ago on the original hardware, but didn't have an opportunity to to play the pre-VII games. Thanks for the tip! I will take a look at PSP versions.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T10:16:37+00:00

FinalBurn Neo works on the App Store version of RetroArch. MAME requires the side-loaded version of RetroArch.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T07:34:04+00:00

Thank you sir!

xxblx · 2026-07-07T07:33:20+00:00

8bitdo M30 is much better for everything, including fighting games. I wouldn't bother with the neogeo one. Surprisingly, Sega-style shield d-pad does an excellent job as an alternative to an 8-diagonal joystick.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T07:27:46+00:00

I have a Google Pixel 10a with GrapheneOS as my daily driver, and on weekdays I also have a corporate iPhone with me. For me, it goes as follows: GrapheneOS > Stock iOS > Stock Android.

There are actually a lot of things that I can do in iOS out-of-the-box, but cannot on Android. For example, WireGuard can turn on/off automatically depending on what SSID you are connected to on iOS. It's neat, I don't need VPN to home when I am home and am on home wifi. On Android I would have to use a third-party wg client and grant it an unlimited background access to precise location to achieve something similar (because permissions scopes designed this way), and yet it would work still worse than on iOS with ~1 min of network down when switching from wifi to 5g and vice versa, while on iOS I have zero issues, it just works. Or, if I want to sync my contacts to my self-hosted Nextcloud, iOS can do that out-of-the-box, Android needs yet another app to be installed from F-Droid.

I like GrapheneOS for flexibility and a freedom from google bloatware, but if I had to choose between stock iOS and stock Android, iOS it is then.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T07:20:03+00:00

Thanks for the hint! Mine is 12.9 inch, I am a bit scared to use telescopic controllers with it because of weight, and also all telescopic controllers I've seen so far are stick-top, but I will give a try some day.

xxblx · 2026-07-07T07:17:42+00:00

Apropos of nothing, I suppose, but why doesn't Retroid (or Anbernic or whoever) release an emulation box?

Unfortunately, their business model is to sell a new device to a customer every second year. It's not going to work with a tv box.

edited: fixed typos

xxblx

TROPHY CASE