RetroArch for SailfishOS 4.5

Applications
81

Yup, vulkan seems like sw emu on top of sw emu, works fine for things like 2600 and 8bit stuff like atari xl/c64, hw accel is needed badly

82

Rebuilt it again, 1.22.2-1.25.1 restores GL/GLES support. Hopefully the overlay situation improves through this.

1 Like
83

Yea Vulkan is either LLVM GPU, or the hybris driver which should be much better but doesn’t work.

1 Like
84

Getting segfault trying gl driver :frowning:

85

Damnit this it really cat-and-mouse.

Rebuilt, now glui/video_driver=gl works, but launching cores segfaults.

Grrrr.

1 Like
86

Have you ever wondered how you can get “as legal as possible” 16-bit console games for your retroarch on your Sailfish OS device? The answer is making personal backups of your aging cartridges for SNES, Sega Mega Drive, N64 or Gameboy (GB, GBC, GBA) that you own.

I can give a short report on the use of the Open Source Cartridge Reader V3-ALTER from “save the hero - builders”. It is based on the open source model but they sell a slightly modified version that is fully assembled by them, flashed and ready to use.

reader
reader1536×2048 195 KB

It did cost me, in the specification I ordered, 150 EUR + 25 EUR shipping from Japan to Austria via Fedex express in 2 days after app. 2 weeks wait time as it is build to order.

The reader comes already with a 2 GB micro-SD card that also contains the system files. One has to make sure to put 4 levers in the correct settings for the respective cartridge type, insert the cartridge while the reader is turned off.

After turning on, select the correct cartridge type, wait for it to detect the cartridge, then select “read rom” and it will dump the file on the SD-card. One can also get saves if available.

To access the micro-SD card one has to get it out (a bit fidly as the card is recessed, hard to grip by hand but with a pincher it is easy to pull it out) and read it via a micro-SD card reader connected to your PC or simply directly insert it into the Jolla Phone.

See also the open source project user manual: User Guide · sanni/cartreader Wiki · GitHub

I actually like it very much that it is basically an isolated unit and can be operated without any assistance by a PC, it only needs a plugged in power USB-C cable. This means no specific desktop OS is required and no app that may age badly. Yes, it makes the extraction a bit less convenient with the micro-SD card but that is the price to pay for it.

Overall a very neat, complete luxury item that is also very nice as nerdy show off piece.

4 Likes
87

Back to retroarch.

The video with sdl2 (the only video driver that works properly) had those micro stutters, playable but a bit annoying. I don’t know if it makes even sense or can even possibly make a difference on the Jolla Phone but I swear, after enabling the option “Sync to Exact Content Frame-rate (G-Sync, Free-Sync)” (in >Settings>Video>Syncronisation) the micro stutters are not recognizable anymore and video feels much smoother when scrolling.

88

I’ve been working on a cross platform emulator front-end for a while and was as prepared as I could be for when the Jolla Phone hit my doorstep. I’ve spent the last week fighting through builds, bugs and features.

It’s mainly built with Romm as the backend provider, but you can just specify a folder to pull from if you don’t have a server.

Platforms tested and working:

  • Gamecube
  • Playstation 2
  • Playstation Portable
  • Playstation
  • Nintendo 64
  • SNES
  • Mega drive/Genesis

Features:

  • Qt6
  • Vulkan, GLES support
  • Save states (including sync cross platform)
  • Controller support (tested with Dual sense and Switch Pro)
  • Easy launch (system files and BIOS auto downloads if they’re present on your Romm server, no messing with folders)

There’s still a bit to finish off before I’m happy, especially around packaging, onboarding and UX, but I’m looking for some testers (preferably with their own Romm instance) to give some feedback. You’ll need to be a bit comfortable with the terminal to add the Qt6 repo, but nothing too heavy.

I’ll make a proper announcement when it’s ready, but here are some videos to see how it runs:

If anyone wants me to test any particular game or platform, let me know and I’ll jump on it after I see how the performance tanks on Dragon Roost Island!

Cheers!

Alex

2 Likes