Android decorations pack

RetroArch Android devices
#1

Hi to all!

Not far ago i bought android handheld - GPD XD. And i’ve made some decorations to make it nice portable emu machine. GPD XD is not super powered device, so i can’t use heavy shaders or portable version of Hyperspin, so I decided to make an easy assembly that will work on any average device. Hope you’ll enjoy it!

What i been using:

  1. Arc Browser frontend with my custom theme (runs as default android launcher)
  2. Retroarch with overlays and crt-pi shaders slightly edited by me.

You can download all of this here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0t44blk8op0d3pl/Arc%20Browser%20and%20Retroarch.zip?dl=0

Instructions of how to use my custom theme for Arc Browser frontend here: https://boards.dingoonity.org/gpd-android-devices/(custom-theme)-arc-browser/

To make image fully fit my overlays, use this Video settings in Retroarch:

Aspect Ratio - Custom

Custom Aspect Ratio X Pos. - 160

Custom Aspect Ratio Y Pos. - 0

Custom Aspect Ratio Width - 960

Custom Aspect Ratio Height - 720

Integer Scale - Off

3 Likes
#2

Looks really good! Thanks for sharing it!

1 Like
#3

Do you use the TV overlays with scanlines AND the crt-pi shader at the same time ??

#4

Yes, and i prefer crt-pi shaders with curvature option, they looks great with TV overlays. I turned off scanlines option in crt-pi shaders, because i’m not using integer scale on my 5’ GPD XD screen. Yes, using overlays with scanlines is not pixel perfect, but on small screens it looks very good, and you got maximum game screen space, which is critical for me on such a small screen.

#5

Looks awesome. I think I have not heard of Arc Browser before. Will check it out.

1 Like
#6

I tried to use your version of CRT-Pi, but retroarch does not see any of the shaders on my GPD XD.

#7

Where did you put Shaders folder? Did you change shaders directory in Retroarch settings?

#8

Yes ; I moved them to the default shader directory and then RetroArch was able to see them. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#9

I’ll upload my Retroarch.cfg and systems(cores) overrides.cfg from my GPD XD tomorow. And anyone with small 720p screen can use them successefull in theory

#10

Just another question : if you remove scanlines from Crt-Pi and use the scanlines provided by the overlay instead, what does Crt-pi does, then ?

#11
  • Multisampling
  • Gamma correction
  • Screen curvature
  • Selectable shadow mask type (for horizontal and vertical scrolling)

I’m not super strong in the principles of shaders work, but even just running the same game without the crt-pi shader and turning it on, and the difference becomes obvious.

Pixel games looks pretty cool with it.

In addition, this is the only shader that does not affect the speed of emulation on not too powerful devices like GPD XD and other android devices.

The only reason why i remove scanlines from crt-pi shader and use scanlines mask with the overlay is screen artefacts when using crt-pi shaders scanlines without “Integer Scale” resolution option in Retroarch. But when you’re using integer scale on 720p screen image will not fit the screen completely and you will always have horizontal and vertical black borders. For my taste for a small screen it’s critical. So i just use standart 4:3 aspect ratio and 960x720 resolution.

1 Like
#12

Thanks for your great answer !

Edit : just to clarify, does the Crt-Pi version you provided has scanlines disabled ? If not, how can I disable it ?

#13

Yes, they are disabled. You don’t need to edit them.

#14

Thank you. For some reason, I can’t get any of the Crt-Pi curvature shaders to work ; only Crt-Pi and Crt-Pi-Vertical work. Did you do something special to make the curvature versions work on your GPD XD ?

#15

Try to change Shaders folder path in Retroarch settings. For example transfer them to SD card, or just to folder other than default.

And shaders folder must contain .glsp files and “shaders” subfolder.

#16

Thanks ; I tried to move the shader directory, but it still does not work.

#17

Ok How are you apply shaders to work? Quick menu -> Shaders -> Load shader preset -> Apply settings?

#18

Yes, exactly like that. Crt-Pi and Crt-Pi-Vertical load fine ; not the two others.

#19

You can manually edit your shader to enable curvature effect.

Open crt-pi.glsl file from “shaders” subfolder (not .glslp) in any text editor.

Find the line called “//#define curvature”

Remove two slashes (//) before the line and save. And that’s it :slight_smile:

I’m using Total Commander app (it’s free) to edit files on GPD XD, you can do this without PC.

1 Like
#20

It worked ! Thank you very much ! :smiley:

1 Like