CyberLab Death To Pixels Shader Preset Packs

Cyber · 26 March 2024 07:46

20220825_100739

Disclaimer:

I present these to you without making any claims, representations, warranties nor acceptance of any liabilities including any arising out of the use of this software whatsoever.

They are just my presets that I use and I’m sharing with you in the hope that you may have an as wonderful and magical experience as I do when playing retrogaming content! Hopefully my presets will stimulate the nostalgia senses a bit and give these great works of art the level of eminence they deserve!

I focus mainly on getting things to look good at 4K resolution but I’ve begun testing and optimizing my presets for lower resolutions as well. Updates to these might lag the main 4K presets by a bit as it’s a pretty time consuming task to get everything tested and packaged when dealing with so many different variations.

The good news is that they all look great already so things should only get even better from now on. Be sure to extract the whole package and not just some of the presets as they might be linked and reference one another as I make extensive use of the simple presets feature.

Over the course of time, CyberLab has expanded its offerings to include multiple Shader and Filter Preset Packs. So what started out as 1 has now grown to 6 main Preset Packages which you will all find in this post provided you scroll down to the various sections and links below.

They are as follows:

CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack
CyberLab Custom Blargg NTSC Video Filter Presets
CyberLab CRT-Royale Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack
CyberLab Megatron NX Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Preset Pack
CyberLab Megatron Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Preset Pack
CyberLab ReShade Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack

I think this warrants an update to the name of this thread.

I thank all the fans of my work for your continued support, encouraging and upliftment.

So without further delay, I present to you:

CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack

Click the link below to download…

…But before you download please understand that these are not shaders, they are settings (presets) for awesome shaders designed by other people who deserve credit for all their hard work and the end results that their creations when combined with my settings ultimately produce.

CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack v1.14.0_25-01-24.zip

Installation:

To install these presets copy the “CyberLab” folder into the “…\RetroArch\Shaders\Mega_Bezel_Packs” folder.

Create the folder if it doesn’t exist.

You would also need to download and install my custom Blargg Filter Presets:

Click the link below to download

CyberLab Custom Blargg NTSC Video Filter Presets 03-09-23.zip

Installation:

To install these presets copy the “Filters” folder into the “…\RetroArch” folder.

These presets REQUIRE THE LATEST matching HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader version in order to work. It can be downloaded at the following location.

Here’s an excellent (partial) installation guide provided by RetroCrisis!

If you ever wished for a CyberLab Death To Pixels Easymode which had the Reflective Bezel turned off and filled the screen instead, that could perform better on lower end hardware and didn’t have so many presets and folders but still gave an excellent quality CRT-Like experience, then perhaps the following two shader preset packs might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for!

Introducing…CyberLab CRT-Royale Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack!

Click the link below to download

CyberLab CRT-Royale Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack 07-09-23

Installation:

To install these presets copy the “Filters” and “Shaders” folders into the “…\RetroArch” folder.

Introducing…my latest and possibly greatest Shader Preset Pack in terms of pure image quality and accuracy…

CyberLab Megatron NX Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Preset Pack!

To experience the NeXt generation of CRT Shader Software Technology…

Click the link below to download

CyberLab Megatron NX Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Preset Pack 26-03-24

Installation:

To install these presets copy the “Shaders” folder into the “…\RetroArch” folder.

These presets REQUIRE CRT-Guest-Advanced-NTSC version 2024-02-29-release1 in order to look as intended.

It can be downloaded at the following location.

After downloading, copy the “crt-guest-advanced-2024-02-29-release1” folder into the “…\Retroarch\shaders_slang” folder.

They have been designed with Sony Megatron v5.7 in mind. I suggest you backup your Sony Megatron Shader Folder before updating your shaders.

Follow the Sony Megatron Colour Video Monitor Setup Instructions properly for these presets to look as intended.

Instructions are in RetroArch under ‘Quick Menu->Shaders->Shader Parameters’

CyberLab Megatron Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Preset Pack!

Click the link below to download

CyberLab Megatron Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Preset Pack 28-02-24

Installation:

To install these presets copy the “Shaders” folder into the “…\RetroArch” folder.

These presets REQUIRE CRT-Guest-Advanced-NTSC version 08.21.2023 in order to look as intended.

It can be downloaded at the following location.

Also, they have been designed with Sony Megatron v5.7 in mind. Due to the ever changing nature of these things, I suggest you backup your Sony Megatron Shader Folder (or all of them for that matter before updating your shaders). This will ensure that you can get back the look you had before if things change significantly on the Shader side.

You have to follow the Sony Megatron Colour Video Monitor Setup Instructions properly for these presets to look as intended.

Please see instructions in RetroArch under ‘Quick Menu->Shaders->Shader Parameters’

See here for further info:

Here’s a link to another little preset pack I made. This time for ReShade.

Another way to enjoy my presets with apps and games that are outside of RetroArch is by using the WindowCast Core for RetroArch.

If you like my shader presets, please be sure to show some appreciation to the shader creators whose hard work made all of this possible!

Tap on image then zoom in for best viewing. Desktop users, right click then Open in New Tab, then press F11 for FullScreen. Non 4K users, zoom in until it looks correct.

Right click on the image, click Open in New Tab then press F11 for Fullscreen for 4K users. Zoom in until it looks right for 1440p or 1080p users.

MBZ__3__Standard_Full_Reflections\Le’Sarsh_4K_Optimized_Presets\Console_Specific_Presets\CyberLab_Turbo_Duo_S-Video_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_CyberLab_Blargg_Video_Filter.slangp + Blargg_NTSC_Turbo_Duo_SNES_PSX_S-Video_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

MBZ__1__Advance_Full_Reflections\Le’Sarsh_4K_Optimized_Presets\Console_Specific_Presets\CyberLab_Turbo_Duo_S-Video_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_CyberLab_Blargg_Video_Filter.slangp + Blargg_NTSC_Turbo_Duo_SNES_PSX_S-Video_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

PSA: I use the CXA2025AS palette when designing, calibrating and testing my NES presets so if you use a different palette you may not be getting the optimal experience.

Update 12/11/22

Hot on the heels of my latest and greatest Composite Console Specific Presets and all the eye-popping, eye-candy that they can provide comes my first major overhaul in a while. Specially formulated for those who like their CRT Shader presets to be “less harsh”…

CyberLab presents:

Le’Sarsh 4K Optimized Shader Presets

Right click on the image, click Open in New Tab then press F11 for Fullscreen for 4K users. Zoom in until it looks right for 1440p or 1080p users.

CyberLab__PSX_Composite__ADV.slangp

CyberLab_NES_Composite_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_Core_Blargg_S-Video_Filter.slangp + Core Blargg S-Video Filter

CyberLab_Turbo_Duo_Composite_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_CyberLab_Blargg_Video_Filter.slangp + Blargg_NTSC_Turbo_Duo_SNES_PSX_Composite_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

CyberLab__Ultimate_Virtual_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_CRT-NP2RTA__ADV.slangp

CyberLab_SNES_Composite_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_BSNES_Blur_Emulation.slangp

CyberLab__PSX_Composite__ADV.slangp

CyberLab_Turbo_Duo_Composite_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_CyberLab_Blargg_Video_Filter.slangp + Blargg_NTSC_Turbo_Duo_SNES_PSX_Composite_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

Update 07/09/22

I’ve now updated my CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack versioning system to semi-sync with HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader versioning based on compatibility.

So if a user is using V1.1.0_xx-xx-xx of my Shader Preset Pack, they know that it’s been updated and tested to be compatible (and look right) with V1.1.0_xx-xx-xx of HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader.

If there’s a new update or feature in HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader that needs the presets to be updated before they will look right again, the versioning of the Shader Preset Pack will also reflect that.

Update 06/08/22

Introducing My Latest Preset:

You can use MPC-HC, MX Player or VLC Player to view the video.

CyberLab_SNES_Slot_Mask_IV_OLED_for_Higan_Blur_and_Colour_Emulation

This preset allows for proper transparency emulation in SNES games such as Kirby’s Dream Land 3.

It was designed and tested using the Higan Core with the following Core Options:

Resolution 512 x 224
Blur Emulation On
Color Emulation On
Scanline Emulation Off

Update 31/07/22:

Just added a couple presets for Mobile or Low spec PC gamers. You’ll find them in the MBZ__5__Potato_No_Reflections folder.

Update 29/07/22:

OLED TV users rejoice!! Finally we can enjoy RGB, (well RBG) triads with proper sizes and alignment with my new CyberLab Slot Mask IV OLED presets!

Note: These should also work fine on 4K LCD TV’s with RGB subpixel layouts. If your TV has a BGR layout, you have to flip the Mask Layout to 0 (RGB)

Update 24/06/22:

CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack is now to be installed in the ~~RetroArch/Shaders/Mega_Bezel_Community_Collections~~RetroArch/Shaders/Mega_Bezel_Packs folder!

The old Mega_Bezel_Community and Mega_Bezel_Community_Collections folders can (and should) be deleted.

All relevant paths should also be updated to maintain compatibility.

For a completely seamless transition you can use an app like Notepad++ which has a batch Find & Replace function to replace all instances of the old folder string with the new one in the RetroArch/Shaders folder as well as the RetroArch/Config folder.

This will preserve your existing Global, Game, Directory, Core and Custom User Created Presets as well.

Pro Tip: 4K users who have displays that can handle full RGB 4:4:4 change the Mask Type to 12 and the Mask Size to 1.

Note: This doesn’t apply to all presets and this won’t work on my Slot Mask or Computer Monitor presets.

4K users who have displays that can only do YCbCr 4:2:0 you can use the current Mask 6, Size 2 which is good but not perfect or try Mask 7 or 8 with Deconvergence turned off.

As an alternative you can switch to a lower resolution which allows for RGB 4:4:4.

Update 20/04/22:

Note: To use the following new Console Specific Presets, please follow the steps below to load the corresponding Blargg Video Filters.

The other Console (or Game) Specific Presets will look fine (and as intended) without any additional video filters.

CyberLab_NES_for_Core_Blargg_S-Video_Filter.slangp

Quick Menu-->Options-->Video-->Blargg NTSC Filter - S-Video

CyberLab_Genesis_for_CyberLab_or_Core_Blargg_Composite_Filter.slangp

(Blending and Transparency, No Rainbow Effect, No Shimmering Artifacts)

Quick Menu-->Options-->Video-->Blargg NTSC Filter - OFF

Settings-->Video-->Video Filter-->Blargg_NTSC_Genesis_Composite_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

Quick Menu-->Overrides-->Save Core Override

Or

(Blending and Transparency, Rainbow Effect, Shimmering Artifacts)

Quick Menu-->Options-->Video-->Blargg NTSC Filter - Composite

CyberLab_Turbo_Duo_for_CyberLab_Blargg_Composite_or_S-Video_Filter.slangp

Settings-->Video-->Video Filter-->Blargg_NTSC_Turbo_Duo_SNES_PSX_Composite_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

Quick Menu-->Overrides-->Save Core Override

Or

Settings-->Video-->Video Filter-->Blargg_NTSC_Turbo_Duo_SNES_PSX_S-Video_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt

Quick Menu-->Overrides-->Save Core Override

Update 12/04/22:

Flipped the Mask Layout for 1080p Optimized Presets to match my 1080p TV that I play on sometimes. I thought about having a separate folder for flipped Mask Layout presets but I think I’ll just start with what works for my setups first and try to inform users that in order to get optimum quality, they need to select the appropriate Mask Layout for their display.

So users, in order to get optimum quality, you need to go into Shader Parameters (or Edit the Preset) and change the Mask Layout to the one that matches your display’s subpixel layout. Just choose whichever one looks best. Usually if you see Magenta/Green phosphors if you go close to the screen then you might need to toggle the Mask Layout so you’ll get the proper RGB or BGR phosphors.

This one has got to be my best Composite_Pure_ADV preset to date!

Finally!!! I’ve completed my latest overhaul!

CyberLab__Composite-Sharp__PVM-Edition__ADV with MDAPT Mode set to Off (0) or CyberLab_Arcade-Sharp__PVM-Edition should look great with PS1, Dreamcast/Naomi/Atomiswave and other 32-bit or higher systems!

And of course NES looks best with my CyberLab__Composite-Pure__ADV preset!

Pro Tip: You can enable Blargg’s NTSC RGB (or S-VIDEO) filter in your NES emulator’s core options to add a nice finishing touch of post processing to NES games!

PSA: N64 ----> Composite Pure, Composite Sharp & Arcade Sharp All look fantastic!

Here’s some excellent Sega Genesis de-dithering being performed by my latest:

Blargg_NTSC_Genesis_Composite_CyberLab_Special_Edition.filt + CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition-Genesis__STD.slangp

Leave your GPU to do the heavy Mega Bezel work, while offloading some stuff and applying some finesse to the final output using the oft untapped power of your CPU!

There are now two custom Blargg NTSC video filters included in my preset pack!

These need to be copied to the “RetroArch/Filters/Video” folder.

To load them you need to go to:

Settings ----->

Video ----->

Filters ---->

After loading your video filter, you can save your settings as a Core Override in the Quick Menu so it will automatically load that video filter everytime you use that core.

Update: 28-05-22

With new presets come new recommendations. I’ve used friendly, abbreviated names and not the preset filenames in the list below. If you can’t figure out which friendly names correspond to which presets, feel free to ask.

NES - CyberLab NES for Blargg + Core Blargg S-Video Filter 

SNES - CyberLab Slot Mask, CyberLab SNES, CyberLab SNES Sharp 

Arcade/Neo Geo - CyberLab Slot Mask, CyberLab Arcade Sharp 
 
Atari - CyberLab Arcade Sharp, CyberLab Old TV, CyberLab Atari, CyberLab Atari Sharp 

C64 - CyberLab C64, CyberLab Computer Monitor Raw 
 
Sega Genesis/CD/32X - CyberLab Slot Mask for Blargg + CyberLab Genesis Blargg Composite Filter, CyberLab Genesis for Blargg + CyberLab Genesis Blargg Composite Filter 
 
Turbo Duo/PC-Engine/CD/SuperGrafx - CyberLab Slot Mask for Blargg + CyberLab Turbo Duo Blargg S-Video Filter, CyberLab Turbo Duo for Blargg + CyberLab Turbo Duo Blargg S-Video Filter 
 
N64 - CyberLab N64, Composite Pure 

PSX - CyberLab PSX, CyberLab Slot Mask

Dreamcast - CyberLab Slot Mask, CyberLab Computer Monitor Smooth

By the way, these recommendations are in order of my current preferences.

Be sure to view these zoomed in, full screen or original size for them to look as they should!

For the best viewing experience of these screenshots I suggest you right click on the image then click, “Open link in new tab”, “Open link in new window” or “Open image in new tab”.

Then click on the new window or tab and press the F11 key for a fullscreen view.

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__1080p__ADV

Take a look at these videos of my CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD preset in action!

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD - Video 1 - Sonic The Hedgehog

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD - Video 2 - Sonic The Hedgehog

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD - Video 3 - Ys IV - The Dawn of Ys

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD - Video 4 - Super Star Soldier

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD - Video 5 - Sonic The Hedgehog

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD - Video 6 - Gate of Thunder

You can use MPC-HC, MX Player or VLC Player to view the videos.

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD.slangp

Blargg NTSC OFF

Blargg NTSC RGB ON

Blargg NTSC OFF

Blargg NTSC RGB ON

Note: CyberLab__Composite-Pure__Soqueroeu-TV_Special_Edition__STD.slangp REQUIRES SOQUEROEU – Mega Bezel TV Backgrounds to be installed.

You can get it at the link below:

You’ll find this preset in the “MBZ__3__Standard_Full_Reflections/4K_Optimized” folder in my preset pack.

Make sure your Soqueroeu-TV Folder looks like this:

"Shaders/Mega_Bezel_Packs/Soqueroeu-TV-Backgrounds_V2.0/"

When you download them from GitHub it adds a “-main” to the end of the foldername. You can either remove it from there or add it to the paths in the reference lines in my presets.

Make sure Soqueroeu-TV Backgrounds is installed in the “/Shaders/Mega_Bezel_Packs” folder.

Note: On at least one of my screens these Imgur preview images appear darker than the full resolution images as well as my presets. This seems to happen on 12 bit screens when the desktop is set to RGB 12 bpp colour depth.You may have to view the full res images in order to judge my presets properly.

More up to date screenshots can be found in this post in the thread:

This is what you’ll see if you stick your nose up to the screen using my new and improved for 2022 CyberLab Composite - Sharp PVM Edition Shader Preset! Just zoom in and bask in the everglow of those RGB “phosphor” triads!

Click the link below to see some of my newest presets in action:

The following are mostly older screenshots:

CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack

Usage:

Try the presets in the MBZ__1__Advance_Full_Reflections folder first.

If you’re system can’t handle them, you can lower your desktop resolution and try the optimized presets for that resolution.

If they’re still not running well enough or if you prefer to stick to your native resolution then try the presets in the MBZ__2__Performance_No_Reflections folder.

You can also use a lower desktop resolution and the optimized presets for that resolution from the MBZ__2__Performance_No_Reflections folder for maximum performance.

I also recommend you get familiar with the Cropping settings to eliminate black borders or screen junk in some games. After you’re satisfied with your Cropping settings save a Game Preset.

Be sure to spread the word that these exist so that others may also benefit!

Here are some video clips of them in action:

CyberLab__Computer-Monitor-Raw__ADV_Contra.m4v

CyberLab__Computer-Monitor-Raw__ADV_Final_Fight.m4v

CyberLab__Computer-Monitor-Raw__ADV_Street_Fighter_II_Hyper_Fighting.m4v

CyberLab__Composite-Sharp__PVM-Edition__ADV.slangp

Note: If you’re using Higan or BSNES, the resolution setting in the core options can influence how your final image looks in terms of sharpness and softness. In games that you might prefer a crisper, sharper look for example Super Mario World and Super Mario Kart, you can try switching it to 512 x 224. Conversely in games that use dithering to create extra colours for example U.N. Squadron and TMNT: Turtles In Time and Final Fight, 256 x 224 might be the better choice. You can save your choice in Quick Menu…Options…Manage Core Options and save per game.

CyberLab__Composite-Pure__ADV.slangp

If you’re also looking for the infamous " Rainbow effect" you can use my presets above and also enable Blargg’s NTSC Composite filter in the Genesis Plus GX Core Options. It might even work with my Composite - Pure preset as well but I haven’t tested it yet.

What I’ve noticed is that once the Blargg NTSC Composite Filter is enabled and used in conjunction with my Composite - Sharp preset, dithering based transparencies also work fine, whereas without the Blargg filter set to composite that particular preset didn’t do the transparency effects properly. So I went back to the drawing board and came up with this next preset. It’s not a one size fits all solution as it can cause some artifacts due to false positives in certain games but when it works, it works beautifully!

CyberLab__Blending-And-Transparency__PVM-Edition__ADV.slangp

So now you can get the best of both worlds. Extra colours, transparency effects and the rainbow effect without blurry graphics as if Vaseline was smeared all over the screen.

Thanks again to all who made this possible!

TheNamec · 12 November 2021 08:04

Best wishes @Cyber ! Now your project has it own home, hope to see lots of love and death to pixels

Cyber · 12 November 2021 11:34

Thank you very much for the support and camaraderie! You keep up the great work yourself!

Neofuuma · 12 November 2021 21:24

@Cyber I found what may be a typo while trying to get the “Arcade Sharp 1080 edition” working on my craptastic work laptop

It is referencing “CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Composite Pure.slangp” at the top of the slangp file. Should this actually reference the “Arcade Sharp.slangp” file instead? I was trying to mess around and make a “potato” version (I used MBZ__5__POTATO__GDV.slangp instead of MBZ__3__BASIC-EXTRA-PASSES__GDV.slangp that you mentioned for low-end systems) and noticed that it didn’t have any effect when I made changes, until I went in and changed that reference.

Hope that made sense!

Cyber · 12 November 2021 22:07

Hi @Neofuuma. That shouldn’t be a typo. The Arcade Sharp 1080p Edition is actually supposed to reference the "CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Composite Pure.slang preset because I used that as the starting point. What you need to do is follow the chain of presets until you get to the base preset that contains this reference:

and replace the MBZ_2_STD_GUEST-SM.slangp with whatever alternative you’re trying to use.

So I just went and double checked.

The Arcade Sharp 1080p preset is correctly referencing the Composite pure preset that was its starting point. If you follow the chain of references you will see that the Composite Pure preset is referencing the “MBZ__2__STD__GDV.slangp” so that’s where you have to make the change if you want to try a different HSM MBZ base preset.

At the time of my testing the lowest MBZ level you can use while maintaining the appearance of the presets is the one I mentioned in my suggestion, the MBZ_3_BASIC-EXTRA-PASSES_GDV.slangp.

So you can go back and try that and let me know what happens. You can also let me know if you need any further clarification or assistance.

What kind of performance did you get at 1080p using the Arcade Sharp 1080p preset?

Also, I’m sure you know that @HyperspaceMadness is working on implementing some major performance improvements in the next version so it’s only a matter of time!

Neofuuma · 12 November 2021 22:05

@Cyber Just tried going back and putting in the MBZ_3_BASIC-EXTRA-PASSES_GDV.slangp one. I can get about 50-51fps, so it’s not quiiiiiite up to where it needs to be, but I think with default setup I was getting 20 fps or so. Granted, this laptop just uses intel integrated, and only has a max resolution of 1600x900, so maybe even that has more to do with it.

On the bright side, tinkering with that gave me insight into how some of that goes together!

Cyber · 12 November 2021 23:11

Hmmm…seems like you just need a little more! Why don’t you try my Arcade Raw 1080p preset with either the basic or potato MBZ Base preset? The Arcade Raw 1080p doesn’t use any ScaleFX and some other stuff that is included in the other presets. It might look similar after the base preset downgrade.

You know the first version of HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader that I used was much faster than this one and the version before. Perhaps you can try that version and see if it gets you over the line?

Cyber · 14 November 2021 20:06

This is similar to what my early gaming setup was like in my youth. @HyperspaceMadness, @TheNamec, @Duimon, @Tromzy, @Neofuuma

Notice the near perfect geometry and orientation of the image on screen despite the obvious bulge and curvature of the picture tube.

TheNamec · 14 November 2021 22:33

The C1702 is one (if not the most) praised Commodore monitor for retrogaming. Despite its age, it offers quite hi quality colors and sharpness.

This was the first monitor I rebuilt for the Mega Bezel Commodore Pack, I LOVE it!

Duimon · 15 November 2021 02:30

I made sure to pick one up as I was buying commodore stuff for my museum. I am proud to own one.

Jodeth · 18 November 2021 05:31

Here’s the preset that I came up with from your RGB Sharp. It’ll have to do until I buy a 4K monitor. It’s pretty funny that the only reason I want a 4K monitor is to play retro games, lol. I’d really like to see your presets in all their glory!

Screenshots

Download: Google Drive

Cyber · 19 November 2021 00:06

Thanks and welcome! Presets can still look very awesome at 1440p and 1080p resolutions with a little tweaking you know but I can understand the feeling!

I’m glad you like my presets.

Nice screenshots!!

Cyber · 19 November 2021 20:58

What were you getting before cropping just the pink horizontal lines?

Were the gauges detail onscreen before you cropped? If so then perhaps you cropped too much? Only crop if you’re seeing black bars.

If cropping didn’t work, but setting Int. Scale Mode to 1 worked to eliminate your issues then by all means, that’s what you should use. Just cropping the black bars on the top and bottom worked for me in MVSC. Changing the Int. Scale Mode to 1 without cropping also worked for me but that was just one game. I’ll try to test some more games to see how things look.

Just doing a follow-up. Are all of the issues resolved now?

I did some follow up testing and I realize that MVSC2 is a totally different ball game to get exactly right. Without 320 x 240 you get no smoothing of the sprites. With 320 x 240 you don’t have enough pixels to render the fonts properly so they look messed up. Turning on fake scanlines can help reduce the “pixelation” in the sprites but I would prefer a better solution if there is one. This is something I’ll have to work on. I’ll try @HyperspaceMadness special DREZ preset and see how that looks and if it can be tweaked to perfection.

In the meantime, I might change my default Int. Scale Mode to 1 in my presets at some point so any users encountering the pink bands or pink horizontal lines issues you encountered won’t have that problem initially.

The fact that there’s a whole base preset variation dedicated to this game in HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader says a lot.

Hmmm…seems like getting this MVSC2 to look perfect is like playing wack-a-mole. There’s always some compromise that has to be made somewhere it seems.

Tromzy · 19 November 2021 21:51

Here are some screenshots of 128 bit cores (Flycast / PCSX2) with my settings for @Cyber’s awesome 1440p preset (open each image in a new tab for full resolution) :

https://imgur.com/a/v18v852

Unfortunately, I cannot post any Dolphin screenshot because for some reason, RetroArch refuses to take any screenshot of Dolphin. (maybe because it’s using D3D11)

Cyber · 19 November 2021 22:13

Thanks for sharing! These look great!

Do you believe you can get Dreamcast/Naomi/Atomiswave games to look even better than this?! I’ve been busting my brains out trying to get a perfect balance for MVSC2. You can try setting your Int. Scale Mode to 1 to improve scanlines quality and make sure to crop all games that have black borders. You can also try my RGB - Sharp preset!

Tromzy · 19 November 2021 22:19

Yeah, I’m not quite satisfied with the settings, yet. Dolphin games look absolutely gorgeous, but that’s probably because I increased resolution to 3x for that core, when Flycast and PCSX2 are running at native console res. I’ll post some screenshots of FLycast / PCSX2 games running at increased resolution too, results are good too I think.

If I set Integer scale to one, the picture shrinks a bit too much.

Tromzy · 19 November 2021 22:36

Here are some increased resolution screenshots :

https://imgur.com/a/DsX9JGt

The image on Flycast looks sharper obviously, but it’s a bit too “blocky” I think. I must add that I disable interlacing. For PCSX2 I get weird big scanlines with interlacing disabled, but they disappear when I reenable it (see the 2 GT4 screenshots for comparison).

Cyber · 31 December 2022 03:56

Well that might depend on the game and internal resolution you’re running. When I suggested to set it to 1 it was to actually expand the screen a bit as that helps with the quality of the scanlines. I’m new to 32-bit and beyond emulation so I would need some time to get familiar with the quirks. What I’ve noticed is that increased internal resolution results in vertical gaps in Ryu’s Super Hadoken in MVSC2. There always seems to be something wrong or at least not quite right somewhere if I change something to fix something else. In time I’ll post some updated presets just for Dreamcast/Naomi/Atomiswave and other higher resolution systems now that my 8-bit and 16-bit era stuff is more or less mature.

Another setting that makes a huge difference is the Opposite Dir Multiplier (Y Downsample for H Scanlines). Default is 100 but 75 and 50 really brings out the scanlines by reducing the number and making them thicker on those higher resolution consoles. The downside is that high res elements like text suffers as well as the scanlines looking not properly aligned depending on the combination of that setting and the internal resolution.

Lastly, I’ve been experimenting with HSM’s special DEREZ base preset because I’m not seeing the same results when I use the STD base preset.

Cyber · 19 November 2021 22:52

Thanks again.

What method do you use to use my presets with Duimon’s overlays?

I know it’s not that difficult but I’m just curious as @Aeoliza was asking previously.

If you’re using an nVIDIA Graphics Card, you can probably press Alt-F1 to take a screenshot. Or look for the Dolphin screenshot hotkey in standalone dolphin and try it and see if it works in RetroArch.

Try 320 x 240 Internal resolution or anything higher than native. You should get better smoothing. You can also adjust the Opp Dir Multiplier to reduce the number of horizontal scanlines while making them thicker. That helps a lot with blockiness.

Tromzy · 19 November 2021 22:54

I just copy one of the presets, lets say “Dreamcast-[STD]-[Guest].slangp” for example, and I just replace the first line “#reference “:/shaders/shaders_slang/bezel/Mega_Bezel/Presets/Base_CRT_Presets/MBZ__2__STD__GDV.slangp”” with my custom Cyber preset.