Just installed RetroArch64 and the only versions of Mame available are 2000, 2003, and 2003-Plus. Where are the more recent versions? My roms are 0.220 for reference.
JR
There is no up-to-date MAME core for Android, unfortunately. We haven’t been able to get it to build. You can get several newer cores, though, if you sideload the 32-bit RetroArch package (these also don’t build for 64-bit)
Wow that’s surprising. When you hear how rockin the NVidia Shield is for emulation you don’t think about a 17 year old version of MAME being the latest it supports but curious how well it’s going to run things. That said, does the 32-bit version come with any newer version out of the box as I go thru the hours of scanning my ROMs and may have to restart if I switch to the 32-bit version?
It’s odd as I was watching a guy youtube setting up the Shield with RetroArch and he had the 2010 version and the 2014 version and 2015 and I think even a 2016 that he said he avoids.
JR
Yes, those are all 32-bit builds available from the online updater.
Scanning MAME ROMs is a big hassle, due to merged vs un-, torrentzipped vs non, etc. You’re better off just using the manual scan and feeding it a DAT to get the pretty names.
OK so let’s take this one step at a time.
So if I want to get a 32-bit build how should I install it? Is there an APK I can install? I know when I installed the non 64-bit version of RetroArch from the store still showed the same versions of MAME assuming it is 32-bit.
Here’s the latest 32-bit stable: http://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/1.8.6/android/RetroArch_ra32.apk
The regular package from the Play Store is required by Google to have at least a 64-bit build inside. We also include a 32-bit build inside, but Google decides which one to use, and if your device/ROM is 64-bit capable, it forces you to use that one. So, on a Shield device, it will use 64-bit every time.
Final Burn Neo is a good option if the games you want to play are supported by it. It stays updated with the latest MAME romset.
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With the best component of the Shield being something MAME won’t care about (the gpu), don’t expect too much from your Shield. Shield is just average if the emulator is software rendered and/or single thread, MAME is both (actually, tons of emulators are).
OK so I have MAME 2015 now. See 2016 is available but not sure if it’s a good choice as things that it’s buggy but sometimes those posts are dated.
So I added some cores to RetroArch including MAME 2015 and Arcade (FinalBurn Neo). Then went to + and found my mame folder and scanned the directory. It scanned for hours and when it was done there was no additional menu items on the top for MAME.
Also I can’t actually start a game. I can load it but can’t figure out how to start it with any of my buttons on the remote even though there is one coin at start. I can’t add more coins either. So with my PS3, mapping it based on
None of the keys will add a coin or start the game. Though none of the buttons listed seem to be related. I’ve heard select is the coin and Start is start but don’t seem to work. Thoughts?
JR
Select should indeed be the coin button. Your pad should have been recognized and autoconfigured, so you shouldn’t need to go into settings > input > port 1 binds. If you did, go back in there and hit ‘default all’.
OK as soon as I have access to the TV again I’ll try that. Just note I did have it that way originally with the Google Play version where I could only use MAME 2003 and it wouldn’t work either.
Nope same deal. Those buttons do nothing. I can say when I’m in defender there is something at the top that says:
skip 0/10 100% 240 partial updates
not sure what that is if anything.
Note it does work for other games so that’s something but my main deal right now was to get Defender working.
Just so u know if using a frontend you can use both 32bit and 64bit…for 32bit the last mame that was produced was mame 0.198 but not sure if that 1 is available anymore…the common one I see is mame 0.197…that alone will play most of your arcade games minus a few that were graduated to working in 0.199 and beyond …many of those also are for mess like alot of handheld games…I personally use hyperspin with both retroarch versions and most things just work…