Load & Download A Core On Retro Arch Using Linux Mint

RetroArch Linux devices
#15

But, aren’t you using the PPA?

@Alexzee you have a mess of versions, in the other post you say you installed snap, flatpak, ppa and you use appimage?
Linux is a demanding system, you have to be careful.

Each way of installation has a different configuration folder:

  • Ubuntu’s PPA (and derivatives) has it in HOME/.config/retroarch
  • Snap inside the Snap folder in Home
  • Flatpak inside the hidden .var folder in Home
  • AppImage creates a Home right next to the executable, but you can also delete that folder and use the default PPA folder.

They all work the same, the one you choose depends on your taste. But if you are just starting out I recommend the PPA, everything is automatic. Appimage requires manual update, and create the shortcut manually.

Before doing anything else, uninstall RetroArch from Snap and Flatpak, open the terminal and paste this:
sudo snap remove retroarch; flatpak remove retroarch -y

Open RetroArch, whichever you choose to use.
Go to “Main Menu » Configuration File”.
Select Reset to Defaults.
Restart Retroarch.

The core and core information files are stored in the same place, you can see the directories in Settings " Directory.
This is how Appimage and the PPA would look like respectively.

image
image820×647 116 KB

Now it should work normally, but… You haven’t changed the administrative permissions of Home? Have you? :roll_eyes:

1 Like
#16

Yes, I installed the PPA. After running the command that you posted with root privileges retroarch was not found nor installed.

From the Main Menu I went to the config file and selected Reset to Defaults and then restarted Retro Arch like you said to do and…upon doing so I have unreadable text. See the screenshot.

Reset
Reset960×816 16.1 KB

No, I have not changed the admin permissions of Home:-

#17

Are you sure you are using PPA? You can see this in the previous message:

That’s Appimage.

You are missing all the files.
You probably deleted the Appimage home folder, and it will look for the repository folder, which does not exist either.
image

#18

I created a directory for the Retro Arch- Linux- x86_64.AppImage: Alex: cd Cores Alex: ls RetroArch_cores.7z RetroArch-Linux-x86_64 Alex: cd RetroArch-Linux-x86_64 Alex: ls RetroArch-Linux-x86_64.AppImage.home Alex:

The libretro PPA is present in the Software Sources MGR:

PPA
PPA1600×1096 100 KB

Should I delete the “Cores” directory, remove the PPA and start over with a fresh installation of the PPA?

Sorry for any confusion, I’m really trying to do the right thing here.

#19

Don’t worry, that’s what this forum is for. :slight_smile:

RetroArch comes pre-configured and everything will work fine. You only need to change two directories, “File Browser” which is where you save the games and “System/BIOS”, for the system files. You can also use the default folder for the bios, it’s a matter of taste.

Let’s focus on the PPA. delete the entire Appimage folder, and also delete the RetroArch configuration folder, under"HOME/.config/retroarch".

Open RetroArch and it will appear indivisible, you have to update the Assets to be able to see it well. Close it and run this in the terminal. This mini scrip installs the decompressor, download and unzip the assents in the corresponding folder.

sudo apt install p7zip-full -y; cd ~/.config/retroarch/assets/; wget https://buildbot.libretro.com/assets/frontend/assets.zip; 7z x assets.zip -y; ; rm assets.zip

At startup, it should look good.

@hunterk I installed stable to test Stable, (purge the ppa testing and delete the configuration folder). When I start RetrArch, it does not have the Assets, is this normal?
I don’t remember well, I haven’t installed it for a long time, but I think it has everything normal at startup.

#20

No, it doesn’t come with assets. There’s no way to do that, unfortunately, since they need live in the user’s home directory and the package manager isn’t allowed to write there.

This is why the AppImage comes with the portable home directory.

1 Like
#21

Deleted the Appimage folder and the RetroArch config folder under HOME/.config/retroarch.

Upon opening RetroArch you said it would appear indivisible. It appeared with the unreadable text.

RA Now
RA Now960×816 16 KB

I couldn’t update the Assets so I opened the terminal and ran the mini script. The command line returned a syntex error.

Syntax Error
Syntax Error1318×974 45.7 KB

#22

I missed a semicolon at the end, this is corrected:
sudo apt install p7zip-full -y; cd ~/.config/retroarch/assets/; wget https://buildbot.libretro.com/assets/frontend/assets.zip; 7z x assets.zip -y; rm assets.zip

each semicolon “;” is a command separation, it is the same as “&&”, if you see at the end, before “rm assets.zip”, it had two pasted, that was the error.

1 Like
#23

The script worked!

Buildbot
Buildbot1318×974 97.1 KB

Unreadable text
#24

I decided to remove the PPA. Now I’ll install the flatpac and install the cores that way as it will be easier says McCloud who’s helping me here:

It’s so nice to have help! :smiley:

#25

But… You already had it. :joy:

They are all the same, “Flatpak” is good, use whichever one you feel more comfortable with.

1 Like
#26

Thanks, I didn’t know.

#27

Hi, if it helps anyone, I download the appimage version of Retroarch with all the cores from here https://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/1.15.0/linux/x86_64/

Place both files into a folder, expand the RetroArch.7z archive first, then expand the RetroArch_cores.7z archive and it will place the files into the folder along with Retroarch.

Then launch the appimage and all the cores are installed.

2 Likes
#28

I’m using the AppImage so that’s done. I’ve tried going through the interface and used the online update as well.

#30

hey, sorry, but we can’t have that link as it links to a site to download games and we don’t/can’t promote piracy here.

#31

I haven’t installed it for a long time, but I think it has everything normal at startup...

#32

there’s a more secretive reason the creator of retroarch , and even some Linux distros don’t want to easily allow the cores to be downloaded and installed in Linux.

please , i don’t want anyone telling me otherwise , i am an experienced level Linux user and wasted 2 days trying everything , only to find out there’s more to this than anyone’s saying.

what nobody wants to say, ill say it .

its probably because developers are scared they will more easily get sued for including access to cores under Linux. further,

im sure the creators of the st@#m deck have made threats against competition for their platform , and so here we are in a community that supposed to be open source, fun and Linux,

nobody is being honest about why the sources, and availabilities to the core downloads are being broken and in many cases blocked under Linux .

.

#33

how are you. i had the same problem with ubuntu, and tried every which way to install retroarch. i really think theres a more secretive reason why they are intentionally leaving out the cores under linux.

#34

theres a major issue in downloading the cores in many major linux distros. maybe it also has to do with devices that are confusing the package manager, such as newer arm8 devices that are also capable of running linux, like pi and orange pi .

#35

lol I’m afraid the reasons are all very mundane and un-exciting and have nothing to do with being sued or competing with Valve.