Mednafen PSX stuttering video

RetroArch Windows devices
#1

Hello guys I’m new in this Libretro thing and RetroArch but I simply loved this frontend! Looks simple to use and also I manage to make my Xbox controller vibrate so easily compared to ePSXe for example that even after lot’s of times trying I never did :slight_smile:

But I have a problem that happens in all PSX emulators I try :frowning: That’s why from time to time I tried different emulators and today I’m with Mednafen and the problem still persists. First sorry if I’m not describing the problem correctly but I decided to use the word “Stuttering”. My problem is simple, sometimes I’m playing a game and it will hang for a second and then continue normally. This problem makes me real mad cause my notebook is not great but I think that for PSX emulation it is enough!!! I think it’s some config on my computer like something I have to make but I just can’t figure it out by myself that’s why I need your help :slight_smile:

Here my specs:

Dell XPS L502X

Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (64-bit) Service Pack 1 (Build 7601) Intel® Core™ i5-2430M CPU @ 2.40GHz Intel® HD Graphics Family | NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB Memory (RAM) 4 GB

I’m using RetroArch-v1.0.0.2-64-bit with Cores-v1.0.0.2-64-bit the emulator core is mednafen_psx_libretro.dll and I’m using the european bios SCPH5502 to play Wipeout 3 Special Edition (EU).

This is a futurist racing game and it’s real fast so even if this problem happens rarely it will make me rage when I’m surprised by it and smash a hall and lose the race :frowning: Do you guys have any ideas for what I should do? Also I tried another futuristic game for Nintendo 64 in the core mupen64plus_libretro.dll called F-Zero X and I can play it without any hangs at all!

#2

There may be other things afoot, but you will definitely be getting some stuttering from your EU BIOS and PAL ROM because they run at 50 Hz while your laptop display almost certainly runs at 60 Hz. This will cause a framerate stutter at regular intervals.

btw, your laptop is indeed fine and should get full speed in mednafen-psx.

#3

Thanks for clarify this! Any way to fix that? Can I use some kind of tricky to solve this? Can I choose to use another resolution that let’s me change to 50Hz or could it damage my monitor? Something I forgot to say is that my laptop is connected to a TV via HDMI cable does this matter?

I think I will try the same game but the NTSC version just to test this!

#4

Yes, I should have mentioned that explicitly: PAL is essentially obsolete these days, as all displays run at NTSC’s 60 Hz. So, just use ROMs from those regions whenever possible.

#5

Problem is that the PAL version is better with more tracks and stuff.

I’m going to try the NTSC version more but it seems to stutter a little too. I’m really curious about this “curse” my laptop has that makes psx games do this :frowning:

Any ideas?

#6

You could try changing your windows power management plan to maximum performance

#7

It’s always on max and I also did the same on the Nvidia manager for my graphics card! No changes :frowning:

#8

Try that option that the Mednafen-psx core has that caches the whole ISO in RAM, maybe it will help with the stutters. Or disable your antivirus while playing etc.

#9

Sorry but how can I do this?

#10

Load a game, then go back into the menu and go to options > core options. You should see something about disc caching in there.

#11

Nothing there. What version are you using? Also I disabled my antivirus, firewall and I still have problems

#12

I’m using the nightly RetroArch builds from the buildbot. And downloaded the mednafen-psx core through the core updater. http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/

#13

Thanks a lot for the patience :slight_smile:

While I was waiting for a answer I got the nightly mednafen and just used with the latest non nightly retroarch and It’s looking good now with real minor stutters so the problem is my laptop is not that good :frowning:

I’m going to try using this file: latest_RetroArch_full and see what happens while I disable everything in my laptop!

EDIT: Played a lot and it’s starting to look better! The stutters are minimal and when it happens it’s not that bad but I wish I could make it perfect. What should I do? Use some kind of RAM cleaner? or even some option on retroarch? cause by God this Nightly build has tons of options!!! I hope there is one buried in there that can fix my problem :slight_smile:

#14

Did you try it with the nightly Retroarch + the latest version of the mednafen-psx core + enabling the RAM ISO precaching from the core options?

If you’re only interested in PSX emulation for now, you can try Mednafen itself with a frontend like Meednaffe.

Are you sure you’re not using some shader effects or filters and that your resolution is correctly set? You should try toggling the hard gpu sync as well.

#15

[QUOTE=AnotherLife;23199]Did you try it with the nightly Retroarch + the latest version of the mednafen-psx core + enabling the RAM ISO precaching from the core options?

Are you sure you’re not using some shader effects or filters and that your resolution is correctly set? You should try toggling the hard gpu sync as well.[/QUOTE]

Yes I tried latest_RetroArch_full that I found in the nightly and I also used some random RAM cleaner before open the emulator and it seams OK now! don’t know if I just got lucky but I will keep testing. [B]

EDIT: [/B]RAM cleaner is not helping cause I got some stutters but it’s really rare.Sounds like the RAM ISO precaching is the best thing to do but I wish I could make it run perfect :frowning: The sad thing is that in my old PC I could play PSX without this hahahaha

EDIT2: I guess I will start to play the way it is cause the stutters are very rare and I read this:http://wiki.libretro.com/index.php?title=RetroArch#Problems and like it says “playing a PAL game on 60 Hz monitor won’t be perfect no matter what you do …” Since it says no matter what I can’t argue with pros :slight_smile: but… if I set the estimated rate to 50.000 isn’t it better?

I didn’t use any shader of filters I just extracted the emulator and changed what I need to just to play the game cause I found that this emulator is focused on accuracy and that’s what I want! something closer to the original PSX.

This hard gpu sync seems to make the audio mess up just a little in rare occasions just like the stutters so I just turned off.

If you’re only interested in PSX emulation for now, you can try Mednafen itself with a frontend like Meednaffe.

I tried but I loved the way the retroarch looks and for me it was easier to run than Mednafen PSX with Meednaffe. I had the same problems using Mednafen psx core and the original Mednafen psx with Meednaffe too so I think it doesn’t make any difference.

Can you explain why the original Mednafen is version 0.9.38.4 and the one for retroarch is version 0.9.36.5 ? It’s not the same guys that do this? It’s easy to get the latest version and make it run in retroarch? Guess not right cause if is was in the minute Mednafen PSX was updated we would have a core for retroarch too. I wish I could make it myself cause I loved this emulator and retroarch!

#16

No, it’s someone adapting the code changes, so it’s always a bit behind in development.

Look here:

It mentions 0.9.38.x, so it’s got at least some code from that, not sure if it’s up to that revision fully. The core internal name mentions 0.6.36.0 … not sure. But the emulation is at a high standard.

#17

Because the version string hasn’t been updated The only way to make it smooth with pal games would be to set a 50hz refresh rate on windows… not sure if your monitor supports that.

#18

Thanks! It’s behind but this emulator version is really nice! Since the game I’m playing is OK there is no need to get the latest version and I hope the guy making this cores for RetroArch always make more when he can.

About my problem I’m playing the game now for real and trying to get some progress and it’s working really nice. Just clarify something for me if you can:

These really rare micro stutters that is almost nothing now thanks to enabling the RAM ISO pre-caching option happens cause the game is PAL right?

Do you know why in my PC I had to cache the entire ISO in the RAM to make games work better?

I just get curious so sorry and thanks again :slight_smile:

I really loved this kind of accuracy focused emulators and I’m going to use just this kind in the future!

[QUOTE=Radius;23397]Because the version string hasn’t been updated The only way to make it smooth with pal games would be to set a 50hz refresh rate on windows… not sure if your monitor supports that.[/QUOTE]

Just saw your message! I tried to change to 50Hz and it works in my monitor but the image looks funny so I will just deal with the ultra rare micro stutters that I got :slight_smile: You guys saved my life just to point that ISO to RAM cache thing cause without that the stutters were really annoying

#19

[QUOTE=NetSphereEngineer;23398] Do you know why in my PC I had to cache the entire ISO in the RAM to make games work better?[/QUOTE] It’s a Mednafen thing. I have a pretty beefy desktop and I still have to cache my ISOs or I get stutter. I’m going to assume Mednafen isn’t looking far enough ahead on the disk to keep up with hard disk read time but that’s just a guess.

#20

Still Mednafen is my savior hahahaha I would get this stutters in every PS1 emulator I tried even 2D games! So glad it fixed even if it is a mystery that I even needed that option.