Problem getting Retroarch 1.0.0.2.1 to play PSX anything

RetroArch Apple devices
#1

Hi guys, just loaded RA onto newly jailbroken iPad Air.

Most systems working nicely.

But I can’t get PSX games to run at all.

I browse to the CUE file to start the game for example Tekken 2. If I select Mednafen core, it just fails to start, and stays at the menu screen. If I choose PCSX ReArmed , it flat out crashes the Retroarch.

I am using iOS 8.1

Should this be working? Or is there a better core available at all? (I tried to use psx4all as an alternative but that fails to even start for me (though I think that’s most likely due to iOS 8.1)

PS- has anyone here been able to play KillerInstinct arcade on any emulator on iOS? Is it possible?

Kind regards.

#2

If you’re on a 64-bit device, the dynarec crashes pcsx-rearmed. You can use the interpreter core option, though. You also need read/write permissions on the directory where your BIOS goes, and you need to make sure you have the right one (5501, I think?)

KI should work with MAME 2010 or 2014. I forget what’s included in the iOS port, but anything other than MAME 2003 (v0.078) should work.

#3

Fantastic! I’ve got Tekken1,2,3 running very nice and fast using the ininterpereter core you suggested.

Its a shame dynarec crashes 64bit devices --it would be awesome to use the whole potential of 64bit, perhaps it would even allow some more complex shaders to be used without slowing things down? I am new to retroarch, but I am guessing that if 64bit crashes dynarec, its not going to get fixed any time soon… seeing as 64bit iOS devices have been around for over a year now.

Still, I am stoked to see tekken1,2,3 running so well! I was initially bummed out as they were really jittery but I switched to a simpler shader (dither) and things picked up dramatically. Thanks again.

So, my next goal is to get KillerInstinct(s) going.

How would I go about acquiring Mame2010/2014 and getting Retroarch to use it? (I presume I’m basically needing to aqquire a ‘core’)?

#4

Shader performance is essentially independent of emulation speed; that is, emulation taxes the CPU and shaders tax the GPU (this is one of the main reasons people moved to shaders from the old CPU-based filters from the ZSNES era). Mobile devices’ GPUs are unfortunately pretty terrible at running the sorts of shaders we use. Desktop GPUs are pretty bad at them, too, but they have enough raw power to handle them anyway.

That said, it can be hard to tell which one is slowing your framerate down, so we recommend turning off all shaders until you pin down your device’s CPU performance capabilities, then play around with shaders to find which ones will run fullspeed.

Re: MAME, yeah, you’ll need to get the core. Usually, all of the available cores are bundled together, so if it doesn’t already have one of the newer MAMEs, you might have to wait until the mobile beta, 1.0.0.4, is released, which should be soon.

#5

Thanks for your reply and information about the cpu & gpu shader information (how it works).

I’m aware that shaders are generally intensive, and I already follow the advice of 'turn them off to get a bragging of what the cpu can handle’first, before adding them.

Regarding mame2010/2014, I am usually one to follow the rules, but I’m so keen to try out killer instinct again! Is it possible to extract the necessary core from an alternate build of retroarch, for example the PC build, and put that into the shaders directory on iOS?

#6

It would have to be compiled specifically for the platform. If you’re comfortable building things from source, you could try it yourself using XCode’s CLI tools add-on. The other option is just to wait for the beta (or play on a desktop platform, which already has beta builds available).

#7

seleuco ported mame4ios reloaded 2010 core 0.139 since two years ago. is good but missed many igs drivers for those like demontfront,the gladiators,oriental gends 2 and others.those drivers are add in mame 0.152 up

fba core can run demontfront but i preffer play in mame because have better resolution.

killers instintc is high cpu demanding also in PC . iOS/Android i think cant run at good speed.

#8

Hi, I’m new to the board and have just recently jailbroken my iPhone 5S with Pangu.

It seems this was the right thread to post in seeing as I too get the dynarec issue when trying to load PSX roms in RA. I’m simply curious what this “interpreter” core is and how I switch to it? Do I need to compile the app myself or is the app I got off Cydia (1.0.0.2.1) enough?

Thanks!

#9

Easy :slight_smile:

The package off cydia is enough.

From the main menu, select a core… and find the psx / pcsx (can’t remember which) with the word ‘interpreter’ in it’s filename. It should be in lowercase to help you identify it. After that, just drop out to the main menu and choose Load content, and then find your psx game to boot.

Hope you enjoy it!

#10

I love you.

I got Final Fantasy VIII running now, although the audio is a bit choppy. I might have to tinker a bit with that to get it to work properly. Thank you so much for the help!