Changes

Work in progress guideTo launch a game, select the libretro core you'd like to use under '''Load Core''', and select a ROM under '''Load Content>Select File'''. Alternatively, you can use '''Load Content>Select File And Detect Core''' to be presented with a list of cores detected based on the file extension of the content.==Windows==

After downloading RetroArchFor more convenient ROM selection, run setup your browser directory under 'retroarch-phoenix.exe' and then go to 'RetroArch Settings> Update RetroA[[File:RAP_update.png|right]]rchDirectory''' to start downloading emulation cores.

==Installing RetroArch on Linux=====Ubuntu based===First, add the PPA for <code>ppa:libretro/stable</code> or <code>ppa:libretro/testing</code> for stable builds and dev builds respectively (instructions [[FileEmulation on Ubuntu|here]]), then type the following into a terminal: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install retroarch sudo apt-get install <corename> Replace <corename> with the name of the package the core is available in. You can see all of the cores available to you either in your package manager (e.g. Synaptic, Software Center) or by visiting [https://launchpad.net/~libretro/+archive/ubuntu/stable Launchpad]. To install all (or at least most) of the cores in one go, run sudo apt-get install libretro* ====Initial setup (Ubuntu)====This section applies to most distros of Linux, but the paths referenced may be Ubuntu-specific. Before you can use the cores you've downloaded in Retroarch, you need to set the path to the libraries in '''retroarch.cfg''', the configuration file for Retroarch. Run Retroarch at least once to create a skeleton retroarch.cfg. By default, retroarch.cfg will be created in the directory '''$HOME/.config/retroarch''', where $HOME is your home directory. If retroarch.cfg is not found at that location, run Retroarch and choose the '''Save Config''' option - Retroarch will save a new configuration file and display its path on screen. Alternatively, you can use the '''find''' command:RA_updater find ~ -name "retroarch.cfg" Next you need to locate the directory in which the libretro cores are stored.png|thumb|They should have been saved in the directory '''/usr/lib/libretro'''. You can check this by entering the command ls /usr/lib/libretroYou should see a list of all the cores you downloaded. If the directory does not exist, you can find where the cores were saved with the find command: sudo find / -name "libretro"find may return several directories. Use '''ls''' to check each one until you find the downloaded cores. Once you've located the libretro cores, it's time to open retroarch.cfg using your editor of choice. Look for the option '''libretro_directory''', which may be located near the bottom of the file. Insert the path to the libretro cores between the quotation marks on the right hand side. Assuming the cores are located in <code>/usr/lib/libretro</code>, the line in the configuration file should look like libretro_directory = "/usr/lib/libretro" You can also set the libretro path using the menu. In Retroarch, go to Settings -> Path Options -> Core Directory and navigate to the appropriate folder. If you set everything up correctly, you should see the cores when you select the ''Core'' option in the menu. ===Installation on Gentoo=== First, install an overlay manager with git support:   # USE="git" emerge layman Add the abendbrot repository for straightforward installation through RetroArch's git repository:  # layman -a abendbrot # echo "source /var/lib/layman/make.conf" >> /etc/portage/make.conf Now, change portage to pull from the RetroArch git repository:  # echo "games-emulation/retroarch-9999 **" >> /etc/portage/package.accept_keywords Set USE flags that you want, it is not required to enable every single one (you only need at least one audio and video output device; defaults are suitable enough). It is recommended to add udev for joystick support and netplay for netplay support. Build and install RetroArchfrom the git repository  # emerge retroarch No cores are added by default, you will need to emerge them.  # emerge <corename>-libretro Alternatively, you can set USE flags through <code>/etc/portage/package.use</code> libretro-meta package to choose what cores you wish; small all USE flags are on.  Syntax: games-emulation/libretro-meta <USEFLAG> <USEFLAG> ... bsnes has USE flags for its balanced, performance and accuracy profiles: games-emulation/bsnes-libretro profile_accuracy ... The cores will be installed under /usr/lib/libretro/ ===Other Distros===You will have to compile from source. For Arch Linux, there are AUR packages that simplify this process, although it is not incredibly difficult otherwise. The most important part is making sure you have all the dependencies. Dependencies: (refer to your distro's Updaterwiki or package manager for exact package names) *pkgconfig *OpenGL headers (should be on most distros by default, if not try installing libgl/mesa development package====Optional====*libxml2 - For XML shaders and cheat support*freetype - TTF font rendering*ffmpeg/libavcodec - FFmpeg recording*nvidia-cg-toolkit - Cg shaders===Using RetroArch===RetroArch has a robust CLI for those who prefer the command line, there are also many pages which should have been installed by default for <code>retroarch</code>, <code>retroarch-joyconfig</code> and others. If you use the CLI be sure to configure your <code>retroarch.cfg</code> file before first use. This config is well commented so each option can be fully understood. Use <code>retroarch-joyconfig</code> command for simplified input setup. RetroArch can auto-detect inputs, which is a great feature to simplify playing with multiple/different controllers (refer to <code>man retroarch-joyconfig</code> for details). The <code>retroarch.cfg</code> file should be located in <code>/etc/retroarch.cfg</code>, your home folder or the directory where RetroArch was installed depending on your distro and compilation setup. ==General Setup/Usage=====Menu Controls=== Default keys for the keyboard are: x (confirm), z (back) and the arrow keys. If you're using an XInput (xbox 360) controller, your controller should already be set-up.===BIOS=== If you are going to play in a system that needs a BIOS (e.g. PS1), place the [[Emulator_Files#Multi-System|BIOS files]] From there, click in RetroArch's 'Check Versionsystem'directory. ===Disc images=== RetroArch requires you to load games through CUE sheets. Ensure that the CUE sheet is properly set up in order for the game to run. See the [[Cue sheet (.cue)]] for more.  ===Mupen64Plus===This checks core has the option to choose between four graphics plugins and two RSP plugins: *Glide64 is the most recommended general use graphics plugin, as it is very compatible and reasonably accurate while still being decently fast. *Rice is much faster than Glide64, but it also suffers from a lot more issues. Only use if your device is too slow to handle Glide64. *gln64 has even more problems than Rice, while not being much faster. Not recommended. Will likely be replaced with GLideN64 in the near future. *Angrylion is ultra accurate, but is too slow for most people to use. Requires the CXD4 RSP to work. Resolution must be set to 640x480 or higher. *paraLLEl is a Vulkan renderer based on Angrylion. It is much faster than Angrylion, but is still incomplete and has more issues. Turning Synchronous RDP off results in a speed boost, but also breaks many things. *The HLE RSP plugin is very fast and will work fine for most games. *The CXD4 RSP is more accurate, and is needed for a few games to work correctly. A good general purpose setup is Glide64 with the CXD4 RSP. If it's a tad slow for your setup, switch to the HLE RSP. There is currently a bug in Glide64 that makes it so texture filtering is applied to everything , even when the Texture Filtering setting is upset to Automatic. To make it display textures correctly, go to Core Options, toggle the setting to something other than Automatic, then set it back to Automatic. Glide64 will display textures correctly now, using the 3-point Bilinear method. If you get strange texture issues while using Glide64, such as textures partially disappearing or popping over polygons, mess around with the Polygon Offset Factor setting in Core Options until the issue goes away. Keep in mind some games may require a more aggressive setting than others, so experiment until you get a good balance that works for most games. The optimal setting tends to be GPU-specific. A few games, such as Star Fox 64, suffer from looking too dark due to a lack of gamma correction, which was done on real hardware. Short of implementing this in a plugin, a decent workaround is to use the image-adjustment.cg shader, and set the Target Gamma setting to 1.0. This will make such games look as they ought to. ===Super Game Boy=== Using recent builds of the bsnes libretro cores, you can load Game Boy games in a fully emulated Super Game Boy. As this feature is not currently usable from the menu, you must do so using a command line. Start RetroArch with the following command to load GB games in SGB mode using bsnes:  retroarch "path to Super Game Boy SNES cartridge ROM" --libretro "path to bsnes libretro" --subsystem sgb "path toGame Boy cartridge ROM" Put the actual paths to the ROMs in double quotes if there are spaces in the paths. For example:  retroarch "C:\Games\SNES\Super Game Boy 2 (Japan).sfc" --libretro ".\cores\bsnes_balanced_libretro.dll" --date subsystem sgb "C:\Games\Game Boy\Kirby's Dream Land (USA, Europe).gb" You will need <code>sgb.boot.rom</code> (CRC: ec8a83b9) in your System folder, this can be found on the [[Emulator Files]] page in the SNES file pack if you do not have it. If it is named "sgb_bios.bin" then rename it to "sgb.boot.rom". CRC of Super Game Boy SNES cartridge roms:[http://wiki.libretro.com/index.php?title=Bsnes#Super_Gameboy_Support]*Super Game Boy (Japan, USA) (Rev 1).sfc (CRC: 27a03c98)*Super Game Boy (World) (Rev 2).sfc (CRC: 8a4a174f)*Super Game Boy 2 (Japan).sfc (CRC: cb176e45) You can also use the RetroArch-Phoenix launcher to load them, but YMMV since it is not being updated anymore. Also, you can create a batch file like [http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=yLm3HuDT this] to be able to drag and drop Game Boy ROMs onto it and launch them in SGB mode. Also, if you are using nightly build or Linux build it might just hang at black screen, even if you have all correct requirements. ===Dual Analog Controllers===PS1 games often used a set of default remappings if they didn't support it directly. Some games used both analogs as the D-pad, RetroArch doesn't support that though. Dual analogs only work in games that fully supported them, such as Ape Escape. To use dual analog for such games, start a game with mednafen/beetle_psx then go to Input Options, and change Device Type to '''DualShock'''. Also make sure you're using a [[RetroArch#PC_Versions|recent version]] of RetroArch and the mednafen/beetle_psx core. ===Transfer PS1 Memory Card Files===RetroArch creates memory card files for each individual game, in contrast to PCSX-R/ePSXe where all game saves are stored into 2 memory card files. To transfer memory card files from PCSX-R/ePSXe to RetroArch: *Start game in RetroArch. *Go to system folder. Copy the names of the .mcr files created for the game. *Delete them. *Rename the files you want to transfer with the names of the RetroArch memcard files. *Place the new ones in the system folder. ===Disk Changing===To changes disks in-game, go to Core Disk Options > Disk Image Append. Some games like Metal Gear Solid require the disk tray to be opened before changing disks. To do this every , change 'Disk Index' to 'No Disk' first. === FDS Disk Side Changing ===Just press the configured "Y" button. RetroArch won't display any OSD message to confirm the change. === Gambatte GB custom palettes ===It is possible to use the custom palettes created with the standalone Qt GUI version of [[Gambatte]]. First set the "gb_colorization" core option as "custom". Then create a "palettes" subdirectory in the system directory and copy the custom palettes there. The custom palettes will be searched in this order:* Your Rom Filename.pal* YOUR_ROM_INTERNAL_NAME.pal* default.palYou can download the set of standard SGB and GBC palettes [http://eadmaster.tk here] (look for "goomba2gambatte palette converter in python"). ===Audio DSP Plugins===RetroArch supports loading audio DSP plugins to add effects such as reverb to the audio output. This has been in RetroArch for a long time , but was recently reworked to be easier to use and more accessible from the menu, and are available in the main RetroArch repository now. Now you can load DSP filters in the menu under Settings>Audio>Audio DSP Plugin, where you can load a DSP preset with .dsp extension, which is a text file similar to a shader preset that lets you chain DSP filters and specify their options. The DSP filters themselves are dynamic libraries that are loaded according to the .dsp file. Each DSP filter has a standalone preset that documents the default options, and there are some example presets that combine more than one filter. Note that some of these filters may reduce volume a bit, so you may want to boost RA's volume level to compensate. If you use want to remove the filter, press Start when the DSP Filter option is highlighted. The filters and their presets can be found [https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/tree/master/audio/audio_filters here], which the DSP filters can be built for your platform with the makefile. These files should be included in nightly builds from the buildbot. ===SoftFilters===Classic emulator filters like SuperEagle or Blargg's NTSC have been available as bsnes filter plugins in the updater)past, which is no longer supported in bsnes/higan but was still available in RetroArch. DoubleHowever, this filter format was recently replaced with the SoftFilter spec, which has been upgraded to support more platforms, multi-click on a threading and SIMD usage. The filters are dynamic libraries which are loaded in the menu under Settings>Video>Video Filter, which will apply the filter before any shaders are applied.  The filters are found [https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/tree/master/gfx/video_filters here], which can be built for your platform with the makefile. These files should be included in nightly builds from the buildbot. Note that these filters are WIP and may not work with all cores as they need to have codepaths for the pixel format the core uses (either 32bpp XRGB8888 or 16bpp RGB565). Blargg's NTSC is currently limited to start downloading 16bpp cores for example (bsnes is 32bpp so it won't work, but Snes9x is 16bpp so itworks there). Cores that use Libretro GL for 3D like Mupen64Plus can not use these filters. ===Outputting log to a file===An easy way to get RetroArch to output logs to file for easy copy/pasting:

To launch a game, select the emulator core you'd like to use under 'libretro core path', and the appropriate ROM under 'Normal ROM path'. Make sure that ' retroarch--menu --verbose >> log.exe' is selected under 'RetroArch path', and click 'Start RetroArch'.[[File:RA_System_Directory.png|right|250px]]txt 2>&1

==Linux=====Ubuntu===FirstIt will load up to the menu as if you just double clicked the executable, add but it will redirect standard output and standard error to a text file called <code>log.txt</code> in your RetroArch folder. The command above will append to the PPA for hunter-kaller/ppa (instructions [[Emulation on Ubuntu|here]])log and not overwrite existing information, if you want it to overwrite, then type the following change ">>" into ">". This can be put into a terminal:.bat file to easily run it when desired.

...where corename is the name to call one core's build function directly instead of the package the core is available in. You can see calling them all of the cores available to you either in your package manager (e.g. Synaptic, Software Center) or by visiting Launchpad.

==Nintendo Wii==If you are on a SD (not HD) crt-tube tvVsync is disabled for any reason, then you will have the best display results (proper scanlines) menu may run unthrottled and scroll too fast to be usable. To fix this, enable ''Limit Maximum Run Speed'', and set ''Maximum Run Speed'' to 1.0x in 512x240 for ''Settings''→''Frame Throttle''. In the NESconfig file, these options are called <code>fastforward_ratio_throttle_enable</code> and 512x224 for <code>fastforward_ratio</code>. However, this will make fast forward not work, you will need to increase the SNES games, and 640x224 ''Maximum Run Speed'' higher than 1.0x for the MD/Genesis gamesthat to work.

==General set This tends to happen when you first start up=====Bios===RetroArch and not after loading a game. This is because without a core loaded, the menu is only throttled by Vsync when ''Limit Maximum Run Speed'' is disabled, while cores are able to throttle on audio as well. Fastforward disables both Vsync and audio sync, which allows the core to run unthrottled unless it is specifically limited by the ''Limit Maximum Run Speed'' setting.

If In newer RetroArch versions, you are going to play in a system that needs a BIOS, therecan just enable ''Throttle Menu Framerate'' under ''Settings''s a bit more setup required. Go to →'System > General' and change the Frame Throttle'System directory' to where ever you'd like and place specifically limit the BIOS files in theremenu to 60fps without impacting fastforward speed.

===Mednafen PSXCommand prompt running and closing itself upon running retroarch.exe===

Systems like the PSX require If this only happens on certain cores, then you should check to load games through CUE sheets. Ensure that see if you have all the required BIOS and other files available in the "system" folder or in the CUE sheet folder where the game is properly set up with a relatively (not absolute) paths. See the [[Cue sheet (.cue)]] for morelocated.

Mednafen is very picky about which bios If it happens on all cores with a clean config file, then try changing <code>video_driver</code> setting from <code>gl</code> to use<code>d3d</code> or <code>sdl2</code>, if you have a particularly ancient GPU. Choosing certain bios works better than others. The ones to use are:

<ul><li class="de2">scph5500.bin</li><li class="de2">scph5501.bin</li><li class="de2">scph5502.bin</li></ul>Performance issues while using the GL driver===

==Super Game Boy==<p class="de2">Download these [http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?htga58k9rumhla9 SGB-capable bsnes cores]. Then [http://www.its.caltech.edu/~costis/sgb_hack/sgb_biosWindows users with Nvidia hardware may find that even while idle, RetroArch CPU usage is upwards of 12% or above while using the GL video driver.bin download If this]is the case, place it in go into the RetroArch folderNvidia Control Panel, and rename it as "sgb.boot.rom". Now on RetroArch, under File > Special ROMManage 3D Settings, select a Super Game Boy ROM (they will all basically work) and a Game Boy ROMcheck to see if the Threaded Optimizations option is set to Auto or On. FinallyIf so, under ROM type, select Super GameBoy, make sure you have add retroarch.exe to the bsnes core you downloaded selectedlist of programs, and playthen toggle it to Off. This should lower CPU usage drastically.</p>

==Dual analog controllers=Stuttering due to inaccurate refresh rate estimation===

PS1 games also often used a set RetroArch uses [[Vsync#Dynamic_Rate_Control|Dynamic Rate Control]] to synchronize both audio and video rates of the emulated game to those of your system. It relies on the refresh rate setting being accurate to your display. By default remappings if they didn't support , it directlyis set to sync to 59. Some games used both analogs as 95Hz, which is the dpad, RetroArc doesn't support that  thoughstandard rate for NTSC video. Dual analogs only work in games that fully supported themHowever, such as Ape Escape. To use dual analog for such gamesif your display runs at a different rate than what , go to phoenixit can cause problems with synchronization, controllersso you should make sure that setting accurately reflects your display's actual refresh rate. If you don't know your display's exact refresh rate, and change RetroArch provides a couple of ways of accurately estimating it from digital to dual analog.

1. Start game in RA.<br />2. Go The second method is to system folder. Copy name(s) of mem cards created for simply launch RetroArch from the game.command line in verbose logging mode, by doing <br /code>3. Delete them.retroarch --menu --verbose<br /code>4, and let it run for at least 4096 frames (about 1 minute at 60fps). Rename the mem card files When you want to transfer with close RetroArch, it will report the names of estimation results in the RA mem files.<br />5log. Place the new ones Again, running in the system folderexclusive fullscreen gives more accurate results.==Problems and solutions=====32 bit Windows===Example estimation output:

32 bit crashes RetroArch [INFO] :: Average audio buffer saturation: 49.84 %, standard deviation (percentage points): 11. It's a known problem99 %. Download an updated build RetroArch [INFO] ::Amount of time spent close to underrun: 0.70 %. Close to blocking: 1.04 %. RetroArch [INFO] :: Average monitor Hz: 60.006001 Hz. (27.568 % frame time deviation, based on 2048 last samples).

http:The refresh rate given there should be very accurate, and you can copy it into <code>video_refresh_rate<//forum.themaister.net/viewtopiccode> in your config file.php?pid=4945#p4945

[[File:1376329482848Further testing is needed, but on multi-1monitor setups on Windows using the GL driver, it appears RetroArch will only sync smoothly when outputting to the Windows-designated primary monitor.png|thumb|250px|right|Example of faulty visuals that Outputting to a secondary monitor will often result from crop overscan not workingin occasional stutter, even in exclusive fullscreen and after accurate refresh rate estimation, [https://mollyrocket.com/casey/blog_0032.html possibly due to a WGL oversight]]. Short of switching primary and secondary designations prior to opening RetroArch, increasing audio latency and/or using only video sync seems to help mitigate this to an extent. Switching to either the D3D or Vulkan (if available) driver appears to eliminate this problem completely.

Crop overscan does not work properly in NES games==External links==*[http://wiki. Even if you turn it on in the options, it has no effectlibretro. This leads to visual glitchescom/index. If this bothers you, use another emulatorphp?title=Main_Page Libretro Wiki]*[http://forum.themaister.net/viewtopic.php?id=467 Windows Compilation Guide]*[http://www.libretro.com/index.php/wiki/compilation/linux/ Linux Compilation Guide]*[https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/wiki/RGUI RGUI Documentation]*[http://www.libretro.com/index.php/wiki/configuration/general-configuration/ General Configuration]