The retro thread

The hacked 3DS store should be able to download the FE Fates DLC if not outright the special edition with all routes on one. Which is a lot of FE to have in one game.

You can't buy the DLC anymore.

I suspect that isn't going to be an issue.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

Vimm's Lair has been decimated. Many, many games have been removed. I can understand the publishers' point of view, and I am very much against emulation of current systems like the Switch, but the games removed haven't been available to buy for years, decades even. Vimm's didn't contain Switch roms, and seemed to be more focused on preservation than genuine piracy. It looks like they have been caught up in Nintendo's anger surrounding the likes of Yuzu and Citra.

Yeah I noticed that too.

Tom Clancy Ghost Recon:Shadow Wars - was a surprisingly good turn based game, Xcom like without the base stuff.

Tom Clancy Ghost Recon:Shadow Wars - was a surprisingly good turn based game, Xcom like without the base stuff.

Oh yeah, that's a brilliant game. Can be bought for £4 in CEX, too.

I have Shadow Wars on cart and I have downloaded it for easy play. I now have 48 games on my 3ds sorted into RPGs, GBA, Indie, 3ds and Old. I just downloaded 26 themes to try. Next up is I think indecision over what to play and putting it back in a drawer for a couple years.

Etrian Odyssey IV is probably the best to start with, as it’s the first 3DS-designed one I think?

I was going to say Pullblox and its sequels, assuming I could actually remember which was the first one, so I’d second that.

Pocket Card Jockey, Harmoknight, Mutant Mudds, Shovel Knight, Steel Empire, BoxBoxBoy… they’re the indies that sprang to mind (assuming they all fit the description), and then there’s all the (SNES, Megadrive, etc) 3DS Classics, as well as all the great RPGs and the 3DS Kirby games, which are both lovely.

I've got Etrian Odyssey, Pullblox and BoxBoy downloaded. I'll add the rest… I've still got 30gigs free on the card.

Tried to make a controller setup in Mupen 64 that makes Perfect Dark play like a dual analog fps (basically the way it was on the old Xbox Live version, as much as the game felt broken with that much control…) but got bored of fiddling about. And I was so hype after today as well!

Played Timesplitters 2 instead, that game STILL owns. It being in the same retro category as Perfect Dark now feels wrong though.

Ooh, ooh, Bri - Cave Story, Rhythm Megamix Paradise and VVVVVV.

I thought of those last night and somehow forgot about them before putting finger to keyboard, which is not at all a reflection of their quality.

No love for Pokémon Picross?!

I have Cave Story, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.

I also have VVVVVV. It's good.

I played some Kirby today. Surprisingly fun.

Is there an Onion OS equivalent for my android phone?

Just wondering whether I should bother with a more powerful handheld (Retroid 4 Pro for example) when I've got my phone and a clip-on controller already.

If android has something like Onion, that sets up the emulators, does all the fiddly stuff, and provides a pretty front end, I'd probably just do that?

I'll take it if it exists.

Actually… wouldn't that be Launchbox?

https://www.launchbox-app.com/

I don't know of any Onion equivalent for Android Phones, just frontends like Daijisho or Emulation Station, which are basically just fancy menus that stitch the multiple emulators you have (like Duckstation, Dolphin etc) to category based menus you have set up yourself. But if the RP4 is anything like RP3 you're going to be doing the same setup on that as you would a phone anyway, so yeah not sure there's any point buying one over the phone. (Not sure there's any way of getting around PS2/GC emulation and above being quite fiddly on a game per game basis, like it was a simple fix but I had to google why Burnout was going at half speed everytime I crashed)

Spoiler - click to show

But yeah, even if you buy a RP4/Odin whatever you're not really gonna skip all that I don't think even though most phones are powerful enough to just run some stuff out of the box

Yeah, when you buy an Odin 2 or a RP4P you've essentially buying an Android tablet with a game controller built in. The setup process is exactly the same as what you would do on your Android phone if you wanted to turn it into an emulation device. It's a long process (Russ from Retro Game Corps has an excellent video tutorial.)

However…

I now have an Odin 2 pro. A purple one. I wanted a black base model but they were sold out when I came to order it, so I got a purple pro. Everything was back in stock literally the next morning. Oh well, the pro is nice because of the extra internal storage and the ram, oddly this is more for when I'm playing Android games though.

The thing that sets the Odin 2 way above my phone as a games machine is that it is just a games machine. I don't get Stack notifications appear over the top of the game I'm playing. I was able to set everything up so it launches Daijisho on start-up, all the settings are locked in, and I can just pick a game off the lists. The controls, ergonomics, and battery life are all miles better than my phone as well. It's a lot of money to put down for something that has essentially the same game-playing capabilities as a phone, of course. It's a completely mad thing to buy. But it's soooooo nice. It's the be-all-and-end-all of emulation handhelds. It really can't be beaten, not even by the new mini that has come out, and which looks like a PS Vita.

Yeah, the Odin 2 is king, putting a Snapdragon 2 in a handheld emulation device goes kinda crazy. I don't really bother with Steam Deck emulation because I have it pretty much too, although I'd still recommend a SD over this. I can emulate on my PC of course but it feels so good on the Odin 2, it's pretty expensive but I got the base model on the early bird pricing so I think it works out, however…

the new mini that has come out, and which looks like a PS Vita.

I know, I fucking KNOW I should just get a RP4 Pro for my handheld PS2 needs but I kinda feel if I wait a month or two extra getting one of these is like covering ALL bases. The thing is It's the same spec wise as the Odin 2 so I at least know what it can do but I am a bit weary of the RP4 Pro since people can oversell what these things can do sometimes. I'm sure it's at least like 90% of the PS2/GC library but is it as smooth as the Odin 2 Mini will be? (Also I do have Resident Evil 4 OG and SSX Tricky on my RP3 which is kind of nuts!)

I know ultimately I'm kind of just addicted to buying these things though.

The Odin 2 mini does look nice, but I do not have £500 to spend just now!

I find the trick with running stuff on Android is not to spend too much time setting up your emulators for later. Choose a couple console platforms, get them running nice and forget about the others for now.

For reference I'm using a Pixel 6a and I've found Dolphin and AetherSX2 work really well for GC and PS2.

I'm still loving the 3ds. I'm playing through Ghost Recon Tactics (or whatever it's called) again. Also dipping into New Super Mario and Kirby for quick colorful fun. Hey Pikmin is gentle fun too.

If we're talking phone controllers then what are the best/good ones? Because some of these are kinda' expensive too, like the Razer Kishi line. Then there's the Xbox Backbone one I saw a Death Stranding edition of for people to play errr Death Stranding and Resident Evil 8 on which feels like an absolutely insane concept to say out loud and really speaks to how powerful phones are now. (although those are iOS only for now I think). I think the best I saw is the Gamesir G8, costs like, the price of an actual controller but whatever if we're window shopping the Odin 2 mini andwhatnot:

Not really something I'd whip out in the canteen at work though to play Sonic 2, but damn it looks pretty cool. 😓

EDIT - Genshin Impact on Android doesn't have native controller support, how much were Apple paying them!!!!!! >:(

Aaaaaand if you use a controller overlay like Octopus, it's a breach of terms of service and you get banned when they catch you. It's bullshit and the reason I've not played Genshin, because I'm not playing that touch screen.

I really, REALLY need to watch these videos on getting an Android device going. I started with the thing I bought a while back (can't remember what it is, but it's pretty decent), but never finished. Need to get my head round it.

This is an excellent controller for Android: https://www.amazon.co.uk/8Bitdo-SN30-Cloud-Gaming-Android/dp/B08C1385CQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?crid=1GV67MYS35H67&di

I've never got on with clip controllers where the phone goes above. Something about the weight balance and the increased strain on your hands. Ones that clip on the sides and basically turn your phone into a conventional portable shape (PSP, Vita, Switch, take your pick) are the only ones I've ever been able to use, sadly.

I know what you mean, usually the weight is constantly trying to flip the controller out of your grip and your thumbs end up having to take the weight of the phone and push buttons at the same time. This clip though has enough articulation that you can have your phone directly above your thumbs so the weight is all going into your fingers.

8bitdo strike again! Been looking at their general console wireless pads for ages

Note that the SN30 only works on Android, you can't connect it to consoles.

https://droix.net/blogs/aya-neo-pocket-s/

Goddamn it, I want one.

Shiny.

That thing would crush Vampire Survivors!

Part of me thinks about how nice it would be to have a shiny Skies of Arcadia portable machine, but these things are very expensive for something I'd probably rarely use.

(That's what RPG books are for.)

That thing would crush Vampire Survivors!

I'd joke, but my awareness of how powerful this actually is goes beyond my understanding of technology. I have an RG552, and it's fine for everything up to Dreamcast (and the related Naomi board games) but after that, it's a bit chuggy. PS2, GameCube, all not great. If I bought something new, it'd have to be able to run stuff for those as a minimum. Would this do that? And by virtue, would my current phone (Xiaomi 13T Pro), meaning I might as well use that with my Kishi controller?

I'm almost certain that phone will run Gamecube/PS2 no problem. But as everyone else has said, it might be a nicer experience on a dedicated device.

And as for the Aya Neo Pocket I'm pretty sure it'll have no issue running anything too, at least on paper with that Snapdragon (The Odin 2 having a Snapdragon Gen 2 was pretty huge at the time, although some phones have the Gen 3 now) And it probably isnt an issue but ergonomically a phone in a Kishi prob feels nicer.

OS
Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, HyperOS
Chipset
Mediatek Dimensity 9200+ (4 nm)
CPU
Octa-core (1x3.35 GHz Cortex-X3 & 3x3.0 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU
Immortalis-G715 MC11

This is my phone. Means absolutely nothing to me.

You would be able to emulate most things with that phone, probably up to PS2. The thing to do is download Dolphin and try out Gamecube emulation. The hardest games to run are F-Zero and Rogue Squadron.

If I was going to buy a retro handheld, for all it's looks I wouldn't go for the Ayaneo Pocket S. Ayaneo tend to really overprice their machines, and focus more on releasing a steady stream of expensive but poorly-optimised machines instead of making something with good ergonomics and controls. Russ from Retro Game Corps (our glorious leader, frankly) described it as "premium but underwhelming." For £200 less you can get the Odin 2, which is a better machine and the king of these things.

Basically, for PS2 there are four sensible options -
The Odin 2, which basically plays all PS2 games and has extraordinary battery life, really good controls and ergonomics and a premium feel.
The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, which plays most PS2 games, but is cheaper and smaller.
The Anbernic RG556 which is another step down from the RP4P in power, but has an OLED screen, great ergonomics, and is cheaper again.
The Steam Deck (or any top-end handheld PC) which is much more powerful than any of the others and easier to set up thanks to Emudeck and Emulation Station, as well as of course playing Steam games. If you want to be really flash like me you could get an Asus Rog Ally Extreme and emulate PS3 and Xbox 360.

F-Zero GX is also hard to play! :)

Steam Deck emulation has been funny for me, I tested it out with some Gamecube games and they worked fine, I tried it on Boss Man's SD and it had trouble finding the roms, then I tried it with the recent update that had Sega's AM2 and AM3 arcade catalogue and they wouldn't load until I reinstalled them and fiddled about a bit and then they did, honestly might stick to my Odin 2 for the most part in future.

That said, playing lightgun games like Virtua Cop and House of the Dead using the touchpad to move the cursor feels kinda great? Like, I don't really like playing lightgun games with a pad using the analogue to move the cursor, when I played a billion Resident Evil games a few months ago I bought the PS3 Move controller so I could point and shoot in the Resi Lightgun games. This feels like a good compromise for me and the games themselves are still fun as hell.

The real winner here though, is Sega Rally Championship, playing the Saturn version has been pretty shitty on most things that aren't a PC, Saturn emulation is dogshit for the most part, but here it's clearly the best way to play this classic game imo. Like even if you can get it to run you might and fairly likely have some graphical issues like the floor flickering, here it's all solid and looks great. Why fiddle with the Beetle Core on Retroarch when I have this?

The Odin 2, which basically plays all PS2 games and has extraordinary battery life, really good controls and ergonomics and a premium feel.

Just so I'm clear then… this one?

https://droix.net/product/ayn-odin-2-mini-pro/

I'm not certain, but I reckon he means this one:

https://www.ayntec.com/products/odin-2

For what it's worth, I just bought a 30-quid controller off Amazon, and I'm now using my Pixel 8 to perfectly emulate my PSP games at 4x resolution. And the Pixel 8 isn't exactly a powerhouse. I'll give PS2 games a go once I figure out Aether/Nether/BIOS and all that jazz.

I'm not certain, but I reckon he means this one:

https://www.ayntec.com/products/odin-2

Right. Anyone able to explain the differences of the three models? Because my natural instinct is just to press the Max button and be damned with the price increase.

(Sorry for all the questions, you'd think I'd be more tech savvy with this stuff!)

The Odin 2, which basically plays all PS2 games and has extraordinary battery life, really good controls and ergonomics and a premium feel.

Just so I'm clear then… this one?

https://droix.net/product/ayn-odin-2-mini-pro/

That's the brand new Odin 2 mini. The one I was referring to is the one Mr Party Hat linked to. Sorry, this is all a bit of a confusing world. You wait five minutes and another three of these things have been released.

The Odin 2 mini is a smaller version of the Odin 2. It's a bit more expensive, and it has a Mini-LED screen, which as far as I can tell means it's really bright. I think the battery isn't quite as good, but is still probably great. In terms of raw power, they're the same.

The Odin 2 comes in three flavours - the Base model, the Pro, and the Max. The Max is really expensive and comes with a more ram, but you would never, ever need that ram. It's overkill. The Base will do everything you would want, and is probably the best bang for your buck. I ended up with a Pro, but I'm not sure that was the right choice. It has a bit more ram than the Base, and more internal storage, and you can get it in different colours. The internal storage is handy though. I can install Android games onto it.

It is worth mentioning that if you are seriously thinking about getting one of these, then you should factor in the cost of a big Micro SD card. You will probably want a 512gb or 1tb one, of a decent brand. That's going to set you back £40-£100.

Between the Odin 2 Mini and the Odin 2, I don't think there's any definitive reason to choose one over the other that I'm aware of. It probably depends whether you want something the size of a Switch Lite, or a PS Vita. Personally, I prefer the larger screen size. It's worth remembering that some of the games you might play on these were not designed to be played on such a small screen, and it can get difficult to see what's going on. However, the Odin 2 non-mini is slightly too big to stick in your pocket.

I'm not certain, but I reckon he means this one:

https://www.ayntec.com/products/odin-2

Right. Anyone able to explain the differences of the three models? Because my natural instinct is just to press the Max button and be damned with the price increase.

(Sorry for all the questions, you'd think I'd be more tech savvy with this stuff!)

Haha ask and you shall receive! I tried to summarise it above. The actual processing power and battery are exactly the same across all three models, but the Pro and Max have more ram and internal storage, and come in different colours. If you are wavering between the Base and the Pro though, I must ask the forbidden question. Address the elephant in the room.

Would you want to emulate Switch games? 😬

Personally, that's not something I really want to do. I find emulation fascinating, but emulating a current system and playing new releases isn't really emulation. But it is kind of amazing that it's possible, so I have tried it, but just with Breath of the Wild, which I obviously already own. It runs much better on the ROG Ally than on the Switch, but I couldn't get the gyro controls to work. I don't know if Switch emulation works well on the Odin 2, but reviews say that the extra ram helps with some Switch emulation. I imagine you would run the risk of being garotted by Miyamoto and his army of malevolent Pikmin if you turned up at Nintendo offices with a Switch emulator though.

If the AYN Discord is anything to go by it seems quite messy to me anyway, always people asking why their Switch games don't work. Probably not for people who know what they're doing but I can't imagine that's a lot of people. Something something Turnip drivers have you updated to latest version, now try 0.75 resolution type shit

Would you want to emulate Switch games? 😬

Good good, no. This isn't about piracy (although it's obviously piracy), but more about easily accessing and playing things I otherwise don't have immediate access to without extensive effort and cost. PS2/GameCube/Xbox/Dreamcast would be the cut-off point, with some higher end arcade stuff thrown in. Just stuff I don't have the hardware for (though I do have a GameCube and continue to buy selected games here and there), and can't have in portable form. Definitely nothing recent.

I thought as much. 🙂

In that case, the Base version of the Odin 2 would do everything you want it to. There might be some Android games that want a bit more ram, but that's all. It would then come down to whether you want to pay extra for different colours and more internal storage.

I think I'm going to go for a Pro (yeah, I want something other than Black) and will grab a dock as well. Already covered for SD cards, I can just wipe/reuse the one I have in my RG554 already.

The case they do on their own website is really good, and only $12, so well worth it.

I can't help but feel I'm costing you money here.

I cost myself money. You're just giving some good-meaning encouragement.

On a slightly different retro note, I've been playing Metroid: Zero Mission which has just been added to the Switch Online service.

I'm not actually a huge fan of 2D Metroids - their design philosophy always seems to come down to "make the player bomb every inch of the map to find secret passages" - but this is definitely the best one. It's quite small and compact so it's quite easy to keep track of where you are, the upgrades come at a rapid pace and it's less obtuse than, say, Super Metroid. It's one of the best games on the GBA for sure, and I'm really enjoying revisiting it.

ZM is ace. I've tried so many times to play the original Metroid and it's almost impenetrable, but ZM takes all the learnings from Fusion, etc and applies them to the first entry. Great game.