Setup Questions

Setup questions and reporting launch failures

Which build should I download?

Every RiptOPL build uses one SDK, ps2build, so there is no toolchain flavour to choose. Pick an edition: Korium (the default theme), IncebtIon (the IncebtIon theme) or RetroAchievements (Korium with the achievements runtime and its own kit). The Korium and IncebtIon releases also carry RIPTOPL-VARIANTS-<version>.zip (pad emulation off, DualSense and extras builds) and RIPTOPL-DEBUG-<version>.zip (debug and diagnostic builds); see Build configurations.

Use builds from the same release when comparing behavior. Record the complete version string, which names a nonstandard configuration; a successful build does not prove that it boots on your console. Keep the disk, configuration and selected core unchanged during a comparison. A failure in one configuration is evidence to investigate, not proof by itself of a defect in that configuration.

Does Browser mean the memory-card browser?

Exiting to Browser hands control to the PS2's OSDSYS system interface. Seeing OSDSYS is expected. The eventual screen also depends on the console's installed boot/menu modifications. This option does not launch wLaunchELF's file browser. If you want a particular homebrew menu, configure its ELF as the exit target instead.

Why is another language unavailable?

English is built in. Other menu languages need the matching lang_*.lng files from RIPTOPL-LANGS-<version>.zip and, when required, their fonts on an enabled, readable source. Keep the language pack aligned with your build: older packs can lack new strings, which fall back to English. Apply the interface language and save settings to retain it across boots. This is separate from a game's language setting and the console's OSDSYS language.

Neutrino worked, then returned to OSDSYS

Follow the complete Neutrino installation and path guide. RiptOPL may remain in APPS/; moving its own folder to the card root is not a general fix. An explicit Neutrino path must point to an ELF accompanied by its complete installation.

Record the exact build, game, game device, Neutrino installation path/version, selected core, VMC state and forced video setting. Include any displayed error and whether failure occurs before or after Neutrino takes control. Compare with forced video off and physical memory cards only after recording the original settings. A reset alone cannot distinguish an ELF handoff problem, runtime module failure, game incompatibility or unsupported launch option.

More noise at startup

Enabling an internal HDD source can initialize and spin up the disk even if another source is the startup page. Describe whether the noise comes from the HDD, optical drive or fan, and which sources are enabled. A report of increased noise alone does not identify a software regression or justify changing disk power behavior.

What do Neutrino's 1080i x1, x2 and x3 mean?

All three select 1080i output. They change the display scaling, rather than making the game render at a new resolution or frame rate. In Neutrino's scaling code, the nominal horizontal mapping uses factors of 1, 2 and 3 respectively (640, 1280 and 1920 relative to its 640-wide baseline); x1 also halves its target framebuffer/display height before calculating the scaling. These numbers describe the output mapping, not newly rendered game detail. The result depends on the game's framebuffer/field mode and your display's handling of interlaced output.

Start with forced video Off when diagnosing a launch or display failure, and choose a preset per game after establishing a working baseline. x3 is not a 1080p mode and is not universally the best choice. See Neutrino's scaling implementation.

RiptOPL, Neutrino and other frontends

Neutrino is a game-loading core; RiptOPL can launch it or use OPL's native core. LUNA is another frontend for Neutrino. Choosing a frontend and choosing a core are separate decisions. Consult each project's own release and supported-device documentation before moving a working setup; a different frontend is not automatically a fix for a storage or runtime problem.

---

Source: docs/SETUP-QUESTIONS.md @ 6bab0a0257c0.