Skip to content

Batocera Lite for RG35XX Test Release Alpha 0.3

Compare
Choose a tag to compare
@acmeplus acmeplus released this 25 Mar 02:03
· 9 commits to main since this release
7dc30bd

ko-fi

Important:

This is a test alpha release to gather feedback, while most of the functionality of retroarch is there, this release is not ready for continuous usage. If you want a stable release use GarlicOS, or MinUI.

The general status of this firmware (both the retroarch standalone and batocera builds) can be tracked here, and you can follow development updates here

ChangeLog:

  • SDCard structure now based on regular batocera structure (1st partition contains the system, second partition is for content).
    • Future system updates can be added by just replacing the some files in the first partition, no need to reflash the SDCARD.
  • SDCard auto expand: during the first boot the sdcard will expand the second partition to fill the whole sdcard. After that happens batocera populates the required folders for roms, etc.
  • Added virtual memory. It should be possible to run some N64 games now. Note that launching those titles may fail at first, just try again.
  • Fixed motor running all the time in some models (#2)
  • Fixed led status during charging, power on, low battery
  • Fixed power off: Note that only work when the console is not connected to the power (See #8 )
  • Added initial governor support (currently only set on performance, additional work will be tracked in #10)
  • Controls are now configured as a joystick, so it's possible to navigate the keyboard like interface in Retroarch and EmulationStation search/text entry, etc.
  • External USB controllers work, some may need configuration. Note that at this point batocera control mappings are ignored, so you need to configure secondary controls in retroarch.

Things not working/broken on this release:

  • Brightness control shortcuts not working. You can still change brightness via ES settings menu.
  • Volume level gets reset when starting a rom
  • Headphone detection is not working
  • HDMI audio does not work
  • ADB does not work

General notes

This is Alpha v0.3 batocera lite release for the RG35XX. Below are a list of things that are currently broken or require clarification:

  • The batocera lite EmulationStation has limited functionality in this release. Only navigating and launching roms work, however adjusting configurations like shaders, overlays, etc. can only be done via RetroArch config at this point.
  • The EmulationStation configuration is located in /userdata/system/configs/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg
  • Headphone detection does not work
  • HDMI video out works in mirroring only if the HDMI cable is connected before booting
  • Some combination of cores+roms may not work due to the system’s low memory
  • Text entry in batocera and RetroArch is currently broken
  • There’s no overclocking/underclocking control
  • USB external devices should work but need to be (re-)connected after boot. In some cases they also need external power, so a Y OTG USB-C/USB-A helps.

Installation:

  • Flash the scard image into a SDCARD of at least 4GB
  • Insert the flashed SDCARD into the RG35XX and boot. The first time batocera will expand the SDCARD. Once it finishes you can power off, and insert the SDCARD into your computer to copy the roms. The roms folder is located in the SHARE partition under roms
  • You can also use a secondary SDCARD for the roms & bios. The method to use a secondary card is different in this build.
    • Once you boot into EmulationStation, go to Settings -> System Settings -> Storage Device and select your roms partition.
    • Restart and the system should use now that partition for content.
    • If the card is a new card or didn't have a batocera structure, it will be created during that first boot. Add your content after that.
    • In some cases the secondary card may not have the correct retroarch configuration. Copy the retroarch.cfg below to this path system/.config/retroarch/retroarch.cfg

NOTE:

  • The first you start RetroArch it will take a bit longer but after that the system should take about 15-20s to fully boot into RetroArch/EmulationStation.
  • Also the first time you start a rom, the system will generate some configuration files for retroarch and will take a bit longer.

General Notes:

  • Roms and bios:
    • By default all roms are in the /userdata/roms path and bios in /userdata/roms/bios path, but you can change those paths via retroarch-> settings-> directories
  • Cores:
    • Cores are located internally in the /usr/lib/libretro/ path
    • Shaders are located in /usr/share/batocera/shaders
    • Video filters are located in /usr/share/video_filters
    • Audio filters are located in /usr/share/audio_filters
  • Networking:
    • Networking is not fully working yet. The system will recognize an EDIMAX USB wifi, but it’s currently not possible to configure it
    • USB Ethernet networking works with old USB 2.0 ASIX Ethernet adapters AX88178A