It’s no secret that the Anbernic RG552 is an expensive device. At its initial starting retail price of $227, it can be disappointing that it’s not powerful enough to run GameCube or PlayStation 2 at acceptable levels (thankfully, as of 2024 it can be found for about $175 on sale). Even with that in mind, there are some aspects of this device that really shine — namely its screen and overall feel when it comes to d-pad-centric gaming — and so in this guide I’m going to walk you through all the little tweaks and tricks I use to get the most out of this device.

At the end of the day, the Anbernic RG552 is one of my favorite consoles for RETRO (i.e. 32-bit and below) gaming, and with these tweaks, I think you might agree.

Buy one here (AliExpress)
or via Anbernic.com
or via Amazon Prime (more expensive but fast shipping)

Who should avoid the RG552?

Before we start discussing why I like the device so much, let’s put out some words of caution. If you only plan on buying one device, this may not be a good fit compared to other devices on the market. Let’s go over some of its downsides first:

• Price vs competition. At $227 retail, this is a sizable investment (note that it will often go on sale for $199 if you shop around). If you are most concerned about high-end performance, then you can find options that will give better performance for your money. At the absolutely lowest budget point, the Retroid Pocket 2+ starts at $99 before shipping, and will play about 25% of the GameCube catalog. Its larger sibling, the Retroid Pocket 3, has the same performance as the RP2+ but with a nicer form factor and larger screen for $120 before shipping. And at $199 before shipping, the AYN Odin Lite will play the majority of the GameCube catalog and a good amount of PS2 games, too (just note that shipping times for the Odin Lite are exceptionally bad; I ordered mine in July 2021 and as of this writing it still has not shipped).
• Higher-end gameplay. The RG552 can play a good amount of Dreamcast, N64, Saturn, and PSP titles, but it will take some tweaking to get just right, and you will have to switch between the Android and Linux operating systems to find the best fit (in general, Android will fare better). And even then, those systems won’t play as well on the RG552 as the cheaper devices I mentioned in the previous bullet.
• Not great for FPS or 3D games. The shoulder and trigger buttons on the RG552 are linear, as opposed to a stacked configuration you will find on modern controllers (and the handhelds mentioned above). This means that accessing the trigger (L2 or R2) buttons can be an uncomfortable stretch for most hands. Additionally, the analog sticks rest low on the device, making it very difficult to use a combination of the analog sticks and the trigger buttons at the same time. So when it comes to playing first-person shooters or other games where you rely on that style of controls, it will not be a pleasant experience.
• Not great for streaming. The device comes with a 2.4GHz internal WiFi chip, which is suitable for features like RetroAchievements or downloading updates for the custom firmware. However, that WiFi speed is not sufficient for game streaming. You can use a 5GHz WiFi USB dongle to provide that connection if you’d like, but that will be an added expense.
• No bluetooth. If you are hoping to connect an external controller to the device, or stream music to wireless earbuds while gaming, this device does not have an internal bluetooth chip. Instead, you’ll have to use that 5GHz WiFi dongle that I mentioned in the point above, because it also has BT capability. Side note, you can actually pull the chip from this dongle and solder it to the RG552 board; instructions on how to do that are found in Black Seraph’s Patreon page.
• Battery life with certain systems. When playing high-end systems like PSP, Dreamcast, or Nintendo 64, I would expect only about three hours of battery life, which is quite a bit worse than the cheaper devices I mentioned in the earlier points. This is because the Rockchip RK3399 CPU that runs the RG552 has a tendency to generate heat under a heavy load, which then will cycle on the fan, and then reduce battery life.
• Android update required. The Android that comes with the RG552 lacks a lot of features found in the custom Android image that I feature in this video and guide. So in order to get the best performance in Android, I would recommend updating the image, which will take some time and effort, and will also cost $10 to sign up for the developer’s Patron account in order to access the tool.
• Hand warmer. The device can get warm even under a light load, so if you are prone to sweaty hands, that may drive you bonkers.

Okay, so if I haven’t scared you off yet, let’s talk about why I think the RG552 is an excellent device in the right context.

What gives the RG552 potential?

Now, despite its shortcomings, the Anbernic RG552 can really shine in certain areas. And if those areas are critical to you, then the device might be a good fit for you — warts and all.

• Ideal aspect ratio. The screen on the RG552 is a 5:3 aspect ratio, which makes is a little wider than the traditional 4:3 display, but taller than the standard 16:9 aspect ratio we see today. What this means is that 4:3 games AND 16:9 games (and everything in between) will all look excellent on this screen, with minor black bars on the top and bottom depending on what system you use. This is ideal because no matter what retro system you play — NES, SNES, GBA, or PSP — they will all look well-proportioned.
• High resolution screen. In addition to having a nice aspect ratio, the RG552 screen resolution is 1920×1152. This high resolution allows you to use integer scaling (when you increase pixel scaling by a whole integer) to get beautifully balanced image quality for just about every retro game system. Your home console, arcade, *and* handheld systems will look fantastic with their original aspect ratio and integer scaling. If you’d like to test the aspect ratio and resolution yourself, I recommend checking out this handy tool from Shaun Inman.
• Premium d-pad and buttons. Shoulder/trigger buttons aside, the d-pad and face buttons are very good on the RG552. The d-pad is smooth and responsive, and the face buttons glide easily and bounce back with a classically-retro amount of force. So when playing retro games that rely on a d-pad and face button setup, your gaming experience will be outstanding. Additionally, using the left analog stick for arcade titles is decent — not exceptional, but still definitely enjoyable.
• Decent battery life with retro gaming. While playing high-end systems will only give you an average battery life of about 3 hours, when you do the tips and tricks below on retro (32-bit and below) systems you can expect much better returns. For example, playing the most demanding SNES game (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island) with my recommended adjustments will yield 4 hours and 45 minutes of game time. Additionally, the device is capable of fast charging, so you can be up and running with a full battery in about an hour.
• Android and Linux dual-boot. This is one of the few devices on the market that can natively boot into either Android or Linux operating systems. While this can be annoying when switching between the two in order to find the right emulation setup, the fact that you can do this in the first place effectively doubles your options. With Android you can flash a new clean ROM image to the device, and you have multiple Linux-based custom firmware options, to include JELOS, AmberELEC, and Batocera.
• Linux PC ports. Developer JohnnyonFlame and others from the community have been hard at work porting over PC games to work on Linux-based retro handhelds, and while they will run on other devices, all of these ports look best on the RG552. And it’s no contest, these games are breathtaking on this screen. Some examples include Celeste, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Super Mario 64, Shovel Knight, Timespinner, and Iconoclasts.

So in the end, I’m not trying to convince you to buy the Anbernic RG552. Instead, this guide is meant to show you that in the right settings, this can be an exceptional retro handheld gaming experience. I’ve had the device for about eight months as of making this guide, and it’s still one of my most-played devices.

So with all that out of the way, let’s set up the device.

Use the JELOS custom firmware

I typically don’t like to take sides when it comes to the many custom firmware options that are available for Linux-based devices, but for this guide we are going to make an exception. Currently the JELOS custom firmware provides a number of options that aren’t found elsewhere. All told, this custom firmware will allow us to:

• Set custom overclock profiles on a per-system or per-game basis
• Reduce the number of used CPU cores to improve battery life
• Adjust the fan profile on a per-system or per-game basis
• Adjust the CPU governor to further improve battery life
• A “WiFi PowerSave” features

So the first thing we need to do is flash the JELOS custom firmware to a new microSD card (I recommend a 16GB card like these):

16GB cards: 
SanDisk Ultra  
SanDisk Industrial (more reliable but pricey)

Additionally, I recommend a high-quality second SD card to hold all of your ROMs and BIOS files:

128GB cards:
SanDisk Extreme
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

256GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

JELOS configuration recommendations

By default, ROCKNIX (a more recent fork of the now-retired JELOS) uses a lot of really solid configurations for your retro systems. However, there are a few settings I like to tweak in order to maximize battery life and image quality.

Overall GAMES SETTINGS:

• Aspect Ratio: Core Provided
• Bilinear Filtering: OFF
• Cores Used: Little
• Rewind: OFF
• Integer Scaling: ON
• RGA Scale: OFF
• Auto Save/Load: Show Save States if not Empty
• Shader Set: NONE
• Filter Set: NONE

Beyond the system wide settings, some specific consoles have tweaks that can improve the experience. These can be adjusted in one of two ways: a) enter the games list for a system, press SELECT, and choose “Advanced System Options” for the options that can be changed in EmulationStation (ES), or b) enter a game, press SELECT + X to bring up the RetroArch (RA) Quick Menu, and make adjustments here. If making Core Options changes (most likely), they will save themselves every time you make an adjustment, which is handy.

Per-System GAMES SETTINGS:

Game Boy:
– (ES) Shader Set: HANDHELD/LCD3X.GLSLP
– (ES) Colorization: SPECIAL 1
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > Interframe Blending > LCD Ghosting (Accurate)

Game Boy Color:
– (ES) Shader Set: HANDHELD/LCD3X.GLSLP

Game Boy Advance:
– (ES) Shader Set: HANDHELD/LCD3X.GLSLP

Nintendo Entertainment System:
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > Video > Mask Overscan (Horizontal) > ON
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > Emulation Hacks > Remove Sprite Limit > ON

Sega Genesis:
– (ES) Emulator: Genesis Plus GX Wide
– (ES) Aspect Ratio: Core Provided (default is 4:3)
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > Video > Extra Columns to Draw in H40 > 2 to 8 (I prefer 2)
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > Emulation Hacks > Remove Per-Line Sprite Limit > ON
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > Emulation Hacks > CPU Speed > 150% (for games with slowdown)

PlayStation:
– (ES) Cores Used > All
– (ES) Overclock > All – 1992/1512/900/933
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > GPU Plugin > Enhanced Resolution (Slow) > ON
– (RA) Quick Menu > Core Options > GPU Plugin > Enhanced Resolution Speed Hack > ON

Note that when entering the Quick Menu with the XMB RetroArch Menu Driver, there will be some overlapping text at first. To fix this, I press B then A to enter and exit the Quick Menu and that resolves the issue.

Set up a clean Android ROM image

While it’s outside the scope of this guide, you can still definitely set up the Android side for improved performance. To start, I would recommend upgrading to Android 9 or 11 using Black Seraph’s custom solutions. This will give you a number of improvements over the original image, like overclock, proper streaming controls, and more. Note that in order to access those files, you will need to be a $10 Patron for at least one month (so, $10 altogether).

Although there is an Android 9 or Android 11 build option, I recommend the Android 9 version. The Android 11 version has increased security restrictions that won’t allow you to use the SD card interchangeably between Linux OS (like JELOS) and Android. Here is a video where I set up Android 9 (and here is the written guide with links to everything):

In the end, if you want to play the higher-end systems on this device, I would recommend setting it up in Android. Here is my Android emulation starter guide which will help you really dial in the best Android performance. See the video above for expected emulation performance in Android after everything is set up properly. In a nutshell, this is what I would expect:

Make some upgrades!

If you are looking for the 5GHz WiFi and Bluetooth module that will work with all three firmware options, this option is about $15 and has been tested thoroughly. You can even pull the chip from this dongle and solder it to the RG552 board; instructions on how to do that are found in Black Seraph’s Patreon page.

However, if (like me) you are not quite ready to start soldering chips to an expensive handheld device, one of the perks of joining the “Premium” ($10) tier of the Retro Handhelds discord server is that it entitles you to a free hardware mod from Thor. So for $10 plus the cost of shipping your device to/from Thor, you can have him install the chip (which is what I did). The membership tiers also unlock exclusive channels and a free copy of the Reset Collection frontend for Android ($5 value).

Other options

The options above aren’t the only way to enjoy the Anbernic RG552. For example, both Batocera and AmberELEC have custom firmware options available for the device:

More info here (ships in 2023): https://www.analogue.co/pocket

Other devices featured in this video:
Miyoo Mini
Anbernic RG351V
Anbernic RG552

Links and features mentioned in the video:

Sakura Retro Modding (stickers and stand)

RetroPatcher (for creating .pocket files)

To check the MD5 Checksum of a file, head over to this website and drop your ROM file inside. You can then compare it to the MD5 in the RetroPatcher website to see if your ROM file is compatible with the tool.

The Pocket Patches website also has a list of patched GB/GBC games and a list of working hacks.

Pokemon Prism patch file (in pinned post)
Official Pokemon Prism website (with patcher tool)

In order to create a Pokemon Prism ROM file you will need to download the patch file, and then add an original Pokemon Crystal (Rev 1) ROM + the patch file into the official patcher tool. It will output a ROM file that you can then use within RetroPatcher to run on the Analogue Pocket.

Everdrive GBA mini via Krikzz (out of stock as of video release)
Everdrive GBA mini via eBay (higher price but available)

The eBay link above is an affiliate link for which I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

AmberELEC is the new custom firmware that replaced 351ELEC for devices such as the Anbernic RG351P, RG351M, RG351V, RG351MP, and RG552. This video and guide will walk you through its setup as well as showcase new features in this release.

AmberELEC webpage
AmberELEC discord server

Recommended tools

The most important aspect of getting started is to use reliable microSD cards. Often the cards that come with retro handhelds are generic cards that are prone to failure. Instead, I recommend using these cards:

16GB cards: 
SanDisk Ultra  
SanDisk Industrial (more reliable but pricey)

128GB cards:
SanDisk Extreme
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

256GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

The RG351M, RG351V, and RG552 devices come with built-in WiFi, but the RG351P and RG351MP do not. Luckily, many sellers will bundle their RG351P with an OTG adapter (basically a USB-C to USB-A adapter) and a USB WiFi module. Together, these two adapters will allow you to connect your device to your home network and take advantage of its NetPlay, media scraping (image/boxart downloading), cheats, and Retro Achievements functions. So I recommend you check with the seller to see if your device is going to come with an OTG and WiFi adapters; if they aren’t I suggest you buy them so they’re available as soon as you open up your device.

I have personally tested the WiFi adapter linked above and can verify that it works well on the devices; it also has a nice (subtle) blinking light to let you know when it is accessing data. My other favorite WiFi adapter is this one from TP-Link, which can reach speeds of up to 5GHz on some devices.

One more accessory to consider: if you don’t have a nice microSD to USB adapter, you might want to think about getting one. A nice adapter like this one from Anker will give you the fastest transfer speeds possible, and won’t cause any corruption issues with your card.

Install AmberELEC

To install AmberELEC, head over to their Installation Page and follow the instructions (as demonstrated in the video above).

Load BIOS and game files

After you have installed AmberELEC, you will need to load the BIOS (system) files so that certain systems will run properly. Here is a recommended list of files to add to the “bios” folder on your SD card. You will likely find these files on the card that came with your device, or you may need to search the internet from them. More information can be found on the AmberELEC site.

SEGA CD:
bios_CD_E.bin
bios_CD_J.bin
bios_CD_U.bin

FAMICOM DISK SYSTEM:
disksys.rom

GAME BOY (for boot logo):
gb_bios.bin

GAME BOY COLOR (for boot logo):
gbc_bios.bin

GAME BOY ADVANCE:
gba_bios.bin

NEO GEO:
neogeo.zip

PLAYSTATION 1:
scph1001.bin

TURBOGRAFX-CD:
syscard1.pce
syscard2.pce
syscard3.pce

Once you have the BIOS files sorted, you will need to transfer game files onto your device. The primary method is to directly add your game files to the corresponding folder on the SD card. I recommend consulting the AmberELEC Systems page to find the system, then see what file types are accepted, and go from there. Additionally, you could use the LaunchBox Importer function that was recently introduced into AmberELEC, which is demonstrated in the video above.

After that, it’s time to have fun with the device. I recommend checking out the “Getting to know AmberELEC” page to show you some of the ins and outs of first getting set up.

Recommended tweaks

AmberELEC is a pre-configured operating system, which means that you don’t need to adjust any settings out of the gate. However, here are some recommended adjustments that I like to do when first setting up the system:

RG351P and RG351M:

• For 4:3 retro home console systems like NES, Genesis, and SNES, I recommend one of the following screen settings. To set these, open the system’s game list and press SELECT, then choose “Advanced System Options”.
  • Set RGA Scaling > ON for an improved image with no performance degradation. Note this will make the pop-up notifications from RetroArch hard to read.
  • Set Shader Set > Interpolation / Sharp-Bilinear-2x-Prescale.glslp for a slightly sharper and balanced look, with little performance degradation
  • Set Bilinear Filtering > ON and Filter Set > Normal2x.filt for the most sharp and balanced look, but with a little more performance degradation
• For GB, GBC, and GBA, make sure it is set to Integer Scaling > ON

RG351V and RG351MP:

• For 4:3 retro home console systems like NES, Genesis, and SNES, I recommend one of the following screen settings. This will also work well with GBA. To set these, open the system’s game list and press SELECT, then choose “Advanced System Options”.
  • Set Shader Set > Interpolation / Sharp-Bilinear-2x-Prescale.glslp for a slightly sharper and balanced look, with little performance degradation
  • Set Bilinear Filtering > ON and Filter Set > Normal2x.filt for the most sharp and balanced look, but with a little more performance degradation

RG552:

• For most systems, it’s best to keep them at Integer Scaling > ON. It will result in minimal black bars for some systems, but the image will be sharp, clear, and balanced without any need for shaders or filters.

Other resources

Your journey with AmberELEC is now ready to begin. Be sure to check out their website for even more features and fun tweaks. Here are some other guides that are mentioned in the video above:

PortMaster guide
Pico-8 guide

UPDATE: PortMaster has recently created a one-stop shop for all things related to running ports on retro handhelds. I recommend checking out their website and my most recent PortMaster guide instead of the guide below; I’m leaving this page up for posterity’s sake only. To get started, head over to their Games tab, find the game you want to run, and check out their instructions on that page. If you run into any issues, their discord server is also a great place to start.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge has become a massive hit, and for good reason. It’s a perfect mixture of old-school beat-em-up and modern control schemes, and it has plenty of fun stuff to unlock, too. In this guide we’ll get the game running on various handhelds so you can play this game anywhere.

This should work in any PortMaster-compatible retro handheld. For best results, make sure you are running the most recent version of ArkOS, AmberELEC, or JELOS, and that you have installed the latest version of PortMaster. Here is my PortMaster guide.

Note that the “Final” version of ArkOS for the RG351P and RG351M will not support the game due to an outdated SDL2 library. However, wuMMLe’s fork of ArkOS has been updated to support it, but there are some script changes needed (see the notes below). If you want the latest for those devices, I recommend using JELOS or AmberELEC, since they are in active development.

Setting up this game is similar to other ports such as Celeste, Shovel Knight, Undertale, Timespinner, and Iconoclasts. Big thanks to developer JohnnyOnFlame for getting this port up and running; please consider buying him a coffee for his hard work.

Installation instructions

Note that you need to have the most updated version of PortMaster installed on your device for this to work. Additionally, you need to run the install script of one of the following games within PortMaster: Timespinner, Owlboy, or Stardew Valley. This will install a mono package that is necessary for TMNT to initialize. You don’t need to actually install those ports onto your device, but the process will allow TMNT to work properly. This isn’t shown in the video, sorry about that — I didn’t realize it was necessary since I already had the mono package installed on my devices.

Alternatively you can manually grab the mono package here and place it in PortMaster/libs on your SD card.

While many people are playing this game via Game Pass, you need to own the PC (Steam) game files themselves to port the game to your retro handheld. Luckily, the Windows version of this game is compatible with the port, so setting it up is as easy as installing the game to your Windows PC.

• Purchase the game here via Steam
• Install the game onto your Windows PC
• Locate the game files. You can do this by right-clicking on the game in your Steam library, then select Properties > Local Files > Browse and it should take you directly to where the files are stored. If you want to find them manually, typically they will be in the following directory
  • Local Disk (C:) > Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > TMNT
• Download this TMNT port package and extract its contents. You should have two files: an .sh file and a folder.
• Inside that package folder you should see a subfolder named “gamedata”.
• Copy the contents of TMNT into the gamedata folder. You will get a prompt that there is already a file named “TMNT_GameIntro.ogv” and it will ask you if you want to overwrite that file. DO NOT overwrite it; instead, choose “Skip this file”.
• Once the files have moved over, now we can add them to your device’s SD card. For this you will want to use the second card (if using a two-card device), or just the main card if using a single-card setup. Inside that card you should see a “ports” folder. In there, add the package folder and .sh file.
• Insert the card back into the device and turn it on. In the Ports section you should now see the game, and you can start it up. It will take upwards of 20 minutes to load the game the first time, as some of the files are compressed in order to properly run. Every subsequent boot will be much faster, less than a minute. I’ve seen reports where this will sometimes take up to 30 minutes, and it appears to “freeze” the game. Don’t worry, just let it run the initialization — don’t touch it!

Manual Installation instructions

If you want to grab the game files WITHOUT installing the game onto yourWindows PC first, here is how to do that:

• Buy the game on Steam so that it is associated with your Steam account.
• On your PC, press Win+R and type: “steam://open/console” (Steam will now show console command). For best results do this command with Steam closed.
• In the Steam console, type: “download_depot 1361510 1361511” (just copy and paste this line into your command line)
• After several minutes, it will show you the location of the game files on your PC. Be patient, some games take longer to download than others. Navigate to that location and grab those files!

MacOS instructions

1. Buy the game on Steam so that it is associated with your Steam account.
2. Make sure Steam is closed on your Mac, then open Terminal and run the command “/Applications/Steam.app/Contents/MacOS/steam_osx -console”
3. When Steam opens, there should be a “Console” tab on the top right
4. In the console (which will look like a Terminal window), type “download_depot 1361510 1361511″ without the quotation marks
5. It’ll take about 20 minutes to download, but then it will show you a path to where the folder is located. It’s pretty deep in the MacOS file system, the easiest way to do that is through the Library folder. To access Library, you need to go to the Menu Bar in Finder (at the very top), click on “Go” and then press the Option key to make the Library appear in that menu, then navigate to where the Steam console says to go.
6. Download the tmnt.zip package file, then unzip it. Inside the tmntsr folder will be a gamedata folder. Inside that folder, there should be a Content > Video folder, and in there a blank .ogv file. Move that OGV file somewhere else on your Mac, like onto the desktop. Copy all the files from your MacOS tmnt download folder into the gamedata folder, and if it asks, overwrite the OGV file when prompted (this is different from the video). After the copy is complete, grab that blank OGV file from your Desktop and move it BACK into the tmntsr > gamedata > Content > Videos folder, replacing the one that’s in there. The reason we are doing this roundabout step is because the copy/paste mechanism in Mac is different than in Windows.
7. Move the tmntsr folder and the TMNTShreddersRevenge.sh file to the Ports folder of your SD card.
8. Boot up your device, then go into the Tools folder and find the command that says “delete ._ files” and run that program.
9. Go into the Ports folder and run the TMNT game. It will take upwards of 20 minutes to boot that first time, but afterwards it should work fine. If you get an error it’s likely because you don’t have the most recent version of PortMaster installed and you haven’t run the Owlboy etc. install script as mentioned in the written guide above.

ArkOS RG351P or RG351M instructions

Reddit user seouljah760 gave these helpful tips for those using ArkOS Final:

If you haven’t moved from ARKOS Final, or using Wummle’s ARKOS fork on 351P/M devices, you need to do a couple things to fix the install:

The TMNTShreddersRevenge.sh script needs a small change:

if [ -d "/opt/system/Tools/PortMaster/" ]; then
controlfolder="/opt/system/Tools/PortMaster"
elif [ -d "/opt/tools/PortMaster/" ]; then
controlfolder="/opt/tools/PortMaster"
elif [ -d "/roms/ports" ]; then
controlfolder="/roms/ports/PortMaster" << CHANGE to “/roms/tools/PortMaster”
elif [ -d "/roms2/ports" ]; then
controlfolder="/roms2/ports/PortMaster"
else
controlfolder="/storage/roms/ports/PortMaster"
fi

That directory does not exist in both ARKOS Final, and Wummle’s fork. I repeat, just having Wummle’s fork is not enough, the script needs an edit. The PortMaster and lib folders do not reside in the “ports” folder, it is in “tools” for the ARKOS default program locations.

Then you need to download:

https://github.com/PortsMaster/PortMaster-Hosting/releases/download/large-files/mono-6.12.0.122-aarch64.squashfs

Copy that into your roms partition in the tools/PortMaster/libs folder, pop the SD back in and run the game in the Ports category. You may or may not already have this, depending on what other ports you’ve installed previously. This script does not install it for you, as it does in other port scripts.

Add the intro video

By default, the intro video is removed from this port because it will make the game crash. However, community member MrFaust was able to figure out how to re-encode the video file so that it will work on your device. It may result in some slight glitching on certain devices (like the RK3326 devices) during video playback, but it’s still pretty cool to see. Here is the full walkthrough via PDF file.

Hardcode controller inputs

The TMNT port uses the default PortMaster controller database configuration, which is excellent for simple and streamlined gameplay, but will also result in needing to remap the controls in the options menu every time you start a new game. However, if you don’t mind making some quick text file adjustments, you can permanently adjust the controller inputs so that you don’t have to mess with it again. Thanks to discord user 4554551// for the fix. Here we go:

In the TMNT Shredders Revenge.sh file
replace
source $controlfolder/control.txt
with
source $controlfolder/control2.txt

Then go into Portmaster folder.
Make a copy of control.txt and rename it to control2.txt
Make a copy of gamecontrollerdb.txt and rename it to gamecontrollerdbturtles.txt

In control2.txt replace all instances of gamecontrollerdb.txt with gamecontrollerdbturtles.txt

Then open gamecontrollerdbturtles.txt and make your adjustments specific to the game. It may require some trial and error, but generally it will just require you to swap the A and B, plus X and Y input codes.

Notes

• The Anbernic RG552 will provide the best gaming experience. It looks amazing.
• The game will have swapped the A/B and X/Y buttons, but this is an easy fix within the Options menu. The controls won’t save though, so you will need to do this every time you start a new game.
• For RG351 devices, the game will run at 30fps and expect some slowdown in later stages.
• If using a 3:2 device (RG351P, RG351M, RGB10), I recommend going into the settings and changing the following:
  • Display Mode: Borderless Fullscreen
  • VSYNC: OFF
• If you are getting a “Failure performing first time setup, report this” error, see the note in the green box above.

Recent updates

As of September 2023, recent updates to ArkOS have broken compatibility with this port. A fix is explained here.

Changelog

11FEB2024
– updated the package file

15SEP2023
– added “recent updates” section to account for SDL updates for ArkOS

14JUL2022
– added intro video guide
– added hardcode controller adjustment section

12JUL2022
– added ArkOS Final instructions
– added MacOS instructions

11JUL2022
– published guide
– added mono package instructions

UPDATE: PortMaster has recently created a one-stop shop for all things related to running ports on retro handhelds. I recommend checking out their website and my most recent PortMaster guide instead of the guide below; I’m leaving this page up for posterity’s sake only. To get started, head over to their Games tab, find the game you want to run, and check out their instructions on that page. If you run into any issues, their discord server is also a great place to start.

Finally! A port of Celeste is now available on retro handhelds, so you can natively play this little platforming gem.

The installation process is a little trickier than other (PortMaster) solutions, due to the fact that the game requires closed-source libs that cannot be redistributed. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to add them yourself, which we’ll do in this guide. Note that you will also need to be running PortMaster on your device in order to install certain mono files which will allow sound to work properly.

Update (29MAY2022): This guide now works on RK3326 devices as well as the RG503, when running on a compatible firmware like ArkOS, JELOS, and AmberELEC! Below is a list of devices that should be able to run the game. Big thanks to developer JohnnyOnFlame for getting this port up and running; please consider buying him a coffee for his hard work.

Anbernic RG552 (AmberELEC, JELOS)
Anbernic RG503 (JELOS, ArkOS, TheRA) *when available
Anbernic RG351P (AmberELEC, JELOS, ArkOS wuMMLe fork)
Anbernic RG351M (AmberELEC, JELOS, ArkOS wuMMLe fork)
Anbernic RG351V (ArkOS, TheRA, AmberELEC, JELOS)
Anbernic RG351MP (ArkOS, TheRA, AmberELEC, JELOS)
PowKiddy RGB10 (ArkOS)
GameForce Chi (ArkOS)
RK2020 (ArkOS)
ODROID Go Advance (ArkOS)
ODROID Go Super (The RetroArena, RetroOZ)
PowKiddy RGB10 Max (The Retro Arena, RetroOZ)

For best results, make sure you are running the most recent version of ArkOS, AmberELEC, or JELOS, and the latest version of PortMaster. The Anbernic RG552 will provide the best gaming experience (see notes below).

Note that the “Final” version of ArkOS for the RG351P and RG351M will not support the game due to an outdated SDL2 library. However, wuMMLe’s fork of ArkOS may be updated in the future to support it. In the meantime, I recommend using JELOS or AmberELEC for those two devices instead, since they are in active development.

Purchase the itch.io version of Celeste

Due to DRM issues, the Steam version of Celeste will not work with this setup. Additionally, the game is not available on GOG, and the Humble version literally just gives you a Steam code (I found this out the hard way, after buying this game for the fourth time across all of my various gaming platforms!). Instead, you will need to get the itch.io version. If you have purchased either of these bundles previously, you will already have the game in your library.

Bundle for Ukraine
Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality

Once you have purchased the game, you will want to download the Linux version. The file will be named “celeste-linux.zip” and will be 867MB.

Compile the data files

Next, we will need to gather our Celeste Package and some necessary lib files. Note that you will need to have 7zip installed on your computer for this next step, and file extensions will need to be visible. You also need to install Portmaster onto your device if you haven’t already.

• You can grab the Celeste Package here, then save this somewhere on your computer.
• Extract the Celeste Package using 7zip, it should have a folder named “celeste” and another file named “Celeste.sh”. Place those somewhere handy, like your Desktop. If you are using this with muOS or KNULLI, replace the sh file in this package with the sh file linked in this Reddit post.
• Go to fmod.com and create a free account. Next, go to this page and download the Linux version of the fmod engine. The file will be named “fmodstudioapi20206linux.tar.gz” and will be 72MB.
• Right-click on the fmodstudioapi20206linux.tar.gz file and go to 7Zip > Extract Here. This will create a file named “fmodstudioapi20206linux.tar”; now, right-click on THAT file and select 7zip > Extract Here. In the pop-up window you will get an error about creating symlinks, you can ignore it and select “Close”. You will be left with a folder named fmodstudioapi20206linux.
• Inside that fmod folder, you need to grab these two files:
  • fmodstudioapi20206linux > api > core > lib > arm64 > libfmod.so.13.6 (1219KB in size)
  • fmodstudioapi20206linux > api > studio > lib > arm64 > libfmodstudio.so.13.6 (1201KB in size)
• Back in your “celeste” folder (the one you extracted from the Celeste Package), you should find a folder named “libs”. Inside that folder, place the two libfmod files. Next, change their file extensions from “.13.6” to just “.13”, so that they should look like the following:
  • libfmod.so.13
  • libfmodstudio.so.13

Add the Celeste game files

Finally, let’s add the Celeste game files to the appropriate folder.

• Open your “celeste” folder, then open the “gamedata” folder.
• Extract the celeste-linux.zip folder that you downloaded from Itch.io, and place the contents (including Celeste.exe) in the gamedata folder
• Insert the SD2 card from your RG552 (AmberELEC or JELOS), then open the ports folder. Inside, place the “celeste” folder and the Celeste.sh file.
• Eject the SD card and place it into your RG552. Boot the device up.
• On your device, open PortMaster and install the shell files for Timespinner or Owlboy; this will add a special mono file needed for Celeste. PortMaster is included in JELOS, but you will need to manually install it if using AmberELEC. Here is their page on it.
• Open the Celeste file and have fun. Note that the first time you boot the game it will parse through all of the data files one time, which will take a minute or two. After that it won’t happen again.

Notes

Here are some notes from the developer regarding RK3326 devices:

• Some effects were lowered in complexity or removed to get perf. to an acceptable level, those can be tweakdd via the new options menu.
• Performance on RK3326 dips into low 50s in boss fights, and has a few hard drops into the 25s in areas that aren’t mechanically complex, I’m nearly 60% done with Farewell and up until then performance seems more than great when it actually matters.
• If you are on ArkOS or RetroOZ and getting an error that prevents you from saving your game progress, download this updated mono package and place it somewhere on your SD2 card (like in your Ports folder). Then boot up the device, and go to Options > File Manager (or 351FILES for RetroOz), and move the mono file from your Ports folder to /opt/system/Tools/PortMaster/libs (and delete any mono file that’s already inside). This should fix the saving issue.

How it was achieved

Developer JohnnyOnFlame left a really fascinating list of work he did to get the game working on low-end (RK3326) devices, here is a summary if you are interested:

• A series of patches to create lower graphical setting profiles. https://github.com/JohnnyonFlame/FNAPatches/blob/master/CelestePatches.cs
• An utility to compress Celeste textures using ASTC4x4. https://github.com/JohnnyonFlame/celeste-repacker
• Patches to allow the game to load these textures . https://github.com/JohnnyonFlame/FNA3DHacks/commit/90e3b4c223af4f0d553856ae103d24d3b1b0986b and https://github.com/JohnnyonFlame/FNAPatches/blob/master/CelestePatches.cs#L396
• An FMOD 1.x wrapper was to allow compatability with FMOD 2.x (since FMOD 1.x isn’t available for ARM64) https://github.com/JohnnyonFlame/FNAPatches/blob/master/fmodstudio_fix.c

The indie classic game Timespinner has recently been ported to various handheld devices, thanks to community developers and the awesome PortMaster tool. Here are the systems that can run the game as of making this guide:

Anbernic RG351P (ArkOS final, TheRA, AmberELEC, JELOS)
Anbernic RG351M (ArkOS final, TheRA, AmberELEC, JELOS)
Anbernic RG351V (ArkOS, TheRA, AmberELEC, JELOS)
Anbernic RG351MP (ArkOS, TheRA, AmberELEC, JELOS)
Anbernic RG552 (AmberELEC, JELOS)
PowKiddy RGB10 (ArkOS)
GameForce Chi (ArkOS)
RK2020 (ArkOS)
ODROID Go Advance (ArkOS)
ODROID Go Super (The RetroArena, RetroOZ)
PowKiddy RGB10 Max (The Retro Arena, RetroOZ)

Setting up this game is similar to other ports such as Shovel Knight, Undertale, and Iconoclasts. Big thanks to developer JohnnyOnFlame for getting this port up and running; please consider buying him a coffee for his hard work.

Note that you will need to have PortMaster installed and updated on your device. Here is my PortMaster guide.

Download the Timespinner Linux files (Steam or Humble Store)

Purchase the Steam version of Timespinner from their store, and then make sure you have Steam installed on your computer (and that it is signed into your account). If you’d like, you could also buy the Humble Store version of the game, which will come with a code to redeem on Steam as well. This is a great option in case you can find it cheaper there.

• On your PC, press Win+R and type: “steam://open/console” (Steam will now show console command)
• In the Steam console, type: “download_depot 368620 368621” (just copy and paste this line into your command line)
• Once that download completes, type: “download_depot 368620 368624” (just copy and paste this line into your command line)
• After several minutes, it will show you the location of the game files on your PC. Be patient, some games take longer to download than others. Navigate to that location and grab those files!

For future reference, this method can be done when trying to download the Linux version of other games via Steam. The App ID and Depot ID of the game can be found on the site steamdb.info. When you search for a game on this site you’ll immediately see the App ID. Scroll down a bit and click on Depots. Here you’ll find all the available OS versions of the game and the corresponding Depot ID. The download command in the steam console is: “download_depot <appid> <depotid> <manifest_id>” — see the infographic above for an example. The manifest ID is not always required.

If you are using a Mac, the process is the same, other than how to open up the Steam console. To do so, open the Terminal app and type the following line of code:

/Applications/Steam.app/Contents/MacOS/steam_osx -console

If you are on Linux, you should be able to install the game onto your machine and then pull the game data files directly from there.

GOG-specific instructions

If you happen to already own the game via GOG.com, it’s theoretically easy to extract the Linux data files. Once you have purchased the game from GOG.com, it will show up in your library. Go into the Games section on your profile, and click the arrow at the bottom-right of your game, and select “View Downloads”. Change the system to Linux, and then click on the link under “Download Game Installers”. 

The downloaded file will be in .sh format. All you have to do is change the file extension from .sh to .gz, and then open it with 7zip. Note that I haven’t personally tested this method, but the method generally works in this way.

Buy one here:
AliExpress ($227 before sales)
Amazon Prime ($249 with fast shipping)

Firmware links:

Android
Black Seraph’s Patreon page
OpenGapps webpage
Android emulation starter guide

JELOS
Wiki page
Releases page
PortMaster page

AmberELEC
home page
latest AmberELEC release
PortMaster page

Recommended accessories

The RG552 will come bundled with a single microSD card, and in some cases two SD cards, but they are from a generic brand and will be prone to failure. The “TF1” slot on your device holds the system firmware, so for that card 16GB is ideal. The “TF2” slot is for your game files, so you will want a larger card for that one. Your safest bet is to replace your cards with microSD cards from a well-known brand. I recommend you store that original card somewhere safe in case you run into any issues in the future, and buy new SD cards from a reputable brand like SanDisk or Samsung to use in your device.

In general, I recommend the cards listed below, in order or preference. The prices fluctuate all the time, so keep an eye out for deals. In general, I would expect to pay $7 for a 16GB card, $20 for a 128GB card, and $30 for a 256GB card. A 128GB card will allow you to load EVERY 8-bit and 16-bit game out there, all of the arcade games that work, and quite a few PS1, Dreamcast, PSP, and Sega CD games (those systems have the largest file sizes). A 256GB card will allow you to store even more of those larger games.

16GB cards: 
SanDisk Ultra  
SanDisk Industrial (more reliable but pricey)

128GB cards:
SanDisk Extreme
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

256GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

One more accessory to consider: if you don’t have a nice microSD to USB adapter, you might want to think about getting one. A nice adapter like this one from Anker will give you the fastest transfer speeds possible, and won’t cause any corruption issues with your card.

If you are looking for the 5GHz WiFi and Bluetooth module that will work with all three firmware options, this option is about $15 and has been tested thoroughly. You can even pull the chip from this dongle and solder it to the RG552 board; instructions on how to do that are found in Black Seraph’s Patreon page.

Batocera 34 has also be recently released for the RG552. Here is my video on this firmware:

If you haven’t seen it already, check out my Anbernic RG552 preliminary review:

RetroArch is one of my favorite programs to use for retro game emulation, because it can emulate many systems. But it does have quite a steep learning curve. In this guide I’m going to demystify some of the more peculiar things about this emulation frontend, and show you how I set up RetroArch on my own gaming platforms.

This guide is meant to help you get set up with various RetroArch iterations. The video will primarily be done on Windows PC, but the same method will apply to MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Vita, and Xbox platforms, and more.

RetroArch really shines on retro systems, particularly PlayStation 1 and below games. For more modern consoles, it is often more efficient to rely on standalone emulators, which are generally more optimized than RetroArch. However, if you are using a system that relies primarily on RetroArch for emulation (like Xbox), or you have a beefy PC that can run well regardless of optimizations, you may find success in emulating higher-end systems in RetroArch, too.

Table of Contents

What is RetroArch?
Game and BIOS files
Install RetroArch
Understanding configurations and saves
Set your file directory
Update RetroArch assets, cores, and more
Adjust the user interface
Button mapping and hotkeys
Optional features
Create playlists
Scaling and video options
Shaders and filters
Core options
RetroAchievements
Cheats
Updating RetroArch
Further reading

Changelog

What is RetroArch?

RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players. It can run on the usual platforms like Windows, MacOS and Linux, but it also runs on iOS and Android for tablets and phones, as well as on game consoles like PS2, PS3, PSP, PS Vita, Wii, Wii U, 2DS, 3DS, Switch, and more. The frontend for RetroArch is often referred to as the “libretro frontend”.

Note that technically, “RetroArch” should be pronounced like “RetroARTCH” versus “RetroARK”, because it was first based on Arch Linux, but both pronunciations are considered acceptable. I have a habit of pronouncing it the latter way, which is what you’ll hear in my videos.

RetroArch consists of what they call “cores“, which function as emulators embedded in the program. So in this guide I will use the words “emulators” and “cores” interchangeably. Depending on the version of RetroArch you are using, you can pick and choose which cores to load, to be able to customize your experience, or the RetroArch build may come pre-loaded with all working cores.

So you might be asking yourself, why should I bother with RetroArch, if I already have standalone emulator options that will play my games? That’s a fair question. The answer is that RetroArch contains a lot of universal features that are not implemented in many of the other emulators. For example, with RetroArch, you can unlock the following features:

• Wide system support. You can find RetroArch on many systems, and it can also emulate a ton of systems too. Here is a full core list so you can get an idea of all the emulation options within.
• Universal button mapping. You can set your buttons for any RA core, and also save per-game settings and button remaps for the best experience. You can also set up hotkeys for things like save states, loading save states, bringing up the RA menu, fast forward, etc. With this method, you only have to remember hotkeys for one platform instead of different key mapping options across various emulators.
• Precise video scaling options. With RetroArch, you can adjust the game image to match your device’s dimensions and resolution, or even apply bezel overlays to customize the layout of your screen. If you have certain preferences for your scaling (perfect pixel accuracy, or stretching out the image to take up the full screen), RA should have what you need.
• Shaders and Filters. Shaders apply an overlay to your screen that can mimic scanlines, colorization, or other effects that will recreate CRT monitors, chunky LCD grid displays, and more. Filters behave like shaders for your games, and can alter the screen to provide you a better visual experience. Adding filters to your game image will smooth out pixel distortion for screens that don’t accurately match the original console you are emulating.
• Playlists and thumbnails. RetroArch uses “Playlists” to organize the game library, and it will allow you to add box art (“Thumbnails”) to every game as you scroll through, and you can also set favorites, which is very handy.
• In-game saves and save states. RetroArch has the ability to save your game with SRAM (in-game) saves like how it was on the original console, and you can also use save states to take a snapshot of any game at any time as well.
• Fast forward, rewind support. RetroArch has universal support for fast forward and rewind hotkeys, which will allow you to navigate slow (or perilous) moments in certain games.
• Universal cheats. With RetroArch, you can simply add the appropriate cheat files and access all of the cheats from the RA menu.
• Achievements. RetroArch supports Retro Achievements, which are super fun.
• NetPlay. You can use RetroArch to host or join online gaming sessions for retro games.
• Recording and Streaming. You can record your gameplay directly in the app, and even stream it to services like Twitch.
• Active development. RetroArch has been around since 2004 and its development team is very active.

That being said, RetroArch is not perfect. The user interface can be cumbersome to newcomers, and some emulation cores aren’t as performant as standalone emulators. So there may be times when standalone emulators are preferred to a full RA build.

Game and BIOS files

The primary file requirements for running RetroArch will be the game files, as well as BIOS files for systems that require them.

Game files will be standard ROMs that you would use with any other emulator. RetroArch (generally) has the ability to use .zip or .7z files that will compress those ROM files as well. To find which ROM files work best for your desired core, I recommend going to the Libretro Docs page, then navigating the Core Library menu on the left-hand side to find the core you want to use, and then consult the “Extensions” section to see what files are accepted. Here is an example of the Gambatte core section, which will show you the accepted file types for Game Boy and Game Boy Color, plus information on BIOS and other core-specific options.

At the end of the day, the most important thing for you to do is to build a standardized ROM library. This can be done in a number of ways, but the easiest way to do it would be to make a folder on your computer called “GAMES”. Inside, create subfolders for each of your systems (NES, SNES, GB, GBC, etc.). Then in each of those subfolders, add your ROM files. I recommend sticking with the same file type for each system, like .sfc files for SNES games. File names should be named according to the “No Intro” standard (e.g. “Super Mario Bros. 3 (USA)”).

Additionally, inside your GAMES folder, make a BIOS folder and put the BIOS files inside. BIOS files are necessary system files for certain consoles to run properly. Examples of systems that will not run without BIOS include PlayStation 1, Game Boy Advance, and Sega CD.  Here is more information about BIOS files, including links to specific BIOS requirements for each core.

Here is a list of recommended BIOS files to get you started:

SEGA CD:
bios_CD_E.bin
bios_CD_J.bin
bios_CD_U.bin

FAMICOM DISK SYSTEM:
disksys.rom

GAME BOY (for boot logo):
gb_bios.bin

GAME BOY COLOR (for boot logo):
gbc_bios.bin

GAME BOY ADVANCE:
gba_bios.bin

NEO GEO:
neogeo.zip

PLAYSTATION 1:
scph1001.bin

TURBOGRAFX-CD:
syscard1.pce
syscard2.pce
syscard3.pce

BIOS files cannot be shared due to copyright, so you are on your own to dump them from the original console or to find backup RetroArch BIOS packs via the Internet.

Install RetroArch

Depending on what device or console you are using, you may have to manually install RetroArch, or it will already be loaded. For example, RetroArch is already installed on certain firmwares and operating systems, like Batocera, EmuELEC or RetroPie, and so you don’t need to install anything. However, for something like a PS Vita, Xbox, Android phone, Mac, or Windows PC, you will need to download and install RetroArch yourself.

To install RetroArch, head over to their Downloads page and find the platform you want to use to run RetroArch. You can then download the version of your choice and install it. Note that there may be 64-bit and 32-bit versions available. In most cases, you want to install the 64-bit version if your device can handle it.

Some notes:

• The list on the Downloads page features Stable releases. If you want more cutting-edge (and potentially buggy) software, you can also download their Nightly builds here. In most cases, the Stable releases are perfectly fine.
• If using Android, you can download and install RetroArch directly from the Google Play Store. However, the Google Play Store version is not updated as frequently as the version you can find on the RetroArch Downloads page, so for the latest and greatest features, it might be easier to download the APK and sideload it yourself.

After you have installed RetroArch, launch the app for the first time. This will create your file directory structure, and you can also check to see if your controller works out of the box with the interface. If it doesn’t, check out my button mapping section.

Understanding configurations and saves

Before we get started, it is very important to understand how configuration saves work in RetroArch, because it follows a specific logic. 99% of the time when someone tells me they “screwed up their RetroArch” it’s because they saved a configuration in a way they didn’t expect. So let’s take a minute and explain how this stuff works.

CONFIGURATION FILE. Basic configurations are saved in a configuration file called retroarch.cfg. This is where you would save system-wide configurations that would apply to the entire frontend. For example, this file will dictate what menu driver (theme) to display when showing RetroArch, your button mapping preferences, hotkeys, video scaling options, and more. To make adjustments to the configuration file, you need to be using RetroArch without a game loaded, and then you will make your adjustments and go to Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration. Consider this your “baseline” configurations. Note that the configuration file can only be saved when a game is NOT loaded.

OVERRIDES. If you want to make a specific configuration that applies only to a certain emulator, emulated console, or game, you will want to use overrides. These are basically configuration (.cfg) files that are specific to a game or console. For example, if there is a certain game where you want to use a special hotkey or video scaling option, you would open up that game, make the adjustment in the settings, and then save it as a per-game override. Every other game will function normally, but the next time you boot that specific game, those per-game settings will load.

There are three types of overrides, which follow a specific hierarchy: core overrides, content directory overrides, and game overrides. In order to save an override, you need to launch a game first, and then access the RetroArch Quick Menu (which we will set up in the hotkeys section below), and then go to Quick Menu > Overrides to save the override.

CORE OVERRIDES will save your configuration for that entire core. This is good when you have a core that emulates multiple systems and you want to have the same experience across each of those systems. An example of this would be the Gambatte core, which emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color. If you make a CORE OVERRIDE for Gambatte, all Game Boy and Game Boy Color games will be affected when launching those games with the Gambatte core.

CONTENT DIRECTORY OVERRIDES will save your configuration for every game file in that same folder. For example, if you save a content directory override for a Game Boy game, it will affect all Game Boy games, but not Game Boy Color games since those ROM files will (likely) reside in a different folder — even though they use the same core. This feature is helpful when you have disparate systems that are supported by the same core. Another example is the Genesis Plus GX core, which can support Sega Genesis, 32X, Master System, and Game Gear. If you were to make some configuration adjustments that would be beneficial for the Genesis but not the Game Gear, you would want to use a content directory override instead of a core override, that way it would only affect Genesis games.

GAME OVERRIDES affect only that one game, and not others.

REMAP FILES. If you want to save game-specific controls, then this is done via a REMAP (.rmp) file. To do so, you will need to enter the RetroArch Quick Menu > Controls section, make your changes (likely in the Port 1 Controls subsection), then save a Core / Content Directory / Game Remap file. These three types of remap files follow the same pattern as the overrides above.

The hierarchy of these overrides and remap files are as follows:

So by default the settings within retroarch.cfg will be your primary configuration settings, but if you have a core override then those settings will take precedence. But if you also have a content directory (or game) override, that will take precedence over anything else.

INDEPENDENT SAVES. Confusingly, there are a couple other options and configurations that work outside of the process above. This is because they are governed by their own configuration files, and not the typical retroarch.cfg or override cfg/rmp files mentioned above.

• If you open a game then go into Quick Menu > Options and make adjustments here (which are called “Core Options“), it will affect everything that boots from that core, and you don’t need to manually save it — the settings changes will just save at the core level when you close out the game. Within this Options menu you can also choose to manually save these core options by game or content directory by going into the Manage Core Options section.
• If you open a game then go into Quick Menu > Shaders you can save what they call “Shader Presets“, which will apply a specific shader profile. Like with other options, you can specify how they apply, as either GLOBAL (whole system), CORE, CONTENT DIRECTORY, or GAME presets.

Note that some operating systems, like EmuELEC, Batocera, and 351ELEC, use their own frontend (EmulationStation) to synchronize settings with the RetroArch system that functions as a backend. This means that you will go into the EmulationStation frontend menu and make adjustments there, which will then trigger configuration or override file adjustments in RetroArch without having to actually use RetroArch itself. As an added bonus, 351ELEC will actually provide optimized settings custom tailored to the device you are using it on. Alternatively, if you try to go into RetroArch and adjust things yourself, you may find that your saved configurations won’t work, because the EmulationStation settings will override RetroArch. In most cases, stick with the EmulationStation menu to make your changes.

Set your file directory

When you launch RetroArch for the first time, it will create a file structure, which they call “Directories” on your device. Generally this will be the same folder where your RetroArch app is located, or in the root directory of your device (like an Android phone). However, you may want to adjust the file locations manually, so that you can point RetroArch to your own BIOS folder, or to change the location of your save files for easier access.

Go to Settings > Directory and you will see a list of directory paths. Here you can configure them to your needs. Some adjustments worth considering:

• System/BIOS: You can either go into the default RetroArch directory on your device and find the “system” folder to add all your BIOS files, or you can just change the BIOS location to point to wherever your BIOS are already saved. Go in here and navigate to your BIOS folder, then select “Use This Directory”.
• File Browser: You can adjust this to the main GAMES folder you have on your device, so that way you don’t have to navigate to that folder every time you want to add a new system to your Playlists. This will save you time in the long run.
• Cheat Files: If you manually install cheat files like in my section below, this option will allow you to set a new default cheat file location. If you were able to install cheats via the Update Cheats function described in the next section, you won’t need to do anything.
• Screenshots: Here you can adjust the screenshots location to the folder of your choice.
• Save Files: For easier access, you can change the location of your save files on your device. If you are running RetroArch on your PC, you could theoretically point this section to a cloud-based folder (like a Dropbox or Google Drive folder) and create a cloud-based save system that would work across multiple devices.
• Save States: This works like the Save Files section above, but with Save States. The same process applies here.

You could offload even more of your directories to custom folders as well, so that they were located somewhere independent of the default RetroArch folders. This is beneficial if you want to update RetroArch in the future while preserving your current setup. See the Updating RetroArch section below for more information.

After you have made your adjustments, be sure to go to Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration.

Update RetroArch assets, cores, and more

Now that we have built our file structure and know how to save configurations, let’s go in and start updating RetroArch. The core system you installed may not have all of its functions included, so you will want to load them yourself. Note that you will need to be connected to the Internet for this section to work. To do so, go to Main Menu > Online Updater and run some of the updater functions available. I recommend the following:

• Update Core Info Files
• Update Assets
• Update Controller Profiles
• Update Cheats
• Update Databases
• Update Shaders

Note that some versions of RetroArch may not have these options, which is done by design. Don’t sweat it.

Additionally you will want to go into Online Updater > Core Downloader and download the cores you want to run on your system. You can download as many or few as you would like. I would recommend fully downloading one core before starting the download for the next core, because it can mess up your downloads to queue them all up at once. Periodically, you can also go in and select Update Installed Cores to see if there have been any updates to the cores since you first downloaded them.

My preferred RetroArch cores for popular systems:

Arcade (FB Alpha 2012) -- for low-end devices
Arcade (FinalBurn Neo) -- fighting games and beat'em ups
Arcade (MAME 2003-Plus) -- all-around arcade emulation
Commodore Amiga (PUAE)
DOS (DosBox-Pure)
NEC PCE/TG-16/PCE-CD/TG-CD (Beetle PCE)
Nintendo GB/GBC (Gambatte)
Nintendo GBA (gpSP or mGBA)
Nintendo Virtual Boy (Beetle VB)
Nintendo DS (melonDS)
Nintendo NES (Nestopia or fceumm)
Nintendo SNES (Snes9x Current)
Nintendo 64 (ParaLLEl or Mupen64Plus)
Nintendo GameCube/Wii (Dolphin)
ScummVM -- point-and-click PC games
Sega Master System/Genesis/CD (Genesis Plus GX)
Sega 32x (PicoDrive)
Sega Saturn (YabaSanshiro or Beetle Saturn)
Sega Dreamcast (Flycast)
SNK Neo Geo (FinalBurn Neo)
Sony PlayStation (DuckStation, SwanStation, or PCSX ReARMed)
Sony PlayStation 2 (PCSX2)
Sony Playstation Portable (PPSSPP)

Adjust the user interface

Once you have an understanding of how to save configurations, and we have the most updated assets, let’s start actually adjusting RetroArch. We’ll start with the user interface, which is called a “menu driver” in RetroArch.

When starting up the system, you will likely be greeted with a black and white interface called “glui”. It’s okay, but I find that it can be confusing to navigate. Instead, I prefer to use an older interface called “xmb”, modeled after the original PlayStation 3 cross-menu bar. I prefer this menu because it makes the submenus more logical and visual to me, so that is what I will use in my video guides.

To change the User Interface, go to Settings > User Interface > Menu and adjust it to one of the other menus. Then go to Configuration File > Save Current Configuration to save your changes. After you exit and re-open RetroArch, you will have the new menu.

You can also adjust the menu appearance to fit your preferences. To do so, go to Settings > User Interface > Appearance and adjust the settings here. You can adjust the Menu Scale Factor to increase or decrease the menu font, adjust the menu icons, or change the background color, and more.

Finally, you can adjust the menu items that are displayed on your interface, to clean it up a bit. Go to Settings > User Interface > Menu Item Visibility and toggle off the menus you don’t want to see. In general, these are the menu items I turn off by default:

Show ‘Explore’ > OFF
Show ‘Favorites’ > OFF
Show ‘Images’ > OFF
Show ‘Music’ > OFF
Show ‘Netplay’ > OFF

After you have made your adjustments, be sure to go to Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration.

Button mapping and hotkeys

Button mapping is likely the next thing you want to do. This will align your controller’s controls with the RetroArch universal button mapping. If you are using an x-input controller (like an Xbox controller) the buttons will likely be automatically mapped, and if you are using a handheld device that has a RetroArch backend already baked in (like ArkOS, EmuELEC, or 351ELEC), then you likely don’t have to map the controls. But some bluetooth or wired controllers may behave unexpectedly, so let’s adjust the button mapping.

To configure your controls, open RetroArch and go to Settings > Input > Port 1 Controls > Set All Controls and follow the prompts.

After you are done setting up the controls, you will want to decide which buttons you want to use for OK and Cancel buttons. If you don’t like how they are configured by default, you can go into Settings > Input > Menu Controls and swap the buttons.

Once you have mapped your controls, be sure to go to RetroArch Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration. Note that you can make core or game specific button mapping by using overrides, if you want to have a special setup for a particular game or core. Additionally, in the Input setting there is an option to create and save Controller Profiles, which you could use for multiple controllers (for example, if you wanted to use a specific controller for SNES gameplay, you could map the controls to that one controller and then choose that profile for SNES gameplay).

HOTKEYS are simple button combinations that will allow you to make certain adjustments while in games and RetroArch. You will want to set these up next.

Open RetroArch and then go to Settings > Input > Hotkeys. Here you will see a number of hotkey options.

Here are a couple options that are fundamental to the hotkey experience:

Confirm Quit: with this ON, you will have to press the Quit RetroArch hotkey twice to actually exit. This can be good to avoid accidental button presses, but can get annoying over time. I leave this one OFF.
Menu Toggle Controller Combo: this option will pause your game and bring up the RetroArch Quick Menu. This can be a specific key combination that works independently of any other hotkey setup. For this one I choose Hold Start (2 Seconds). This means if I hold the START button for two seconds, the RetroArch Quick Menu will appear.
Hotkey Enable: this will be your primary hotkey button. Every hotkey you choose in the options below it will need to be used in combination with your hotkey enable button. For this I usually choose the SELECT button. This means that SELECT + whatever other hotkey I choose will be my button combo to activate a hotkey shortcut.

There are several hotkeys I recommend you set while you’re in these settings. Here are some of my preferred hotkeys:

Hotkey Enable: SELECT button
Fast-Forward (Toggle): R2 button
Rewind: L2 button *
Load State: L1 button
Save state: R1 button
Show FPS (Toggle): Y button
Pause (Toggle): A button **
Reset Game: B button
Close Content (or Quit RetroArch): START button ***
Menu (Toggle): X button
Volume Up: Left d-pad
Volume Down: Right d-pad
Run-Ahead (Toggle): Up d-pad

* For the Rewind function to work, you will need to go into Settings > Frame Throttle > Rewind > ON. This is not something I would recommend turning on as a global configuration, because some systems (like Saturn or PS1) will be very slow with it on, and some (like PSP) may outright crash. Instead, I recommend setting the hotkey now, then for the systems you want to use rewind (like NES, for example), you can go into the Quick Menu by pressing SELECT + X and then go turn Rewind on and save it as a core override. More information is in the section below.

** There is a bug in the Android version of RetroArch when mapping the “Pause Game” hotkey. This will break the use of the button within the menu altogether. So for Android, skip that particular hotkey.

*** Note that your SELECT + START hotkey should be set to either “Close Content” or “Quit RetroArch”, but this will depend on your use case. If you plan on using RetroArch as your frontend, then you will want to Close Content to return to the RetroArch menu. If you are using a different frontend, like EmulationStation or LaunchBox, you will want to set it to Quit RetroArch so that when using this hotkey it will return you to the frontend instead.

After you’ve made all of your configurations, go to the RetroArch Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration.

Optional features

An option I like to set with my games is AUTO SAVE / AUTO LOAD. This will create a save state when you close down a game, and then load that save state when you launch the game again. It provides a pick-up-and-play feel to your retro gaming. To set this, use the following two commands:

• Settings > Saving > Auto Save State > ON
• Settings > Saving > Load State Automatically > ON

The auto save/load feature works best when combine with the “Reset Game” hotkey above, so that way if your game loads at a part you don’t want, you can press SELECT + B to reboot the game and start over.

The REWIND feature in RetroArch is helpful when you want to re-do a mistake on the fly. And while we set it as the SELECT + L2 hotkey above, by default this feature should be turned OFF in RetroArch, and then enabled only for certain systems. That’s because this feature has a somewhat high performance tax which can negatively affect performance on systems like PS1 and above. Instead, you will want to use a core override to save this setting. First, start up a game (like an NES game), and then press SELECT + X to bring up the Quick Menu, then navigate to the Rewind section within the Quick Menu. Now select Rewind Support > ON. Now you can go to Quick Menu > Overrides > Save Core Overrides, which will enable rewind support on all NES games running that emulator core.

There is also a RUN AHEAD feature which will reduce latency on certain setups. For example, this may be beneficial when using the Android-based version of RetroArch and a bluetooth controller, to give a more natural feel to retro gaming. Like with the rewind feature, this has a performance tax and should only be used on systems that would benefit from it (like SNES and below). For this reason we’ll use a core override again. First, start up a game (like an NES game), and then press SELECT + X to bring up the Quick Menu, then navigate to the Latency section within the Quick Menu. Now select Run-Ahead to Reduce Latency > ON. Now you can go to Quick Menu > Overrides > Save Core Overrides, which will enable run ahead support on all NES games running that emulator core. Note that this is one of many advanced features to improve latency; here is more information.

Finally, on many versions of RetroArch (specifically those with touchscreen capability, like Android), they may have a TOUCHSCREEN BUTTON OVERLAY on your screen when starting up a game. If you have a controller you likely do not want to see this overlay. To turn it off, go to Settings > On-Screen Display > On-Screen Overlay > Display Overlay > Hide Overlay When Controller is Connected > ON.

Create playlists

You can set up playlists within RetroArch to browse and launch your games directly in the program. This will be helpful if you just want to remain within RetroArch to launch your games. There are two methods for creating playlists in RetroArch:

SCAN DIRECTORY. This is the most straightforward way to make playlists, and is best for systems with unzipped ROMs that have distinct file types (like .nes games). With this option, you will navigate to the folder that contains your ROM files, then select “Scan this Directory”. RetroArch will then recognize and scan the directory for games, and assign the console and assets to that system. You should then see it in your playlist. When you have a more common file type for your games (like .bin files for Genesis games, it’s better to do a Manual Scan).

MANUAL SCAN. This is the preferred way to scan your directories because it gives you more control. Here is the breakdown:

Content Directory: navigate to your ROM folder and select “Scan this Directory”

System Name: select the system name you want to associate with your playlist

Custom System Name: use this if you want to use a special name for this playlist. Note that you will also need to set your “System Name” to “Custom” for this to work

Default Core: select the core you want to associate with this play list. Afterwards you can assign a different core to specific games by selecting the game and choose “Set Core Association”

File Extensions: add in all of the file extensions you want to scan for your console. You can leave this blank if they are all the same (e.g. zip files for arcade games), but for the most part it’s helpful to add these in, especially if you are using several file types. Separate each file extension with a space (no comma), like this for Dremcast: cdi, gdi, chd

Scan Recursively: turn this on if you want to scan subfolders too

Scan Inside Archives: this will scan the files within the zip file, whether you want this on will depend on the system you are scanning. You will want this off if scanning arcade games

Arcade DAT File: this is important if you are scanning arcade games, because it will associate your zip file (“simps2pj”) with a full file name (The Simpsons). To set this up, head to this page and download the latest MAME dat/xml file. Then save this file somewhere that you can access on your device, and choose it when at this part of the menu

Arcade DAT Filter: with this selected, only arcade games that appear in the DAT file will show up in your playlist. Generally you want this setting OFF

Overwrite Existing Playlist: this will overwrite anything already in the playlist. You generally want this OFF if you are just adding new games to your playlist

If you want thumbnails to appear next to your games, you need two things: 1) the files must be named according to the “No Intro” standard (e.g. “Super Mario Bros. 3 (USA)”) and 2) go into Online Updater > On-Demand Thumbnail Downloads > ON so that they will download when you browse through your playlist. Alternatively, you can manually scan each playlist for thumbnails in the Online Updater section instead.

Finally, you can go into Settings > Playlists and adjust how your playlists behave. There is also a Manage Playlists section within here that will allow you to adjust things like the default core, how the thumbnails appear, or just delete the playlist altogether.

Scaling and video options

One of the biggest advantages of using RetroArch is that you can use universal and streamlined video options. So let’s take some time to go over the basics here.

ASPECT RATIO

Let’s first define aspect ratio. A square screen aspect ratio would be defined as 1:1 (or 1.0), and very few game systems ran at this aspect ratio (Watara Supervision). At the other end of the spectrum, a standard widescreen TV aspect ratio would be 16:9, or 1.76,

Most classic home consoles had an aspect ratio of 4:3 to match CRT TVs. Handheld systems had varying aspect ratios, due to having a variety of screens. Arcade system aspect ratios are also all over the place, because each cabinet was different. Some other notes:

• Aspect ratios for some systems are not set in stone. Atari 2600 games didn’t technically have pixels, so they are at a different standard. Similarly, more modern consoles like the PS2 had widescreen options and variable resolutions.
• The NES had a resolution of 256×240, but only showed 256×224 on NSTC screens (which were limited to 224 vertical pixels); the 256×240 resolution can still be displayed on emulators. So while the NTSC TV showed an aspect ratio of 4:3 (1.33), most emulators show NES at 16:15 (1.07), and likely look best at a 4:3 anyway.
• Some games actually had different native resolutions on the same system. Most NTSC SNES games had a native resolution of 256×224 pixels, while Star Fox had 224×190, and Yoshi’s Island had 256×208. So for the chart below I stuck with the general NTSC aspect ratios.
• PAL TVs output a 240-pixel height, so PAL ROMs may have different resolutions than shown below. PAL ROMs on Nintendo GameCube have a resolution of 768×576.
• Some systems introduced scaling for certain games. For example, the PS1 mostly played games at a resolution of 320×240, but some scenes could scale up to 640×480. N64 games could scale from 320×240 up to 640×480 as well.

Common aspect ratios for handheld and home console systems (click to enlarge)

So why is aspect ratio important? Because if you plan on playing RetroArch on a modern TV or monitor (which likely has a 16:9 aspect ratio), emulated systems at their native aspect ratio will have black bars on the left and right sides. If you want to preserve the native aspect ratio then it’s all good, but if you want to stretch out the display to take up more space on your TV, then you will need to adjust scaling options.

You can adjust the aspect ratio by going into Settings > Video > Scaling > Aspect Ratio and adjusting your global configuration. I would recommend “Core Provided” since that will allow each emulator core to decide the appropriate aspect ratio. If you want to stretch the aspect ratio to fit your screen no matter what, you would want to select your screen’s ratio (like 16:9). Just beware that the emulation police will likely come for you if you don’t use the proper aspect ratio.

After you have made your adjustment, go to Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration. You could also use the Overrides function to make core-specific or game-specific configurations.

INTEGER SCALING

Because many handheld systems had a much lower pixel density than the resolution of your TV, monitor, or phone, some of these systems will benefit from integer scaling. Integer scaling is defined as scaling by a factor of a whole number (2x, 3x, etc), as opposed to non-integer scaling (1.5x, etc). When turned on, RetroArch will scale up to the greatest integer scale below your device’s resolution. So for Nintendo 64 games, which have a native resolution of 640×480, it will scale up to 2x, or 1240×960, with black borders on all sides. This will keep a 1:1 pixel ratio and everything will look nice and crisp, so long as you don’t mind the black bars around the image.

If you don’t turn on integer scaling, the image will scale to match your device’s display (while preserving aspect ratio) to fill out as much of the screen as possible, but this may result in pixel distortion which can make some pixels look distorted on your display. You may not notice the difference, which is totally fine. You can also use shaders or filters to re-balance the image, as you’ll see in the section below.

To turn on integer scaling, go to Settings > Video > Scaling > Integer Scaling and make your adjustment. Like with everything else, you will need to save your configuration file, and you could also use overrides to make per-core or per-game settings, too.

Shaders and filters

You can add Shaders to your game image to recreate classic looks (like scanlines to mimic CRT displays) or LCD grids, and more. They are stackable and adjustable, giving you a lot of freedom in their implementation. For more information on shaders, check out this page from RetroArch. Shaders can become very complex, so we will stick with just the basics here.

To find shaders, start a game then enter the Quick Menu > Shaders > Video Shaders > ON, then navigate to the Load menu. You will likely have the choice of glsl or slang shaders; slang shaders are newer but may not be compatible with your device. You can experiment with the two to find which set you prefer. Within each shader folder will be subfolders that contain shader collections. Some of the best places to start looking are the handheld folder (for handheld systems) or the interpolation folder. Once you have found shaders you like, you can save them as global, core-based, or game-based presets within the Shaders folder.

Filters behave a lot like shaders but are more CPU intensive, although sometimes they can create a more accurate effect than shaders alone. You can find the filters section in Settings > Video > Video Filter. The Normal 2x and 4x shaders are effective in balancing pixels when not using integer scaling. This will give you the best “clean” screen option but will have some CPU tax, so I do not recommend using them on lower-end consoles like RK3326 handheld devices (Abernic RG351 series, PowKiddy RGB10, etc.). Another set of filters that work really well with NES and SNES games are the Blargg filters, which recreate the experience of using an older television set. Once you have found a filter you like, you can save the configuration file for a global setting, or use overrides for core-specific or game-specific settings.

Note that the way you save shaders versus filters is different. Shaders are saved by their own presets within the Shaders setting menu, while Filters are saved via overrides or the global configuration file (Save Current Configuration).

Core options

The last settings worth messing with are core options. You can find these by starting up a game, entering the Quick Menu > Options section, and seeing what core options are available. For example, on higher-end systems like N64 or PSP, within the core options you can find the ability to upscale the resolution from 480p to 720p or 1080p, or higher. Each core options section will be unique to that core, so go in there and see what options you have. If you have any questions about any of these settings, I recommend consulting the LibRetro Docs page and browsing their Core Library to see what options are available and what they do.

An easy example of core options would be to adjust colorization options for Game Boy within the Gambatte core, demonstrated above.

• Open a Game Boy game in RetroArch
• Bring up the RetroArch Quick Menu, then go to Options > GB Colorization > Internal. Next, go to Internal Palette > Special 1. This will produce a night light green colorization. For colorization that is more in line with the original DMG display, set it to Options > GB Colorization > DMG. Experiment to find what you like best! Above you can see three Super Game Boy colorization options.
• To set it as default for that game or for all Game Boy games no further configuration is necessary. Core options will automatically save when you close the game out. To save it for a specific game, go to Options > Manage Core Options > Save Game Options.

Another core options adjustment you could make in Gambatte is LCD ghosting, which will recreate the original blur effect on the Game Boy.

• Go to Quick Menu > Options > Interframe Blending. There you will see two LCD ghosting effects:
  • LCD Ghosting (Accurate)
  • LCD Ghosting (Fast)
• To set it as default, go to Overrides > Save Content Directory Overrides.

Finally, in addition to ghosting and GB colorization, the Gambatte RetroArch core also provides an accurate color correction for Game Boy Color games, as you can see above. This setting is found in Quick Menu > Options > Color Correction Mode > Accurate. You can also adjust the “frontlight position” options within Color Correction Mode to tone down any harsh contrast in your current configuration.

RetroAchievements

One neat feature that is available within RetroArch is a service called RetroAchievements. These function as you would expect — as you complete a milestone in a retro game, you will get an achievement pop-up celebrating that accomplishment. Moreover, you can track your achievements from within RetroArch or on the RetroAchievements website. And if you want to go all the way down the rabbit hole, you could compete with friends or join the community to participate in discussions or contribute to creating or refining achievements in the future. Note the you must be connected to the internet for RetroAchievements to work.

To get started, go to RetroAchievements.org and register for a free account. Then in RetroArch, go to Settings > Achievements > ON and enter your username and password. Finally, to save this setting, go to Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration. The same account can be used on multiple versions of RetroArch spread across various platforms.

If you’d like to add me as a friend or track my (abysmal) progress on retro games, here is my profile.

Cheats

RetroArch has an embedded universal cheat system, which can be used in a pinch or for the duration of your game.

To set these up, you must first go into Main Menu > Online Updater > Update Cheats. This will download the cht database and install everything automatically.

If you do not have internet access on your device, or if you use an operating system that doesn’t enable the cheats downloader function, you can still load cheats offline. This only needs to be done one time.

First, go to this GitHub page and click on the green “Code” button, and select Download Zip. Download that file, and unzip it. Inside you’ll find a folder named “cht”, and within that, a bunch of game system folders. Grab the game system folders for the systems that you want to enable cheats for, and place those folders somewhere handy, like in a “Cheats” folder within the GAMES folder where your ROMs reside.

Open up RetroArch then navigate to Settings > Directory > Cheat File, and then navigate to the Cheats folder, then select <Use This Directory>. To save this setting, go to Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration. Now, whenever you try and load cheats, it will default to your Cheats folder to find your cheat files.

Once you have the cheat files installed, it’s easy to activate them. Start up a game, then go to Quick Menu > Cheats > Load Cheat File

Updating RetroArch

The process of updating RetroArch is unique for each system. For example, on Windows, you can update the program by simply overwriting the .exe file with a newer version. For more information, I recommend going to the installation page of your respective RetroArch version and see what the team says to do. I wouldn’t sweat too much about keeping the absolute latest version of RetroArch on your device; it’s often enough to use a stable build and update your cores via the Online Update tool instead.

Another way to update RetroArch is to do a manual reinstallation while preserving your most critical files. To do so, you would want to go into the Settings > Directory section and point some important folders to somewhere besides the default RetroArch folder. Here is the process:

• Create the following folders somewhere safe:
  • System/BIOS
  • Thumbnails
  • Configs
  • Cheat Files
  • Overlays
  • Controller Profiles
  • Input Remaps
  • Playlists
  • Save Files
  • Save States
• Note that if you are just starting up RetroArch for the first time (i.e. nothing is saved in the corresponding RetroArch folders already), you don’t need to do anything else. However, if you have been using RetroArch for a while already, then you want to go into the default RetroArch folders and copy their contents from their current location to your new location.
• Go into Settings > Directory and point the above directories to their new location.
• Before installing the new version of RetroArch, you need to find the retroarch.cfg file on your system. Its location will vary by device. On PC, you can find it in the root directory of the retroarch.exe file. On Android, it will be found in the Android > Data > com.retroarch.aarch64 (or similar) folder. Save a copy of this file somewhere you can access later.
• Download and install the new version of RetroArch and install it onto your device. You may need to delete the old one first (don’t worry, the folders you saved elsewhere will be fine). Before starting up RetroArch for the first time, place a copy of the retroarch.cfg in the same place where you found it originally.
• Launch RetroArch and it should pull up the retroarch.cfg file and all of your settings and directory locations along with it. You will need to go into the Online Updater tool and re-download assets, databases, etc.

Further reading

This guide, while quite long, only scrapes the surface of what is available in RetroArch. I’ve made a couple dedicated guides for other functions, such as multi-disk gameplay, or NetPlay. You can find those guides below, and let me know in the comments if there is something else you’d like me to tackle in the future.

Multi-Disk Gameplay Guide
NetPlay Guide

Changelog

28FEB2022
– published guide

The Anbernic RG552 is a unique device in that it can boot into both Linux and Android, giving users a wide variety of use cases. In this guide we’ll go over some of your options when it comes to the Linux operating system, including a pre-configured SD card image that you can download and use directly on your device.

Some caveats:

• The Linux operating system that ships with the device is a modified version of Batocera v29. Several development teams (including the official Batocera team) are already hard at work on updated firmware that will improve the user experience. This guide is meant to be a stop-gap while we wait for proper updated firmware.
• This guide will show you how to install a pre-configured SD card image you can simply flash an SD card that has all of the changes baked in.
• I DO NOT recommend flashing this SD card image over your existing 16GB card that came with the device. Keep that one around for safekeeping; instead, I recommend using a SanDisk Ultra 16GB card because it is more reliable and can be found for under $10.
• If you don’t want to flash a new SD card image, I will also link to a shell script that will provide most of the tweaks to your existing stock firmware.
• Once custom firmware is available, I will likely NOT recommend using this guide, since updated firmware will likely improve the user experience as well as emulation performance.
• This updated image will include optimized hotkeys, auto save/load for most systems, scaling, and aspect ratios, plus the ability to download new themes.
• Big thanks to developers FGL82 and konsumschaf for help with dialing in the proper settings, and TheGreatCrippler for helping shrink down this image to a manageable size.

For now, I would focus on using the Linux interface for PS1 and below gameplay. The emulators on the Android OS side are much more optimized and will give you better performance across the board. Custom firmware might make Linux more performative in the future, but for now I would use Android for Nintendo DS, Dreamcast, PSP, Nintendo 64, Panasonic 3D0, Atari Jaguar, and Nintendo GameCube.

So without any further delay, let’s jump into it.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pre-configured stock Linux image
Configuration shell script
Backup version of stock Linux firmware
Setting up a second SD card image
Hotkeys
Adding additional themes
SNES + NES scaling recommendations
Scrape media for your games
Notes

Changelog

Pre-configured stock Linux image

The easiest way to get a nicely tuned Linux firmware is to simply flash my pre-configured image onto a new microSD card. This is the latest release of Anbernic’s firmware image, which contains the audio latency improvement. I recommend flashing this image onto the following 16GB microSD card:

SanDisk Ultra (16GB)

Note that this pre-configured Linux image does NOT have BIOS files, but it’s easy to grab them from your old card (instructions below).

• Insert your old 16GB SD card into your PC, and make a copy of the BIOS folder found inside the GAMES partition. If you have any save games you’d like to move over to the new card, grab them from the SAVES folder as well.
• Download and unzip this SD CARD IMAGE, then insert your microSD card into your PC or Mac
• Use an SD card flashing tool like Balena Etcher (available for Mac & PC), Win32 Disk Imager, or Rufus to flash the card image to the SD card.
• Resize the GAMES partition to its maximum size possible using DiskGenius (PC) or Disk Utility (Mac). Watch the video for a demonstration.
• Copy the BIOS files into the BIOS folder on your new card (and same if you copied any save games)

Configuration shell script

Developer konsumschaf created this handy shell script that will automatically set auto save/load and all of the hotkey, scaling, and aspect ratio settings for you. Note that this won’t pre-configure the standalone emulators like PSP and Nintendo DS like on the pre-configured SD card image above, so you’ll have to do those on your own. This is a great option if you don’t want to flash a new SD card image but want new settings without having to figure it out yourself.

• Download and unzip this SHELL SCRIPT.
• Place the .sh file into the PORTS folder of your SD2 card
• Start up the device, navigate to the Ports section, and then run the “Settings” option within. This will shut the device down. When you start up the device again, your settings will be changed.

Backup version of stock Linux firmware

If you would like to simply install the stock firmware onto an SD card without any pre-configurations, here is the image:

• Head over to RGHandhelds’ RG552 repository and download the latest Linux clean stock image.

Setting up a second SD card image

If your device didn’t come with a second SD card, or you want to make your own, it’s pretty easy to set it up. The stock Linux firmware has a handy tool where it will automatically create all of the necessary folders for you if you place a microSD card into the second slot. This will work with cards that are exFAT or FAT32 formatted. While exFAT is more stable, I recommend using FAT32 formatting for now because the stock Android firmware on this device cannot read exFAT partitions. So until we have a new Android image, it’s best to use FAT32 so that you can use the same SD card in the second slot for both Android and Linux.

These are the cards I recommend for your SD2 card:

128GB cards:
SanDisk Extreme
Samsung EVO Select
Samsung Pro Endurance (more reliable but pricey)
SanDisk Ultra

256GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

Instructions:

• Format the SD2 (external) card to FAT32
  • If using Windows, use the guiformat tool to format the card to FAT32. You can name it whatever you want.
  • If you have a Mac, “Erase” the disk using the Mac’s built-in Disk Utility app, with the format MS-DOS (FAT), name it whatever you want.
• Insert the SD2 card into your device, boot the device up, and then shut it down within the game menu. Now place the card back into your computer, and you should have all of the populated folders.

Hotkeys

Here are the hotkeys that I’ve set in these pre-configured settings. Note that on the Linux OS side, I have basically removed the need for the Function (F) button on the bottom of the device, because it is too near the RESET button.

SELECT + START = quit game
SELECT + Y = show FPS
SELECT + X = RetroArch menu
SELECT + A = pause game
SELECT + B = reset game
SELECT + L1 = load state
SELECT + R1 = save state
SELECT + L2 = rewind (when enabled)
SELECT + R2 = toggle fast forward
SELECT + L3 = toggle runahead (improves input latency on some systems)
SELECT + R3 = take a screen shot

Adding additional themes

This image will contain a number of new themes, many of which are pretty nice on this device. If you’d like to install additional themes, simply go to the Updates & Downloads section in the Main Menu, then select Themes, and download them from there (note that an internet connection is required). You could also grab them from this repository, unzip the file, and place the folder inside the THEMES folder within the GAMES partition on your SD card. You can find the themes in the Batocera menu under UI Settings.

SNES + NES scaling recommendations

Developer FGL82 (who created the amazing SimpleMenu frontend for RG350/280 devices) noted that vertical integer scaling for SNES at a 4:3 aspect ratio requires custom settings. This will give a 4:3 image at 5x scaling for SNES and NES games, and has been added to the preconfigured SD card image.

Aspect Ratio: Custom
Custom Aspect Ratio (X Position): 15
Custom Aspect Ratio (Y Position): 214
Custom Aspect Ratio (Width): 1120 (5x)
Custom Aspect Ratio (Height): 1493
Crop Overscan: ON

Scrape media for your games

If you are interested in scraping media for your games, you can either use the built-in scraping tool in Batocera, or do it yourself on your PC. The video above will walk you through how to add your own media.

Notes

Some random notes about this stock Linux firmware:

• It does not support sleep mode.
• The PlayStation menu doesn’t show .cue files, so if you are using bin/cue files that have multiple bin files, I recommend using .pbp format games instead.
• You cannot change the volume within the Linux PSP emulator. Prepare for it to be really loud. Press SELECT + B to open the PPSSPP menu. From there, you can go to Settings > Audio > Global volume and lower the volume there instead.
• To bring up the DraStic (Nintendo DS) menu, press the MENU button on the bottom of the device. Note that you have to move the cursor around to see anything, and the cursor won’t highlight with every button press. It’s a pain to navigate.

Changelog

27DEC2021
– published guide
– updated the link to konsumschaf’s GitHub

Buy one here
Updated Linux firmware image

Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:36 tech specs
02:37 unboxing & impressions
06:41 size & weight comparison
08:30 ergonomics
12:06 Linux OS orientation
12:57 screen showcase
19:45 Linux OS emulation performance
26:01 Android OS orientation & frontends
29:57 Android OS emulation performance
36:08 game & media streaming
38:15 HDMI output
40:12 summary (likes & dislikes)
46:14 who should buy the RG552?
49:25 conclusion