Anyone else here right into emulation/roms/CFW and retro handhelds? What've you got + what are you playing?

I'm an admin for RetroAchievements, so I interact with emulation quite a bit even outside my "me" time. Very few limits on what I'll play for a while, but it all happens on the steam deck these days. I shared my ROM drive with my deck over the network, so I don't have to burn extra drive space for it.

So what are you enjoying the most lately?
Any recommendations above all other games?
So glad I opted to get the Steam Deck, it feels so comfortable to play for long sessions for me. And the systems it can play are so varied!
Haven't yet looked into Retro Achievements. Maybe it is time I do!
- Honestly lately I've been playing steam games, but I feel a retro kick coming on soon. It's hard to know what'll catch my attention before it happens though. :P
oh hey that's sick, i just connected retroachievements to my retroid and it's very cool. i never achievement hunt but I still enjoy that little dopamine rush when the ping hits.
there's some really clever ones there too. i'm definitely trying to do the "16 notes for every battle theme" in Mother 3

Oooh boy, everything I own that is moddable gets modded at the earliest (financial, mostly 😝) convenience. Currently I'm the proud owner of a modded Switch, 3DS, GBA, GBA SP, PS3, PS4 and of course, my darling PS Vita! I almost can't help myself with these things... All that stuff and, yet, all I seem to have time for is the excellent Metroid Prime Remaster... One day, backlog...One day...

I know the feeling! I got bored and modded my 3DS back in 2020 and have just been getting more into it since! I've got my 3DS, Vita, and my recent favorite is my modded WiiU.
That and the multiple retro handhelds that I own lol. I have so many games I want to get to but I keep just playing Mario Golf on them...
Hope you're enjoying the Prime Remaster btw. It's an incredible game
- It's one of the best remasters I've seen in a while, and it runs so well! It's probably one of the only games I can play without overclocking at all!
You're just like me, I mod everything I can get my hands on. How is the ps vita? Its the last major handheld that I want for gaming and modding.
- It's probably my favourite handheld in terms of build quality and feel! Not the best emulation system, but it certainly is the most comprehensive Sony console (You get perfect PS1 emulation, it practically has a PSP built in, and then there Is the Vita library which is full of hidden gems). If you decide to pull the trigger, I doubt you'll be disappointed! Just keep in mind that the (IMO superior) OLED model needs an original memory card (any size) to be modded, so try to find a listing with one included!
How does one mod the PS4? Any resources worth looking at?
- This should get you on the right track

The Steam Deck has taken over gaming for me lately. Really loving playing modded BoTW and starting Disco Elysium via the Switch YUZU emulator.

But you'll see my V2 Miyoo Mini (with a Metal Gear Solid theme! and a jailbroken Switch).

...also just started playing Wasteland 3 on the Steam Deck. Enjoying how it has the older Fallout feeling.

Does the PC version of disco Elysium not work on Linux? That seems like it would be the better experience otherwise
- It does, perfectly fine! Was just one of the first I tried in the Yuzu program, as a proof of it working fine.
  Time passed, I'd gone too far in the game to want to start over, so I just kept playing there!
I love the look of the miyoo devices, I'm waiting on shipping for the Plus and am pretty excited to play with it.
I love my steam deck and have emudeck and a bunch of Roms on it, but have been spending more time getting through my backlog of more recent games on Steam than I have emulating lately. Didn't know modded BotW was possible though, what mods do you run on it?
- Damn, replied to this but the comment failed.
  -I have FPS++ (so it runs at up to 60 fps - thought I limit it at the sweet spot of 40 fps
  -Day Time set to 96 minutes of...well, day time
  -Extended Memory to add 2gb of emulated ram
  -Linkle Mod 3.0.1 for Linkle instead of Link
  -Liinkle Dialog Fix
  -Xbox Controller Button Layout
  -And I have shader cache and vulcan pipelines so that there is no slowdown at all.
  It works perfectly! And so many other mods to use out there

ME ME ME ME! I created /r/flashcarts over on Reddit, and I've been wondering if there might be an appetite for a similar community here.

The smaller scale might mean it is more pragmatic to have a community dedicated to all of the above rather than just flash cartridges.

I would love to see a general Retro Gaming/Modding/etc instance on beehaw!
- Me too. I think a smaller community would help, too. Less people means more personalised content, and eaiser to help one another!
- Oh me too, I REALLY want a place to congregate with other retro enthusiasts.
Nice! I'm a huge fan of KRIKzz's flash carts! And a community like you set up on Reddit would be great!
This is my first post, so here's me and my gaming:
I recently sold my retro collection to help buy a house. But before that, I dumped all of my games to the Polymega and a RetroFreak. I do have an Analogue Pocket, SuperNT and MegaSG each with flash carts. For the Pocket, I updated the firmware to support more FPGA cores and it works great!
I used to do gaming posts to Instagram, but you know, life gets in the way LOL

The steam deck has been a game changer for me in this regard. I used to try emulation but often didn't have a gamepad with the relevant PC for too long. Now I have one I can designate for emulation and it has a gamepad built in.

Isn't Emudeck just an amazing piece of software?!
- It's a total game changer. And the fact that it integrates each ROM as a Steam library item is so nice! No more trying to remember where I saved my ROMs using a file explorer

Been using my PS Vita as my portable emulation machine for a while now. Super easy to mod with the added bonus of being able to play Vita games.

I always recommend to anyone who wants a handheld to go for a Vita, even if you don't emulate anything other than PSP and PS1 that gives you access to thousands and thousands of games. Add onto that the fact it's past end of life, it's nearly a moral responsibility to mod it.
That said I also have a modded 3ds. I have modded my ps1, ps2 and ps3. I've modded my OG XBOX and 360.
All aboard the mod train....CHOO CHOOOOOOOO!
- Oh for sure! Gotta remember to play the games as well after all that modding lol
- How much are ps vitas these days? I've been really hankering for one, for the reasons you mentioned.

Ayn Odin! Love this little thing, currently playing through Pokemon Radical Red romhack (it's hard as hell but I'm getting through it). This little device is honestly a beast.

Came to post thus as well. Really love it. Just destroyed FF7 and now in a few hours in to FFX.
Its a powerfull little device.

Please play Pokemon Unbound. Its a Pokemon Rom Hack and just the best Pokemon game i have ever played

I’ve had a Steam Deck for a while and recently got an Anbernic RG405m (running GammaOS) which I’m very pleased with

Absolutely! Good games, like movies or books, are timeless, and some of the best ones are from past consoles. I know it is a recent phenomena, but it is incredible having a complete game that will never be updated again is refreshing. Having the entire experiencing, bugs and all, without the pyschic burden that you are missing out because the developers are still working on it is nice.

All my Nintendo consoles that can be modded are modded, so Wii(U) and (3)DS (XL)s. Playstation Portable and Vita are modded.

I have a Cannoo somewhere, early emulation handheld. GBA hardware clone. I want to buy a really good SBC for retro gaming, but I am getting caught up on the best screen ratio and trying to keep up with the latest chip sets.

ROMs are great. I treat them like music or any other art. If the original developers and artists are not getting paid, the estate is not getting my money. Nobody should get passive income just because they own the rights to something.

I used to be a huge fan of Neo Geo and old arcade stuff, so I setup a MAME pc in an old arcade cabinet, using the old crt monitor, and hooked it up with some simple self made joystick panel. It suits my emulation needs 😃

I spent a LOT of time earlier this year learning how to get RetroArch working since I had never bothered with it before (I come from the early age emulators, before the relatively recent trend of running them through a front end). I walked away from it thinking RetroArch might be one of the most infuriating pieces of software I've ever rotten my hands on. Bloated, Buggy, terrible ux design, a lot of seemingly basic functionality not supported whatsoever, I really genuine nelt hated my time troubleshooting it.

Standalone emulators mean you spend less time angrily combing through forums and watching YouTube support vids at 2x speed; and more time playing your roms.

This is besides the notoriously cruel and intolerant behavior of the RetroArch dev team. They're seriously bad people.

Don't use RetroArch kids, make everyone's lives just a fraction more pleasant. :)

I used to have a PSP but now I just use an old Android + retroarch with a Razer kishi

I use retroach on both my PC and my android. With my android (LG v60) I use a Gamesir Bluetooth controller.

Currently trying to master SimCity on the SNES (have two achievements left). I've also been doing as many Gen 1 Professor Oak Challenges as I can. However, my main systems are NES and GBA.

I had so much fun jailbreaking my Switch. I honestly love it so much, and having something like the Tinfoil (Pixel) shop on there where you can download what you like.
But, since getting my Steam Deck, it really is no comparison, especially with being able to emulate some Switch games on there!

I have a similar setup, Switch with CFW, RG350p for more portable retro games like GBA etc, and then the SteamDeck has just been an emulation beast. Absolutely love that thing

Yeah the Steam Deck with EmuDeck has been amazing for this. Between emulating all my old childhood consoles and having my whole Steam library (pretty much) available, it's like having my entire gaming lifetime in one machine.

I have a modded 3DS with a lot of games loaded onto it, but I haven't used it in quite a while. I'm mainly a PC player, so I use retroarch for older systems (up to n64) and standalone emulators for newer systems. The next game on my list is to try Red Dead Redemption again. RPCS3 has gotten better since the last time I tried it, so hopefully my laptop can handle it!

Red dead redemption is pretty performant on Xenia these days, much better than rpcs3.
- Great to hear, thanks for the tip!

Been using my CFW switch to play FF4, got the pixel remaster and I'm going to be playing Chrono Trigger soon on it

I've been playing a lot on this Miyoo Mini Plus recently. Tiny, but surprisingly easy to play, and great for picking up for quick gaming sessions. With OnionOS, and its Game Switcher, you can be in and gaming in seconds.

So far, I've played through GBA Circle of the Moon and Aria of Sorrow on it. Great games!

Ive been eyeing that device, shame white was sold out in minutes. I dont like the grey or the colored versions. Kinda cheap as well compared to similar devices.
- In fact, the white one is the most readily available currently... I got this one because they were all sold out of the black one, and it's the one I see most often on Miyoo's Ali Express store.
  That said, the temptation to buy all four is strong, so the order you get them in becomes increasingly irrelevant :)

was just listening to that song last night lol

I'm mostly into SNES and GBA emulation. Downloaded full packs of ROMs for each.

Currently playing Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. I avoided this game for a long time due to the bad rep ("it's too easy"), but I've been having fun with it. (Blazing Sword is still better though.)

I have a jailbroken ps3 that I use solely for transit, basic emulators and roms on my laptop. My goal is to build a little emulation box with a raspberry pi. I honestly enjoy messing with the consoles and such more than playing games, haha.

My powkiddy v90 was a godsend those dead Sunday nights. I played mostly Tetris games, though I finished some RPGs on it. Not that strong, especially with a couple of SNES (Mario kart being one) running more than sluggish. I can't complain, it's a nice device for real cheap

I used to own a BC PS3, a PS5, a Wii U, a switch and a new 2ds xl to give me access to all PlayStation and Nintendo games (running CFW on all devices except the PS5). However, I have slowly shifted to owning just a powerful PC and my 2DS. The only games I don't get a perfect experience with are Wii U games because there is no great way to emulate the Wii U gamepad. And of course I can't play PS4 and PS5 exclusives anymore, but I am just banking on Sony eventually releasing all the interesting titles on PC.

OOO YES. I have a gameboy advance, a ds lite, a 3ds xl, a new 3ds, and a switch, but I primarily use my switch and my gameboy advance. Playing old pokemon games and gba romhacks on the native screen size is really nice.

Love my little miyoo mini, I've been playing a lot of pokemon emerald rogue, perfect for pickup and play type of gameplay for when I'm riding public transit or when it's a little slow at work.

Aww man, I could neverown a Miyoo mini since it's actually too small for my hands, but otherwise that thing is cool.
I play everything on an Anbernic 353p. Just finished Pokemon Trading Card Game 2 with a translation patch.

I have a 2DS XL with custom firmware, since emulation isn't perfect yet, and the console is infinitely portable.
I also have a hacked Vita, but that doesn't get much use anymore since it was just a Persona 3 Portable and 4 Golden machine, and that's now on PC. It's still sometimes handy to play niche games that were never ported to other platforms.

I recently got a retroid flip and plays pretty much everything before the PS2 and GameCube. Only had it a few days but I absolutely love the clamshell design. Makes it feel a lot more like a console instead of android phone with a controller attached to it.

Right now I'm bouncing around between stuff but I'm doing a Mother 3 replay, Pokémon Unbound, and Breath of Fire 4.

I was super curiois about the flip. I remember loving my DSi back in the day, for how it was protected when not using it.
Any issues so far?
- so far i really like it! I got the grip with it since I have mr. krabs voice big, meaty claws, but it's fantastic after some set-up, especially throwing the daijisho frontend on top. my favorite part is probably the battery. i played mother 3 for like 3 hours and it went from 100% to 90. gonna be great for my long flight

I have 2 retro handhelds, the Ambernic RG351V (in the faux-woodgrain, obviously), and a Miyoo Mini+. Most of the time I prefer the Miyoo Mini, because it's smaller and more portable. However, I think the aftermarket OS options for the 351V are more mature.

Currently I've been working my way through Earthbound. I've never played it before and I can see why people like it so much. It has such character!

Those RG351 (and "clones" of it, stolen schematics/resellers?) are pretty sick!

Yeah. I have a few emulators on my devices and a hacked wii u, and a ps3 with hfw.

Wii u gamepad broke but i had wii u, wii, gamecube, ps1, n64, and retroarch emulators.

My ps3 is somewhere but i got it loaded with games and even had fallout 3 with mods working on it

Havent been playing much on emualtors. But i keep trying different ones. I have retroarch, citra, and dolphin on my phone and i samus returns, wind waker randomizer, and fe: path of radiance.

But for the most part ive just been playing elden ring

I've been playing on my Anbernic RG351P for a while now. I recently started playing Super Mario World on it for like the 100th time

I have an Anbernic RG351P and I'm currently playing Shin Megami Tensei and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams on it. For my desktop computer, I have RetroArch to play PlayStation 1 games from my childhood. Right now I'm working through Tail Concerto and Tomba!. I'm considering playing Jet Set Radio Future too because I'm so excited for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk lol.

I've been carrying my rg35xx everyday in my work bag. I've been slowly working my way through fire emblem.

I'm also working on making a game in gb studio with my partner! She's pretty excited as well as myself.

I often use my Funkey S when emulating. https://www.funkey-project.com/

How's the battery on this thing? I've been really interested in the idea of tiny handhelds but it just seems like something that might give out in an hour or so.
- If playing lighter systems(ex. gameboy) it can last 2-3 hours. Emulating playstation is likely the most demanding for it and would last only about an hour. It's hard to make something small while also making it last long on battery, but I think it does really well for what it is.

I like to modify and repair retro consoles and handhelds, so I have a pretty large collection in various states of repair: GameBoys DMG/Pocket/Color, DS Lites, NESs, SNESs, GameCubes, N64s, a Dreamcast (what I currently have hooked up to my big workshop crt), PS1s, PS2s, a PS3 that I think is beyond repair, a few perfect condition Xbox 360s...I think that's it.

In emulation, aside from on my PCs, I have a couple of modded PSPs and a Vita, though I really only use the Vita since I got that.

I loved fixing up Gameboys, back in (a total guess here) 2017/18 or so. My favourite was to do up a Gameboy Pocket.
But then the prices of buying a few from Japan jusy skyrocketed. I understand the hobby grew in popularity, but boy oh boy did the prices go up!
- Yeah, there's a few things that have happened. 1) With Covid, Japan Post stopped shipping to the US (and I presume elsewhere, too). So now, instead of paying $5 shipping, I'm paying between $15-25. 2) The hobby became popular as a business by people with a lot of cash and flashy stores. The prices of consoles, both modded and unmodded went up ridiculously. 3) Collectors have gotten kind of crazy with prices as well.
  Pre-pandemic, I could typically buy a broken screen GBC from Japan for $15 plus $5 shipping, pay $80 in parts to give it a new shell, backlit screen, and usb-c rechargeable battery, and sell it for $120, financing the next project. Now, the parts are the same but you aren't finding a broken GBC for under $50, yet you're still probably looking at $120-130 for sale price, making it hard to break even. At that point, you might as well be building Gunpla. Sucks but I still do it (also Gunpla).

Heck yea, I am a retro enthusiast. I currently have a PiBoy DMG running emulation staion and a customized version of Raspberry Pi OS w/ joycon and buttons mapped to a mouse emulation - its a nice form factor for having a portable Linux-box in the field... I still get looks when I whip out a 'gameboy' to do some actual work. :P

I stick to mostly 8bit and 16bit platforms, so the Pi 4 is more than enough for me...

I also have a few retro computer setups; of course, a C=128 for all my Commodore needs - an Apple g4 basketball w/ MacOS 9 - an antique Philco Predicta television that runs both some Python script for random vintage videos, and can serve up PONG - I retrofitted an old PONG controller w/ a Pi Pico so it feels right.

I have a couple other machines that bring me back to the 486 MS-DOS days. :P

Nice to know theres other folks that are into this hobby - cheers!

I tried playing NES ROMs on my old Nintendo DSi XL but the emulator runs the games a little too fast. SNES roms run okay but the aspect ratio isn't quite right.

Surprisingly, my favourite emulator on this system is SCUMMVM. It's so much fun playing old point and click adventure games with the stylus.

Currently putting together a bartop arcade for emulation. Planning to use one of the Sffpc lenovo's I have laying around running batocera. Using secondary hookups that I can pull out and hook up my steam deck as well. Mostly playing galaga.

Still one of my favorite games by far. I was planning to buy a bartop kit but decided to travel back home and spend some time with my Dad. I think it'll be a good weekend project for us to work on together.