kingpotato
Ask me about my Stream Deck
You're wrong.So, last one I checked was RetroArch which was like the promised All-In-One easy to use ultimate emulator.
Only to find out that wasn't the case, like at all.
You're wrong.So, last one I checked was RetroArch which was like the promised All-In-One easy to use ultimate emulator.
Only to find out that wasn't the case, like at all.
To be fair, the RA team know the UI isn't perfect, but it isn't their priority at the moment.Is this a serious question or it's just a rant about RatroArch?
Listen, i don't know anything about your experience as a user, your IQ, your patience, etc. Maybe RetroArch wasn't made for you.
Personally, i can't use anything else. Now that i got used to it and know how exactly it works, i want to get rid of every other standalone emulator, though some are still better to use as such like Dolphin and PCSX2.
People who complain about it's complexity and quirks, i understand. But it's not a waste of time like you claim it is.
I've seen this, but what end user is supposed to care? Does anyone really expect people to drop a program with fantastic features and convenience because one person on the team is a cock? Even if he is a huge arsehole as a lot of testimony suggests, it doesn't diminish how good RA is overall despite its imperfections that this person wants to push like it brings the emulation industry into disrepute and he's the head of an emulation governing body.
RA could have been a cool project, but sometimes it sucks. Like those claims: Woaaaaahhh, texture replacement, PGXP, link cable emulation, next level PS emulation!!1!!1!!
All you need to know about us software developers. We're one of the largest markets for manual transmission cars.(I think sums us up pretty well and what a lot of people in the field think about ease of use.)Retroarch is incredibly user-hostile. Its' also amazing in terms of what it can do once you get your head around it.
You are running into the fundamental problem with programmers - they like to make things powerful and flexible, and if this causes accessibility to go out of the window they are OK with that. The net result is that when confronted with all these options the average naïve user just develops this "deer in the headlights" stare and has no idea what to do. Once you start to get a feel for how it works, then it all starts to make sense.
I was on the PS3hack forum when retroarch started (back in 2010/11), the initial retroarch dev had serious issues from the get go... back then there was another similar project based on mednafen, but with a nice GUI, anyway there was a spat between the two for some reason, and well that guy do started the retroarch project drove the other one out (not sure how these things go).The drama is between certain developer, not the whole project itself. Teh developer in question isn't even the original author of RetroArch.
I 100% agree.This is not a thread specifically for RetroArch. That was just anecdotic. Nor to call out any emulator developers (which mind you, I already told they do better work than the biggest gaming companies in regards to old games support).
It's about emulators UI/UX and the almost to non-existant basic use of it.
This is a very boring argument. This is a discussion on how difficult emulators are to use at times, it doesn't matter if they're free, you can't price gate a discussion. It doesn't need a price tag.I mean, you're not paying for them...
so if you're that upset by it, why not code a good UI yourself? Whether you then sell or share the fruits of your labour (that let's face it, you aren't going to do and therefore have), would be up to you.
Polymega. I know its not technically what you are asking for but it does work as designed. You can expand the internal with an SSD or use a microsd card. Your games will install to the system so you don't need to keep your games inserted.So, last one I checked was RetroArch which was like the promised All-In-One easy to use ultimate emulator.
Only to find out that wasn't the case, like at all. At the end it was worse than to just install a separated emulator for the desired console and not being running around a thousand sub-menues.
I don't know why these people work so hard to bring the best emulators, doing a better job than some of the biggest companies in the industry. Yet they always lack the very most basic UX. It's like they don't respect the person's time.
Is there actually any option out there, emulator or third party program, that, not even asking 'out of the box plug n' play', is just not a mess for the final user?
EDIT
A man once said:
If it doesn't require effort, it's not worth doing
Keep at it, RetroArch is stupid simple once you use it for a few weeks
Many guides and prebuilds out there for all sorts of hardware tooalso Retroarch is the best if you actually wanna use it on a TV using a controller. the menus are so easy to navigate that it is basically a must if you wanna play with a controller on a big screen.
This.You are free to develop your own....
If you pay for something, then you have the right to demand it at least be useable and decent.This is a very boring argument. This is a discussion on how difficult emulators are to use at times, it doesn't matter if they're free, you can't price gate a discussion. It doesn't need a price tag.
People bitch about bing, Google, Facebook, internet explorer all day long and it doesnt cost shit to use.
Of course technically, you must own all the games on said rom for it be totally legit (and even then some say not)
I get you.So, last one I checked was RetroArch which was like the promised All-In-One easy to use ultimate emulator.
Only to find out that wasn't the case, like at all. At the end it was worse than to just install a separated emulator for the desired console and not being running around a thousand sub-menues.
I don't know why these people work so hard to bring the best emulators, doing a better job than some of the biggest companies in the industry. Yet they always lack the very most basic UX. It's like they don't respect the person's time.
Is there actually any option out there, emulator or third party program, that, not even asking 'out of the box plug n' play', is just not a mess for the final user?
EDIT
downloading roms is always illegal, doesn't matter if you own the game or not. the only actually legal way to use an emulator is to use your own backups
Υou dont need to load a core before you load a rom. Its the other way around. You choose a rom and then it asks you what core you want to load for it.I get you.
I think I tried every single emulator there is and when it comes to those covering every possible system, RetroArch already is the most user friendly.
And I agree that it isn't user friendly. At all.
Unless you are trying to use it with a controller - which is obviously what the horrible UI was designed for.
Trying to look for a title by name? Yeah, there's some shortcut for it. Is it Ctrl+f like in every single fucking program since the 90s for "search"? No... no, it isn't.
Trying to filter by games that allow co-op? Not possible - don't think that information is even available anywhere (to be fair, I don't think it is for any emulator or interface?).
Trying to launch a game? First, you need to load a core (yeah, this will already confuse most people "wtf is a core") and then you can load a game. You can hear every UX designer groan loudly.
Trying to configure controls? First, you need to assign which controller is actually assigned to which "slot"...
And there's more. So much more.
And it's still the best... the others are even worse.
That said, there is a button (or F5?) that lets you switch to a more PC-centric interface. Looks like an early 2000s Java program, but I find it much easier to use nonetheless.
One thing you have to understand is this:
The entirety of the retro community, including the developers slaving their free time away on improving stuff, is comprised of people who have been into it since many years and know all the ins and outs.
They have a tunnel vision that tends VERY STRONGLY to prevent them from creating interfaces for anyone but the already initiated. This is not an attack, tunnel vision is unfortunately a very natural phenomenon and requires great care to be dealt with - not something that can be reasonably expected from hobbyists. They simply don't know what someone new might struggle with.
Many, many hobbyist areas suffer from exactly the same problem.
Yes. Lets talk about how each one costs a shit ton of money and can only simulate a single home system or arcade board.Is this a good time to talk about the MisterFPGA ?
Well if you want to get technical, you don't own anything other than license to play the game on the original machine in most cases.
So your in violation of the licensing agreement if you copy it and play it on different hardware.
No, it is exactly the way I described.Υou dont need to load a core before you load a rom. Its the other way around. You choose a rom and then it asks you what core you want to load for it.
As I said before, A new user never should have been asked to begin with - selecting a core should be an advanced feature.You can also scan rom directories to create per-system playlists and attach default cores for them so it won't have to ever ask you ever again.
Q.E.D.I use RA for 5-6 years now and forgot the "load core" function exists. I think i hidden it so it wont appear in the interface. Yeah, you can also do that for things you dont use, to make the UI have less clutter.