Retroid Pocket Starter Guide

Last updated: 05MAR2024 (see Changelog for details)

The Retroid Pocket handhelds are seemingly simple devices to set up — they run on Android, so how hard could it be? Well it turns out there are some orientation quirks in getting these handhelds up and running, and so this guide is meant to take you from the very beginning of your journey with the device and take you to the point of being a superstar.

This guide will work for a number of Retroid Pocket devices. The major difference will be the performance for each, which can be summarized in the table below:

I have video reviews for each device on my YouTube channel, which you can find either by checking out my Retroid Pocket playlist or the embedded videos below.

Are the Retroid Pocket devices pre-loaded with games? No, the devices ship as a general Android phone or tablet, with only essential apps (Play Store, Chrome, etc.) pre-installed. You are on your own to find the emulated game files (ROMs) to play on this device. There are no copyrighted files on this website.

Table of Contents

Where to buy
Recommended accessories
Prepare your ROM library
Initial setup and orientation
Install emulators and other apps
Updating your apps
Other configurations
Retro Handhelds community compatibility spreadsheet
Increase screen saturation
Setting up RetroArch
Per-system recommendations
Consider the Daijisho frontend
Creating RetroArch playlists

Changelog

Where to buy

All models are sold directly via Retroid’s website. I would expect at least two weeks from the time of purchase to delivery, but that fulfillment may be delayed due to high demand. You can check their delivery dashboard to get a sense of what they are currently shipping, but bear in mind that this dashboard is not always up to date.

There are also listings on Amazon, many of them sold by Retroid themselves, but bear in mind that there will be a price markup. However, this might be a good solution if you don’t want to wait for it to ship from China, or you want to have easier returns in case something goes wrong with the device.

Recommended accessories

I recommend using a card from reputable brands like SanDisk or Samsung for the most consistent experience.

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. A 128GB card will allow you to load EVERY 8-bit and 16-bit game out there, just all of the arcade games that work, and quite a few PS1, Dreamcast, PSP, GameCube, PS2, and Sega CD games (those systems have the largest file sizes). A 256GB or 512GB card will allow you to store even more of those larger games. You can use a larger card than these but then you’ll have a card that costs more than the device itself, and are you really going to play more than 512GB of games at once?

128GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

256GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

512GB cards:
Samsung Evo Select
SanDisk Ultra

1TB cards:
SanDisk Extreme (fastest)
SanDisk Ultra
Lexar Play

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 can be used with USB-A or USB-C ports.

Additionally, the Retroid Pocket devices double as a pseudo home console, thanks to its HDMI output function as well as the ability to connect to controllers via bluetooth or USB. The HDMI adapter is smaller than the standard size, so you will either want to grab a micro HDMI cable like this one from Amazon Basics, or a micro HDMI adapter to use with an existing cable. The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is also capable of video out via USB-C, so you could use one of these adapters too.

Speaking of controllers, there are plenty of options out there, but I prefer to use something that’s somewhat retro-friendly. You could use a bluetooth controller like the 8BitDo SN30 Pro, or a wired controller like the Betop BD2E. Note that in order to use a USB controller, you will also need an OTG adapter to plug the controller into the device’s USB-C port. You could also use a USB hub to plug in multiple controllers at once, but note that if the controller requires USB power you will likely need to get a powered USB hub like this one.

Prepare your ROM library

Since the Retroid Pocket devices take a while to ship, I would recommend that you build your ROM library now, if you haven’t already. When actually playing games, we’re going to use a combination of RetroArch (for lower-end systems) and standalone emulators.

Here is a general list of systems that can be played on the Retroid Pocket devices. For PS2 and GameCube, I recommend getting PAL region ROMs for the RP3+ and RP Flip, because they cap out at 50Hz which will give you better performance than struggling to reach the standard 60Hz found in NTSC region ROMs. ROM file sources will not be shared on this website.

When organizing ROM files, I recommend using the “No-Intro” naming convention, which is the standard naming used for ROM sets within RetroArch and other emulation communities. By using no-intro naming, you will be more likely to get box art automatically added when you load up your games in RetroArch or most frontends. If you have a question as to how a game should be named, I recommend checking out the Libretro thumbnails directory, which is what many emulators pull from for their media files. If your game name matches the thumbnail name found in this directory, chances are that it will properly download the media for it.

A note on Nintendo Switch emulation: when considering emulating Nintendo Switch games, the proper way to set them up is to mod a Switch and dump your cartridges and/or eShop games. The Yuzu team has an excellent quickstart guide which details how to dump your cartridges. This in no way condones pirating games (e.g. downloading ROMs from the internet without owning the game).

Additionally, an important component of a ROM library is maintaining BIOS files. BIOS files are system files necessary for some emulators (GBA, Sega CD, or PS1/PS2), and are helpful in improving accuracy with other systems. These files are also copyrighted. Note that PS2 BIOS files can be easily extracted from the PS3 firmware file following my guide. Here is more information about BIOS files.

Recommended BIOS files:

GAME BOY (for boot logo):
gb_bios.bin

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

GAME BOY ADVANCE:
gba_bios.bin

SWITCH:
prod.keys

PLAYSTATION 1 (many options!):
scph5501.bin

PLAYSTATION 2 (many options!):
SCPH-70012.bin
SCPH-70012.MEC
SCPH-70012.NVM

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

DREAMCAST:
dc_boot.bin

NEO GEO (also place in Neo Geo ROM folder):
neogeo.zip

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

Initial setup and orientation

When it comes to initial setup, the setup process will generally be the same, since these are all Android devices. We’re going to focus on the Retroid Pocket 4/Pro in this guide but it will apply to the other devices, with some configuration tweaks to account for performance power or the screen (RP2S, for example, has a max resolution of 480p).

When first starting your Retroid device, it will have you go through some initial setup for WiFi, time zone, etc. There is also a screen that will pre-install emulators and apps for you — I recommend skipping most of these because we are going to install our own (more updated) versions in a moment. However, if trying to run GameCube on the Retroid Pocket 3+/2S, I recommend installing the “Dolphin for Handheld” emulator that can be pre-installed on your device during the initial setup. This app provides an excellent mix of accuracy and performance, and allows for easy adjustment of the resolution to below-native figures.

Once you have gone through the first setup screens, I recommend going to Settings > System > Updates and run a system update so you are using the most recent version of the Retroid image. Then, you can go into Settings > Handheld Settings and adjust them as shown in the guide video above. If you don’t see the Handheld Settings option when you first turn on your device, it needs to be rebooted at least once initially for it to appear. I recommend the Xbox ABXY button layout if you plan on playing Android games or streaming game content (Xbox, PS, etc). While in the Settings menu, also go to Display > Screen timeout and change the timeout from 1 minute of inactivity to something more reasonable (I personally set mine to 30 minutes), and turn off notifications by enabling “do not disturb” mode. Finally, within the Security settings you can disable the need to swipe the screen every time you wake the device from sleep.

Install emulators and other apps

After it’s set up, you can jump into the Google Play Store app and start downloading emulators and games. Here are some recommended apps that I think are worth grabbing from the Play Store to get you started.

Recommended emulators:

On Play Store:
Duckstation (free) -- PS1
Mupen64Plus FZ (Pro version available) -- N64
Yaba Sanshiro 2 (Pro version available) -- Saturn
Redream (free, in-app upgrade available) -- Dreamcast
DraStic (paid) -- Nintendo DS
PPSSPP (Gold version available) -- PSP
Yuzu (Early Access version available) -- Switch

Not on Play Store (free):
RetroArch (latest Aarch64 nightly build) -- classic systems
AetherSX2 (v1.5-4248 alpha build) -- PS2
AetherSX2 (v1.5-3668) -- PS2
NetherSX2 (see note below below) -- PS2
Dolphin (development build) -- GameCube & Wii
Dolphin forks -- GameCube & Wii (for Odin Lite/Pro)
Citra Canary -- 3DS
Citra MMJ -- 3DS (for Odin Lite/Pro)
Skyline -- Switch
Vita3k -- PS Vita
Yuzu (GitHub version, less stable) -- Switch

Recommended streaming apps:

NVIDIA GeForce Now (PC cloud streaming)
Shadow (PC cloud streaming)
Moonlight (PC remote play)
AMD Link (PC remote play)
Steam Link (PC remote play)
Parsec (PC remote play)
PSPlay or Chiaki (PS4 & PS5 remote play)
Xbox or XBXPlay (Xbox One/Series remote play)
Xbox Game Pass (Xbox cloud streaming)

Community compatibility sheets: if you want to see how specific games run on any Retroid device, I would recommend checking out its corresponding community compatibility sheet. This will also provide tips and tricks to get the best performance for each game too, so if you are struggling with any certain game/emulator, this will be an excellent resource.

Retroid Pocket 2+/3
Retroid Pocket 2S
Retroid Pocket 3+/Flip
Retroid Pocket 4 (the Odin Lite has the same processor)
Retroid Pocket 4 Pro

Apps that are not in the Play Store have to be downloaded manually and then side-loaded, which simply means you install them yourself. It’s an easy process. You can navigate to their guide on your Retroid’s web browser, then tap on each link to go to the download page for that app. Once downloaded, find the app in your Downloads folder, tap on it, and it will install. For an even easier experience, check out the Obtainium section below to automate the process.

For RetroArch, I recommend using the nightly build (directly linked above). Once you have installed the app, I strongly recommend going through my RetroArch Starter Guide to orient you to the platform itself. I consider this to be a necessary part of the process when it comes to mastering emulation on an Android device, particularly for retro games. It has a learning curve to it, but once you get the hang of it, you can use these skills for a variety of devices that use RetroArch. The RP4 starter guide video will show you the very basics to get started.

The standalone Yabasanshiro app generally has the best Sega Saturn performance, but it has some serious graphical issues with the Retroid Pocket 4 and 4 Pro’s chipset, rendering it mostly unusable. For those devices, it may be better to try the Yabasanshiro RetroArch core instead.

Regarding Dolphin, there are several forks that may give better performance with certain games over the official app, but will introduce hacks to get them working. I would recommend using those forks only if the official app’s performance is not to your liking, especially for the RP3/3+/2S. The MMJR 11505 (final) and MMJR2 17878 versions are generally the best among that group. For the Retroid Pocket 4/Pro, most games will run well at a 2x upscaled resolution with the Vulkan backend. If you run into issues, try toggling ON the Graphics > Hacks > Skip EFB Access from CPU option.

The Play Store version of AetherSX2 now features ads and also may have some degraded performance issues compared to older versions. The last alpha build of the app, version 4248, tends to have the best overall performance. Additionally, here is the last official version (3668) that was released before the switch to new owners. NetherSX2 is a community project to bring some non-performance updates to the AetherSX2, now that AetherSX2 development has discontinued. There are two options: NetherSX2 “patch” (4248) and NetherSX2 “classic (3668). The installation process for each is the same — just download the latest GitHub release to a Windows PC, and then run the batch file. It will download AetherSX2, patch it, and output a new AetherSX2 apk file. Note that performance between the 3668 and 4248 versions can vary — some games just run better on one over the other (for example, Sly Cooper runs better on 3668). Sadly, you can’t have both installed on the device at the same time, so you will have to swap between the two.

Note that the highest recommended upscaled resolution for PS2 is 1.75x, since the Retroid Pocket 4/Pro’s screen is limited to only 750p resolution anyway. For the best results on the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, use the Vulkan backend and toggle the following settings in this order if it isn’t running at full speed by default:

• Graphics > Threaded Presentation > ON (AetherSX2 v3668)
• Advanced > Disable Threaded Presentation > OFF (AetherSX2 v4248)
• Graphics > Hardware Download Mode > Unsynchronized
• Graphics > EE Clock Rate / EE Cycle Skip > decrease values as needed

Updating your apps

For apps that you installed via the Play Store, updating the app is as simple as going to the Play Store and then updating the apps under the “Manage Apps” function. For those you sideload, it’s often just a matter of going back to the website, downloading the latest APK, and then installing it — most apps will notice that you already have an older version installed, and will install the new one without messing with your settings or save data. Some apps may give you an error (“this app could not be installed” or “installation failed”), if that happens, you can uninstall the old app (be sure “not to delete your data files”keep app data” when prompted), then install the new one. You may have to reboot your device between installations if it doesn’t work the first time around.

An excellent way to help with your sideloaded apps is Obtainium. This app will check the app versions on your device, and notify you when a new version is available, and you can update that app directly within Obtainium too. This will work best with APKs that are hosted on GitHub.

There is also a handy update script that will auto pull the apps for you into Obtainium, thanks to dev RJNY. Once you have downloaded the json script onto your device (following the instructions on RJNY’s page), open Obtanium, tap on “import/export” then “Obtanium import” and find the json file you downloaded. It will auto-load all of the emulators for you.

You can also manually add each app through Obtanium, by pointing the app to the GitHub release page URL for that app. For Dolphin, set the URL to the Dolphin downloads page, and then within Obtainium be sure to turn ON the option that says “Sort by file names instead of full links”. For Retroarch, set the URL to the buildbot Android page, then under “Custom APK Link Filter” type in RetroArch_aarch64.apk.

Other configurations

Portable versus Internal storage: When you plug in the SD card, you may get prompted to “set the SD card up”. It will ask you to choose between the default portable storage option, or using the card as internal storage. Portable storage means that you will be able to freely take the SD card out of the device and plug it into your PC, as demonstrated in the video above. If you set it to internal storage, you will then be able to install apps on the SD card to save space, but you won’t be able to plug the SD card into your PC — instead, you will have to plug the device into the PC and transfer files via USB instead. Internal storage is a good solution if you want to install a LOT of Android games onto your device, but in general I recommend portable storage for its flexibility.

One other note to make: plugging the SD card directly into your PC to transfer files will give you much greater transfer speeds, about 4x the speed of USB file transfers. So I recommend removing the SD card and plugging it into your computer whenever you have a large batch of files to transfer; USB transfer works fine in a pinch for smaller transfers.

Remove the white bar: when playing games, you will see a faint white bar on the right side of the screen. This is a menu bar that you can swipe from the right to access things like the Key Mapper tool or adjust the screen brightness on the fly. If you would like to disable this, swipe down from the top of the screen and turn OFF the “Floating Icon” option. Note that this will disable the right menu bar (and those handy functions) as well.

Sleep mode: The Retroid Pocket devices can enter sleep mode by tapping the POWER button, much like a tablet or phone. And like with a tablet or phone, you could simply leave this device in sleep mode when not using it, and it will slowly discharge over the period of a week or two. However, if you are playing the device frequently (like every day or a few times a week), I recommend just keeping it in sleep mode and charging it as needed, like you would a phone. Powering on the device takes quite a bit of time (about 40 seconds), which can add up if you play the device often. When not using the device for an extended period of time, be sure to fully power it down (and recharge the battery every few months).

Retro Handhelds community compatibility spreadsheet

One of the greatest resources of the Retroid Pocket devices is the fact that it is a popular handheld device with a large community surrounding it. This gives you the ability to leverage the talent and time of other community members to find the best tweaks and settings for each of your games. A great example is the Retro Handhelds community RP2+ compatibility spreadsheet, which is also relevant for the RP3. This spreadsheet will show different tabs for the most popular systems, and will include a list of games that have been tested and recommended tweaks.

There is also a separate Retroid Pocket 3+ community spreadsheet for that device and its chipset, since it is more capable than the RP3 and RP2+.

Increase screen saturation

The RP3/RP3+/Flip screens are already nice and saturated, but if you’d like to boost them more to have something closer to an OLED experience, it’s pretty easy to do (and totally reversible). This trick will also work on the Retroid Pocket 2+.

To start, download this zip file package (right-click and select “Save As…”) which contains a series of shell script (.sh) files. Unzip the package and then add the files to your device by transferring them via SD card, or by plugging the device into your computer using a USB cable. Alternatively, you can visit this page on your device and download the zip file package directly onto the handheld.

To run the script, go to the Settings of your device, then Handheld Settings > Advanced > Run Script as Root. Navigate to your .sh files and run one of them. I recommend the 1.6 file for the RP3 and RP3+, and the 1.7 file for the RP2+. Reset the device and you should now have a more saturated screen! To reset the saturation back to the baseline, run the script again but using the 1.0 file.

If you’d like to use a value other than 1.0, 1.6, 1.7, or 2.0, simply make a copy of one of the .sh files and open it with a text editor like NotePad. Adjust the value to whatever you’d like (e.g. 1.8 or 1.3), and then rename the file so that it says 1.8 so you know which one it is. Add it to your device and you can then run that script. Here is an example of the script:

setprop persist.sys.sf.color_saturation 1.6 <-- change this to whatever you'd like

Of note, the Retroid Pocket 2S requires a different script, so replace the text with this instead:

service call SurfaceFlinger 1022 f 1.6 <-- change this to whatever you'd like

For the Retroid Pocket 4/Pro, another easy tweak is a tool called OdinTools; this was made with the Odin 2 in mind, but works with those devices too. This app has a built-in saturation slider.

Setting up RetroArch

For more specific RetroArch settings, I recommend using my RetroArch Starter Guide as a reference. This will explain the basics of the app and how to properly configure settings.

Note that there is currently a bug in the Android version of RetroArch where if you map the “Pause Game” hotkey it will result in the button not being recognized by the app anymore. So in the diagrams above, skip the “Pause Game” hotkey. If you do happen to assign the button, then go back into the Hotkeys menu and press the “X” button while hovering over the “Pause Game” hotkey to unmap that button (I’ve been told that sometimes you may need to use a different button, like START, to unmap it.

Recommended RetroArch cores:

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 (mGBA)
Nintendo Virtual Boy (Beetle VB)
Nintendo DS (melonDS)
Nintendo NES (Nestopia)
Nintendo SNES (BSNES or Snes9x Current)
Nintendo 64 (ParaLLEl or Mupen64Plus)
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 (SwanStation)
Sony Playstation Portable (PPSSPP)

Fix microstutters: When playing platformers like Super Mario World using RetroArch, you may notice some microstuttering during gameplay with the RP2+ and RP3. To help combat this, try these settings:

Settings > Video > Synchronization > VSync Swap Interval: Auto
Settings > Video > Synchronization > Hard GPU Sync > ON
Settings > Video > Synchronization > Hard GPU Sync Frames > 2

Once you have the settings you prefer, you can go into Quick Menu > Overrides and either save this as a per-game override, or a core override so that all SNES games will use this synchronization.

Per-system recommendations

Per-system configurations can vary by device, but for the best general settings, I would refer to my Android Emulation Starter Guide. For RetroArch-based emulators (32-bit and below systems), use the recommendations from the RetroArch Starter Guide. There are some specific configurations for the Retroid devices detailed below.

Notes: The Retroid Launcher frontend currently does not have Amiga or other systems listed as a possible option. If you want to use the Retroid Launcher as your primary launcher but still want to play those games, I recommend setting up RetroArch playlists.

Recommended button mapping for major emulator apps

One of the biggest challenges in setting up these devices is mapping the controls to mimic the original controllers from retro systems. For many, the control setup will be intuitive: it’s easy to figure out how SNES, PS1, PS2, or Dreamcast games should be mapped, since their control schemes are not too different. The rub comes with Nintendo systems like the Wii, or six-button layouts like the Sega Saturn. The images above are what I personally use for mapping, but there are many ways to do this depending on personal preference.

Below are more specific options for certain systems. Additionally, I would recommend consulting the community compatibility guides for your device to see if there are any game-specific tweaks that are recommended:

Retroid Pocket 2+/3 community sheet
Retroid Pocket 3+ community sheet (also compatible with the Retriod Pocket Flip)

Nintendo 64
Emulator: Mupen64Plus-FZ (or Pro version to remove ads)

The developer of Mupen64Plus-FZ recommends creating this default emulation profile specific to the Retroid Pocket 2+/3.

• In the left menu bar, select Profiles > Emulation
• Select the GlideN64-Very-Accurate profile and then Copy. Give it a unique name, like “Chicken”.
• Make the following changes in the profile:
  • Use Faster Shaders > ON
  • Use Native Resolution Factor > 1x
• Next, in the left menu bar, select Profiles > Select Profiles > Emulation profile > Chicken. This will make your new profile the default emulation profile.
• Finally, in the left menu bar, select Settings > Shaders and make the following changes
  • Shader scale factor > 1x
  • Shader Passes > Pass 1 > FXAA

To improve the navigation experience, go into Settings > Input > Show in-game menu > When slide gesture is used. Now, you can swipe from the left side of the screen to bring up the Mupen64 side panel when in a game, to easily save your game, exit, etc.

By default the N64 A and B buttons will be mapped to the A and X buttons. If you want to adjust your mappings, you will need to copy the Android Gamepad controller profile and make your own mapping (much like how we just set up the emulation profile above). One handy trick is to map the Z button to multiple buttons on your console, to make things easier for some games (like Cruis’n USA which by default requires you to press the Left Trigger for gas, which can be awkward).

When using a frontend launcher like Daijisho or the Retroid Launcher, autosave and autoload will not work properly. Instead, you can either launch games directly from the standalone emulator, or use the Save/Load State functions within the emulator quick menu to manually save and load states. In-game saves still work fine either way.

For the Retroid Pocket 3+ and Flip, you can use the default emulation profile and go into Settings > Display and increase the rendered resolution to 960 x 720. Nearly every game will play easily at this resolution, so it is a good standard default.

Mupen64 FZ also allows for per-game configuration. For example, if a certain game is presenting graphical issues with the default emulation profile (like with Mario Tennis) you can tap on it once in the main menu, then select Settings > Emulation Profile and experiment with other options (I use GlideN64-Medium for Mario Tennis). You can also use this method to adjust other options per game, like rendering resolution or controller profiles.

Additionally, I would recommend consulting the community compatibility guides for your device to see if there are any game-specific tweaks that are recommended:

Retroid Pocket 2+/3 community sheet
Retroid Pocket 3+ community sheet

Sega Saturn
Emulator: Yabasanshiro 2 (or Pro version to remove ads)
Frameskip: ON (default)
Rendering Resolution: Original (1x) for RP2+/3, or up to 2x for RP3+/Flip
Sound Engine: Legacy (toggle with Modern as needed to improve performance)
Sound Time Synchronization Mode: Real Time

Notes: You will need to remap your controls. I recommend using YBA for ABC, and L1, X, R1 for XYZ buttons.

If you want the original Saturn boot video sequence, you must place the BIOS file (saturn_bios.bin) in the yabause/bios folder on your internal storage (this folder will only appear once you have opened the app at least one time).

Additionally, I would recommend consulting the community compatibility guides for your device to see if there are any game-specific tweaks that are recommended:

Retroid Pocket 2+/3 community sheet
Retroid Pocket 3+ community sheet

Sega Dreamcast
Emulator: Redream
Frameskip: ON (default)
Resolution: 480p (can bump up for some games) for RP2+/RP3, 960p resolution for RP3+/Flip

Notes: You will need to remap your controls. Upgrading the pro version won’t do much on the RP2+/RP3 other than remove the prompt to upgrade to pro when you start up the emulator. However, it will be associated with your Google Play Store profile and can be used on other devices (like the RP3+/Flip or your phone) to get upgraded rendering resolution.

If you want the original Dreamcast boot video sequence, you must rename the dc_boot.bin BIOS file to boot.bin and place it in the Android/data/io.recompiled.redream/files/ folder on your SD card (this folder will only appear once you have opened the app at least one time).

On the RP2+/3, some games run better with the Flycast emulator than they do with ReDream. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a good example.

PlayStation Portable
Emulator: PPSSPP (or PPSSPP Gold to support the dev)
Resolution: 1x (can bump up for some games) for RP2+/RP3, 3x resolution for RP3+/Flip and RP4/Pro

For PlayStation Portable emulation on the RP3 and RP2+, check out this handy guide from EmuChicken over at Team Pandory. For the Retroid Pocket 3+ and Flip, you can set most games to a 3x resolution, and reduce it to 2x resolution for some games as needed. PPSSPP allows for pre-game configuration profiles so that you can set the desired resolution per game.

Nintendo GameCube
Emulator: Dolphin for Handheld (pre-installed)
Internal resolution: .5x for RP3 and RP2+, 1x for RP3+/Flip, 2x for RP4/Pro as warranted

Notes: Use PAL ROMs as available for everything up to the RP3+/Flip.

The latest development builds of the official Dolphin app now supports VBI Skip, which can be found under Graphics Settings > Hacks > VBI Skip. Turning this on can significantly improve the gaming experience on lower-end devices like the Retroid Pocket 3+. Note that some games (like Twilight Princess and Wind Waker) will not work properly with this setting turned on, so you may need to experiment.

Within the Dolphin settings, I would recommend making these changes:

• Config > Interface > Use Panic Handlers > OFF
• Config > General > Enable Cheats > ON
• Config > General > Enable Savestates > ON
• Config > General > Fallback Region > PAL (NTSC for the RP4/Pro)
• Graphics Settings > Shader Compilation Mode > Hybrid Ubershaders
• Graphics Settings > Compile Shaders Before Starting > ON

For the best results, you will want to swap between Graphics Settings > Video Backend > OpenGL and Vulkan. Generally, Vulkan will provide better performance but won’t work with many games.

For the Retroid Pocket 2+ and 3, I recommend using the “Dolphin for Handheld” emulator that can be pre-installed on your device during the initial setup. This app provides an excellent mix of accuracy and performance, and allows for easy adjustment of the resolution to below-native figures. If you do not have access to this app, you can try some of the Dolphin forks available in this archive.

Additionally, I would recommend consulting the community compatibility guides for your device to see if there are any game-specific tweaks that are recommended:

Retroid Pocket 2+/3 community sheet
Retroid Pocket 3+ community sheet

Sony PlayStation 2
Emulator: AetherSX2 (pre-installed)
Internal Resolution: .5x for RP3 and RP2+, 1x for RP3+
Preset: Fast/Unstable
Enable Frame Limit: toggle OFF as needed to improve performance
EE Cycle Rate: 60% (adjust to 50% as needed) (for RP3 and RP2+)
EE Cycle Skip: Maximum Underclocking (3) (for RP3 and RP2+)

Notes: Use PAL ROMs as available for everything up to the RP3+/Flip.

If using the Retroid Pocket 3+/Flip, then I recommend setting it to the “Fast Preset” when first setting up the device, but use a 100% EE Cycle Rate and no underclocking under EE Cycle Skip, and adjust them as needed for each game.

Additionally, I would recommend consulting the community compatibility guides for your device to see if there are any game-specific tweaks that are recommended:

Retroid Pocket 2+/3 community sheet
Retroid Pocket 3+ community sheet

Consider the Daijisho frontend

The Retroid Pocket frontend is pretty good, once of the best built-in launchers available on retro handheld devices. However, I have found that it is limited (for example, systems like Amiga aren’t available), and can’t run a quickly as some frontends, like Daijisho.

Check out the video above for more details, but in a nutshell, it’s 100% free and does a great job of simplifying the setup process. It also has handy tools like widgets to personalize your experience. This one can also act as your default home app, which means that after you have it set up, you will never have to see the Android interface again. It will “consolize” your device’s navigation experience. Note that for best results, you should set up your emulators first before adding them via this frontend. Also be sure to use “No Intro” romsets to ensure your media is properly scraped.

If you are going to use Daijisho as your default frontend, make sure you go into Android settings > Apps > Default apps > Home app and set it to Daijisho. I also recommend you go into Settings > Navigation and set up your “Tabs” and “Switching” hotkeys, I set up my Tabs hotkey as the trigger buttons and the Switching hotkeys as the shoulder buttons. Also in the Navigation settings I recommend setting the “Home page” to “Platforms”. Once you have it set up the way you want, go into the same Navigation settings and turn on Kiosk mode, that will make the interface look a lot cleaner (but will prevent you from making further changes until you toggle Kiosk mode off again).

Note that Daijisho isn’t working with some emulators on the Retroid Pocket 4/Pro at this time, but it’s still handy for stuff like RetroArch.

Creating RetroArch playlists

In addition to using a frontend launcher (like the default Retroid Launcher), you can also set up playlists within RetroArch to browse and launch your games. This will be helpful in certain cases, like playing systems that aren’t listed in the Retroid Launcher (such as Amiga). There are two methods for creating playlists in RetroArch:

1. 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).
2. 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 FBNeo dat file (it works for MAME also). Then save this file somewhere that you can access on your RP2+, 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 in a RetroArch playlist, 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.

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Changelog

05MAR2024
– removed Yuzu and Citra links

17FEB2024
– updated NetherSX2 section to account for NetherSX2 “patch” and “classic” versions

07FEB2024
– added video guide

06FEB2024
– more updates including performance tweaks for PS2 and GC/Wii with RP4 Pro

05FEB2024
– updates and cleanup in anticipation of RP4 guide video

25AUG2023
– added RP2S as applicable
– general cleanup of links
– added context for AetherSX2 v1.5 3668 in the notes

07MAY2023
– added display setting recommendations
– added wording re: Retroid Pocket Flip

30APR2023
– removed other Dolphin MMJR links

11APR2023
– added updated tips for Dolphin/GameCube emulation

05APR2023
– updated Dolphin section link to fork archive and official app

22MAR2023
– added sleep mode trick section

20MAR2023
– added link to powered USB hub in accessories section for maximum controller compatibility

28JAN2023
– removed links to “Dolphin for Handheld” apk at the request of the Dolphin team

31DEC2022
– added screen saturation instructions

06DEC2022
– updated links to community compatibility sheets

24NOV2022
– added Retroid Pocket 3+ as a supported device
– added the Dolphin for Handheld emulators
– added information about remapping the Home button
– added Daijisho information

14SEP2022
– added notes about bug related to RA not recognizing the A Button after mapping it as a hotkey

11SEP2022
– added Team Pandory PPSSPP guide
– added link to AliExpress store
– added section about fixing microstutters (in RetroArch section)

08SEP2022
– added RP3 starter guide
– added Where to buy section
– streamlined guide to reflect new launcher and updates

23JAN2022
– added detailed N64 configuration instructions
– added note about 32-bit PSX emulation core

22JAN2022
– added new systems
– added Starter Guide #2 video

20JAN2022
– added RetroArch playlists section
– added system art and additional recommended systems (like Sega Genesis)

17JAN2022
– added retroarch.cfg file and instructions (removed)

16JAN2022
– published guide
– added portable vs internal storage note