Moving away from RetroArch

[adu]

Hello !

After several tests, I'm getting input lag on several games. No it's not my imagination, I'm really having a little delay between me pressing the button and the action is executed.

I've tried the same game on a different emulator, and no input lag.

BUT (there's always something), I love RetroArch because I can use bezels with it, to keep aspect ratio but to fill the black borders. and of course a bezel that matches the system currently running

So do you have any solutions to keep my bezels with other emulators ?

Thanks in advance from a French guy

 

[DOS76]

Hey @adu maybe @lordmonkuscan help you out with getting your settings in RA tweaked to eliminate the lag. If not Rocket Launcher maybe your best bet to get bezel support outside of RA and MAME's built in abilities

[adu]

Ok, I'll have a look for his tweaks.

And yeah, maybe with RL it can be nice, and it brings hyperpause as well .... I'll have a look thanks !

[DOS76]

Yeah he has a guide somewhere on the forums for how he sets it up.

[Zombeaver]

Do you have Hard GPU sync enabled? You shouldn't be getting input lag in RA... that's something it really excels at honestly.

Try these settings:

Threaded Video: Off
Vsync: On
Vsync Swap Interval: 1
Hard GPU Sync: On
Hard GPU Sync Frames: 0 or 1
Fame Delay: As high as you can set it without it impacting performance (usually somewhere between 4 and 6)

If that doesn't help, also try turning Vsync off.

[adu]

Ok, I'll have a look as soon as possible if these options help.

thanks for the tips !

[adu]

I tried the settings you provided, it help a little.

But with Steam Link, the lag is still present, so I think I'll give up with the idea to use it on my main TV through Steam Link

[Lordmonkus]

If you are running stuff through Steam Link which is I assume over your network then the lag you are experiencing is network lag and not input lag.

With the settings Zombeaver mentioned about you should have the lowest amount of input lag you are going to get with RA.

Below are what I use where possible, The Saturn core I have to set GPU Sync Frames to 1 to get full speed:

V-Sync Off
Hard GPU Sync On
Hard GPU Sync Frames 0
Frame Delay one notch below causing audio issues

Sometimes certain shaders may cause some issues depending on your system but I have not had issues with even the heaviest of shaders causing input lag problems.

[adu]

Well,

 - if I play on my computer no lag at all

 - if I play a Steam game through my Steam Link no input lag (I tried Ultra Street Fighter IV and I noticed nothing)

 - if I play Contra III on SNES through Steam Link, input lag

 

[Lordmonkus]

Then there might be something going on with Retroarch and Steamlink. Do stand alone emulators with Steam Link have no lag ? Also have you checked over on the Retroarch forums about it and Steam Link ?

[adu]

Yeah, several people are complaining about lag with RetroArch under Steam Link, that's why I was thinking about moving away from RetroArch

 

[Zombeaver]

I use Retroarch via Steam Link quite frequently and don't experience input lag *shrug*

[adu]

Can I ask you what core are you using ?

And do you have any shaders or overlay please ?

[Zombeaver]

For SNES I'm using BSNES Mercury Accuracy. BSNES Balanced or BSNES Accuracy are fine too. I flip around between different shaders semi regularly but the one I probably use the most is CRT Hyllian Glow. No overlay.

[adu]

I've made some tests with overlay/no verlay, shaders or not ...

And it seems that it comes from the game itself. Maybe when I was young I didn't notice, but the Contra III Gameplay seems a little ... like underwater for the controls, not so responsive than I thought ...

[Zombeaver]

12 hours ago, adu said:

I've made some tests with overlay/no verlay, shaders or not ...

And it seems that it comes from the game itself. Maybe when I was young I didn't notice, but the Contra III Gameplay seems a little ... like underwater for the controls, not so responsive than I thought ...

There's definitely something wrong there. I play through Contra III a couple times a year. There's nothing "underwater" about the controls.

Does it feel like that while playing on the host computer? You need to eliminate the Steam Link from the equation entirely until you nail down what's going on.

[adu]

On my computer everything is ok on other games I tested (Super Mario World/Kart, Donkey Kong Country, Zelda III).

I just feel some input lag when I play Contra III (like half a second between me pressing the jump button and the moment my charcater jumps)

[Zombeaver]

13 minutes ago, adu said:

I just feel some input lag when I play Contra III (like half a second between me pressing the jump button and the moment my charcater jumps)

Yeah that's definitely not the game itself. Maybe try a different core. SNES9X isn't quite as good but it's lighter. I'd probably try BSNES Balanced or even Performance first though. BSNES Accuracy is significantly heavier on requirements than Balanced without being hugely different compatibility-wise; in fact, I think Air Strike Patrol is the only game that has some issues with Balanced.

[adu]

I'm using BSNES Accuracy right now, and I've tried the balanced one, without any significant amelioration.

I'll try zsnes as a standalone, without retroarch and its shaders/overlay, to see.

If not, then I'll just play other games than Contra III

 

[Zombeaver]

5 hours ago, adu said:

I'll try zsnes as a standalone, without retroarch and its shaders/overlay, to see.

Oh god please don't do that. Admittedly I have pretty fond memories of ZSNES - it's basically where I got started with emulation back in the 90's... but it's kindof awful to be honest. It'll run on a complete toaster but that's about the only thing its got going for it. Emulation accuracy is really bad compared to any of the alternatives. If you're going to use a standalone I'd probably start with SNES9x. I guess you could use ZSNES purely for comparison purposes but I wouldn't advise using it as your actual SNES emulator at all.

5 hours ago, adu said:

If not, then I'll just play other games than Contra III

A SNES without Contra III is like a Genesis without Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, or Ranger X; or, I suppose, Contra: Hard Corps. A sad thought indeed.