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Can Launchbox run on Retroid Pocket 2?


oldsugardavis

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Hey guys, just started getting into emulation. I really like Launchbox as a front-end on my PC, but I've been looking at getting a handheld device. I'm leaning towards the Retroid Pocket 2 because it runs Android 6.0, and tbh I think it looks really nice compared to others. Is it possible for Launchbox to run on 6.0, or does it need a newer version of Android?

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36 minutes ago, oldsugardavis said:

Hey guys, just started getting into emulation. I really like Launchbox as a front-end on my PC, but I've been looking at getting a handheld device. I'm leaning towards the Retroid Pocket 2 because it runs Android 6.0, and tbh I think it looks really nice compared to others. Is it possible for Launchbox to run on 6.0, or does it need a newer version of Android?

It does run on Android 6, but Android 6 isn't recommended (we recommend at least Android 10). However, since I don't have one of those to test with, unfortunately I can't guarantee that it'll work. Looking at the specs though, it is rather low-end (especially the RAM), so it might be a bit of a dice throw.

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ive tried it on my rp2 but you have to use mouse mode to get to the options menu at the top left but can press X to get to the emulator settings and theme settings so not sure why theres not a button for general options. its also VERY slow on 8.1 compared to Dig. ive kept it installed for now too see how it goes with updates as launch box is now what i use on my pc, tablet and nvidia shield so hopefully with updates it will work better on RP2.

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Just now, H3RBSKI said:

ive tried it on my rp2 but you have to use mouse mode to get to the options menu at the top left but can press X to get to the emulator settings and theme settings so not sure why theres not a button for general options. its also VERY slow on 8.1 compared to Dig. ive kept it installed for now too see how it goes with updates as launch box is now what i use on my pc, tablet and nvidia shield so hopefully with updates it will work better on RP2.

The Y button on a traditional controller (top button) opens the top menu, so the top button on the RP2 should open the top menu.

From what I can tell though it is a rather low-end device, so I'm not surprised that performance isn't all that great, especially with only 1GB of RAM. It is cool though that it runs on an $80 device.

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Launchbox is definitely the nicest frontend I've tried on the Retroid Pocket 2, but the RP2 really doesn't seem to be up to the task of running it. Just browsing and scrolling down my list of games causes it to drop out of Launchbox. Some systems I can't use because as soon as I try to scroll down the list it just crashes out of Launchbox. I've got about 13 systems in Launchbox with the list of games in each ranging from about 5 or 6 through to just under 100 in a couple of those systems. The longer lists are far worse, but the crashing out can also happen on much shorter lists too.

So yeah, it runs, looks great, and I really like it, but if you are using it on the RP2 then keep your expectations (and your game lists) low.

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2 hours ago, coc said:

Launchbox is definitely the nicest frontend I've tried on the Retroid Pocket 2, but the RP2 really doesn't seem to be up to the task of running it. Just browsing and scrolling down my list of games causes it to drop out of Launchbox. Some systems I can't use because as soon as I try to scroll down the list it just crashes out of Launchbox. I've got about 13 systems in Launchbox with the list of games in each ranging from about 5 or 6 through to just under 100 in a couple of those systems. The longer lists are far worse, but the crashing out can also happen on much shorter lists too.

So yeah, it runs, looks great, and I really like it, but if you are using it on the RP2 then keep your expectations (and your game lists) low.

It might help to turn on debug logging in the options and then share some of the log files with me after you get one of the crashes. It may be that it's just running out of memory, or it could be a different bug that I need to look into.

It is true though that the device is rather under-powered. It might help to use one of the easier-to-run views.

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I have read on the reddit page recently 8.1 or lineage OS (which is 8.1 also) handles it a lot better in terms of speed. I should have had mine delivered Monday but its not arrived so cannot test this but soon as it arrives I will try. 

Edited by Vhero
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5 hours ago, Jason Carr said:

It might help to turn on debug logging in the options and then share some of the log files with me after you get one of the crashes. It may be that it's just running out of memory, or it could be a different bug that I need to look into.

It is true though that the device is rather under-powered. It might help to use one of the easier-to-run views.

Hope these help. I had a quick scan of the logs, and it does seem to be showing out of memory error messages.

Do you think if I prune things back even further (less systems and even fewer games) that it might get around this problem?

I'm still on the original Android 6 that it came with. I thought about changing to 8, or even LineageOS, but there are way too many reports of units being bricked, and on the ones where it has worked the Android interface seems to be a bit faster, but not the emulation. Given the risks and the fact the games emulation wasn't any better there seemed little point in doing it. 

Debug 2021-09-07 10-54-29 PM.log Debug 2021-09-07 10-56-08 PM.log Debug 2021-09-07 11-35-47 PM.log

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On 9/8/2021 at 12:48 AM, coc said:

Hope these help. I had a quick scan of the logs, and it does seem to be showing out of memory error messages.

Do you think if I prune things back even further (less systems and even fewer games) that it might get around this problem?

I'm still on the original Android 6 that it came with. I thought about changing to 8, or even LineageOS, but there are way too many reports of units being bricked, and on the ones where it has worked the Android interface seems to be a bit faster, but not the emulation. Given the risks and the fact the games emulation wasn't any better there seemed little point in doing it. 

Okay so i got my RP2 now and updated to LineageOS (its super easy and took minutes from a video on youtube from Retro game Corps). I'm pleased to say Launchbox runs great on it. There is a little slow down on box art not loading instantly but its snappy and goes through selections at near full speed. Still using demo right now but going to buy it based on this. 

 

Edited by Vhero
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On 9/7/2021 at 4:48 PM, coc said:

Hope these help. I had a quick scan of the logs, and it does seem to be showing out of memory error messages.

Do you think if I prune things back even further (less systems and even fewer games) that it might get around this problem?

I'm still on the original Android 6 that it came with. I thought about changing to 8, or even LineageOS, but there are way too many reports of units being bricked, and on the ones where it has worked the Android interface seems to be a bit faster, but not the emulation. Given the risks and the fact the games emulation wasn't any better there seemed little point in doing it. 

Debug 2021-09-07 10-54-29 PM.log 18.56 kB · 1 download Debug 2021-09-07 10-56-08 PM.log 18.76 kB · 1 download Debug 2021-09-07 11-35-47 PM.log 18.76 kB · 1 download

Yeah, it does look like it's just running out of memory. Less systems and fewer games could help the issue, but it's not guaranteed.

From what I'm hearing, it does sound like it's worth upgrading to Android 8. Android 6 is ancient at this point, so I don't even have an Android 6 device to test with currently.

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10 minutes ago, Jason Carr said:

Yeah, it does look like it's just running out of memory. Less systems and fewer games could help the issue, but it's not guaranteed.

From what I'm hearing, it does sound like it's worth upgrading to Android 8. Android 6 is ancient at this point, so I don't even have an Android 6 device to test with currently.

Yeah deffo a ram issue as LineageOS frees up a lot more RAM. Not better for emulation but deffo better for launchbox. 

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On 9/9/2021 at 7:36 AM, Vhero said:

UPDATE, I have switched to basic text list on view of games and it runs 100% now. Doesnt look as nice but runs smooth.

Great idea! I've tried it and it runs a LOT better. Still getting it crash out on one system though, despite using basic text view. Unfortunately I've had to delete that system (Game Gear) and everything else works now. I've even been able to switch to the box grid layout for most systems without issues. I'll try adding Game Gear back and add games one at a time to see if I can at least get a few to play.

Thanks for the text list suggestion, it's made my RP2 useable again.

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