So I recently picked up a Shield TV and have a Shield Portable on it's way as well. I have all but given up running emulators on my phone because touch buttons are gross. I proposed this same question on reddit, but the few responses I got all said "use RetroArch!" Well, I don't like RetroArch. It's clunky and ugly. I'd rather have something that, well, isn't that. So here's the question/post I put out there...
=====
I just picked up a new Shield TV Pro and am looking to load this thing up with emulators. I have had a Nexus 5 and now own a Note 4, so I'm familiar enough with the Android emulation scene. However, things change, apps release off the store, stuff disappears, etc. I was hoping that people with more experience than me could give me their thoughts on what emulators are worth grabbing for my new device.
For the record, I am totally fine spending money on a GOOD emulator. I don't need freebies that "do OK with a few hiccups here and there" or whatever. I appreciate the help!
- MAME - So there are two versions on MAME on the Play store: 0.139u1 and 0.37b5. The first claims to support over 8000 titles, whereas the latter supports over 2000. I don't fully understand how MAME works (with roms, CHD files, bios), so maybe that's why I don't know which to download.
- GBA- GBA.emu is what I'm currently using on my phone. I bought the full version and have been SUPER happy with it.
- NES - NES.emu and John NES are the two I see suggested most often. Is there a reason to grab one over the other?
- SNES - Snes 9x+ brings me back to the old days of emulation. John SNES is, again, one I've heard good things about. Not sure which will serve present the best frame rates and game support, though. I tried a free one last night with Street Fighter Alpha 2, and at the start of the fight (when it says "Fight!"), it would hang for a few seconds. Not sure if that's the game or the emulator...
- Genesis - I know nothing about Genesis emulation. I've heard MD.emu is worth buying because of the Genesis, MD, and Sega CD support. I don't imagine this plays 32x stuff, does it? I'd love to play Knuckles Chaotix.
- GB/GBC- No idea. There's a lot of emulators out there for these systems, but whichever has the most universal and easy to use support/setup would be my goal.
- DS - DraStic is the only one to go for, right?
- Gamegear - Are there any?
- Virtual Boy - Same question as above...
- N64 - So this is where things get funky. There are a few N64 emulators, and they all seem to have varying levels of compatibility. I want to play the classics (Mario 64, Blast Corps, DK64, Conker), but I also want to play weirder stuff like Glover, Quest 64, etc. I am currently using nightly Mupen 64 AE builds with some pretty good success. I never really know which core to use, though. I was playing Mario 64 and was doing the King Bob-om star, and the game was skipping frames and hiccuping on the default core. But one of the "OpenGL w/Android 5.0+" cores seemed to work like a charm.
- PS1 - ePSXe is the one I've heard thrown around the most, so I imagine it's the one to go with?
- PSP - PPSSPP looks like the only reputable one out there.
- Atari- As an almost 30 year old gamer, I'm ashamed to say I've never played anything on the Atari. I want to change that. I don't know much about the systems, so I don't know where to start.
=====
Maybe this isn't the best place for these questions? I'm also having trouble understanding how MAME file structure works. I was trying to play Metal Slug 6, but it requires Atomiswave Bios, and I had no idea what that was or where to put the file. I was also trying to play Gauntlet Legends, but that required a CHD? Not sure what that is or where that goes...
So any thoughts on tips on the above would be rad. While I enjoy playing my retro stuff on it's original hardware, I can't take those with me on a plane...Also, hooking and unhooking these systems is a bear.
Onto other things, since I DO have two new devices solely for Android gaming, any suggestions on games to rock? I have a code for a full copy of Talos Principle courtesy of buying my Shield TV at Best Buy, so I'm going to give that a shot. The Portable will be mostly my portable emulator, but anything that will run well enough on that will be fine.
Also, anyone who has both of these devices (if you exist...), can I hook up the Portable as a controller for the Shield TV? Or is the Portable controller a separate device entirely?