jim-jam bongs
Member
Okay, I've had a chance to play TWD and it's pretty much a perfect port of the console versions. Shield controls work perfectly, so if it's your cup of tea then I recommend giving it a go.
Nvidia Shield Thread
- Thread starter beast786
- Start date
If you're fine with paying for emulators, then I must suggest My Boy.
I know a lot of people love Robert Broglia's .emu emulators, but in the case of My Boy, it has extra features that GBA.emu doesn't have. My boy allows you to use the device's gyroscope for Wario Ware twisted and even use the camera as a light sensor for Boktai. Which makes this emulator worth it, IMO.
If you're fine with paying for emulators, then I must suggest My Boy.
I know a lot of people love Robert Broglia's .emu emulators, but in the case of My Boy, it has extra features that GBA.emu doesn't have. My boy allows you to use the device's gyroscope for Wario Ware twisted and even use the camera as a light sensor for Boktai. Which makes this emulator worth it, IMO.
Honestly I was trying to decide between VGBA and MyBoy, but ended up going with VGBA because of the name more than anything.
I bought the Game Gear emulator from that same dev, Mastergear. And MasterGear is not a good emulator. Menu navigation is convoluted, as is mapping controls. Also, there's a fair bit of slow down. It's just not great. So if VGBA is anything like that, then I understand.
In most cases RetroArch's cores are the most accurate you can run on Android and it's free. Nestopia for NES, Genesis Plus GX for pre-Saturn Sega systems, SNES9x for SNES (BSNES is even included now I think, though I'm not sure if the Shield can handle that full speed), VBA-M for GBA, Gambatte for GB/C, MAME for arcade, Mednafen for PCE/Turbo16/CD, NGPC and Wonderswan, Mupen64 for N64, and PCSX Rearmed for PSX (the Mednafen PSX core is included and more accurate, but probably too slow on the Shield).
I don't really see a reason to pay for any stand alone emulators unless you dislike RA's interface or need a special feature some of them have. RetroArch doesn't support the gyroscope or sun sensor yet for the few games that use it on GBA for example. Though there are patches for Boktai that let you change the sun level with a button combo, so you can get around that.
It has a Desmume core for DS as well, but in that case you'd probably want to get Drastic for full speed emulation.
robot
Member
Is recommend grabbing Neo.emu for Neo Geo, and Reicast for Dreamcast. Neo.emu runs really well and has built in unibios support. Both also map to the Shield perfectly.
I've also been using Mame4Droid over Retroarch - Retroarch is good but sometimes crashes or doesn't swap games correctly. Also tried Snes9x(?) on Google Play and noticed slowdown - sticking with RetroArch on that one.
I'll also reiterate, while every game isn't quite there yet, Reicast is amazing. Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi and Powerstone all have a few minor non game breaking graphic issues but otherwise run perfect. There are a lot of other games working really well but those 3 have been my most played so far.
I've also been using Mame4Droid over Retroarch - Retroarch is good but sometimes crashes or doesn't swap games correctly. Also tried Snes9x(?) on Google Play and noticed slowdown - sticking with RetroArch on that one.
I'll also reiterate, while every game isn't quite there yet, Reicast is amazing. Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi and Powerstone all have a few minor non game breaking graphic issues but otherwise run perfect. There are a lot of other games working really well but those 3 have been my most played so far.
Got a Shield today. Was hard to resist at $199, especially after watching videos of it running some of my favorite old Dreamcast games pretty well. 
Love the build quality, and controls seem very good. Especially compared to the GCW Zero I've been using lately.
Looking forward to trying out a bunch of games and emus this week.
Love the build quality, and controls seem very good. Especially compared to the GCW Zero I've been using lately.
Looking forward to trying out a bunch of games and emus this week.
Uh oh...
Updated my Shield to the latest firmware out of the box yesterday after buying it. So I never really used it pre-update.
I noticed when using headphones there's an obnoxious hiss whenever there's sound playing. Tried different headphones etc. I need to use headphones so this is a potential dealbreaker.
Is anyone else having the sound hissing problem? Is it a Kitkat update issue? Please confirm or deny.
Updated my Shield to the latest firmware out of the box yesterday after buying it. So I never really used it pre-update.
I noticed when using headphones there's an obnoxious hiss whenever there's sound playing. Tried different headphones etc. I need to use headphones so this is a potential dealbreaker.
Is anyone else having the sound hissing problem? Is it a Kitkat update issue? Please confirm or deny.
Can't say I have heard the hissing like that. Just at the start of the system OS, but nowhere else.
Thanks. Are you running the latest firmware, 4.4.2?
robot
Member
just tested, no hissing for me.
jim-jam bongs
Member
Honestly I don't see what a Shield 2.0 would add to the offering. It's already a massive powerhouse when it comes to native Android performance, and the device is really quite comfortable to use.
Hip Hop
Member
A better resolution I suppose (but that would just make streaming harder, right?).
I'm pretty interested in the device so I may just get one in the coming months.
jim-jam bongs
Member
You can already stream at 1080p over HDMI on your TV though, unless they go super crazy and get some sweet sweet 4k going it's really not worth it just for 1080p on a handheld screen. My Nexus 5 is 1080x1920 and I don't think it's even that noticeable on a smaller screen tbh.
I say go for it really, the current Shield is a really kick arse emulation and streaming machine, with a bunch of cool native games and even Portal on the way. If you can dig the ergonomics it's not going to get much better imo.
Ok, I broke down and bought one yesterday. Should arrive tomorrow. It was definitely the new update that sold me. For reasons I won't go into, my gaming PC (i7-3770 OC 4.5, 2x670 sli, 16gb ram) is currently at my office. Can't wait to try out the remote play from home. Seems to work great from the videos I've seen. The price is right, too. Hope it works out!
MDSLKTR
Gold Member
Definitively not for me anymore, in my honeymoon period with it I thought it was a legit good controller but after hours and hours of gaming in bed I can't play it without resting it on something to counter the weight and even then I still get cramps. Ridiculously too heavy, bulky, awkward placement of start button, sticks are too low and too close together, bad finger support in the back etc... A new shield with weight cut off by half and some tweaks to the buttons and I will get rid of my current one so fast, I won't even be mad
zephervack
Member
Definitely interested to hear if this work out for you long term, I would imagine it wouldnt but I would be happy if you prove me wrong.
Hope you have good upload speed at that office and that you dont live too far from it.
Didn't nvidia say they were already working on the next one like last year? Talking about putting the Tegra 5 (I guess renamed the 1K now) in it.
My main question to that would be WHY. what game on android market right now exists that would demand more GPU processing power than what the Tegra 4 already has? Seems like putting the cart in front of the horse.
The only reason I can come up with is if the new tegra can do a lot more than simply render fast graphics. Can it offload some of the GPU processing from the main gaming PC if streaming? Ex: if I can stream a game from my PC to the shield and get a solid 45~50 fps, would a new version of the shield be able to compensate and boost that up to a steady 60fps?
I actually just speed tested with an upload speed of 20 Mbps. At home, I own a Motorola Surfboard that can do 5Ghz and 30 Mbps download speed. I would hope that's good enough, but will keep you all posted.
I recommend GBA.emu.
Here's the list of emulators I have installed on my Shield:
2600.emu: Atari VCS (2600)
Beebdroid: BBC Micro
C64.emu: Commodore 64
ColEm: Colecovision
DosBox Turbo: MS-DOS (and Win98)
DraStic: Nintendo DS
ePSXe: Playstation
GBA.emu: Gameboy Advance
GBC.emu: Gameboy, Gameboy Color
JFrotz: Z-Machine (Zork, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc.)
jzintv4droid: Intellivision
KEGS: Atari IIgs
MAME4droid: MAME (unfortunately uses the wildly out-of-date v0.139.1 set)
Marvin: ZX Spectrum
MD.emu: Sega Mark III, Master System, Genesis, 32X, Sega CD
MSX.emu: MSX
Mupen64 Plus AE: Nintendo 64
NEO.emu: Neo Geo/AVS (MAME4droid fills this gap as well)
NES.emu: NES
NGP.emu: Neo Geo Pocket, Neo Geo Pocket Color
PCE.emu: Turbo Grafx-16, Turbo Grafx-CD
PPSSPP: PSP
reicast: Dreamcast
ScummVM: SCUMM (Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island, etc.) Get the version on F-Droid instead of Google Play. The F-Droid version has all of the plugins you need.
Snes9x EX+: SNES
SToid: Atari ST
UAE4Droid: Commodore Amiga
WonderDroid: Wonderswan, Wonderswan Color. Get the version on F-Droid as it's more up-to-date.
All run full speed with high compatibility.
I have also streamed Dolphin (Gamecube, Wii), Yabause (Sega Saturn), and PCSX2 (Playstation 2) to my Shield but I haven't looked in to setting up the controller yet. I'm not sure if it's easy, difficult, or even possible without some wizardry.
A tip I'm not sure most people are aware of: the Shield doesn't just stream select PC games nor does it just stream Steam games. It streams anything you want. You can add applications to GeForce Experience for streaming. I've added emulators, gog.com games, and Megaman fan games and it has been fantastic.
Here are some random screenshots I've taken: http://imgur.com/a/Uwp1y
...and here's a quick (and terrible) video I made showing Dolphin and Yabause streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS4kHBTTRR0
Here are some random screenshots I've taken: http://imgur.com/a/Uwp1y
...and here's a quick (and terrible) video I made showing Dolphin and Yabause streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS4kHBTTRR0
I have not.
flaxknuckles
Member
I'm teetering right on the edge of buying a Shield (web-slinging in bed oh god) but sure as hell aren't going to pay $60 for a dual band router. Anybody know of some cheaper ones that'll work well?
EDIT: and damn. There was a spreadsheet of good routers on Nvidia's forum. Someone wiped it clean.
EDIT: and damn. There was a spreadsheet of good routers on Nvidia's forum. Someone wiped it clean.
I just got Fallout 2 running on Windows 98 which was running on DOSBox which was running on my Shield. So cool.
It ran full speed (the videos were a touch slow but the game itself was fine) I put Fallout on there as well. They're just straight copies of my gog.com version stuffed in to an image file. A second image file houses Windows and they're both mounted as normal through the DOSbox conf file.
http://i.imgur.com/rMtbc6k.png
http://i.imgur.com/UY5D0e8.png
http://imgur.com/a/Uwp1y
It ran full speed (the videos were a touch slow but the game itself was fine) I put Fallout on there as well. They're just straight copies of my gog.com version stuffed in to an image file. A second image file houses Windows and they're both mounted as normal through the DOSbox conf file.
http://i.imgur.com/rMtbc6k.png
http://i.imgur.com/UY5D0e8.png
http://imgur.com/a/Uwp1y
Take it off the charger this morning at 100%, restarted with no apps open and nothing new installed since update, keep it on standby all day and at midnight it's down to 74%. Aw phooey.
suikodan
Member
I tried streaming with both a Belkin and an old Linksys router. The Belkin was ok when my Shield was the only thing connected to it and my Linksys worked perfectly which is a bit unfair since it's only configured for the Shield and nothing else...
AFAIK, Dual band is really necessary if you have other things streaming as well (like an Apple TV in my case...)
I guess you got thru with DOSBox Turbo, did you use the GamePad Mapper?
I'm currently playing Bioshock Infinite and apart the fact that I can't take screenshots, it runs like butter.
Yeah I'm just not looking forward to wasting 1-2 fucking hours getting all my shit reinstalled. Fucking Android.
I'm getting 720p/60fps with minimal artifacts and I'm not on dual band, it's not a necessity.
I used a paired Bluetooth keyboard and mouse emulation.
PPSSPP doesn't run at full speed
I suppose I haven't tested everything but I've played Megaman Powered Up, Maverick Hunter X, and Armored Core Formula Front International at full speed.
flaxknuckles
Member
I went ahead and bought a microusb to ethernet cord for now just in case my 2.4ghz router isn't enough for 60fps streaming. It'll last me until the microusb tip invitably breaks lol. Thanks though.
For what it's worth, I tried what you said today. I unplugged it around ten o'clock this morning, kept it in standby all day (I actually showed off Fallout 2 for a few minutes this afternoon), and now, fifteen minutes before midnight, I'm at 84% which seems reasonable to me. I'd even be happy around 75%, heh. That's better than my phone by a mile.
I also just tried Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, Ys Seven, and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops. All ran full speed.
The GoWs, SH, the WipeOuts and Resistance:R don't, though.
lordchompy
Member
It's not an Nvidia Shield, but the Lenovo Miix 2 8 is a fantastic 8" Windows 8 tablet that weighs 3/4 of a pound and runs emulators really well.
Here's me playing Maximo: Ghosts to Glory on a PS2 emulator, full speed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nhM2Y3pKUw&feature=youtu.be
Here's me playing Maximo: Ghosts to Glory on a PS2 emulator, full speed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nhM2Y3pKUw&feature=youtu.be
Android OS shenanigans.
Hmm, does this run full blown Windows 8?
So sound lag is still prevalent, even with snes? My carts are losing battery backup, so I'm wondering if this is a better solution or if I should just fix those.
flaxknuckles
Member
I just realized that since the Nvidia Shield's screen is 720p, I can drop the resolution on Crysis 3 and play it at probably 60fps maxed and the game will look native.
Damn Amazon, I ordered that thing on Wednesday with prime shipping and they still haven't sent it out yet. They are really starting to lose their worth.
Damn Amazon, I ordered that thing on Wednesday with prime shipping and they still haven't sent it out yet. They are really starting to lose their worth.
I personally don't notice it and I don't believe is even a problem worth mentioning. However, Android system wide audio lag is indeed there and can be objectively measured, so I can't say that it isn't there.