Emulator problems

[Carnick]

I just got my Pandora in the mail, and so far I can't get it to do a single thing right. I tried running the FCE NES emulator with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, and the graphics appeared messed up and the system locked up. I then tried the SNES9x emulator with Final Fantasy 3, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Super Metroid. They all start with screwed up, interlaced graphics and slow sound. Finally I tried Mugen, and Super Mario 64 runs okay but a bit choppy. Blast Corps on the other hand runs way too fast then crashes.


The only thing I've gotten to work is the Chromium web browser, after the default one refused to start (something about an input/output error). I'm really not happy with this device. There's an absolute dirth of info for new users, and not even a manual or quick start up pamphlet in the box. Even the community written manual is sparse. I had to struggle for a while just to figure out how to use the power switch!


Can anyone please help? I've been using computers for 30 years, and nothing has quite frustrated me this much.

 

[DaMummy]

the gpfce emu is known not to run punch out from my experience. not sure what your problem is with snes and n64. where did you get your pnd's from though? for webbrowsing, try either firefox 11 or midori

 

[gotwake424]

I just got my Pandora in the mail, and so far I can't get it to do a single thing right. I tried running the FCE NES emulator with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, and the graphics appeared messed up and the system locked up. I then tried the SNES9x emulator with Final Fantasy 3, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Super Metroid. They all start with screwed up, interlaced graphics and slow sound. Finally I tried Mugen, and Super Mario 64 runs okay but a bit choppy. Blast Corps on the other hand runs way too fast then crashes.


The only thing I've gotten to work is the Chromium web browser, after the default one refused to start (something about an input/output error). I'm really not happy with this device. There's an absolute dirth of info for new users, and not even a manual or quick start up pamphlet in the box. Even the community written manual is sparse. I had to struggle for a while just to figure out how to use the power switch!


Can anyone please help? I've been using computers for 30 years, and nothing has quite frustrated me this much.

It should have come with an info booklet and quick start guide


What OS are you currently running? (shows on boot up)


Take a minute to install the community codec pack (http://openpandora.o...emid=40&lang=en) I also recommend updating to the latest Beta


For Mupen64plus might seem counter intuitive but try setting the frameskip= 0, Also a good overclock can help with this


EDIT: thanks for the lingo correction Gruso

 

[gruso]

Welcome. Never fear, first day Pandora use can feel a little alien (it did for me) but you will settle in quickly. There should have been a small printed quickstart guide shipped with your Pandora? Maybe it was accidentally left out of yours.


Here is the absolutely essential info you need to get started (I assume you have this figured out already as you have PNDs running):


1. Don't put files on the internal NAND


2. Make a /pandora folder on your SD card, and inside that create subfolders /desktop, /menu, /mmenu, and /apps. Explanation of these folders:


- PND files in /desktop appear on the XFCE desktop


- PND files in /menu appear in the XFCE menu


- PND files in /mmenu appear in Minimenu only


- PND files in /apps appear in both Minimenu, and on the XFCE desktop


3. Get your apps from http://repo.openpandora.org (to start with, anyway. It's the primary location for up to date releases. There are other sources, worry about them later.)


That's it really. Drop your PNDs into the folder that suits you. And a couple of extra tips:


- Make a mental note of the most common ways to access in-app menus and/or quit apps: Q, Esc (Fn+Q), Start, or Space.


- You can force a reboot by holding the Pandora logo button and flicking the power switch to the right.


As I said, you're probably past all this stuff already. I'm just posting it so you know what the basic quickstart steps are, so you know you haven't missed anything.

I also recommend updating to the latest hotfix

I think we need to be careful with terminology here. There are no current hotfixes. The last one was hotfix 7 (which didn't leave beta). Then we rolled into 'Super Zaxxon' full firmware betas. We're at Super Zaxxon Beta 4 at the moment, which is an essential install. Each Super Zaxxon release is not a hotfix, but a full image flash.


The distinction must be made because installing any of the previously released 'hotfixes' will break the current firmware.


@Carnick: On bootup, the splash screen will tell you which firmware you're running. It will say "Super Zaxxon beta x". Running the latest (beta 4) is highly recommended, you will find the relevant thread & links in the beta testing subforum.


Finally to the topic of emulators... I think with a bit of experimenting and tweaking you'll have things running comfortably before long. I haven't met an emu yet (on any platform) which didn't make me jump through a few hoops before paying off. There are a few options to try for NES:


http://repo.openpand...l&app=gpfcegp2x


http://repo.openpand...afen-pandora.r3


http://repo.openpand...ss-advmenu-0102


(I've only tried the first one personally)


N64 is naturally a lot more demanding and fiddly. Best point of research is this thread: http://boards.openpa...-and-much-more/

 

[Carnick]

Thanks for the replies. This seems like a helpful community.


The boot up says I'm running Super Zaxxon - Release 1.5 (it also says Beta 1.1 in the upper right corner). I figured it was the latest, or next to the latest since I just bought the thing.


Another issue - the system advertises a 10 hour battery, but mine went from 100% to 60% in power save mode with the lid closed in under 5 hours. Is that normal? I definitely did not get any paperwork with my Pandora, just the unit and the charging cable.

 

[gruso]

"Super Zaxxon 1.5" is the 'major' name for the firmware we are currently on. Tacked on to this will be a beta number. Shipped units are generally a version or two behind the latest (that way the community can test the latest version before it goes onto shipping Pandoras).


Your battery drain in power save mode is normal for your firmware version. But if you hold the right shoulder button on boot, you will see a menu allowing you to boot with the newer kernel. This kernel includes a true standby mode (new and exciting for us!) which gives you a massive increase in low power standby time. You can leave it in standby overnight and only lose a few percent.


This newer kernel is the default selection in later Super Zaxxon betas. Users are reporting well over 10hrs 'on' time, and in the realm of 100 hours standby time. There are many other fixes and enhancements too, so it's highly recommended that you install beta 4. http://boards.openpa...eta-4-released/


It's a full NAND flash. The Pandora is unbrickable, but there are some precautions. You'll lose any changes you've made to NAND (desktop customisations etc). And you should only flash while connected to power, just to be sure you don't run of battery in the process.


And yes, the community is the backbone of this device Stick around and ask all the questions you like.

 

[Carnick]

I installed Beta 4. SNES9x now works pretty flawlessly (sound is a little off, but whatever). Punch-Out and Blast Corps still crash the system, which is a bummer because those are the games I was looking forward to playing the most. I can now play SOME games, so we're making progress!


I'd like to use the analog nubs for d-pad control (I'm disabled and it helps with my hands). Is that possible? I used the nub config to set them to joystick input, but the emulators don't seem to recognize it. Is there an app out there that will rebind the nubs to d-pad input?

 

[TrashyMG]

I don't have blast corps, but Punch-Out seems to work fine for me.. or well it does for the 10 minutes I've been playing it.. Could you have a bad ROM dump?

 

[PokeParadox]

Blast Corps is a known problem for many N64 emulators, unfortunately for that specific game, you are out of luck unless someone can work any magic with the emulator/plugins. I also miss playing this game

 

[Prometheus]

(sound is a little off, but whatever)

Press Space to access Snes9x4P's menu - there's an option there for alternative sound emulation, which will fix games where the sound is a bit wrong.

 

[DaMummy]

my copy of punch out with mike tyson on nes has also never worked on gpfce. runs perfect on Nestopia, but the controls arent setup on that emulator. StreaK has recently started uploading his PNDs back on the repo, so maybe we can expect a new version of it back on the repo with proper controls

 

[TrashyMG]

I was figuring he was talking about the SNES Punch-Out, not the NES Mike Tyson Punch Out since he mentioned SNES9x4p..

 

[hakkmanplayedout]

Just hang in there it will all come into place.

 

[SoulFire9001]

Does Breath of Fire 3 not work with PCSX ReARMed at the moment? It doesn't respond to my button presses.

 

[DaMummy]

I was figuring he was talking about the SNES Punch-Out, not the NES Mike Tyson Punch Out since he mentioned SNES9x4p..

the first OP's post defines it a bit clearer

 

[Lao Rebel]

I just got my Pandora in the mail, and so far I can't get it to do a single thing right. I tried running the FCE NES emulator with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, and the graphics appeared messed up and the system locked up. I then tried the SNES9x emulator with Final Fantasy 3, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Super Metroid. They all start with screwed up, interlaced graphics and slow sound. Finally I tried Mugen, and Super Mario 64 runs okay but a bit choppy. Blast Corps on the other hand runs way too fast then crashes.


The only thing I've gotten to work is the Chromium web browser, after the default one refused to start (something about an input/output error). I'm really not happy with this device. There's an absolute dirth of info for new users, and not even a manual or quick start up pamphlet in the box. Even the community written manual is sparse. I had to struggle for a while just to figure out how to use the power switch!


Can anyone please help? I've been using computers for 30 years, and nothing has quite frustrated me this much.

i just got my pandora. everything working fine. i installed Super Zaxxon Beta 4 and it works great for me. some games are slow, but that is an emulator problem i believe, but it plays all the games i want. Super Metriod is kinda slow, but playable. Axelay is real slow, but i have not tried over clocking yet.


the only problems i have is the touchscreen, it seems unresponsive, i can't click on anything w/my stylus. also, some PNDs wont run!! like gparted and fileroller, i need these to work. i post my problems on support later.


but all in all, i love my pandora! it does things for me that use to take 2 laptops and a desktop to do before! impressive!!

 

[Lao Rebel]

I just got my Pandora in the mail, and so far I can't get it to do a single thing right. I tried running the FCE NES emulator with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, and the graphics appeared messed up and the system locked up. I then tried the SNES9x emulator with Final Fantasy 3, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Super Metroid. They all start with screwed up, interlaced graphics and slow sound. Finally I tried Mugen, and Super Mario 64 runs okay but a bit choppy. Blast Corps on the other hand runs way too fast then crashes.


The only thing I've gotten to work is the Chromium web browser, after the default one refused to start (something about an input/output error). I'm really not happy with this device. There's an absolute dirth of info for new users, and not even a manual or quick start up pamphlet in the box. Even the community written manual is sparse. I had to struggle for a while just to figure out how to use the power switch!


Can anyone please help? I've been using computers for 30 years, and nothing has quite frustrated me this much.

forgot to mention that punch out works on Mednafen, try it

 

[younghifi]

2. Make a /pandora folder on your SD card, and inside that create subfolders /desktop, /menu, /mmenu, and /apps. Explanation of these folders:


- PND files in /desktop appear on the XFCE desktop


- PND files in /menu appear in the XFCE menu


- PND files in /mmenu appear in Minimenu only


- PND files in /apps appear in both Minimenu, and on the XFCE desktop


3. Get your apps from http://repo.openpandora.org (to start with, anyway. It's the primary location for up to date releases. There are other sources, worry about them later.)


That's it really. Drop your PNDs into the folder that suits you. And a couple of extra tips:

I think it's worth noting that this folder structure and PND auto-discovery doesn't really work like you wrote Gruso. At least not in the latest Super Zaxxons (tried in Betas 3 and 4).


At least for me it doesn't. I feel kinda awkward writing about this because it's not the first time I note on this issue on the boards, still got no answers, so I'm starting to feel like only I have this problem


Currently for me it works like so:


- PND files in /desktop appear on the XFCE desktop and in minimenu


- PND files in /menu appear in the XFCE menu and in minimenu


- PND files in /mmenu appear nowhere


- PND files in /apps appear in both Minimenu, and on the XFCE desktop


PS:


If one of the mods thinks that this post qualifies for it's own thread then please move it out of here.