Release PicoDrive revival (1.9x)

[TrashyMG]

Is it possible to get a mode where sound doesn't stutter when the lid is closed ?

I'd like to be able to listen endless loops of options menu's music.

I'm getting a similar stutter issue even if the screen blanks out when idle, I often use the Pandora with the TV out cable and a USB controller.. the screen goes blank since there isn't any keyboard or mouse movement. So it gets a tad annoying.

 

[Exophase]

I'm getting a similar stutter issue even if the screen blanks out when idle, I often use the Pandora with the TV out cable and a USB controller.. the screen goes blank since there isn't any keyboard or mouse movement. So it gets a tad annoying.

You can disable this by command line with:

xset s off

The stuttering issue sounds like it's because of the clock speed lowering when the lid is closed. You can change this behavior in a configuration setting too, right?

 

[PowerGod]

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/12069-disable-low-power-mode-when-lid-closed/#entry225070

Is it possible to get a mode where sound doesn't stutter when the lid is closed ?

I'd like to be able to listen endless loops of options menu's music.

I'm getting a similar stutter issue even if the screen blanks out when idle, I often use the Pandora with the TV out cable and a USB controller.. the screen goes blank since there isn't any keyboard or mouse movement. So it gets a tad annoying.

I'm searching an old answer someone gave me time ago... if i remember well it was regarding vsync, that is disabled while the lid is closed and can give problems to emulators that uses it

EDIT: found the answer of notaz, but maybe it was generic

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/12069-disable-low-power-mode-when-lid-closed/#entry225070

and also a way to just make the display turn off without disabling anything else

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/12069-disable-low-power-mode-when-lid-closed/#entry225393

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Cool thanks ! Will try.

 

[Kumaki]

How do I use cheat codes with this?

 

[Amethyst]

How do I use cheat codes with this?

I think you may need to drop back to the Jul 18, 2012 version (v1.80) for the '.pat' cheat function. Virtua Racing (Megadrive/Genesis) works too in that version. The only issue with v1.80 is the gamma is set too low and is unadjustable. It needs ramping up to '1.2'. So you can either set it in the pandora menu before you start v1.80, or do what I did, and remake the pnd to run the binary with the gamma rigged at '1.2' then default back to the Pandora's current setting on exit.

Edit:

Actually, scratch what I said about having to drop back to v1.80 to use the cheat function. You just need to press 'Y' in the rom list to show the '.pat' files.

 

[Mark]

Tried to add the missing 2 buttons to play 6 button games but it didnt save the configuration.

Thx for your help

 

[porg]

Battery save not working?


Game settings (i.e. music ON for Klax) and Hi-scores (i.e. Shadow of the Beast, Klax) are lost upon the next loading session.


I dunno how the Genesis was implemented to save data (cartridge-side and or the console too?), but the writing functions in Picodrive effectively don't work for me now, cannot recall if this worked in the past.


I ensured its not a writing issue with the SD card, the lock switch is not set, it is formatted as FAT32 and I can create files on it.


Picodrive config: SRAM/BRAM saves is 1 and SaveRAM card is set to 1 too.


Within appdata/picodrive/ both /brm and /srm, short for BRAM and SRAM I guess, are empty though battery saves should go there as I guess.


Same issue regardless wether I use the frontend XFCE or Pandafe.


What else to check? Or can it be considered a bug?

 

[notaz]

Genesis/MD could only save if the cartridge had on-cart RAM+battery or an EEPROM chip, there's nothing in the console itself for saves. This stuff costs extra, so relatively few games had saves. I'm sure Shadow of the Beast didn't have saves, and googling for Klax PCB shows it only had plain ROM chip too:

http://gendev.spritesmind.net/mirrors/www.nepereny.com/misc2/games/genesis_klax.htm

 

[porg]

So those ROM-only catrigde games...


... offering highscores was only meant for being enjoyed as long as the device was continuously running, best real use case, a video gaming party, where you wanted to impress your following players, or yourself during keeping the device on, or note the score on paper;


... settings had to have good defaults, and needed to be changed each time again, if desired.

 

[TrashyMG]

^ yeah it was common back then, I used to keep my high scores written down on paper on such games. Most games really didn't have too many settings where it was annoying enough to complain..

even some PC games of the era were kind of guilty of it, lemmings had no saves at all.. you had to write down a 10 letter code displayed after each level if you wanted to continue where you left off.   

 

[Linux-SWAT]

xset s off doesn't allow to listen to music while the lid is closed.

Is it linked to the new lid close powersaving feature ?

 

[porg]

MobyGames has a filtering attribute "Battery Backed RAM".

The labeling of this flag is not optimal, as they use it as an umbrella term for "any game cartridge with saving capabilities", regardless with which technique (EPROM, battery power RAM, etc), but we get what we want, in this case.

So here is a list of SEGA Genesis games, which have save capabilities.

 

[TrashyMG]

So here is a list of SEGA Genesis games, which have save capabilities.

Wow, the only game I have on those 7 pages of games was Shadowrun.

 

[levi]

xset s off doesn't allow to listen to music while the lid is closed.


Is it linked to the new lid close powersaving feature ?

'xset s off' just disables the screensaver as far as I know. Nothing more.


I can listen to music fine with the lid closed. I can't if I have the lid close settings to go to low power/standby mode, but that's an old feature.


I also understood that the problem was due to vsync being tied to the LCD, so when the screen goes off (either because of the screensaver or closing the lid) vsync simply stops firing. But listening to music doesn't need vsync, so that's fine. Picodrive on the other hand...

 

[porg]

@notaz, as you are currently actively viewing the thread, please tell me what do you think about this:

Bug report: Overlay view: Shows wrong time (UTC instead of my local timezone CEST)

Feature request: Overlay view: Battery indicator (like in PCSX ReARMed)

Applies to the current PicoDrive 1.91

 

[notaz]

Looks valid things to fix, also that timing issue with lid closed. There are also quite a few game breaking issues to fix with the emulation itself, including that Titan demo.. I don't know when I can get to all that though.

 

[LordShadow95]

any hope for a PSP's Release?

 

[mcobit]

There  is a lot of ARM and NEON customisation in it. I don't think it will run efficiently on the MIPS architecture of the PSP.

Maybe a pure c version could run that will be a lot slower.

 

[TrashyMG]

Well Notaz does have a PSP version, but hasn't been updated in a long while..

http://notaz.gp2x.de/pico.php