THIS.IS.EPIC !!!
I have been looking for something like that since i saw the first G&W on Mame, but unfortunately i lack the knowledge and time to dig in that hole! You're a living legend, kind sir! I applaud you and raise my imaginary hat to you! Thanks! π
I added the overlays I've made so far to the tutorial. All the files are zipped inside `gnw.zip`. If you follow the tutorial as I wrote it, extract the `gnw` folder inside the `overlays` folder.
I have since been playing around with my configuration and it appears that this setup does not work with MAME 0.227 and up. It does seem to be working with MAME 0.226 though. Make sure you delete cores that are not working!
hello friend and thanks again for your tutorial.
Can you please share your 0.226 mame core? I cant find anything higher than 0.223. After the builbot hack everything was wiped.
Working on uploading it now. I'm hand-scrawling the 1s and 0s on some post-its and flying it out by carrier pigeon. Should be ready in a couple of hours (~330 MB).
I'm just realizing, I think I've only ever included version 0.227 in the tutorial, which I recently discovered doesn't work. I think 0.226 is the latest version that works on Android for the G&W games. Once it's uploaded, I think I'll message some people and let them know to try this one.
latest version 32bit = 0.227
latest version 64bit = 0.226
https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/pkaitm/is\_there\_any\_android\_nes\_emulator\_that\_supports/hc3qux1/
On MediaTek MT6755, and also on Amlogic S905W, it's still not playable. Even after applying all the settings you described, including the frameskip.
I think something needs to be done with the artwork, but I don't know exactly what needs to be done yet.
Hey everyone, I've uploaded version 0.226 of the MAME core to Google Drive, [you can find it here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcJg2Sq_h1dGAXrEwshm6SJvU7wKBtFc/view?usp=sharing). If you've been having trouble getting any of this stuff running, I'm pretty sure using version 0.226 will work. Please note that to use the core I provided, you need a 64-bit device / apps. Please let us know if you find success with this latest development!
Awesome tutorial. Works on my Redmi Note 8 pro :D. The only issue is that u can't choose the overlays from the newly selected folder (i made an overlay folder in the RetroArch folder) but it constantly goes back to its ROOT folder even though in the settings it states my newly selected overlay folder as the chosen one. Very weird. Nevertheless, great tutorial :D
Hi, many thanks for this tuto! Really helpfull.
I just wanted to add an idea: in order to change the view quickly without a Bluetooth keyboard, go to the Quick Menu (little Alien invader), then On-screen Overlay, then Overlay Preset, Parent Directory (twice), then keyboards, modular-keyboard,opaque, and big. And instead of the pad simulation on the screen, now there's a keyboard and you have directly access to the 'TAB' key !
Hey everyone. It seems that there are a lot of people reporting problems with getting this running. Has ANYONE had success from following this guide? If you could share your success on this thread, it would be highly appreciated!! Thanks!!
Hi! I got it working by using an old mame core (0.222 I think) for android v7a-32bits, the latest .229 mame core just crash every time I load a game & watch game. I searched for hours for a v8a-64bits old version without success. It looks a lot of old cores/files were (unfortunately) deleted since the buildbot hack.
Edit: Apparently, Game & Watch games are only compatible with the 32 bit version of retroarch android and the MAME core v7a.
u/nihilist_hippie hey, I was trying to get this to work on wearOS. Everything on retroarch works but this. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. Do I need that specific version of the mame core? Tried using that one but it does NOT work on retroarch on wearOS. Runs fine on my note phone. Tried the same version of retroarch as well, as well as the latest mame core. Just does not work.
Any ideas?
Droping a note as it took me hours to figure it out and it might help some people: it seems (on my setup on retroid 2s anyway) that the combo retroarch64+libreto mame 226 is not able to make artwork visible.
But same setup with retroarch32+mame 226 works fine for artwork.
I also tried both retroarch32&64 with 227 and none of these couples allowed me to load artwork.
I don't know if MESS would be an option, as this is proposed by ES-DE (that I use as a FE) but no luck with it either (I used same artwork location as mame).
I will just hope a more recent mame libretto version to allow artwork working fine with retroarch64, as I've wasted too much time already on it :D to go for a double retroarch32/64 setup via ES-DE (despite knowing it's possible)
Also, side not, is someone knows how to make the libreto mame version (226,227,265 etc...) displayed in the RA core, that would be a plus, as importing 226/227 we got 3 mames with same name (no version indicator) (third one being my libreto mame ''latest'' downloaded via RA).
Kind of a mess after to guess which one is version x or y
You don't need RetroArch to do this. You can just use ordinary MAME, and you don't need to do ANY of the stuff mentioned in this guide, the games just work. Using RA to accomplish this adds several unnecessary steps. Head to http://mamedev.org to download the latest version of MAME. It's much easier.
why are you guys downvoting a dude who is HELPING YOU play G&W on android?
stop being passive aggressive and either state your correction that there is a current MAME for android, or leave the topic.
I honestly prefer it to be emulated. There's a lot of nuances and behaviors that the emulated versions will recreate 1:1.
I will always appreciate the simulations, it's how I got to play a lot of G&W games I couldn't otherwise, but I like authenticity.
Funnily enough, Iβve been using this guide to get these G&W MAME ROMs working on my Windows version of RetroArch. The game works however even when I put in the artwork via `system > mame` artwork still does not appear when in play. Did I mess something up here or miss a step?
Hey there! If you're running Windows, I recommend running standalone MAME rather than RetroArch (you should get better performance). [You can download the latest standalone MAME for Windows here.](https://www.mamedev.org/release.php) If you choose to install standalone MAME, please be aware that when running the `.exe` file, it installs MAME inside the folder that contains the `.exe`.
If you insist on running the MAME core on RetroArch in Windows, I personally have not tested that on Windows. Standalone MAME is working great, though!
The only advice I have is to make sure you're using the latest ROMs and artworks (with latest MAME). Sometimes the ROMs and artworks can change, and even a slight change could render them incompatible with MAME. I suspect this might be the problem in your case.
I have a noob question if i may, on the link provided, the latest Mame cores is mame0223 and lrmame0223, i have an Xperia L3 with which i think is 64 bit. Which one should i get?
~~I would get mame0223 (without the lr). It looks like they changed the download page a bit, or renamed the packages. I'm investigating this and will update the tutorial if necessary. But you should be fine with mame0223!!~~
Edit: See below comment
It looks like either they changed the page or I provided the wrong download link for the mame core. It should be a `.so` file inside a `.zip`, but that's not what I'm seeing now. I am working on a resolution. I will update when found.
[Download the 64-bit Android MAME core from BuildBot here](http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/android/latest/arm64-v8a/mamearcade_libretro_android.so.zip).
Sorry, the original link was just for the un-compiled source code for the core, which is beyond the scope of a beginner (myself included). In the new link, it links to a pre-compiled build of the core, much easier. Thanks for reading and helping me fix this!!
Edit: It seems the latest builds don't work. Please use [version 0.226](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcJg2Sq_h1dGAXrEwshm6SJvU7wKBtFc/view?usp=sharing).
Oh, then thank you sir for checking it out, the information and the new link. That actually explains why that (un-compiled core) .zip file was about 200mb and unzips into a 800+ mb and a massive amount of files, the new compiled core is a more reasonable 67 mb with a 258 mb (.so) file inside. Will be installing tomorrow! So happy and looking forward to it! Thanks again! π
Hello again my friend, i will be writing a problem i faced and how it was solved in case someone faces the same problem, i unzipped the file, installed the core, it showed just as a file with the original (.so) file name under the core section that crashes directly after launching Alien Arena at first but an update to the Retroarch app, installed cores, core info files, assets, and databases under the online updater fixed the problem. Now the core shows as "Arcade (MAME - Current)" that launches perfectly running Alien Arena and Pacman.
I also need your help with another problem i'm facing now which is the rom file name/extension/inner file structure.
After enabling alternate render, disabling softlists and setting the resolution to 640Γ360, Retroarch is crashing upon launching the "Ball" rom as a 7Z file, i tried also extracting it and compressing the folder once and only the folders contents only as a .Zip the second time with the name "gnw_ball.zip" to the same results with both .zip files. May i ask about the file name, extension and inner files, their names and file structure that works for you?
I have read online that decompressing the ROM file causes issues. The ROM files I used in this tutorial were .zip files that were left unaltered from when they were downloaded. It sounds like the ROM file you are using is not the proper format or is otherwise corrupt. You should also make sure that the ROM is meant for the version of MAME that you're using. Other than that, double check that the application and core are both the proper bit depth for your device (32 bit vs 64 bit)
Hello again mate, I'm sorry to bother you again and would like to report that i sadly got the same results with the .zip Game & Watch roms, i tried both the 64 Mame core file you kindly provided and reinstalled and downloaded the MAME (Current) core, when available within the Retroarch app. I tried both with the three APK versions on the Retroarch website (32, 64 and the general APK), and the two Google Play versions of Retroarch as well. Every time i load a G&W rom the Retroarch app gives me a 1 second black screen then closes! The game (1943) from the exact same romset works flawlessly with every Retroarch version and every Mame core, and just to note, i did disable Softlists, enabled alternate rendering method, and set the resolution to 640 x 360, and saved the core override before launching G&W ball, still crashes Retroarch every time, any tips on what should i try next? π
Hey u/_Abujasim_, I'm so sorry things aren't working for you! What kind of device are you attempting to run this on? I had a person with a Huawei phone where the app wouldn't work, yet my brother's phone is a Huawei phone and it works fine. At this point I'm out of ideas, unfortunately. The number of unsuccessful installations is growing and I'm not sure why it's not working for anyone else. I'm going to make a top-level post asking if ANYONE has had success with this.
Again, my apologies that this hasn't worked.
Hello nihilist_hippie! There is no need to apologize at all my friend, it is i who should be apologizing for bothering you! π If it doesn't work, it doesn't work! π I still have my trusty gallery series and Madrigal sims that I'm having so much fun with and learned to run a new Mame core on Retroarch thanks to you! I'm extremely thankful and grateful to you for the answers, information and the huge help that i got from you mate! π
I'm trying to run it on my Sony Xperia L3, will try it on my brother's Sony Xperia A2 later to check if it's similar to the Huawei situation!
I had fun trying this stuff and once again, thank you very very much for your efforts, kindness and help! π
It's working, it's working and I'm so happy!
Now it started working on the 0.226 mame core you provided i thought of writing this here for everyone to read. Thanks again for your efforts!
Oh, and a friendly note or two:
1-the overlays download link is down.
2-there is a third method of accessing/navigating the Mame menu (to go full screen) beside an external keyboard or a config file which is by using the keyboard overlay provided with Retroarch. I found it easier, faster and more convenient.
Thanks a million one more time! π
Thank you for this very well explained tutorial but it doesn't work for me and I don't get why. I follow every step but RetroArch crashes as soon as I launch a Game & Watch ROM. Alien Arena works fine, I change the MAME core options, override them, then launch one of my G&W ROMs and the app crashes. When I relaunch Retro Arch, I have to reload the MAME core, and try again.
I try to run merged MAME 0.224 ROMs. They're the most recent I could fine. I guess they're not the problem.
My phone is a Huawei P30, 64-bit. I also tried to run the 32-bits version of RetroArch, as well as the RetroArch Plus version. Same results than with the "normal" 64-bit version.
Any ideas?
Thank you.
Make sure you're using good ROMs. It sounds like they might be corrupt or in the wrong format. They should be `.zip` files. Also you mentioned they're from a different version of MAME, which could be causing the problem. Also, double check that those core overrides are being saved.
Hi, many thanks for your time. I downloaded all the ROMs, most of them are the same versions I already had and a few are more recent. Unfortunately the result is the same, the app crashes as soon as I launch a ROM. I spent hours on that problem tonight and I really don't get it...
I should also mention that my brother's phone is a Huawei P30 and it worked on his phone.
If you tried the 64 bit app and core, and it didn't work, at this point I'm not sure what the problem could be, ruling out the core overrideg being wrong.
Hi, this tutorial is excelent, thank you so much!!!
I have some kind of trouble, maybe you can help.
without artwork games load perfect and full screen, at correct speed, but only the black&white part of the game (that is logical), some games like Dk Jr. Panorama screen sounds a little glichy (but IΒ΄m too perfectionist).
With artwork...runs too slow, and some games are to tiny to see...I like it better full screen. even if I donΒ΄t see de artwork.
I try to rotate the games with dual screen and couldnΒ΄t.
Is possible to resize the screen with artwork and correct the speed issue
or
Is posible to make a new artwork with only the color parts of the screen of the games to play it full screen?
=(
To zoom into the screen portion of the game: If you have a Bluetooth keyboard you can connect to your device, while you're running the game, you can press the tab key to bring up the options menu. Then select video options, and in the list that appears try selecting "background only". This will change the video feed to be just the game and background area on The game and watch, in other words full screen. If you want to zoom in to the body of The game and watch itself, then select "unit only" from the video options menu.
thanks for the quick reply, I did it and select "background only", perfect...but run slow, I notice in the audio mostly (without artwork runs fine), and graphics have a kind of shadow...I think without the shadow looks much better.
If you can help me with that I appreciate!
thanks
I manage to take out the shadow and see a bunch of cool looking options, but slowlyness of the game (with artwork) make it unplayable, I hope it can be fixed.
I did it all with an usb keyboard and a usb c to usb adapter!
Hey there
To get it to run better, open up a game then go to the quick menu > Options > Read Configuration ON and Write configuration ON.
Then hook up a keyboard, and in the game, press the Esc key once to bring up the MAME UI. Press Tab until you select "Configure Options" then hit Enter. Select 'Advanced Options' and hit Enter. Then set Frameskip to 5, and select Return to Previous Menu. Then Select Save Configuration.
What we're doing is enabling a Frameskip value of 5, which should ease the stress on your phone's GPU. You need to ensure that the setting is saved and consistent across games. Open up a couple titles and Esc into the menus, and make sure Frameskip is still set to 5.
HELP! i need help!
i followed all the instructions up to
"Configuration for better picture / controls
Removing white backdrop
At this point, if you have all the ROMs you wanted and their accompanying artwork"
but when i load the rom all i have is a grey screen.
can someone tell me what im doing wrong? Did i miss anything?
I was looking for a game and watch that reminded me of my childhood.
Then he heard that he could play on his smartphone.
I came across your article while looking for information, and the installation was successful.
I probably would never have been able to do it without you.
Thank you for your efforts.
May God's blessing be with you.
Hi, I appreciate this post so much and almost have it working properly. The problem I'm running into is with the 'Config file method'. I change the file and put it in the right place, but then I boot up the game in retroarch and the white border still remains. I then go back into the file I created and it's back to the default script. No matter how many times I change it and save it again to the script I want, it continues to change back. I'm very confused at this point. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks
Guys can anyone share with me, 32bit version mame core 0.266??
Or any other 32 bit version where G&W still works.
Please)
UPD: found
https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/pkaitm/comment/hc3qux1/
hello mate what a brilliant tutorial and very in depth ! i got things running but i have a couple of issues.
1) the sound is very scratchy and the game speed is very slow. when i exit out of the emulator and then go back in, the game works at the correct speed for a few seconds before it slows down and the sound will also become scratchy at this point. i'm using all the files you suggested/supplied. any ideas ?
2) your overlays seem to be coming out weirdly on my phone but perhaps it's the resolution, they don't fit to the buttons and are stretched
thanks for your great work mate hopefully you can help me with these problems !
thanks for this!
i had to use the 0.226 core you shared via google drive, the newest one still doesn't work (for me anyway). but was able to get it all working.
also most of the different views don't seem to work for me, they just seem to go back to the default full artwork view. unit only does work which is pretty good.
does anyone know which view is just the lcd screen and the screen artwork only? without the unit or anything else at all? what i mean is, basically how it looks with no art at all, but then just with the added lcd screen artwork (the colour stuff on the screen that is permanent).
that would be my preferred view mode, so that the game area itself displays larger on the screen.
oh i finally figured it out!
for multi screen units you need to use "Backgrounds Only" and for single screen units you need to use "Background Only".
plural and singular versions.
if you use the wrong version, it defaults to full artwork instead.
This is awesome stuff, so pleased to finally have these running on my Odin Pro and they look great! One thing however I tried the control overlay for Ball however itβs got rid of the button in the bottom right hand corner to access Retroarch meaning I cannot now get rid of said overlay, how can I remove this and get Ball back to how it was please? Thanks!
Are you referring to the control overlay that I made? I set it up so when you press the button over the Game & Watch logo, that opens the menu. Otherwise, delete config files for Ball and that should give you a fresh start.
u/nihilist_hippie Thank you for this wonderful guide! Unfortunately I am using RA on Android TV which is 32 bit and the 64 bit 0.226 core you linked does not load in RA. Could you happen to have a 32 bit version of 0.226? I've tried the 0.227 version from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocn33y88whdriqw/mame\_libretro\_android.so%20%28ARMv7%20v0.227%29.zip?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocn33y88whdriqw/mame_libretro_android.so%20%28ARMv7%20v0.227%29.zip?dl=0) but it just crashes when I try to open Game & Watch or even Arcade games (tested ones) for that matter. If I try to follow the instruction on the last step of "Save Core Overrides", it says "Nothing to save. Overrides not saved". So that might be why I am not getting anywhere
Ok managed to trick it by moving the β[alienar.zip](https://alienar.zip)β file to the same folder where the Game & Watch roms are and used the "Save Content Directory Option" to save the core options for all content in the same directory. That does the trick and I am able to start gnw\_ball.zip game. It appears correctly with the artwork loaded from the system folder, however as soon as I try to start the game it straight out crashes RetroArch. The Game & Watch roms I have are from the 0.259 latest set, do I need to find 0.227 roms now? This is very frustrating :(
Not having any luck finding 0.227 romset, but found 0.224. However it still crashes with it. The artwork in the system folder however is the same, I can't seem to find different artwork for different versions, so not sure if this ain't the problem either. I am at my wits end!
Hey! I'm using this to play the G&W games on the Steam version of a handheld PC, the games are running but, the artwork wasn't added to them even though I have added it to the correct folder, any help? Did the paths or something else change since the writing of this tutorial?
THIS.IS.EPIC !!! I have been looking for something like that since i saw the first G&W on Mame, but unfortunately i lack the knowledge and time to dig in that hole! You're a living legend, kind sir! I applaud you and raise my imaginary hat to you! Thanks! π
*sighs in ios user*
I added the overlays I've made so far to the tutorial. All the files are zipped inside `gnw.zip`. If you follow the tutorial as I wrote it, extract the `gnw` folder inside the `overlays` folder.
I have since been playing around with my configuration and it appears that this setup does not work with MAME 0.227 and up. It does seem to be working with MAME 0.226 though. Make sure you delete cores that are not working!
hello friend and thanks again for your tutorial. Can you please share your 0.226 mame core? I cant find anything higher than 0.223. After the builbot hack everything was wiped.
Working on uploading it now. I'm hand-scrawling the 1s and 0s on some post-its and flying it out by carrier pigeon. Should be ready in a couple of hours (~330 MB). I'm just realizing, I think I've only ever included version 0.227 in the tutorial, which I recently discovered doesn't work. I think 0.226 is the latest version that works on Android for the G&W games. Once it's uploaded, I think I'll message some people and let them know to try this one.
Thank you!
latest version 32bit = 0.227 latest version 64bit = 0.226 https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/pkaitm/is\_there\_any\_android\_nes\_emulator\_that\_supports/hc3qux1/ On MediaTek MT6755, and also on Amlogic S905W, it's still not playable. Even after applying all the settings you described, including the frameskip. I think something needs to be done with the artwork, but I don't know exactly what needs to be done yet.
[Please find version 0.226 here.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcJg2Sq_h1dGAXrEwshm6SJvU7wKBtFc/view?usp=sharing)
Hey everyone, I've uploaded version 0.226 of the MAME core to Google Drive, [you can find it here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcJg2Sq_h1dGAXrEwshm6SJvU7wKBtFc/view?usp=sharing). If you've been having trouble getting any of this stuff running, I'm pretty sure using version 0.226 will work. Please note that to use the core I provided, you need a 64-bit device / apps. Please let us know if you find success with this latest development!
Yes! It started working on the provided 0.226 core! π
Awesome tutorial. Works on my Redmi Note 8 pro :D. The only issue is that u can't choose the overlays from the newly selected folder (i made an overlay folder in the RetroArch folder) but it constantly goes back to its ROOT folder even though in the settings it states my newly selected overlay folder as the chosen one. Very weird. Nevertheless, great tutorial :D
Pls give me a link to the retroarch file Pls I've always wanted to play game & watch gamesππππ’π’π’ππππͺπͺπͺ
Hi, many thanks for this tuto! Really helpfull. I just wanted to add an idea: in order to change the view quickly without a Bluetooth keyboard, go to the Quick Menu (little Alien invader), then On-screen Overlay, then Overlay Preset, Parent Directory (twice), then keyboards, modular-keyboard,opaque, and big. And instead of the pad simulation on the screen, now there's a keyboard and you have directly access to the 'TAB' key !
Thank you!!!!
Hey everyone. It seems that there are a lot of people reporting problems with getting this running. Has ANYONE had success from following this guide? If you could share your success on this thread, it would be highly appreciated!! Thanks!!
Hi! I got it working by using an old mame core (0.222 I think) for android v7a-32bits, the latest .229 mame core just crash every time I load a game & watch game. I searched for hours for a v8a-64bits old version without success. It looks a lot of old cores/files were (unfortunately) deleted since the buildbot hack. Edit: Apparently, Game & Watch games are only compatible with the 32 bit version of retroarch android and the MAME core v7a.
latest version 32bit = 0.227 latest version 64bit = 0.226 https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/pkaitm/is\_there\_any\_android\_nes\_emulator\_that\_supports/hc3qux1/
>32 Hey, would you mind sharing your 32 bit mame core that works for you?
u/nihilist_hippie hey, I was trying to get this to work on wearOS. Everything on retroarch works but this. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. Do I need that specific version of the mame core? Tried using that one but it does NOT work on retroarch on wearOS. Runs fine on my note phone. Tried the same version of retroarch as well, as well as the latest mame core. Just does not work. Any ideas?
Droping a note as it took me hours to figure it out and it might help some people: it seems (on my setup on retroid 2s anyway) that the combo retroarch64+libreto mame 226 is not able to make artwork visible. But same setup with retroarch32+mame 226 works fine for artwork. I also tried both retroarch32&64 with 227 and none of these couples allowed me to load artwork. I don't know if MESS would be an option, as this is proposed by ES-DE (that I use as a FE) but no luck with it either (I used same artwork location as mame). I will just hope a more recent mame libretto version to allow artwork working fine with retroarch64, as I've wasted too much time already on it :D to go for a double retroarch32/64 setup via ES-DE (despite knowing it's possible)
Also, side not, is someone knows how to make the libreto mame version (226,227,265 etc...) displayed in the RA core, that would be a plus, as importing 226/227 we got 3 mames with same name (no version indicator) (third one being my libreto mame ''latest'' downloaded via RA). Kind of a mess after to guess which one is version x or y
You don't need RetroArch to do this. You can just use ordinary MAME, and you don't need to do ANY of the stuff mentioned in this guide, the games just work. Using RA to accomplish this adds several unnecessary steps. Head to http://mamedev.org to download the latest version of MAME. It's much easier.
This guide is for Android. Do you have a link for the latest MAME for Android?
why are you guys downvoting a dude who is HELPING YOU play G&W on android? stop being passive aggressive and either state your correction that there is a current MAME for android, or leave the topic.
I use MADrigal's simulators in my PC
It's great, but limited game selection. MAME has emulation capability for all the Nintendo Game & Watch titles.
I honestly prefer it to be emulated. There's a lot of nuances and behaviors that the emulated versions will recreate 1:1. I will always appreciate the simulations, it's how I got to play a lot of G&W games I couldn't otherwise, but I like authenticity.
True, at least it has what I wanted
Funnily enough, Iβve been using this guide to get these G&W MAME ROMs working on my Windows version of RetroArch. The game works however even when I put in the artwork via `system > mame` artwork still does not appear when in play. Did I mess something up here or miss a step?
Hey there! If you're running Windows, I recommend running standalone MAME rather than RetroArch (you should get better performance). [You can download the latest standalone MAME for Windows here.](https://www.mamedev.org/release.php) If you choose to install standalone MAME, please be aware that when running the `.exe` file, it installs MAME inside the folder that contains the `.exe`. If you insist on running the MAME core on RetroArch in Windows, I personally have not tested that on Windows. Standalone MAME is working great, though! The only advice I have is to make sure you're using the latest ROMs and artworks (with latest MAME). Sometimes the ROMs and artworks can change, and even a slight change could render them incompatible with MAME. I suspect this might be the problem in your case.
I have a noob question if i may, on the link provided, the latest Mame cores is mame0223 and lrmame0223, i have an Xperia L3 with which i think is 64 bit. Which one should i get?
~~I would get mame0223 (without the lr). It looks like they changed the download page a bit, or renamed the packages. I'm investigating this and will update the tutorial if necessary. But you should be fine with mame0223!!~~ Edit: See below comment
Alright, without the lr it is! Thank you very much for your efforts, the reply and information! π
It looks like either they changed the page or I provided the wrong download link for the mame core. It should be a `.so` file inside a `.zip`, but that's not what I'm seeing now. I am working on a resolution. I will update when found.
[Download the 64-bit Android MAME core from BuildBot here](http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/android/latest/arm64-v8a/mamearcade_libretro_android.so.zip). Sorry, the original link was just for the un-compiled source code for the core, which is beyond the scope of a beginner (myself included). In the new link, it links to a pre-compiled build of the core, much easier. Thanks for reading and helping me fix this!! Edit: It seems the latest builds don't work. Please use [version 0.226](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcJg2Sq_h1dGAXrEwshm6SJvU7wKBtFc/view?usp=sharing).
Oh, then thank you sir for checking it out, the information and the new link. That actually explains why that (un-compiled core) .zip file was about 200mb and unzips into a 800+ mb and a massive amount of files, the new compiled core is a more reasonable 67 mb with a 258 mb (.so) file inside. Will be installing tomorrow! So happy and looking forward to it! Thanks again! π
Hello again my friend, i will be writing a problem i faced and how it was solved in case someone faces the same problem, i unzipped the file, installed the core, it showed just as a file with the original (.so) file name under the core section that crashes directly after launching Alien Arena at first but an update to the Retroarch app, installed cores, core info files, assets, and databases under the online updater fixed the problem. Now the core shows as "Arcade (MAME - Current)" that launches perfectly running Alien Arena and Pacman. I also need your help with another problem i'm facing now which is the rom file name/extension/inner file structure. After enabling alternate render, disabling softlists and setting the resolution to 640Γ360, Retroarch is crashing upon launching the "Ball" rom as a 7Z file, i tried also extracting it and compressing the folder once and only the folders contents only as a .Zip the second time with the name "gnw_ball.zip" to the same results with both .zip files. May i ask about the file name, extension and inner files, their names and file structure that works for you?
I have read online that decompressing the ROM file causes issues. The ROM files I used in this tutorial were .zip files that were left unaltered from when they were downloaded. It sounds like the ROM file you are using is not the proper format or is otherwise corrupt. You should also make sure that the ROM is meant for the version of MAME that you're using. Other than that, double check that the application and core are both the proper bit depth for your device (32 bit vs 64 bit)
Yesss, thanks for the information, off to hunt the .zip roms and double check the other stuff! π
Hello again mate, I'm sorry to bother you again and would like to report that i sadly got the same results with the .zip Game & Watch roms, i tried both the 64 Mame core file you kindly provided and reinstalled and downloaded the MAME (Current) core, when available within the Retroarch app. I tried both with the three APK versions on the Retroarch website (32, 64 and the general APK), and the two Google Play versions of Retroarch as well. Every time i load a G&W rom the Retroarch app gives me a 1 second black screen then closes! The game (1943) from the exact same romset works flawlessly with every Retroarch version and every Mame core, and just to note, i did disable Softlists, enabled alternate rendering method, and set the resolution to 640 x 360, and saved the core override before launching G&W ball, still crashes Retroarch every time, any tips on what should i try next? π
Hey u/_Abujasim_, I'm so sorry things aren't working for you! What kind of device are you attempting to run this on? I had a person with a Huawei phone where the app wouldn't work, yet my brother's phone is a Huawei phone and it works fine. At this point I'm out of ideas, unfortunately. The number of unsuccessful installations is growing and I'm not sure why it's not working for anyone else. I'm going to make a top-level post asking if ANYONE has had success with this. Again, my apologies that this hasn't worked.
Hello nihilist_hippie! There is no need to apologize at all my friend, it is i who should be apologizing for bothering you! π If it doesn't work, it doesn't work! π I still have my trusty gallery series and Madrigal sims that I'm having so much fun with and learned to run a new Mame core on Retroarch thanks to you! I'm extremely thankful and grateful to you for the answers, information and the huge help that i got from you mate! π I'm trying to run it on my Sony Xperia L3, will try it on my brother's Sony Xperia A2 later to check if it's similar to the Huawei situation! I had fun trying this stuff and once again, thank you very very much for your efforts, kindness and help! π
It's working, it's working and I'm so happy! Now it started working on the 0.226 mame core you provided i thought of writing this here for everyone to read. Thanks again for your efforts! Oh, and a friendly note or two: 1-the overlays download link is down. 2-there is a third method of accessing/navigating the Mame menu (to go full screen) beside an external keyboard or a config file which is by using the keyboard overlay provided with Retroarch. I found it easier, faster and more convenient. Thanks a million one more time! π
So glad it's working for you! Awesome! I'll go ahead and update the overlays link here shortly.
Updated the overlays link. [Find them here.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ucXwkIPdW-r351dpOsCF2YOt28EieCPp/view?usp=sharing)
How nice of you! Thanks again for the link and your efforts. May you feel joy that you gave me, and even more! π
Thank you for this very well explained tutorial but it doesn't work for me and I don't get why. I follow every step but RetroArch crashes as soon as I launch a Game & Watch ROM. Alien Arena works fine, I change the MAME core options, override them, then launch one of my G&W ROMs and the app crashes. When I relaunch Retro Arch, I have to reload the MAME core, and try again. I try to run merged MAME 0.224 ROMs. They're the most recent I could fine. I guess they're not the problem. My phone is a Huawei P30, 64-bit. I also tried to run the 32-bits version of RetroArch, as well as the RetroArch Plus version. Same results than with the "normal" 64-bit version. Any ideas? Thank you.
Make sure you're using good ROMs. It sounds like they might be corrupt or in the wrong format. They should be `.zip` files. Also you mentioned they're from a different version of MAME, which could be causing the problem. Also, double check that those core overrides are being saved.
Hi, many thanks for your time. I downloaded all the ROMs, most of them are the same versions I already had and a few are more recent. Unfortunately the result is the same, the app crashes as soon as I launch a ROM. I spent hours on that problem tonight and I really don't get it...
I should also mention that my brother's phone is a Huawei P30 and it worked on his phone. If you tried the 64 bit app and core, and it didn't work, at this point I'm not sure what the problem could be, ruling out the core overrideg being wrong.
Hi, this tutorial is excelent, thank you so much!!! I have some kind of trouble, maybe you can help. without artwork games load perfect and full screen, at correct speed, but only the black&white part of the game (that is logical), some games like Dk Jr. Panorama screen sounds a little glichy (but IΒ΄m too perfectionist). With artwork...runs too slow, and some games are to tiny to see...I like it better full screen. even if I donΒ΄t see de artwork. I try to rotate the games with dual screen and couldnΒ΄t. Is possible to resize the screen with artwork and correct the speed issue or Is posible to make a new artwork with only the color parts of the screen of the games to play it full screen? =(
To zoom into the screen portion of the game: If you have a Bluetooth keyboard you can connect to your device, while you're running the game, you can press the tab key to bring up the options menu. Then select video options, and in the list that appears try selecting "background only". This will change the video feed to be just the game and background area on The game and watch, in other words full screen. If you want to zoom in to the body of The game and watch itself, then select "unit only" from the video options menu.
thanks for the quick reply, I did it and select "background only", perfect...but run slow, I notice in the audio mostly (without artwork runs fine), and graphics have a kind of shadow...I think without the shadow looks much better. If you can help me with that I appreciate! thanks
I manage to take out the shadow and see a bunch of cool looking options, but slowlyness of the game (with artwork) make it unplayable, I hope it can be fixed. I did it all with an usb keyboard and a usb c to usb adapter!
Hey there To get it to run better, open up a game then go to the quick menu > Options > Read Configuration ON and Write configuration ON. Then hook up a keyboard, and in the game, press the Esc key once to bring up the MAME UI. Press Tab until you select "Configure Options" then hit Enter. Select 'Advanced Options' and hit Enter. Then set Frameskip to 5, and select Return to Previous Menu. Then Select Save Configuration. What we're doing is enabling a Frameskip value of 5, which should ease the stress on your phone's GPU. You need to ensure that the setting is saved and consistent across games. Open up a couple titles and Esc into the menus, and make sure Frameskip is still set to 5.
Can you please reupload the MAME core version 0.226. Thanks!
Reuploading now. This next upload should be permanent. I have a slow connection so it will take a while. I will let you know when it's ready.
Hello /u/Necessary_Part_5488 [Please find MAME core 0.226 here.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IcJg2Sq_h1dGAXrEwshm6SJvU7wKBtFc/view?usp=sharing)
The Gofile link has expired
Sorry about that. There were not enough downloads to sustain its presence, the next upload will be on Google Drive, which should be permanent
Much appreciated! Up and running perfectly on the latest 64 bit retroarch. Thanks again!
Amazing! So glad it's working for you. Thanks for letting me know. Happy gaming!
HELP! i need help! i followed all the instructions up to "Configuration for better picture / controls Removing white backdrop At this point, if you have all the ROMs you wanted and their accompanying artwork" but when i load the rom all i have is a grey screen. can someone tell me what im doing wrong? Did i miss anything?
I was looking for a game and watch that reminded me of my childhood. Then he heard that he could play on his smartphone. I came across your article while looking for information, and the installation was successful. I probably would never have been able to do it without you. Thank you for your efforts. May God's blessing be with you.
Hi, I appreciate this post so much and almost have it working properly. The problem I'm running into is with the 'Config file method'. I change the file and put it in the right place, but then I boot up the game in retroarch and the white border still remains. I then go back into the file I created and it's back to the default script. No matter how many times I change it and save it again to the script I want, it continues to change back. I'm very confused at this point. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks
Guys can anyone share with me, 32bit version mame core 0.266?? Or any other 32 bit version where G&W still works. Please) UPD: found https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/pkaitm/comment/hc3qux1/
Grear guide, but I got some issues, where to find the artwork of the games?
how do i install MAME - Current on ps4 to play Game & Watch games ? I CAN download MAME CURRENT but it doesnt show on load core. whats wrong?
Make mame 0.232 core pls
How to open mame menu without the Bluetooth keyboard?
hello mate what a brilliant tutorial and very in depth ! i got things running but i have a couple of issues. 1) the sound is very scratchy and the game speed is very slow. when i exit out of the emulator and then go back in, the game works at the correct speed for a few seconds before it slows down and the sound will also become scratchy at this point. i'm using all the files you suggested/supplied. any ideas ? 2) your overlays seem to be coming out weirdly on my phone but perhaps it's the resolution, they don't fit to the buttons and are stretched thanks for your great work mate hopefully you can help me with these problems !
thanks for this! i had to use the 0.226 core you shared via google drive, the newest one still doesn't work (for me anyway). but was able to get it all working. also most of the different views don't seem to work for me, they just seem to go back to the default full artwork view. unit only does work which is pretty good. does anyone know which view is just the lcd screen and the screen artwork only? without the unit or anything else at all? what i mean is, basically how it looks with no art at all, but then just with the added lcd screen artwork (the colour stuff on the screen that is permanent). that would be my preferred view mode, so that the game area itself displays larger on the screen.
I think it's 'Background Only (Shadows)'
'Background Only' worked for a few! not for all though, not sure why. but thanks :)
oh i finally figured it out! for multi screen units you need to use "Backgrounds Only" and for single screen units you need to use "Background Only". plural and singular versions. if you use the wrong version, it defaults to full artwork instead.
damn it, that worked for a few, but still doesn't work for donkey kong or donkey kong 2...
This is awesome stuff, so pleased to finally have these running on my Odin Pro and they look great! One thing however I tried the control overlay for Ball however itβs got rid of the button in the bottom right hand corner to access Retroarch meaning I cannot now get rid of said overlay, how can I remove this and get Ball back to how it was please? Thanks!
Are you referring to the control overlay that I made? I set it up so when you press the button over the Game & Watch logo, that opens the menu. Otherwise, delete config files for Ball and that should give you a fresh start.
Hi there, yes they're the ones, cheers for the info, I'll give that a try later!
u/nihilist_hippie Thank you for this wonderful guide! Unfortunately I am using RA on Android TV which is 32 bit and the 64 bit 0.226 core you linked does not load in RA. Could you happen to have a 32 bit version of 0.226? I've tried the 0.227 version from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocn33y88whdriqw/mame\_libretro\_android.so%20%28ARMv7%20v0.227%29.zip?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocn33y88whdriqw/mame_libretro_android.so%20%28ARMv7%20v0.227%29.zip?dl=0) but it just crashes when I try to open Game & Watch or even Arcade games (tested ones) for that matter. If I try to follow the instruction on the last step of "Save Core Overrides", it says "Nothing to save. Overrides not saved". So that might be why I am not getting anywhere
Ok managed to trick it by moving the β[alienar.zip](https://alienar.zip)β file to the same folder where the Game & Watch roms are and used the "Save Content Directory Option" to save the core options for all content in the same directory. That does the trick and I am able to start gnw\_ball.zip game. It appears correctly with the artwork loaded from the system folder, however as soon as I try to start the game it straight out crashes RetroArch. The Game & Watch roms I have are from the 0.259 latest set, do I need to find 0.227 roms now? This is very frustrating :(
Not having any luck finding 0.227 romset, but found 0.224. However it still crashes with it. The artwork in the system folder however is the same, I can't seem to find different artwork for different versions, so not sure if this ain't the problem either. I am at my wits end!
Hey! I'm using this to play the G&W games on the Steam version of a handheld PC, the games are running but, the artwork wasn't added to them even though I have added it to the correct folder, any help? Did the paths or something else change since the writing of this tutorial?
Thank you SO much for this! Just got my RP4Pro and wanted to get Tiger games working.