RetroArch Starter Guide

[@misterchip1984]

The fact you are providing this for free, including a written guide - which could be behind a patreon paywall if you wanted - shows your commitment to the hobby and the vintage gaming community. Thank you for this fantastic resource that should maintain its value for years to come!

[@Tacquito]

This right here! I wouldn't be able to use half of my emulation systems without these guides. Thank you echoed a thousand times.

[@gavinriley]

This is why we love Russ and Chicken

[@tjs8560]

I would happily pay that Patreon if he starts doing it. His guides are both comprehensive and entertaining which makes the whole process of setting up any of my handheld enjoyable to do

[@9991116211]

@@Tacquito p

[@raymondmercado3507]

True that your the true MVP bro!!!

[@zerozer0384]

Just the fact u include a written guide, that ur willing to update makes u an absolute legend, thank you

[@bcftr]

it has not been updated

[@ItsDoge131]

W pfp

[@251TheMechanizedSingfantry]

1 year later, this is still the best video guide on KZbin. Thanks!

[@RajivRivero]

2 years later, this is still the best video guide on KZbin. Thanks!

[@quentincaldway]

Bro.....I quit on this thing for about a year...came back to your video, and now the same old games i've owned on my old dreamcast I am now playing. This saved me a lot, really appreciate you man, definitely liked and subbed.

[@Fukkatsu]

Once you know what you're doing and get it setup the way you like it, RetroArch is incredible. This guide will help people realize just how good it can be. While I thought I wouldn't need it there's a few things in this guide that I didn't know about.

[@AxiomofDiscord]

I feel retroarch is for people who hate mice.

[@merkuiriy8421]

@@AxiomofDiscord what about rats

[@vitorf2303]

bro, my games simple dont load and i cant find any solution online

[@eljigantieman3750]

@@vitorf2303 which systems

[@vitorf2303]

@@eljigantieman3750 I fixed it bro, i was using a NES core to run SNES games, dumb me

[@jordanestabrook4492]

This guide helped a lot. FYI this video took me 7 full hours to watch all in total. Don't expect this to be 40 mins and done. I rewinded about 999 times.

[@NotLordAsshat]

Only took me 40 minutes to get playing a game though lol, you only really need the first half to get playing and you can skip around.

[@retrooz4725]

Days to learn, years to master.

[@PapiNegro456]

How did you learn anything from this video explained I learned nothing completed nothing from this video

[@K1lly]

@@PapiNegro456you must be pretty dense.

[@Jake_R837]

@@ChaossX77 I’m not saying it’s the guides fault. The guy probably is probably new to emulators and got unlucky when he came across the software.

[@Firefoxfifty]

@@Jake_R837 Yeah I've pretty much ditched retroarch and using Batocera instead. It just works right out of the box. No faffing about with a load of settings.

[@dr.papadopolis7171]

Young Grasshopper you will eventually learn the way .... 🥋

[@udino12]

your first time experience with retroarch sounds exactly like mine! i'm now gonna give it another go, cheers!

[@bundangkorea]

It's a much better experience now and a whole lot easier than it was several years ago. And once you start using Retroarch, you'll likely never use a stand-alone emulator again with the exception of a few like RPCS3, Cemu, etc.

[@ravagingwolverine]

My experience was also like that. I gave it a second chance a year or so later after hearing how good it is, and it was absolutely worth it. It's a fantastic emulation experience. I figured if I could learn command-line MAME and Mednafen, I could handle this. I treated learning the program as a project in itself to avoid frustration. Guides like this will make that easier. But the program really is as good as people say. It handles the display output better than most other emulators I used, for example. Stick with it. Take your time. I think the end result with all the options available is worth the learnign curve which, honestly, isn't as difficult as it first seems. Good luck.

[@mr.shplorb662]

same lol

[@WSUSportsNetwork]

I have an Xbox series x, how much space does it take up if I were to download retroarch. Also, let’s say I’m playing a madden franchise, would it save my progress ?

[@JCatNY]

You are the top drawer of emulation instructional videos. No one would could have explained Retroarch better, especially seeing how complex this front end is. Another huge thanks!

[@Gamecubegal]

Already had Retroarch set up for a few years now, but I never knew about most of this stuff. You are a god among men

[@ordinaryalan]

I used your guide when I bought a used PS Vita and installed RetroArch and began playing all the games from my childhood. You are the reason I started getting back into retro gaming and I thank you very much for all the hard work you put into these videos. GOAT Status 100%.

[@dougmcquiaidsgreatesthits8867]

I am extremely excited to watch this! RetroArch is a nightmare to fumble through without a great guide and since your reviews have been on point I am sure this will be no different! Much love and respect as always, you're the best!

[@loudface3006]

I faithfully pick your videos, I just happen to need information on something you released 12 hours ago. Your videos are great, and your timing is amazing. Thank you!

[@theitguy694]

Not going to lie, I've spent the last 2 days learning retroarche thanks to your videos. Thank you so much.

[@ustrucx]

You made a full written guide!!!!! Thank you!!!!!! I have a theory the internet became less useful for any type of learning because everything now is either on a Dischord/Slack chat log or a KZbin video, one cannot find anything on the internet anymore cause everything is monetized around quickly vanishing, impossible to index content so, thank you sir for being the change the internet need!!!

[@armita611]

I have setup Retroarch multiple handhelds over the years but this was my first time setting it up on a PC and I decided to watch this video to see what was possible now that I am using much beefier hardware. Your guide is by far the best one I've ever seen and you very clearly explained all the stuff I had no idea about/always ignored because the handheld I was using wouldn't be able to handle it. Thank you so much!!

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@rzaro7681]

This is best tutorial out there. All other ps one setups talking to new people how to setup autobleem fresh start seem to look over process of retroarch. You need to download separate retroarch and transfer all updates and cheats and etc. to USB for autobleem on ps one. Your video is best out here. Thank you

[@hermis2008]

Man, same thing happened to me some years back. I installed it, but couldn't figure it out. Now, I've become very knowledgeable of it.

[@joeywilbur9182]

I tried RetroArch many times and I usually have a decent learning curve. Until I tried using this, especially on my laptop. I gave up on it there at least.. I do believe it's definitely not for everyone to understand. Thanks for sharing this..

[@LexiCon_-oj7vw]

This overview guide was extremely helpful. I now have a much greater understanding the main functions and configurations in retro arch. Nicely structured, paced, and narrated. Many thanks!

[@RetroGameCorps]

Glad it was helpful!

[@karatekid6494]

@@RetroGameCorps I am using a 6 button Madcatz Fight Stick Alpha. On port 1 I can map the joystick up, down, left and right. But when I try and map the 6 face buttons it shows a number then [N/A]. I cannot map start or select. What does [N/A] mean and what am I doing wrong please?

[@billweirdo9657]

​@@karatekid6494 N/A = Not Applicable

[@zeeg404]

Dude. What an awesome guide for the community. RetroArch is definitely intimidating, but I'm sure most would agree it's the single best software to learn if you want to get into emulation. Thanks!

[@6irindra]

After finding this Channel early this year, watching this over and over again in the past few months, finally i can navigate and operate this damn app. Can't thank you enough Russ, stay healthy and keep sharing those retro wisdom.

[@AaronSwan]

I knew most of this but it took me many many hours of use to figure things out. I wish I had something as thorough as this when I first started using RetroArch.

[@MunkCentral]

Duuude, I heard about Retroarch from a streamer and he said don’t bother it’s a pain in the ass to setup, i said I might give it a go, I watched this in bed just to see kinda how it works and now tomorrow I’ll be rewatching this and having the guide up getting this setup! Liked and subbed!!

[@titantim]

If you haven't set up retro achievements, you owe it to yourself to start now. It brings new life to so many older games. I wish I had this type of thing when I was a kid playing on the old NES.

[@WSUSportsNetwork]

I have an Xbox series x, how much space does it take up if I were to download retroarch. Also, let’s say I’m playing a madden franchise, would it save my progress ?

[@titantim]

@@WSUSportsNetwork RetroArch doesn't take much space at all. A couple hundred megabyte even with cores. It's the roms that take space, especially ps1 and newer cd consoles. Any Madden games that you can save in should save as normal. You can also use save states which restore your game to your last point.

[@CoNnOr5899]

Most achievements ive seen are either so easy you wonder why theyre achievements or so complicated you wonder who would even care about doing any of it. Theres hardly anything in between.

[@zhawndodson4160]

I feel like you are straight holding my hand every step of the way. Thank you my friend.

[@AxiomofDiscord]

Why is this program designed to be frustrating?

[@Tony259295]

IMO It’s not, it just features so many options that it’s hard to understand right off the bat.

[@AxiomofDiscord]

@@Tony259295 if anything the options are limited compared to standalones

[@vidman5000]

Wrong. It's not user friendly at all. I don't even use it on Android. A front end and emulators are all you need.

[@gotta_go_chill]

Skill issue

[@capoman1]

When you have THAT MANY OPTIONS and essentially all retroarch is is a bunch of settings, it has to be organized somehow... Retroarch gives you something essentially no other individual emulator does. A rewind feature. Additionally, rather than have to download 10 emulators, you can just get 10 cores within Retroarch without ever going to any web page and downloading and installing.

[@itsavonell]

this is the kinda instructional video that people use for years to come. excellent job. got me excited about using retroarch again.

[@ZoltarSoulFunk]

This is exactly what I need. Thank you so much for the video, and having the written guide also is just unreal. Hero

[@chrisxp5629]

Do you know where I can DL roms from?

[@the-papaw]

All the years I been using RA, this is one of the BEST tutorials to help folks get started! VERY good job, thank you

[@karastired]

THIS is why I'm subscribed to you lol I was subscribed before I needed this guide but you're always in depth and thorough! You're over here doing your part to keep retro gaming alive!

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@billweirdo9657]

​@NovaYbabY you need to search the web for this. These are copywriten files. Aka if he provided links and files he could get sued and charged with digital pirating. Do a websearch for trusted sites.

[@Anvie__]

best retroarch setup video ive ever seen. retroarch should link to your video from their site or youtube channel.

[@wlyman]

One of the best retroarch videos I have viewed so far. You really helped me out!

[@billybobs1705]

this prick goes way to fast to show you what he is doing..ive already thumbed it down

[@Pliskins024]

Thank you so much for the step by step guide russ! 🙌 I have no idea on how to configure retroarc for the longest time till i see this video.. This is so helpful..

[@Melonposting]

Great tutorial overall! RetroArch can definitely be intimidating for new users, and this is great for getting started. *However!* For anyone who wants their games to look as crisp as possible but doesn't like black bars, I have two recommendations. First, you can use overlays to fill your screen with an actual background. Even turning on a basic overlay for 4:3 games can make a huge difference. Second, there's an excellent set of community shaders called *"Mega Bezel"* (and a community pack - look up "Duimon Mega Bezel"). In addition to replicating a bunch of different display types (LCD, CRT, scanlines, etc), it also automatically scales your games however you want while filling the blank space with some sort of background. It takes a lot of power to run so it's only meant for PC, but I highly recommend it as an all-in-one display solution.

[@austinmusselman9814]

yeah its fucking terrible. I just wnat to play a pokemon game. I don't want to have to watch an hour long fuckin video to not even explain how to do that. Id be half way through the second gym by now if they made it even close to fuckin user friendly. Its just a clusterfuck of trash.

[@anthonyh2884]

Takes months to get retroarch right so kudos to showing us how to do it in hours! 👏🏽😍

[@calebthecoomer]

Thank you for helping introduce me to the world of emulation. I wanted to try it for the first time and found your guide. Seems like you put a lot of hard work into it so thank you for making it public and free to use even though you didn’t have to!

[@Paul-yh8km]

Found this incredibly useful. Thanks. 2 years later, the menus have moved around a bit, and some things have been renamed, but it's still a very useful video.

[@BCIronThunder]

I wish I had this guide when I started using Retroarch years ago. I even learned a few new things. Great guide!

[@Cisco13]

Been using retroarch for years... That being said I always come back to the tutorials 🤣✌️. Thanks

[@ThatRandomFastingGuy]

That's an interesting first experience. It felt really intuitive to me. Just remember to ALWAYS run all the online updates after your first install. Especially Assets and Controller. That second one immediately maps any controller.

[@evshrug]

I never got Retroarch working on my NVIDIA Shield, but just downloading the app and loading it up with ROMs and BIOS on my Mac and PS Classic worked smoothly from day 1. I still don’t know why the Shield cannot download cores or see any of my BIOS/ROM files ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@billyote]

First I got your Ancestral Table cookbook, which I still make the chili twice a month. Now as I get back into retro gaming I find you have extremely helpful guides here. You are awesome!

[@feynstein1004]

I don't usually like videos but this one is just something else. Amazingly detailed and illustrated, yet not too fast or slow. The perfect example of how tutorial videos should be. My only regret is that I have but one like to give.

[@Sym727]

I never comment on videos, but you deserve this one. I love your videos because they’re in depth and easy to follow. I’ve been frustrated with RetroArch since I first discovered it and this really helps me

[@bryan.t777]

While I like seeting all the reviews and some of the device setup guides, it's these kinds of videos that arethe most helpful. Sure they get outdated after a while. But that just gives you a chance for more content with an updated configuration guide. ETA Prime, BSoD and Austin use to do a bunch of these kinds of configuration videos and it was great. But they have either disappeared, moved to to handware build and reviews or just moved on in life period. Thank you again!

[@oddyoh]

Outstanding guide! I’ve been using RetroArch for about six years, but never even got into shaders and per folder configs and all that. Will be sending this to friends! You’re a treasure! ❤

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@rsseguel]

Will be awesome to see a Retroarch CRT TV full guide comming from you. Just imagine play those games in native resolution using Retroarch in a CRT... Amazing guide man!

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@rsseguel]

@@PapiNegro456 are you talking how to play using a CRT TV with Retroarch right?

[@fat_sonic]

I just have to say thank you so much! I have a Chromebook and I downloaded it from the google play store and ever since I watched this. This video is very helpful even after the 1 year learning the basics. Consider me schooled twice!

[@ParanoidThalyyMVS]

It's a little tricky to get RetroArch configured the way you want but, once you do, it's so practical and, some of it's features are very useful!

[@chrisxp5629]

Where can I DL roms from?

[@ParanoidThalyyMVS]

@@chrisxp5629 WowRoms

[@chrisxp5629]

@@ParanoidThalyyMVS thank you very much

[@JosephDunnigan-s3p]

Thank you so much! I bought a used console and the previous owner had changed the hot keys. I knew that was the issue, but only your video was able to help me fix it.

[@brooksiebear19II]

This is great! I started emulating games earlier this year using RetroArch thanks to you. Configuring settings for emulators like PS2 can be difficult when the game is freaking out but it feels good once you figure it out. I had to enable adaptive v-sync to fix some audio issues and add extra VUs Clamping Mode to fix some PS2 emulation.

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@delightfulsquirtle316]

Awesome guide. Was just getting back into emulation and stuff didnt work out for me. Glad I found this video for a nice overview!

[@RGGeek]

Incredible guide! EmuELEC options took care of a lot of this for me, so I never learned how all this worked under the hood, so I was frustrated not having the same options in LaunchBox on my Odin. Now I have GB and GBA looking like I’d like them with integer scaling and the lcd3x shader. Incredible. Thanks for making my handheld gaming experience look even better!

[@wilde77]

Thank you so much for this tutorial :) I'm getting back into emulation and things have changed quite a bit since the early MAME days.

[@scottgilbert3286]

Like others I also found Retroarch confusing (or at least unpleasant to use) when I first tried it several years ago. It wasn’t until I got an RG351P back in 2020 that I was really forced to learn the ins and outs, mostly thanks to Russ’s videos. Now I use Batocera constantly on an old PC connected to my TV and that also relies on RA so I’m glad I did.

[@WSUSportsNetwork]

I have an Xbox series x, how much space does it take up if I were to download retroarch. Also, let’s say I’m playing a madden franchise, would it save my progress ?

[@kirk422]

thank you so much, watched countless tutorial videos that already started in the xmb theme interface menu with no explanation how. perfect your awesome appreciate the to the point everything all in one tutorial! subscribed!!

[@johnperez9597]

you really awesome brother! Thank you for creating this guide. You make everything easy for us who having hard time using the Retro arch. Thanks again!

[@gearhead215]

insanely great guide. I already have a few emulators, but having the break down like this is critical for someone who wants to learn. Bought a vita for a specific game, then found out i could do this! yeeeeeeeees! keep up the stellar work!

[@gearhead215]

this will work on vita right?

[@gearhead215]

nvm...

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@christophervanzetta]

@@PapiNegro456Visit your local police department. They have everything you need 😮

[@rattlethecages]

Quite possibly the greatest video guide of all time. Well designed, paced, edited and clearly articulated. Well done sir, you have my like!

[@ninjasteve23]

The first 30 seconds perfectly explained my experience

[@Mrkamesawa]

I feel a lot more comfortable with how RetroArch works now, thank you. I hope you make a guide to LaunchBox in the future especially when it comes to integrating LaunchBox as a front-end with RetroArch as a back-end. I feel like that's a good way to turn any windows pc into a fleshed out arcade system.

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@heyzeuss]

I watched and rewatched every second of this video. I love tinkering with my ROG Ally, and this is perfect for the retroarch that comes with emudeck. Thank you so much. You are a god.

[@anthony92399]

Pro Tip; under User Interface you can set Retroarch to show both box art and a screenshot and set which side of the screen they are on. Go to Appearance (2nd option under User Interface) and go half way down to Thumbnails. It and all options down to Thumbnail Scale Factor adjust what thumbnails you see, where on the screen they are and how big they are. You can set it to show boxart, screenshot or title screen thumbnails (up to 2).

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@251TheMechanizedSingfantry]

@@PapiNegro456 The only thing the video is missing is BIOS files and roms/isos. He can't show those for copyright reasons, BUT they're easy to find. Google "retorarch bios pack". For roms/isos, just Google "SNES roms" or whatever console. Just be mindful that most rom sites have annoying ad pop-ups.

[@PapiNegro456]

It defeats the whole purpose of watching the video and trying to do this yourself if you don't have the complete setup but I need to know where can I find these emulators somebody giving me a link somebody help 🤷🏾‍♂️ that's a big part of the video how to put retro games on your consoles

[@251TheMechanizedSingfantry]

@@PapiNegro456 Cores = emulators. You don't need to find any emulators. Retroarch itself 'finds' the emulators when you follow the instructions to add Cores.

[@azoriusmage]

Just got my first portable emulation device (RP3+) and I can't thank you enough for how wonderful your guides are and you vids in general for helping me choose a device.

[@foolio1990]

I guess I have been jiving with Retroarch around 10 years or so, time flies. I got into when the PS3 hack scene got going and Retroarch got released on that. I then quickly started messing with the PC version and loved all of the capability it has. Have set up multiple pi's, PCs with Batocera, Android devices, etc with Retroarch. I love the setup process and getting things tuned in.

[@KingDonkey77]

I need help with my rgb10 i messed up all of the input controls and now I can’t click on anything in game or in retroarch. I put my micro sd in my computer already and I couldn’t find retroarch.exe to reset the configuration of the buttons. I just got my rgb10 and i feel pretty foolish and stressed since I really haven’t even gotten to play it. Could you please please help me?

[@ravagingwolverine]

@@KingDonkey77 Is this still a problem you're having? I'm not familiar with the specific device or what software/OS it uses. It probably doesn't have a retroarch.exe(that would be a Windows executable). I think what you want to look for is retroarch.cfg. I use Linux and, for me, it is a hidden file so I had to find the option in my file manager to show hidden files. This is likely the same if you use Windows. You could either find the entry in the config file to change it, which could be tricky. Deleting the retroarch.cfg should work as the program should generate a new default one. That's how it works on my PC at least.

[@KingDonkey77]

@@ravagingwolverine no I haven’t tried but I wanted to know if there was a simple way of trying games on the RK3326 chipset like the binding of isaac, super meat boy, cuphead, blazing chrome etc.

[@jasonwu2758]

The misc & settings have been invaluable for me these since the last few months tinkering with RA. Has been a blast with my RP2+ and Poco F3/Razer Kishi combo. Thanks mate!

[@wongetje]

it's good to have a definitive guide for retroarch(ark, not arch, like some other tend to pronounce ) for all systems. thanks Russ.

[@dextervenske57]

Man...I can't express how helpful this was! Just bought a new phone, and the Game sir X2 controller to use as a dedicated emulation device. This video really helped me immensely. Kind Regards

[@hercufles]

finaly, i wanted this, thanks

[@ModernBroadcast]

Great video Russ, I literally just finished recording my RetroArch starters guide last night at 2 am and was editing it when I got this notification of your video lmao. Keep up the great work!

[@AnthonyRiddle]

I avoided RetroArch like the plague for many many years because it was too overwhelming. I was forced to use it on my GPI case, so I started to learn it little by little. I still prefer standalone emulators, but do use RetroArch for 8 and 16 bit systems

[@sertiana2512]

Standalone emulators are better for emulators that have later development cycles, like n64, dreamcast, ps2, and gamecube. PPSSPP standalone is also an amazing emulator.

[@Orkbrewer]

Best guide ever. I have been playing old games for about a week now and I love it! Thank you!

[@scottgilbert3286]

Retroarch is awesome as long as you don’t try to use it as a front end. As a back end paired with a good overlay like Batocera or other Emulation Station derivatives it’s incredibly useful.

[@2-bit567]

Whats a frontend and a backend?

[@scottgilbert3286]

@@2-bit567 Just what it sounds like. The front end is the interface by which you chose the system and game you want to play. The backend is the nuts and bolds of the emulators you use. A good front end hides all that and streamlines the experience and incorporates great quality of life enhancements like screenshots, video snaps or even instruction manuals. For instance Batocera or RetroPi are both front ends based on Emulation Station that mainly use Retroarch in the background to run the actual games.

[@2-bit567]

@@scottgilbert3286 Ah, that makes sense. Wish i could still use retroarch as a backend.

[@scottgilbert3286]

@@2-bit567 You can, is there a reason you can’t?

[@2-bit567]

@@scottgilbert3286 It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth after the recent stuff came out.

[@sihTdaeRtnaCuoY]

This is making me excited. I want to create the ultimate retro setup. Ever since I started using Retro Achievements, I haven't really touched a modern game in months. I've got original controllers for many systems and PC adapters, a 4k monitor with a PC beefy enough to upscale things to 4k. This guide will get me started on an amazing setup. I should have been using Retro Arch for years, it just seemed like a lot of work.

[@WheeledHamster]

Whe n I first used Retroarch I hated it, I thought the UI was confusing and messy. I preferred using the stand-alone emulators. Now it's my main one, it has more supports, more cores, universal keybinding, everything is unified. It takes some time to work everything out but it's definitely better than having 12 different emulators with some crappy UI and different bindings.

[@ravagingwolverine]

Same here. Retroarch was tough at first. I didn't like it. But, eventually, I saw what was so great about it, such as the universal settings. The way it handles display options and output is way better than almost everything else I have used. And it wasn't even all that hard to learn. Considering I was already using command-line MAME and Mednafen, Retroarch was no worse. I just didn't like starting over. But it was absolutely worth it. Fantastic program, and it made life a lot easier when I decided to try emulation on Android devices.

[@tiny5214]

Thanks so much this was super helpful and useful for setting up retroarch on my switch

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@effatory]

Excellent guide! I was wondering if you can set different controllers for each core like u do with shaders/filters? I have a set of 8bitdo SNES/Genesis based controllers and I'd prefer to swap those out when I play those respective consoles. Thank you

[@RetroGameCorps]

Sure, you would map them each and save them as different controller profiles. Then when you connect the controller, you would load that profile in the Settings > Input section. I'm not 100% sure because I haven't done it before but you should be able to set the default controller profile as a core-based override for each system as well, so your SNES override would default to the SNES controller profile.

[@AlexT0210]

I've never had an issue learning RetroArch, in fact it's actually easier than most emulators simply for the fact you don't have to mess around with touch screen layouts. But this video showed me many cool tricks. Thank you

[@tsumurireallll]

I'm trying to build a sort of "all-in-one" gaming machine for my living room that emulates and also plays Steam games and non lib-retro games with a separate frontend. Currently my biggest hurdle is trying to open these games with retroarch. Would you be willing to cover setup for external frontends? I was looking at one called Pegasus which looked quite nice, but there are others too.

[@alchemistofsteel8099]

Just use Launchbox

[@tsumurireallll]

@@alchemistofsteel8099 No. I don't like the interface, the nice version is paid, it's not open source, it's windows-only, and I want something that I can easily navigate with a controller.

[@richardwilliams877]

Thanks so much for this video! I've been meaning to check out Retroarch for ages! I've been emulating for probably 20+ years now lol (where time go), but this is going to mea I don't have to figure out as much stuff for myself :)

[@YoshiIsCool1]

What does Retroarch Achievements Eactly Do?

[@gregmasciola3332]

Thanks for this. I just got my Retroid Pocket 3 a few days ago and this has made the setup a breeze.

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@gregmasciola3332]

@@PapiNegro456 you download the emulators, also referred to as cores, from within RetroArch. For the roms you have to go online and find them. KZbinrs can't tell us where to get the ROMs because they're copyrighted and they could get in trouble.

[@pigeonade.]

It’s too bad about all the negative stuff I’ve heard of retroarch’s developers, because it does fill a niche that can’t very easily be refilled if trying to use alternatives. Say what you will about its obtuse UI, but nothing really quite does what RA does as efficiently as it does. (if you know how to use it, lol)

[@no-man_baugh]

Hold on what negative stuff?

[@pigeonade.]

@@no-man_baugh Allegedly bulling harassing big emulation developers out of the scene and using those developers’ emulators as their own. Truthfully, I’ve never really read too much about the criticisms, but there are a fair share of critics online saying they messed with names like Stenzek, Inolen, and skimp. I’ve even heard the late near was bullied by them, too.

[@no-man_baugh]

Found a wordpress site called "retroarchleaks" which is aLOT but I would recommend scouring there for examples of the head of RA being a douch p.s. Sorry I can't directly link to the wordpress, youtube really doesn't like comments linking to external sites (probably a ham-fisted measure against bots)

[@jameswiggle]

i think it was one or two of the developers..i am sure the other developers are not like that

[@jameswiggle]

@@pigeonade. " I’ve even heard the late near was bullied by them, too. " probably not true but someone on twitter said they knew Near and Near said that kiwifarms bullying was way worse than retroarch dev...of course this is twitter so gonna take it with a huge grain of salt. lol

[@ianbeckuk]

Great guide, I'm just getting back into retro to relive the old games I played as a kid

[@Pfizer980]

This is too overwhelming🤷

[@NickTaylor-Phantom-Works2]

Wowwwww! You mean this's been around over a decade, and NO ONE thought to address the user friendliness issues??!?! Lol wow! You're guide has been essential for me mate. I just finally got to playing a game with it on my phone!

[@maynardud2]

Just wanted to say thank you for making my weekend great. Found some games and with the help of the video was off! Thanks!

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@AlienIQ167]

The man who makes it all too easy! Great work!

[@clintharris8519]

Amazing and super valuable! Awesome job Russ!

[@petruccilewis]

This is the Best guide to retroarch I've seen. Thanks for so much effort!

[@Aaron_LH]

Thank you so much for this guide brotha. Easily the most detailed one I’ve seen yet

[@adam-xt8te]

This channel is pure gold. Good job!

[@ryancox4689]

Finally got MAME games to work on my Fire TV Stick 4K Max via RetroArch with this video. Thank you!

[@asakukarma]

fantastic tutorial, retroarch is so cool! thank you so much, I'm subscribing

[@seethruhead7119]

It was this video that made me realize you could like slangp files and not just setup the filter steps yourself no wonder shaders failed to load so many times thank you

[@therealDonMac]

Just downloaded and set up. Becuase of the time you took for this video, my first time using RetroArch will be much better than your own. Thank You!

[@MagnoAlbertoAlmeida]

starter guide?! the real full complete guide all time. thanks!

[@Gaming-Enthusiast]

Just installing retro arch . This was a great video 👌👌👌👌

[@PatsFanGB]

I have used this guide MANY times! Thank you so much 😁

[@teds6078]

This is amazing! I didn't realize how much I've been missing using retroarch. Thank you so much for this!

[@PapiNegro456]

I have did everything possible I read the whole guide from top to bottom where do you find the ROMs where do you find the bio files where do you find an emulator all of this is missing out the video and on the website I see no clear signs of information on how to do this how did you do it......... please help me or is this clickbait.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔