Getting Started
Before You Begin:
WARNING!
Do NOT format the included microSD card. This will result in the loss of the RetroidOS closed system and all pre-installed games. If this happens, a copy of the contents (without games) can be found here (credit to @/silverdusk/ and @Taki for the image).
Be careful about restoring/formatting Android. If you do this, you will lose pre-installed emulators and possibly some configuration settings. If this happens, you can find a backup image of Android here, and instructions on the process here (credit to @Jecklen, @dsachs420, and @TotallyTerry). If you need to restore Android to the original state, you will need to flash it. This can brick your device if done incorrectly, please only attempt at your own risk, and ask for assistance in our Discord channel if needed.
Booting Up For The First Time
When you first power your RP2 on, it will boot into the Android OS side of the device. You can now connect your device to your WiFi network through your system settings. WEP does not work on the RP2, so use WPA2 encryption.
Setting Up RetroidOS
If your preference is to use the RetroidOS closed system, navigate to the Toolbox application and select "Install Retroid Pocket App". (If you have an RP1, you'll want to download the Retroid App APK file within the built in browser from https://bit.ly/3bZhcQN and install it with Miix. It shows up under the APK Files menu in Miix). Once installed, open the Retroid app and say OK when it asks to reboot to the Retroid Pocket System. To setup WiFi in the RetroidOS system, hold the Home button for two seconds, and select Handheld settings. Open WiFi and click on Connect WiFi Network, and select the network you wish to join. To return to the Android OS, hold down the Home button for two seconds and click on Switch system. Press OK when asked to reboot to Open Source Android System.
SD Card Options
The RP2 comes with a 32 GB microSD card. If you need additional storage, you will need to buy an addition card. For help on which microSD card to buy, see Accessories.
The card should be formatted to Fat32 and can be left as external storage or formatted as internal storage. Depending on your needs, you may wish to have both an external and internal card, or just one or the other. To swap between cards, make sure to turn off your device before removing the card and inserting the other.
Internal Storage
If you want to be able to transfer files to the device via USB from your PC, and don't mind the card only being used for the RP2, you will want to format your new card as internal storage. To do this, go to Settings -> Storage -> Select Card -> Menu -> Format as Internal. To see the device once connected to your PC, go to Setting -> Storage -> Select Card -> Migrate Apps and Data.
External Storage
If you don't mind using a card reader to transfer files to your SD card, and you want to be able to use the card in other devices, you will want to keep the card as external storage. If you still want to be able to use the RetroidOS side, you will need to manually create /games and /games/data directories on the card. RetroidOS will generate the other files it needs if it has these directories.
Useful Tweaks and Tips
Controller is already setup in Android, if you ever have the option to choose a controller it is Playstation 3.
When mapping buttons if you selected an option in mouse mode to map a button you will then need to shift into gamepad mode to actually press the key you want to map. {Press home 3+ secs, as less will annoyingly prompt to get you home} The B button behaves like the back button in Android so to exit most emulators switch to mouse mode and hit B.
To see the RP2 as a USB drive to transfer roms to you need to press home to go to the android home screen then click A with your cursor at the top of the screen and drag down to show the notifications. Release and then click on USB charging mode and select file transfer, you can now transfer files from your laptop/desktop. {this was about using the SD as internal storage}
Initial findings with each EMU: {most if not all of them got fixed by Taki's configs mentioned in standalone emulators section}
- N64: The installed EMU Mupen is really good and gives you stellar performance without
tweaking. One option I recommend changing is going into settings/Display and changing the resolution to 640x480. It makes a big difference and Mario 64 still rendered at 30 fps for me.
- PPSSPP: This is the next easiest to configure, again runs pretty well out of the box. The
RP2 can’t handle the most demanding games though. I tried god of war and it was a car crash, about 10 fps and completely unplayable.
- DS: You must buy Drastic from the play store, it doesn’t cost much and is hands down the
best DS emu for the RP2. To configure the controller go into settings/external controller and choose Select key mapping, you want to choose playstation 3. Then you can choose Map control and go through the standard buttons on the RP2. Then select Map Special. Personally I like to have left trigger as screen swap (I have full screen on the RP2 and switch to the other screen with L2), also map start and select to the correct buttons and menu to R2. You can then press R2 to bring up the menu when in gamepad mode. Remember as above when you are skipping between options that needs to be done in mouse mode, when you are then pressing the button to map that has to be done in controller mode. {or map my settings above}
We'd recommend starting out with a simple game to make sure you've got the controls mapped how you'd like.
A side note for LOZ Phantom hourglass and spirit tracks: there is a patch to allow you to use the dpad/analog stick for control rather than the default stylus.
- Dreamcast: This was the hardest. Firstly all config has to be in reicast, then once saved
you run flycast to actually play the games as it has much better performance. Download flycast here and then open the APK using file explorer https://flyinghead.github.io/flycast-builds/
Currently the latest 6MB versions are considered the best, the 11MB ones don’t run as well {11MB builds currently have something wrong in the Android version that makes them extremely slow and choppy}
Click on the DC bios and format memory card 1.
In settings controllers I did the following to get it to work (remember this is in reicast). Under physical controllers I set the ports of all to none and the port for Android playstation to A. Then click Map. First do the buttons on the left which is pretty self explanatory but remember to switch between mouse and controller mode if you aren’t doing all of this in controller mode, I haven’t mapped C,D,Z I don’t think ther are used. Then move to the analog axes and map stick X & Y, you just need to move each stick in one of the directions for these. Click Done, then Done and you are finished with reicast, I think the only option is to hold home to get back to the android home screen, I haven’t found a way to quit.
Then launch flycast, it shares the config with reicast and play the games.
{Flycast config fix comment by u/Chainsaurus} : You need to goto the gamepad config file for flycast and edit the line towards the bottom where it shows the deadzone value and erase the line. Go into the folder where your directory path is set for flycast. In a folder called mappings, there should be Android_Playstation3.cfg. Or you can just install Reicast 20.02b and not have that issue and still have the same performance, in some games Reicast works better and vice-versa. {Fixed with Reicast 20.02b onwards then?} {Taki has mapping .cfg file that should fix this?}
Thank you to u/straxusii, u/TortugasSs, u/silverduskmusic, u/r0b0-tr0n, and @Lugubrious for their contributions to this guide
