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u/1dokc

▲ 38 r/Gamesir+1 crossposts

Guide to a simple interface for the Pocket Taco, so you can spend more time playing and less time on the setup. I made a quick video to show the “final” product and how quick it is to get in and out of games. No more TACO shuffling to change settings or games.

AFAIK it is the ONLY way to have all this:

  • Fully usable with the TACO on.
  • Fully Free.
  • Fully compatible with RetroAchivements.org (multisets included).

Drawbacks:

  • Games are pinned to the top of the screen. (If you don’t like the gap between the taco and the game, idk how to change it easily).
  • Manic EMU is easier to setup, but lacks multisets and you have to remove the taco to change games.
  • I also didn’t find a suitable way to play NDS yet.

Best for: NES, SNES, GB/GBC because of the squarish aspect ratio. PS1 should be fine with BIOS files.

🛠 Setting it up from a clean slate

  1. Install RetroArch from the AppStore.
  2. Put your ROMs into: On My iPhone > RetroArch > RetroArch > ROMs in subfolders (e.g., nes, snes, gb, gba, psx, nds).

— FIRST SETUP

How to open RetroArch super quick with the Taco home button:

  • Go to iPhone Settings > General > Game Controller > Controller Shortcuts > Other App > RetroArch.

Switch the Menu Driver:

  • Open RetroArch > Settings (cog icon) > Drivers > Menu > “rgui”.
  • Close and re-open the app.

— BUTTONS SETUP

First thing I do is make sure ‘A’ is OK and ‘B’ is Cancel:

  • Main Menu > Settings > Input > Menu Controls > Menu Swap OK and Cancel Buttons → ON or OFF. (do nothing if A is already OK)

Then set up two simple hotkeys:

  • Main Menu > Settings > Input > Hotkeys
  • Hotkey Enable: - - - (empty, Use the X button to clear).
  • Menu Toggle: L2
  • Fast Forward (Hold): R2

— UI SETUP

RetroArch > Main Menu > Settings > User Interface > Appearance:

  • Color Theme: Zenburn or Anti Zenburn
  • Linear Filter: ON
  • Internal Upscaling: Auto
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Lock Aspect Ratio: OFF
  • Shadow Effects: OFF

RetroArch > Main Menu > Settings > User Interface > On-Screen Overlay:

  • Hide Overlay When Controller is Connected: ON

RetroArch > Main Menu > Settings > User Interface > On-Screen Notifications:

  • Scale Graphical Widgets Automatically: OFF
  • Graphical Widgets Scale Override: 0.64x (Fixes huge RetroAchievement banners. Might have to adjust later for your specific iPhone model).

Audio (Optional):

  • Main Menu > Settings > Audio > Respect Silent Mode: OFF (Sound stays on even in Silent Mode).

> 💾 SAVE NOW: Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration.

— RETROACHIEVEMENTS SETUP

(skip if you don't use RetroAchivments, but that's too bad)

  • Main Menu > Settings > Achievements: Enter username/password.
  • Turn everything ON except “Test Unofficial Achievements” and “Encore Mode”.
  • Appearance > Position: Top Center.

— SCANNING & PLAYLISTS

Main Menu > Load content > Start Directory > Retroarch folder > ROMs > <Use directory this>

Main menu > Playlists > import content > <scan this directory>

Set Default Cores (so it never asks again):

  • Main Menu > Playlists > [System Name] > PRESS START
  • Label Display Mode: Remove () and [] (Cleaner list).
  • Default Core: Select your core (Recommended list below).

Recommended Cores:

  • GB/GBC: Gambatte
  • GBA: mGBA
  • DS: MelonDS
  • NES: FCEUmm
  • SNES: Snes9x

Startup Page Cleanup:

  • Settings > User Interface > Startup Page: Playlists
  • Single-Click Playlists: ON
  • Settings > User Interface > Menu Item Visibility: (Turn OFF : Load Core, Load Content, History, Favourites, Images, Music, Videos, Contentless Cores, Explore).
  • Settings > User Interface > Menu Item Visibility > Show Import Content : Main Menu.

— NES and SNES SPECIFIC SETUP

We can set the aspect ratio to a native 8:7, which is actually looks better and bigger than 4:3.

  1. Launch any NES/SNES game.
  2. Press L2 (Menu Hotkey) > PRESS B until at the Main Menu > Settings > Video > Scaling > 1:1 PAR (8:7 DAR).
  3. Press B until Main Menu > Quick Menu > Overrides > Save Core Overrides.

Do it once for NES and once for SNES.

— SHADERS SETUP

  1. Main Menu > Online updater > update slang shaders.
  2. Launch any game > L2 (Menu Hotkey) > Shaders > Video Shaders ON.
  3. Load Preset > shaders_slang > crt > crt-geom.slangp.
  4. Manage Presets > Save Global Preset or Save Core Preset

Saving as a Global Preset means that all games from all systems will use this shader. Saving as a Core preset means that all games from this specific core (this system) will use this shader.

Gameboy Color games might look weird with CRT shaders, use this instead : shaders_slang > handheld > gameboy-color-dot-matrix.slangp and save as a Core Preset.

> 💾 SAVE NOW: Main Menu > Configuration File > Save Current Configuration.

— NDS

I am not yet satisfied with how it works, I have to shift the taco down to see the bottom screen fully. I’ll take any suggestion to make it work cleanly. In the meantime I would probably use Manic Emu. BTW, if Manic EMU updates to support multisets and the Pocket Taco, I would probably leave Retroarch.

— USING IT

  • Launch RetroArch with the Taco Home Button, select a game in any playlist.
  • Use R2 to Fast Forward, use L2 to enter the Menu, Close Content to close a game.
  • Adding new roms, once the roms are in the right folder : Main Menu > Import Content > Scan Directory > Scan this Directory

Simple as that.

u/1dokc — 10 days ago