Hotkey for RetroArch Quick Menu (in game menu)

BuZz

It is probably related to using XMB then. You could rebuild retroarch from source to see if that helps. Or just switch back to RGUI.

Concat

Yep. I switched the driver back to RGUI and was able to access the menu in game without issue. Feel stupid for not thinking of it sooner. Shame the RGUI driver is so hideous...

Thanks for your input (and for testing as I requested!)

BuZz

It's a configuration menu - why does it need to be beautiful. functionality first.

Concat

Probably just an old mindset from when I used RetroArch on Android and the menu was literally the frontend where I launched all my roms :)

zkdr

No, I agree with you, Concat. User Interface is a lot more important than people realize - there have been numerous studies that show an effective User Interface facilitates efficient navigation through a system. RGUI is very poorly done - it's just a list of settings, all organized in hard-to-remember areas, all with blurry text. Something more categorical, like the XMB menu, would be much more preferable.

meleu

@zkdr I agree with you both, and I would like to complement:
RGUI is just a list of settings, all organized in hard-to-remember areas, all with blurry text, made, for free, by a bunch of guys in their spare time just for the love for retrogaming with no money involved.

The official description of RetroArch says "RetroArch is the official reference frontend for the libretro API". Then I suppose they want to make RetroArch able to show the libretro API capabilities.

I would make a frontend with a focus on User Experience, exposing only the options that matter, taking advantage of all the numerous studies made on User Interface subject. But unfortunately I don't have enough knowledge to develop my own frontend.

Then I am immensely grateful to the guys who made/maintain RetroArch and made it available for free. I can run RetroArch smoothly on my Raspberry Pi (thanks RetroPie fellows!), on my Android, on my Linux x86 box, and I have friends running it on their Windows and Nintendo Wii (just to name a few platforms it can run). Wow! Those libretro guys are doing an amazing job indeed!

zkdr

@meleu I'd like to say that someone doing something in their spare time doesn't necessarily excuse design issues. However, I've worked with retroarch a little more and while it's still a chore to navigate through, eventually you get used to it. XMB was also developed by a bunch of guys in their spare time, but it's better. Free software doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't matter if it has poor functionality, just because it "does the job well enough".

BuZz

@zkdr good design is subjective, and changes all the time.

Everyone has a different idea of how they want things to function. For example RetroPie's (or mine at least) primary focus is not making it fool proof / hiding away settings, but to be flexible and customisable.

zkdr

@BuZz I get that. It's just a lot of things aren't intuitive to me or explained. I've been a software engineer and I've designed a lot of GUIs - I know it's difficult sorting for where certain options should be and how to properly categorize and nest menus.

For example, when configuring your controller, why does retroarch ask for button inputs in such a weird way? 2 face buttons, triggers, thumbsticks, then the other 2 face buttons? Emulationstation, when setting up a controller, does it in a much more intuitive way.

It took me a while to realize that "Options" and "Settings" weren't the same; "Options" is really just options specific for the core, so why not name it "Core Options"?. Because there's already a "Core options", too, which I've yet to see a core take advantage of.

Another example - I've yet to be able to figure out how to swap A + B only for the retroarch menu. I feel like you can, but I can't find it. Anywhere.

BuZz

@zkdr regarding config order - no idea - you would have to take that up with retroarch. I don't know if retroarch has a swap a/b for the menu controls only - it might have some config option but I don't know offhand.

meleu

@zkdr said in Hotkey for RetroArch Quick Menu (in game menu):

I've yet to be able to figure out how to swap A + B only for the retroarch menu.

Do you mean swap OK and Cancel buttons?

This config is "hidden" in Settings >> Input >> Menu Swap OK & Cancel Buttons.