Atari Jaguar and Nintendo Virtual Boy Emulators not showing up on Eulation Station

nitrouscav97

Pi Model or other hardware: Model B
Power Supply used: Wall plug with power switch
RetroPie Version Used (eg 3.6, 3.8.1, 4.1 - do not write latest): 4.2.7
Built From: Pre-made SD Image
USB Devices connected: SNES controller
Controller used: SNES controller
Error messages received: none received
Log found in /dev/shm/runcommand.log (if relevant): N/A
Guide used: tried looking online and the forum here
File: n/a
Emulator: virtualjaguar and lr-beetle-vb
Attachment of config files: .jag, .j64, .vb
How to replicate the problem: happens everytime (does not show)

Sorry for the post but this has been racking my brain for days trying to get this to work. I have installed both virtual boy and Atari jaguar emulators from both of the optional systems and the experimental systems menus and both are installed from "source" and have (installed) listed next to them.

I have the proper unzipped roms in the formats listed to work (.j64 and .jag for Jaguar and .vb for Virtual Boy) that I have added over the network to the Roms folder. They are all listed in there just fine.

Problem is that no matter what I do when I restart Emulation Station these two refuse to show up. There is no BIOS for these required. They are added to the ROM folder just fine through the network. I have also done the "parse game list only" option trying it on and off and no dice at all. ACTUALLY when even trying to scrape those systems they are not even in the list of systems to scrape since the emulators do not even show up.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! I specifically got the raspberry pi to play these two systems from my childhood as I am probably one of the few who had (and still have) and actually liked both of these!

On a side note (which couldbe a different topic if needed) The Atari 5200 will not show up either despite roms in the proper folder and the proper .bin file and have installed the proper Atari800 emulator. Also with my Sega 32X it will NOT let me even drag roms to the ROM folder at all even tho those are also in the .32x format require. I only ad this to my overall comment incase the reader/helper might know the issues for those.

I have scoured the forum and cannot seem to find the solution to the issues I am having and feel like I have exhausted all options :(

AlexMurphy

@nitrouscav97 I haven't read your whole post. Sorry. Normally emulators not showing up come down to 3 things.

You haven't installed the emulator.
You are using a file extension not supported by the emulator.
You have set up a custom es_systems.cfg file. Once you do this it must be maintained / updated manually.

backstander

Look at @AlexMurphy's suggestion number 3:
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/EmulationStation/#es_systemscfg-edits

nitrouscav97

@backstander said in Atari Jaguar and Nintendo Virtual Boy Emulators not showing up on Eulation Station:

Look at @AlexMurphy's suggestion number 3:
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/EmulationStation/#es_systemscfg-edits

Thanks for the info! I did see something about this here on the forum but didn't understand it at first. I guess I need to go in and find that part of the code and edit it. I will say when I have gone into that manual section the Jaguar, virtual boy, and Atari 5200 do not show up. I have gone into the experimental sections and added the systems so that they say (installed) next to them and the formats are correct as mentioned in the first post. They just don't show up in emulation station.

What causes them not to show up if they are added, as in what causes the es config to need that edit?

backstander

@nitrouscav97

What causes them not to show up if they are added, as in what causes the es config to need that edit?

There's a couple locations that es_systems.cfg can be stored. One place is global (/etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg) and the other place is local (or custom ~/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg). The local one will take precedence over the global one (if the local one is present). When you install/uninstall emulators, only the global version gets updated but the local/custom one you have to update manually.

This will copy the global version over the local/custom version:

cp /etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg ~/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg

Or if you don't need a custom version, you can just delete it. The only reason I have one is so I can have the emulators in a different/custom order (other than the default). Anther reason to have a custom version is if you want to add Kodi as its own system instead of in ports. Here's how to remove it:

rm ~/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg

nitrouscav97

@backstander awesome! I'm on vacation across the country his week and will be trying this when I get back home.

I'm assuming this is what happens for all of the systems then if they are not added to begin with? I haven't seen much posting about people having this issue with the Jaguar or Virtual Boy not showing up. I assumed all you had to do was go in and install those emulators and then drop the roms in and it would show up! But apparently adding emulators doesn't correct the config code you're saying, you have to then manually edit the es config to get them to show?

nitrouscav97

Basically what I'm getting at is adding them manually is somewhat of a pain to have to edit the code vs just installing them and having them show up since it doesn't edit the code. But if it is the only way for emulation station to get them to show up then I guess everyone is doing this same thing? I don't have any custom folders at all tho a favorites folder would be pretty sweet!

backstander

@nitrouscav97

I assumed all you had to do was go in and install those emulators and then drop the roms in and it would show up!

That is correct (as long as you don't have the custom ~/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg file then you have to add it manually).

But apparently adding emulators doesn't correct the config code you're saying, you have to then manually edit the es config to get them to show?

Yes or delete the custom ~/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg file.

I don't have any custom folders at all tho a favorites folder would be pretty sweet!

If you don't need any custom changes, than you don't need the custom es_systems.cfg but if you want to use a Favorites folder, then you'll want a custom es_systems.cfg.

nitrouscav97

@backstander you are awesome this is great info. I'm eager to get back and try this! Works the same for both vietual boy and Atari Jaguar? Also for the Atari 5200 (which is the Atari 800 emulator)?

backstander

@nitrouscav97

Works the same for both vietual boy and Atari Jaguar? Also for the Atari 5200 (which is the Atari 800 emulator)?

Yes, as long as you have all the other prerequisites met (emulator installed and ROMs & BIOS files in their places).

The Atari Jaguar emulator runs really slow and laggy but I did play Alien vs Predator in slow motion and I still had fun with it lol.
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Atari-Jaguar/

The Virtual Boy emulator runs great!
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Virtual-Boy/

I had some issues getting the Atari 5200 emulator up and running. If you have troubles with it, just post a new topic and I'm sure someone that's more familiar with it will help you out!
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Atari-800-and-5200/

nitrouscav97

@backstander said in Atari Jaguar and Nintendo Virtual Boy Emulators not showing up on Eulation Station:

@nitrouscav97

Works the same for both vietual boy and Atari Jaguar? Also for the Atari 5200 (which is the Atari 800 emulator)?

Yes, as long as you have all the other prerequisites met (emulator installed and ROMs & BIOS files in their places).

The Atari Jaguar emulator runs really slow and laggy but I did play Alien vs Predator in slow motion but I still had fun with it lol.
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Atari-Jaguar/

The Virtual Boy emulator runs great!
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Virtual-Boy/

I had some issues getting the Atari 5200 emulator up and running. If you have troubles with it, just post a new topic and I'm sure someone that's more familiar with it will help you out!
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Atari-800-and-5200/

I've got all the roms for both of the systems and was like wtf I loaded the systems why isn't it showing! I'll try and either edit the config or delete that one section. I don't want to delete the wrong thing!

Virtual Boy and Jaguar are prides from my childhood since we didn't have enough for the good systems so the whole reason for my raspberry pi was for those two specifically!

backstander

@nitrouscav97

I don't want to delete the wrong thing!

I guess you can just rename it to es_systems.cfg.back (instead of deleting it) so if you never need it again.

Virtual Boy and Jaguar are prides from my childhood since we didn't have enough for the good systems so the whole reason for my raspberry pi was for those two specifically!

You might be disappointed by the speed at which the Jaguar games run on the Raspberry Pi but it does play faster that the 3do games.

You can actually install RetroPie in Ubuntu on an x86 computer and this might be a better way to play Jaguar games:
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/RetroPie-Ubuntu-16.04-LTS-x86-Flavor/

mediamogul

@nitrouscav97

the whole reason for my raspberry pi was for those two specifically!

While VirtualBoy emulation runs very well, I have to agree that Jaguar emulation is pretty much unplayable on the Pi3. However, I haven't tried it in over a year, or checked to see if there's been any progress. Please report back with your personal experience. I'd love to be able to play that 'Aliens vs Predator' first person shooter.

nitrouscav97

@backstander sorry again I'll be home this weekend to finally make the changes. But to make sure I'm doing this right, when you say to delete a folder are you referring to going into the retropie setup and using a keyboard to delete the text that says es cfg and THEN it will show the Jaguar and virtual boy folders? Basically deleting a line of code or am I to find the folder on the computer by plugging the SD card in and finding a folder that says custom and delete that?

I was trying to find a video of how people might do this. As I watched one showing how to ad emulators and it was super easy and I followed it but the ES still didn't show them. Which means the person I got my raspberry pi from had to have made a custom folder then if that's overriding from showing those listed that I have installed in addition.

backstander

@nitrouscav97

But to make sure I'm doing this right, when you say to delete a folder...

Actually it is deleting a file (not a folder).

...are you referring to going into the retropie setup and using a keyboard to delete the text that says es cfg and THEN it will show the Jaguar and virtual boy folders?

You do this from the command line outside of EmulationStation. I'd recommend using a program like PuTTY (in Windows to connect to your Raspberry Pi. Here's the information about that:
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/SSH/

Once you're logged in, then you can type commands to your Raspberry Pi from the comfort of your Windows PC/laptop.

After you get connected, here's what to type in to rename the custom es_systems.cfg file so it won't be used by EmulationStation (this is like deleting it but you're just saving a backup of it just in case you need it sometime in the future). You can just copy and paste this line so you don't have any typos:

mv /home/pi/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg /home/pi/.emulationstation/es_systems.cfg.back

After you "move" that file, then restart your Raspberry Pi for the changes to take place.

nitrouscav97

@backstander sounds good. I'll lookup putty when I get the system up. I'm planning to backup a copy of the SD card image somehow as well since the first SD card I had became corrupted so i erased it and couldn't figure out how to get the damn image to work. So I had the seller ship me out a freshly imaged sd card and I want to load those 3 systems and looks like I'll have to do it in that putty system.

Wish I had just ordered my pi from someone who could have loaded the emulators and the controllers before sending it to me. Would have saved me all sorts of research and time and could have just dropped the roms in.