Can large game libraries create input lag?
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Hi all!
I've been filling my first Retropie with a lot of games since I got started. I love it!
But recently I'm sure my SNES games have been getting some input lag. I've tried against the same emulator on my laptop, and no input leg there.
I'm pretty sure I didn't have this lag when I get started. Might a large library introduce some of this lag?
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No.
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Try putting your TV into game mode. That was the main source of the problem for me.
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@polish-potato said in Can large game libraries create input lag?:
Try putting your TV into game mode. That was the main source of the problem for me.
Yeah, tell me about it. I don't use my TV, I use a gaming monitor, the TV is way too laggy.
I've tried on two monitors so I'm pretty sure it's not the monitor. I also don't notice any lag outside the emulator.
I'll try some other emulators when I get home...
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@blodskolt which raspberry pi and which controller?
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@zerojay said in Can large game libraries create input lag?:
No.
Really? I have about 8000 roms on there now, anyone else with about those numbers that can confirm they don't have input lag?
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RP3, and an Elecom (aka iBuffalo?) SNES type USB controller.
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A large library will never be the cause of input lag...
If you messed around with the settings to improve input lag then that might be it. This seems to be a common problem lately but the people I've tried to help have been stubborn in deleting their retroarch.cfg/uninstalling then reinstalling the emulator causing the problem. So try that first and also update retropie to latest if you haven't already too.
Since you haven't provided much info to go on, I'll assume you're using a pi3, lr-snes9x-2010, the official retropie image and get no warning icons for power/temps. There are no input lag issues for me.
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@darksavior Thank you! I trust you, and that was really the kind of answer I was looking for. Now that I'm confident the library size isn't the cause of the problem, I can start looking elsewhere. I'll look into you tips!
Nice Super Famicom btw ;)
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@blodskolt Thanks.
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The dispmanx setting made a HUGE difference for me.
Retroarch rgui-settings-drivers-video driver-dispamanx (thats from memory).
Real-world noticeable difference for me.The only caveat i've come across is no yellow text informing you of a save state load/save, slot number change etc.It all still works just no more visual cues.
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@megafacehead said in Can large game libraries create input lag?:
The dispmanx setting made a HUGE difference for me.
Retroarch rgui-settings-drivers-video driver-dispamanx (thats from memory).
Real-world noticeable difference for me.The only caveat i've come across is no yellow text informing you of a save state load/save, slot number change etc.It all still works just no more visual cues.
Could you elaborate? You change the video driver or something? You do this directly in a config file?
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@blodskolt Retropie should be very playable without the dispmanx driver. I've personally tried it and I don't notice the extra frame of input lag it removes. If anyone needs the dispmanx driver to get anything playable, then they've probably messed around with the retroarch settings to get better input lag but it backfired. Here's a list of what NOT to alter (Dangerous Tweaks section):
https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Input-LagYou also never gave anyone enough info to go on with the info I asked, so anyone trying to help will just be taking a wild guess.
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Just read that dangerous section
dispmanx
video_driver = dispmanx
dispmanx is a 'bare-metal' graphics API, with which a Retroarch video driver has been written. Whilst it can shave a frame of input lag compared to the default gl video driver, it also has several issues:No rotation support (vertical games appear on their side)
No OSD support (no more yellow text notifications)
No shader supportDangerous? Overblown much?
At least it's truthful,
-no rotation support(a non-issue for 99.999% of anyones library, and can be set on a per game basis rather then emulator wide anyways if your a big vertical shmup fan)
-No shader support.I dunno, a non-issue for me, maybe a big deal for others?
-No yellow text notifications is a slight bummer, but the payoff is worth it.
Each to their own, but for me the real world (not hypothetical or on paper) differences in input lag are amazing.The biggest reduction in input lag has been this setting and setting the tele to gamemode.
Anyways, to set it,
go to your retroarch menu in game (usually select + X)
go to settings
driver
and then set video driver to dispmanxHave a play around, it's easy to set, can be unset just as easily.
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@megafacehead said in Can large game libraries create input lag?:
Dangerous? Overblown much?
At least it's truthful,
-no rotation support(a non-issue for 99.999% of anyones library, and can be set on a per game basis rather then emulator wide anyways if your a big vertical shmup fan)
no, it can't. there is no rotation support in dispmanx.
-No shader support.I dunno, a non-issue for me, maybe a big deal for others?
-No yellow text notifications is a slight bummer, but the payoff is worth it.
it also will crash any GL cores like lr-mupen64plus, i think.
Each to their own, but for me the real world (not hypothetical or on paper) differences in input lag are amazing.The biggest reduction in input lag has been this setting and setting the tele to gamemode.
Anyways, to set it,
go to your retroarch menu in game (usually select + X)
go to settings
driver
and then set video driver to dispmanxi don't think that setting will save by default. once you exit the game it will be lost. config_save_on_exit is disabled by default.
Have a play around, it's easy to set, can be unset just as easily.
i wrote that page. i come from the position of supporting retropie for a couple of years and wanting to stem the tide of people 'tweaking' their setup and these tweaks spreading like a virus to people who apply them blind, only to leave loads coming here with mysterious issues - including all of the above i've listed . i don't really want to help anyone who's moved away from the defaults :)
i've completed zelda 1 and super mario bros on a default retropie setup so i do wonder about how much of this is a placebo effect. @Brunnis did some fairly scientific testing on this stuff and i believe dispmanx reduces input lag by ~1 frame. less is good, but it's not some earth-shattering improvement.
i believe once we get raspbian stretch support we might be able to use the KMS (?) driver, which perhaps is more functional with similar improvements. i forget...
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Why do people arc up so quick and get so defensive on this forum?
With the whole 'quote' 'rebuttal' quote' nonsense. It's really antagonistic in a passive-aggressive way.
The topic was started by someone looking to reduce input lag.
I gave an answer that reduces input lag.
I mean seriously.From a moderator no less.
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@megafacehead i was replying to what you wrote, giving some context to why "dangerous" is the wording. don't know why you'd think that is passive aggressive.
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@megafacehead The dispmanx driver should not be something that makes a game from unplayable input lag to playable. It should make a playable game from good input lag to better. He probably altered the config or is using a 3rd party image.
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