Issues with retroarch menu sizing in 240p

vol.2

I'm using the custom video mode below in conjunction with system-specific configs to get correct system output on my CRT. Unfortunately, there are still some retroarch menus which are screwed up and unusable.
The in-game overlay menu (accessed in this program with select x) is super stretched out and unusable. Also, the launch menu (accessed with the "a" key) is super compressed so that I can barely read it. The launch menu really stumps me because it's the same standard raspberry pi console menu that retropie uses for there other settings menus and those all look fine.

Any idea as to what I need to change?

Details about my setup:

-connection is made via a gert666 VGA adapter

-Monitor is a Sony broadcast monitor with an RGB input in 15kHz mode. The input is identical to a high quality RGB scart input on a consumer UK CRT set.

-there is an extron rxi 203 between the pi and the Sony which combines the sync and allows for some measure of centering

-I am running the retropie 4.4 burned to an sd card on a pie 3b+

-the code below is what is currently in my config.txt. it is adapted from the retrotink code to work with a gert666 setup.

disable_overscan=1
dtparam=i2c_arm=off
dtparam=i2s=off
dtparam=spi=off
enable_uart=0
dtparam=audio=on
gpu_mem_256=128
gpu_mem_512=256
gpu_mem_1024=256
overscan_scale=1
dtoverlay=vga666
enable_dpi_lcd=1
display_default_lcd=1
#dpi_output_format=7
#dpi_output_format=19
dpi_group=2
dpi_mode=87
hdmi_timings=320 1 16 30 34 240 1 2 3 22 0 0 0 60 0 6400000 1

mitu

Please provide more information about your setup, as requested in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first.

Generally, you can run the normal system (Emulationstation & non-emulator programs) in a larger resolution and use the Runcommand to select a different resolution during gameplay.

Alternatively, if you need to fine tune the resolution, you can use the tvservice program to create a custom resolution and switch to it before the emulator starts. The tvservice program can be executed in the onstart/onend scripts - also handled by Runcommand to switch between resolutions.

You have some example setups

https://github.com/Vykyan/retroTINK-setup - geared for a RetroTink ultimate HAT.
https://github.com/Sakitoshi/retropie-crt-tvout - for a setup using the default PI composite video out.

vol.2

@mitu

Thanks for your reply. :)

I added details to the first post about my setup.

The games, the Pi console and the ES GUI are all an ok size. The problem is only the menu which pops up when you load a game and the in-game retroarch menu.

It's only those two menus (so far as I can tell) that are effected, but they are totally needed.

I don't know what to change that would only change either of those two menus. All retropie-launched menus seem to be fine, it's just when retroarch takes control of things, I think.

mitu

Can you get a picture of this behavior ? I think the RGUI is scaled to match the core video output, something that can be changed in a later version, but not right now.

EDIT: Try playing with the 'menu aspect ration' and 'Lock menu aspect ration' options in the 'Settings->User Interface->Appearance' section of the RGUI

vol.2

@mitu

Which menu is that you're showing? I don't remember seeing that one. Or maybe its just you theme. (which incidentally, I like that theme, how do I get it? :) )

Ok. I will take a photo and try changing those settings when I get home

If it helps to explain, what I mean by the launch menu is what happens after you press the "a" key and it gives you the options to change cores or edit configs, etc. This menu is squished super tight and the text is tiny. It is grey and blue and looks like the raspi-config menu.
However, if I am launching a game for the first time, when it asks me to choose a core, the menu looks fine, it's only after I choose the core and (I'm assuming) it hands over control to retroarch, that the problem starts.

The other problem is in-game, which is the blue retroarch overlay. By this I mean what happens when you press "select+x". However, in this menu, it's impossibly stretched out. (rather than squished like the other menu)

Both issues happen after the point a rom is actually in retroarch territory (i think).

mitu

@vol-2 said in Issues with retroarch menu sizing in 240p:

. Or maybe its just you theme. (which incidentally, I like that theme, how do I get it? :) )

That's a RGUI theme, that will be available in the 1.7.7 version of RetroArch, which is not yet integrated in RetroPie.

If it helps to explain, what I mean by the launch menu is what happens after you press the "a" key and it gives you the options to change cores or edit configs, etc. This menu is squished super tight and the text is tiny. It is grey and blue and looks like the raspi-config menu.

That's the Runcommand launch menu - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Runcommand/.

The other problem is in-game, which is the blue retroarch overlay. By this I mean what happens when you press "select+x". However, in this menu, it's impossibly stretched out. (rather than squished like the other menu)

That's the RGUI (RetroArch menu driver), which is what the screenshot shows.

vol.2

@mitu said in Issues with retroarch menu sizing in 240p:

That's a RGUI theme, that will be available in the 1.7.7 version of RetroArch, which is not yet integrated in RetroPie.

Thanks.

That's the RGUI (RetroArch menu driver), which is what the screenshot shows.

That means I can't adjust it because it's one of the two menus that are graphically unusable. Unless this is the Retroarch menu that is accessed not in-game, but by actually launching Retroarch?

If it's the latter, I can get into that menu, but it seems like the changes in that menu are independent of Retropie as it's assuming retroarch defaults that are not aware of retropie. Forgive me, but I find all the meta-layers of the setup to be a bit mind-bending. :/

mitu

@vol-2 said in Issues with retroarch menu sizing in 240p:

That means I can't adjust it because it's one of the two menus that are graphically unusable. Unless this is the Retroarch menu that is accessed not in-game, but by actually launching Retroarch?

It's the same interface, but one is started in-game, while the latter is started standalone, for you to change settings for all emulator cores. Check the options I mentioned in the 'standalone' RGUI that you start from the RetroPie system.

vol.2

@mitu Okay. Thanks. How do I get the "brogrammer" menu color theme on retroarch? I want to try it on my PC.

mitu

@vol-2 Just download the RetroArch 1.7.7 release and it should be available in the menu I posted.
You can read about all the improvements RGUI got in the new release on the libretro.com site https://www.libretro.com/index.php/retroarch-1-7-7-ui-updates/

vol.2

@mitu Weird, I don't see that one specifically. There is a folder called rgui with some choices in it, but I just wanted that one you showed because it's so simple. Was it just in your rgui folder ?

mitu

@vol-2 said in Issues with retroarch menu sizing in 240p:

Was it just in your rgui folder ?

I think it's nothing. The theme is actually a color combination which is part of the code. There are separate RGUI themes which can downloaded through the online updater, but they're different than what I have chosen. Are you sure you're running the 1.7.7 RetroArch version ?

vol.2

@mitu Yup. Freshly downloaded. I updated everything I could think of and restarted. Just isn't there. I have a bunch to go through, but not that one.

mitu

@vol-2 That's weird - you can see the options in the post I mentioned, from the Libretro site.

vol.2

@mitu the options are there. i just don't have "brogrammer" as a choice.

ByteThis

@mitu said in Issues with retroarch menu sizing in 240p:

@vol-2 Just download the RetroArch 1.7.7 release and it should be available in the menu I posted.
You can read about all the improvements RGUI got in the new release on the libretro.com site https://www.libretro.com/index.php/retroarch-1-7-7-ui-updates/

Have you tried it ? Is it stable now ? I haven't seen any feedback on it yet.

vol.2

If anyone cares, I removed 1.7.7 and put it back on and brogrammer was there.

ByteThis

@mitu Saw some feedback on it in my searches..Thanks for confirming...