How to count number of frames of lag for Run Ahead using keyboard

saccublenda

@EmergencyPoncho I was trying to do the same thing shown in the video, and I've figured out how to do it on RetroPie. The point is that, in order to have the Hotkey Binds (like pause and frame advance) act without pressing the hotkey you have to unbind the Hotkeys function (usually bound to select on the gamepad). Removing the gamepad in not enough.

Launch the game you want to test, open the Retroarch menu and go to
Main Menu -> Settings -> User Interface
and set Show Advanced Settings to ON. Then go to
Main Menu -> Settings -> Input
and set Autoconfig to OFF. Save the configuration and quit Retroarch.
Relaunch the game, open the Retroarch menu and go to
Main Menu -> Settings -> Input-> Hotkey Binds
Scroll down to Hotkeys and press the Y button on your gamepad. This will unbind the Hotkeys function. Step 1 is needed because if Autoconfig is set to ON the unbinding would reset Hotkeys to the autoconfiguration binding stored in /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch-joypads/.

At this point there will be no Hotkeys set, so all the Hotkey Binds would work without the need of keeping pressed the hotkey. I suggest you to also unbind all other Hotkey Binds bound to gamepad buttons or dpad, otherwise pressing these would just run the corresponding Hotkey Bind. Now all the Hotkey Binds bound to keyboard keys would run just pressing the corresponding key, so you can pause with p, keeping pressed the jump button on the gamepad, and press k to advance the frame.

grant2258

Ive honestly never found the need to speed lag up better than original hardware. The original hardware had these limitations in mind when they where made and compensated for

I cant really tell the difference in most cases. Anyway the only real way to match original hardware would be to speed camera the hardware in question and match it up to that not to when your character starts moving when you press a button.

EmergencyPoncho

@saccublenda Thanks so much for the reply, saccublenda!! I just tested your instructions, and this is exactly what I've been trying to do! After going through your steps, my gamepad no longer works for this lag text, but I'm able to use the keyboard as a gamepad (keyboard keys Z, X, A, S, etc) AS WELL as using the P and K keys for Retroarch shortcuts for Pause and Frame Advance. I just used this method to test Earthworm Jim 2 on the Genesis and there are 3 frames of lag. I previously played this game (and all other Genesis games so far) with Run Ahead set to 3 frames but now I'm glad I can measure this precisely. Thanks again!

EmergencyPoncho

@grant2258 Its not that I'm looking for better lag than the original hardware, it's that I'm hoping to eliminate the lag added by the software emulation, especially since a Pi 4 is still a pretty low-powered device. 3 frames of lag is a lot, in my opinion, and, while you can get used to some latency, I suggest you try Earthwork Jim (or other Genesis games) with the default settings then try with Run Ahead set to 3 to see how sluggish the gameplay feels without Run Ahead.

I've become a stickler when it comes to input lag and I've set up my original consoles using an ultra low-latency video converter (a RetroTINK 2X), and, for me, the games are much more enjoyable with no additional lag (except for what my TV adds). But for the consoles I don't have, and for rom hacks, the Pi 4 + Run Ahead is now pretty much the ultimate retro emulator for me!

saccublenda

@EmergencyPoncho said:

After going through your steps, my gamepad no longer works

I think this is due to the fact that your pad is set to the autoconfiguration binds, so once setting Autoconfig to OFF the pad is not mapped anymore. You can just go to
Main Menu -> Settings -> Input -> Port 1 Binds
and map your pad binds, you can use Bind All to go through all the binds in sequence. In this way the pad will work also without the autoconfiguration.

BobRossWins

I was having the same issue. It’s good there is a workaround. However, what would be great is a list of popular games and related lag frames rather than everyone counting individually.

I would use it 🙂

dankcushions

@BobRossWins https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroArch/comments/c9csnr/game_latency_frames_wiki_runahead_wiki/