Roms randomly get stuck on launch screen with option to "press a button to configure" (runcommand)

[jackcuz]

Pi Model or other hardware: 4 8GB Model B
Power Supply used: CanaKit 3.5A USB-C Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply
RetroPie Version Used: v4.8
Built From: (Pre made SD Image on RetroPie website)
USB Devices connected: Hikig 2 Player led arcade buttons and joysticks
Controller used: n/a
Error messages received: logcommand file found below
Verbose log (if relevant): n/a
Guide used: (Mention if you followed a guide): Getting started, rebuilding roms, etc.
File: Basically all of my roms
Emulator: Mame 2003 (0.78 roms) Fbneo
Attachment of config files: https://pastebin.com/irWC1R58
How to replicate the problem: It seems to happen randomly, described below

Hello, I am relatively new with Retropie, but have experience using my current Raspberry Pi 4. I have had some success running complete MAME 2003 (0.78) and Fbneo rom sets on my Pi through RetroPie.

50% of the time when I launch a game it displays the normal runcommand option screen and successfully launches my chosen game. I am able to leave the game using my hotkey, and later launch a different game successfully. Seemingly randomly after launching a game, my Pi will sometimes get “stuck” on the display screen offering the option to “press a button to launch runcommand.” When this happens, none of the buttons on either of my players work, joysticks do nothing, and my connected keyboard does not display any input whatsoever. The only way to get back to the main rom selection screen is to completely power off my pi using the adapter power switch and turn it back on. It will then boot up fine and show all of my games. This then restarts the 50-50 chance of being able to run any game at a given time again. Sometimes I can launch and play a game, exit the game, then try relaunching and it will randomly “get stuck.”

Things I have already tried to no avail:
Reflashing SD with fresh, up-to-date install of retropie image straight from the official website.
Trying rebuilt complete rom sets, both MAME 0.78 and Fbneo.
Updating all packages.
Specifically selecting desired emulator per game via runcommand
Tried a different SD card (reflashed, up to date install of retropie from official website, etc)
Checked logcommand file that displays the following: https://pastebin.com/irWC1R58
Any help, guidance, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, I am somewhat unfamiliar with retropie, so bear with me if possible.

[mitu]

The runcommand dialog prompt which you get is actually present since the game start, it's just obscured by the emulator that starts and overlays on-top of it. The dialog being present after the game ends means that the emulator hasn't actually exited/stopped - in order for EmulationStation to pick-up and start - and it's stuck somewhere.

This may be a sdcard issue - emulator tries flush some state to the disk on stopping the game or saving the options file and not being able to will block the emulator. Your log file is strangely formatted (did you copy/pasted from a SSH session or OCR-ed a photo ?), but it doesn't show the emulator actully stopping, which would show something like:

....
^C[INFO] [Core]: Content ran for a total of: 00 hours, 00 minutes, 04 seconds.
[INFO] [Core]: Unloading game..
[INFO] [PulseAudio]: Pausing.
[INFO] [Core]: Unloading core symbols..
[INFO] [Core]: Saved core options file to "/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch-core-options.cfg".
[INFO] Threaded video stats: Frames pushed: 244, Frames dropped: 0.

If you have SSH available, you can the emulator through strace and the post the strace log archived somewhere (it's going to be too large to post the contents as is), just to see where it's stuck. Stop EmulationStation and run:

strace -f -o strace.log /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-fbneo/fbneo_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/frogger.zip" 

then exit the game. When it gets stuck, then save the strace.log file and upload it somewhere.

EDIT: strace is not installed by default on RetroPie, but you can install it by running sudo apt -y install strace. I also advise to update RetroPie in order to get the latest version of RetroArch and OS packages available.