An In-Depth Android Handheld Setup Guide

Salutations to friends and other fans! I'm Mikhailov from Team Retrogue, a group of people who enjoy vintage video games and the gadgets that play them. We're exploring the world of Android handhelds in this article. Android serves as the front end for a lot of fantastic handheld devices, and these increasingly popular chipsets have even better emulators. All of them can be used with this tutorial. The purpose of this written review is to support my video tutorial, which is available below.

This setup instruction can be used on any smartphone running Android 11+, though I'm using a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro to finish it. To rapidly explore this guide, refer to the table of contents below.

  • Initial Setup
  • Daijisho Frontend
  • Setting up SD Card
  • Adding ROM Shortcuts to Daijisho
  • Obtainium and Odin Tools
  • Play Store Apps
  • RetroArch
  • Mupen64 Emulator Setup (N64)
  • Redream Emulator Setup (Dreamcast)
  • Duckstation Emulator Setup (PS1)
  • PPSSPP Emulator Setup (PSP)
  • DRASTIC Emulator Setup (NDS)
  • Dolphin Emulator Setup (GameCube/Wii)
  • Citra Emulator Setup (3DS)
  • Yuzu Emulator Setup (Switch)
  • Conclusion

Initial Setup

Most Android Handhelds will feature an initial setup screen like you see below.

Set your time zone, connect to Wi-Fi, and, if prompted, log into your Google Account—which is required if you wish to download games from the Play Store but optional otherwise—during this setup procedure.

You can skip this step entirely if you are using a robust device, such as the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro or the Odin 2; however, if you are not using the Play Store, I advise you to only download from these sources.

Lastly, you may be presented with a choice between the AOSP launcher and a proprietary launcher; if you are presented with that option, select the AOSP launcher; we will be updating it shortly, anyhow.

Daijisho Frontend

You can download the Daijisho front end from the Play Store or by clicking the link below on your Android smartphone once you've reached the home screen. You will need to permit Android to install Google Chrome apps if you are installing via the Git Hub website.

Although using the Play Store version is highly recommended, the Git Hub is also an option.

Open the Settings app on your Android device. Select Daijisho as the home app by going to Apps -> Default Apps. Daijisho will now be the default frontend anytime you hit the Home button or make a gesture to return to the home screen.

You can set up the systems you want to simulate by selecting the "download platforms" option. The front end will be filled with them, and artwork will be downloaded.

You can modify the Platform and Tabs Hotkeys by going to Daijisho Settings –> Navigation. I recommend L1 and R1 for the platforms and L2 and R2 for the tabs. Depending on the handheld, the tabs hotkeys may not function, but we will adjust later to consider it.

Additionally, you can download artwork packs for the system pages by going to Settings –> Appearance the Vivid Extended, in my opinion. Turn on "Hide Title" in the same Appearance menu if you choose Vivid Extended or any other artwork that incorporates the system name into the image.

Setting up SD Card

The ideal way to set up your Micro SD Card is to have a USB SD Card reader and another computer close at hand so you can transfer your data straight to the card. For optimal compatibility, you can utilize ExFat while formatting the card. On the SD card, you wish to create three folders:

  • ROMS
  • BIOS
  • UPDATES

To keep things organized, each system should have its subdirectory within the ROMS folder. DLC and Update NSP files belong in the UPDATES folder if you wish to use Yuzu to emulate a Nintendo Switch, whereas BIOS files belong in the BIOS subfolder.

After your BIOS files, updates, and ROMs are all in order, insert the SD card into your device. A notification stating, "Tap to Set Up," will appear. Select the option to use the drive for portable storage after clicking that notification. This will allow you to remove the SD card without making the handheld more complicated and will provide you with the most excellent choice if you ever want to install or change roms to the SD card.

Adding ROM Shortcuts to Daijisho

Return to your hometown of Daijisho and enter one of the platforms. I'll use Dreamcast in this example. To point the front end to the location of your SD card's ROMs for that system, click "Paths." The path ought to appear as it does in the screenshot below. To add your ROMs to the front end, click "Sync."

Daijisho will automatically scrape box art and add shortcuts to the ROMs. Each system has a collection of default emulators, which we can modify if necessary. This will be done later in the guide.

Obtainium and Odin Tools

To add more shortcuts to your device, you should utilize Odin Tools if you're using an Odin 2 or Retroid Pocket 4. The best method for installing Odin Tools on your phone is to use Obtainium, another third-party program. Obtainium is available for download at the following link. Make sure you get the "app-arm64-v8a-release.apk" version.

You might be prompted to grant permission for Chrome (or your preferred browser) to install apps. If so, click the button to grant Chrome permission and accept this prompt. After that, you'll be prompted to install Obtainium. Press "Install."

Obtainium is now installed, and we will use a custom script called "Obtainium-Export.json" to install Odin Tools and many virtual machines. Go to this link using Chrome or any other web browser on your device:

Download the link by right-clicking or long-pressing the "Raw" button. Next, click "Import/Export" and then "Obtainium Import" to import the script using Obtainium. Import the JSON after navigating to your downloads folder. As with Chrome previously, you should grant permission to install unfamiliar apps from Obtainium. You can now install each program by navigating to it. This will install several emulators, including RetroArch, in nightly versions.

Odin Tools will assist you in a few ways. You can adjust your face button configuration by using the shortcuts in your quick settings menu. You can also configure your L2 and R2 buttons to "Analog," "Trigger," or "Both." To correctly use your L2 and R2 buttons in Daijisho, set it to both.

Play Store Apps

Obtainium partially met our needs, but more emulators will require the Play Store. I suggest downloading the other apps listed below from the Play Store:

  • PPSSPP (PSP)
  • Redream (Dreamcast)
  • Duckstation (Playstation)
  • Mupen64 Plus FZ (N64)
  • Drastic (NDS)

If you prefer not to use the Play Store, you can also use the RetroArch cores for these platforms.

RetroArch

It's time to set up a number of emulators, beginning with RetroArch. Most of the retro game systems that you can imitate are covered by this emulator.

You must provide RetroArch access to your device when it initially boots up. All you have to do is click "continue" because everything is already activated.

I find it challenging to navigate this menu; therefore, to access Settings, hit the gear on the right. After that, select "ozone" from the Drivers –> Menu menu. Then, to return to the main menu, press the home button on the right. Exit RetroArch after selecting Configuration File –> Save Current Configuration. The next time you access the software, it will appear as follows:

After organizing the menu, let's go into settings and adjust a few things:

  • Main Menu –> Online Updater –> Core Downloader –> Download all cores you wish to use.
  • Main Menu –> Online Updater –> Update Assets, Update Controller Profiles, Update Databases, & Update GLSL Shaders
  • Settings –> User Interface –> On-Screen Display –> On-Screen Overlay –> Set "Hide Overlay When Controller is Connected" to ON.
  • Settings –> Input –> Menu Controls –> Set "Menu Swap OK and Cancel Buttons" to OFF
  • Settings –> Directory –> System/BIOS –> Set to /storage/####-####/BIOS (The BIOS folder in your SD Card)
  • Settings –> Video –> Video Filter –> Normal4x (Skip this step if using a low-powered device)
  • Settings –> Input –> Hotkeys –> Make the following changes:
  • Hotkey Enable –> Click L3 on the controller
  • Menu Toggle –> Click X on the controller
  • Quit –> Click R3 on the controller
  • Fast-Forward (Toggle) –> Click R2 on the controller
  • Rewind –> Click L2 on the controller
  • Load State –> Click L1 on the controller
  • Save State –> Click R1 on the controller
  • Show FPS –> Click Y on the controller.
  • Assigning hotkeys to "B" or "A" will cause RetroArch to malfunction, requiring you to remove and restart. RetroArch's Android version is known to have this problem.
  • Main Menu –> Configuration File –> Save Current Configuration

All you have to do now is hold down L3 and hit the appropriate button to activate any of RetroArch's aforementioned capabilities. For instance, to access the RetroArch menu, hold L3 and press X. Additionally, we removed the touchscreen overlay and implemented a video filter to improve the visual quality of your games.

You can begin loading games from this basic configuration, but first, let's review some control parameters that we can modify for different systems.

  • Similar to an SNES controller, I like to adjust the face button arrangement on systems with two face buttons (NES, GB, GBC, and GBA) to better suit thumb placement by doing the following: Load up an NES, GB, or GBC game.
  • Hold L3 and Press X to enter the menu.
  • In Quick Menu, navigate to Controls –> Port 1 Controls and set the following:
  • B (Auto), Key z –> A
  • A (Auto), Key x –> A
  • Y (Auto), Key a –> B
  • X (Auto), Key s –> Turbo B
  • Go back to one menu to Controls, then go into Manage Remap Files.
  • Click "Save Content Directory Remap File".
  • Use this controller configuration for Pokemon games or role-playing games on the system above:
  • Load up an NES, GB, or GBC game.
  • Hold L3 and Press X to enter the menu.
  • In Quick Menu, navigate to Controls –> Port 1 Controls and set the following:
  • B (Auto), Key z –> B
  • A (Auto), Key x –> A
  • Y (Auto), Key a –> Select
  • X (Auto), Key s –> Start
  • Navigate back to Controls and then Manage Remap Files.
  • "Save Game Remap File" should be clicked. The controls for each RPG or Pokemon game will need to be customized.

Let's make a few adjustments for Super Game Boy Enhanced games last. Once you're back in Daijisho, click the pencil on the far right in the Game Boy area. Under "player settings," change the default player to "63 – gba-RetroArch 64 – mgba." Your Game Boy games will load using the MGBa core, which supports full color in "SGB Enhanced" games. After saving your modifications, launch a game such as Pokemon Red/Blue, Kirby's Dream Land 2, or Donkey Kong. Next, let's use the hotkeys (L3 and X) that we previously configured to access the RetroArch menu.

Open the Quick Menu, select Core Options, then select Video. Turn off "Use Super Game Boy Borders (Restart)."

Reload the game after ending RetroArch.

Since the only way to play these games in color "back in the day" was to have a Super Game Boy attachment for your Super Nintendo system, this is one of my favorite aspects about emulation. These games, which were previously only playable on CRT TVs, are now available on handheld devices in full color.

There are still two ways we can improve the appearance of games that aren't SGB Enhanced, though.

Option 1 will give you the most outstanding image, but it must be completed per game and can be tiresome.

  • Choose a Game Boy game in Daijisho that isn't SGB Enhanced, such as Dr. Mario.
  • Choose "Edit Item" from the menu on the right.
  • Turn on the "Custom Player" setting after navigating down to "Custom Player Settings."
  • In the "Custom player" selection option, choose "gb - RetroArch 64 - gambatte."
  • Save your changes.
  • For every game you wish to load with Gambatte, follow these steps. Launch one of those games now.
  • Press L3 + X to access the RetroArch menu after the game has loaded.
  • Go to "Core Options" in the Quick Menu.

You can keep using the mGBA core if you have an extensive Game Boy collection and don't want to set each game to Gambatte separately.

If you don't want Super Game Boy Colors, you can also use Gambatte as the default player for all Game Boy games. This way, the Special 1 colorization will be compatible with all Game Boy games.

I'll outline the setup procedures for each emulator below because other standalone emulators don't need as much work.

Mupen64 Emulator Setup (N64)

  • Allocate Android to the emulator.
  • On the main menu, click the plus button in the lower right corner.
  • Click "Select Folder".
  • Click "Use This Folder" and then "Allow" after navigating to the location of your N64 roms.
  • To access the menu, press "Back." Select "Settings –> Display." Choose 640 x 480 as the rendered resolution.
  • Go back to "Profiles –> Select Profiles" in the menu. "Glide64-Accurate" should be the emulation profile setting.
  • Choose "Controller 1 profile –> Manage Profiles" from the same menu.
  • Click "New" in the upper right corner and give it a name. Press "Ok."
  • At this point, mapping your controller will be an option.
  • My suggested mapping can be found in the diagram below.

Redream Emulator Setup (Dreamcast)

  • Locate the folder containing your Dreamcast roms under "Library."
  • Set the game's resolution to 1920 x 1440 under "Video" (only on high-end devices when using the premium app version).

Duckstation Emulator Setup (PS1)

  • Depending on your device's power, you should adjust the Resolution Scale to 3x Resolution (720p) or 4x Resolution (1080p) during setup.
  • To import your BIOS, proceed with the setup. You can access your SD card's BIOS folder. I made use of SPCH-5001. To choose your imported BIOS file, click the BIOS area.
  • You can begin PS1 Emulation as soon as you link the application to your ROM folder.

PPSSPP Emulator Setup (PSP)

  • You will be prompted to establish a folder for save states and saved games when the computer boots up for the first time. This is not compatible with SD cards. In the Documents folder, I placed mine. I just gave the folder the name "PSP."
  • To access the PSP rom folder on your SD card, click "Browse."
  • You might want to go into settings –> graphics and raise the rendering resolution to 4x PSP for a 1080p image if your system is capable of doing it.

DRASTIC Emulator Setup (NDS)

  • Navigate to the "Change Options" setting when the computer initially boots up. Next, navigate to the External Controller.
  • Click "Generic Gamepad" and then "No Mapping" under "Select Key Mapping."
  • After selecting "Map Control," adjust the controls as necessary.
  • After selecting "Map Special," map the following (omit the others):
  • L2 for Screen-Swap
  • R2 for Open Menu
  • R3 for Pointer Down
  • Use the Right Stick Mode to scroll down a little. Select Pointer Mode from the menu.
  • Launch a game now, then select the menu (R2). Select "Menu."
  • Select the "Edit Screens and Virtual Pad" option. Select "Landscape 1:1."
  • To adjust your screens to your preference, click "Resize Screen." The second screen is typically smaller than the first.

Dolphin Emulator Setup (GameCube/Wii)

  • To add your ROM files, click the "+ Add Games" button. This must be done for both the GameCube and the Wii.
  • Configuring controls for the GameCube and Wii is the most challenging aspect of the Dolphin Emulator.
  • At the top of the application, click the settings gear.
  • After selecting "GameCube Input," select "GameCube Controller 1" and click the gear next to it.
  • Depending on the game you're playing, button mapping on the Wii can get really tricky. Here is a suggested configuration for the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, although I advise making distinct profiles based on what the game requires (Pro Controller, Sideways Wii Remote, etc.).

Citra Emulator Setup (3DS)

  • Citra's configuration is quite simple. Proceed with the basic configuration to grant access to the camera, microphone, files, and notifications.
  • You can designate both the user folder and the games folder as the folder containing your roms.
  • You can map the buttons typically because the 3DS's button mapping is similar to that of the vintage handheld you're using. Map "Cycle Landscape Layouts" to R3, however. In this manner, you may change how you want to see the two screens.
  • Select Vulkan as the Graphics API under Settings –> Graphics. Additionally, depending on your handheld's power, you can adjust the internal resolution to 2x, 3x, or 4x.

Yuzu Emulator Setup (Switch)

  • To play Switch ROMs, you will need both a Switch Firmware and a Prod keys file. For this one, you'll have to ask the Google Lords.
  • After obtaining those files, follow Yuzu's setup instructions. It will ask you to find both your Roms directory and the prod. Keys file.
  • Select Settings –> Manage Yuzu Data once you're at the main displays. The firmware and any update or DLC files you place in the SD Card's UPDATES folder can then be installed from this location.

Conclusion

You may now enjoy all of the nostalgic handheld awesomeness that comes with your new Android smartphone, thanks to this guide that helped you go from zero to hero when setting it up.