(Tutorial) Android Atari 5200 & RetroArch Setup

[thatman84]

MAME Atari 5200 Setup with RetroArch Android

 

How to get Atari 5200 and other systems working on Nvidia Shield with Retroarch “Arcade (MAME)” core

 

Limits

•           Everything RetroArch is subject to change without warning, cores break and improve and RetroArch is constantly evolving. The exact same goes for MAME     but this is more consistent.

•        You must have the correct roms and BIOS files that MAME emulator is expecting.
• ·        They must all be named as MAME requires

Note I have assumed you are familiar with setting systems up in Hyperspin and are familiar with Retroarch. Native RetroArch and RetroArch launched from Hyperspin use separate configuration files. Please search around for the topics relating to this issue.

 

Tested on:-

 

• ·         Nvidia Shield TV PRO v3.2
• ·         RetroArch 1.3.6 Stable Play Store app
• ·         Arcade (MAME) Core 0.174 (Also known as MAME Git core)

 

 

What’s Covered...

 

 

•                 Getting Atari 5200 setup to work with Hyperspin Start to Finish!!

 

 

Quick Steps...

 

1. Grab the PC version of MAME and extract the files and folders
2. Place your roms and BIOS in the correct place
3. Set your RetroArch System/BIOS directory
4. Build your RetroArch “System/BIOS” directory with above files/folder
5. Create a5200.ini and adjust the rompath (not needed in mame 0.181)
6. Adjust your Hyperspin Atari 5200.ini rompath to match
    

Full Details...

 

 

Step 1 – Let’s get the MAME files

 

 

Download and extract the PC version of MAME emulator. Try to match your romset version, RetroArch “Arcade (MAME)” core version and PC MAME emulator version. RetroArch is usually a couple of releases behind.

 

• For the current release go HERE
• For previous releases go HERE

 

Once extracted you will have something similar to this

There is plenty more there than this guide will cover!!

 

 

• Next copy the highlighted assets to a safe location

 

 

1) Hash folder – This has the MAME games databases (softlists) for all the different non Arcade systems MAME can emulate

2) Ini folder – All specific and global configuration (.ini) files go in here

3) Roms folder – All Arcade BIOS files go in here

4) mame.ini – This is the Global configuration file for MAME

5) CreateConfig.bat – This is an optional file to generate the mame.ini file

 

If you don’t have a mame.ini you will need to generate one

 

• Open Notepad and type the “name of mame.exe” –cc

 

 

Example

 

• mame64.exe –cc

 

 

• Save it as CreateConfig.bat (Locate it with your mame.exe) (OR USE THIS mame64.exe CreateConfig.bat)
• Double click the Batch file and mame.ini will be created

 

 

Step 2 – Organise your roms & BIOS

 

 

I have my roms located on a NAS drive called “MYCLOUD”. Wherever you locate your roms they must end up in a subfolder called “a5200”

 

Your compressed BIOS folder (a5200.zip) can be located WITH you ROM file zip's

/ROMPATH/a5200 - place zipped BIOS and zipped roms here

/ROMPATH/a5200/a5200 - Place UNzipped BIOS files here

An additional a5200 folder with the Unzipped BIOS files can also be place in the a5200 folder

 

Your roms and BIOS will need to match what’s in the a5200.xml in the “hash” folder

• This means whatever roms and BIOS you have MUST be named the same as the name given in the hash file.

 

Note To automate the renaming process you can grab the MAME Atari 5200 Hyperspin compatible xml from the dropbox linked in the 1^st post of this thread (Official) MAME XML Database. Then use something like Don’s Renamer to rename your roms to match. These XML’s are religiously kept up to date with current MAME versions

 

This is an example of some roms in the correct “a5200” subfolder (HERE IS MINE Atari 5200.ini)

ALSO place your BIOS file (a5200.zip HERE)

 

Note – The other “a5200” subfolder is optional and is used if you prefer to have your BIOS file uncompressed.

 

 

Step 3 – Get RetroArch setup

 

 

You should have a “system” folder somewhere in you RetroArch directories.

Check these locations

 

• sdcard/Android/data/com.retroarch/files

Or

• sdcard/RetroArch

 

Wherever you keep it you must make sure the “System/BIOS” directory path is correct

•                 Go to RetroArch Settings -> Directory and check what’s listed

 

 

 Step 4 - Build your RetroArch "system" folder

(HERE IS A CLEAN EXAMPLE DOWNLOAD system.zip) MAME Version 0.173)

 

• Next thing to do is create a folder called “mame” in your “system” folder.

• Now drop the extracted folders and files into the “mame” folder (You should have a “roms” folder but I missed mine off for testing)

 

Step 5 – Configure MAME a5200.ini

(NOT NEEDED NOW PLEASE SKIP CREATING a5200.ini)

 

• Make a copy of the “mame.ini”
• Rename it a5200.ini
• Place it in the “ini” folder

 

• Now open the “a5200.ini” and edit the rompath line to match the location of the rom folder

 

This is my rompath

 

 

Step 6 – Setup Hyperspin

 

• Adjust your Hyperspin “Atari 5200.ini” to match the same rompath set in the “a5200.ini”
• Set your extensions to zip, 7z
• Set your exe
• Set your parameters

MY SETTINGS FILE Atari 5200.ini

 

 

If you don’t have a settings file for Atari 5200 I have attached mine above or a full set can be found HERE

 

 

Now you should be ready to start smashing buttons!!!

 

 

This is a little bit of a WIP so please excuse me if it’s not perfect. Please comment and I will help out and adjust stuff as needed

 

 

Hope this helps someone

 

Supporting Images

 

BIOS LOCATION

 

ROMS's Location

 

 

a5200 Software List Database

 

System Folder Location

OPTIONAL Uncompressed BIOS location

[badhemi]

My Atari 5200 and adventurevision are not loading anymore. They go to retroarch menu. All my other mame systems are working. Does anyone know why?

[thatman84]

What retroarch MAME core version? Did you try the above setup?

[badhemi]

It all worked before. Didn't touch anything. Now this. Mame git

[thatman84]

30 minutes ago, badhemi said:

It all worked before. Didn't touch anything. Now this. Mame git

The only thing that is likely to have change is the core. Have you updated the Arcade (MAME) core since you last played those systems?

[badhemi]

1 hour ago, thatman84 said:

The only thing that is likely to have change is the core. Have you updated the Arcade (MAME) core since you last played those systems?

Intellivision, arcadia ECT all work just atari5200 and adventure vision. I did update but shouldn't effect certain systems. I can't download retroarch nightlys either. They say not installed

[thatman84]

I don't bother with nightlies, maybe something changed in MAME or retroarch update. 

Maybe try over at their forums see if anyone has similar problems

if the core is the only thing that's changed its just a case figuring out

[badhemi]

1 hour ago, thatman84 said:

I don't bother with nightlies, maybe something changed in MAME or retroarch update. 

Maybe try over at their forums see if anyone has similar problems

if the core is the only thing that's changed its just a case figuring out

I downloaded store app. It can't be a core issue because 98 percent of my mame systems work. Just 2 don't and I didn't change anything

[thatman84]

I guess it seems odd but something must have changed mate otherwise they would still work.

What version is your core currently? 

 

I think its rare now but maybe the hash files for those two systems have been changed. Not been around long enough to know how that stuff impacts on it.

[badhemi]

33 minutes ago, thatman84 said:

I guess it seems odd but something must have changed mate otherwise they would still work.

What version is your core currently? 

 

I think its rare now but maybe the hash files for those two systems have been changed. Not been around long enough to know how that stuff impacts on it.

Mame 174

[thatman84]

Same core as me and the above works.

 

i remember messing around before I started this because it stopped working without the ini files. Only thing is I messed so much I couldn't remember what I had done!

 

 

[badhemi]

On 11/4/2016 at 11:32 AM, thatman84 said:

Same core as me and the above works.

 

i remember messing around before I started this because it stopped working without the ini files. Only thing is I messed so much I couldn't remember what I had done!

 

 

Got it working the mame ini was missing for some reason.

[thatman84]

I just updated to retroarch 1.4.0 stable and Arcade(MAME) 0.181 core

i don't seem to need any MAME specific ini files anymore.

i have the correct rom/bios folder structure and it works straight off the bat.

tested with Atari 5200 & Bally Astrocade

[badhemi]

How did you get apk? Not sure how it can work without ini

[thatman84]

hust to confirm I'm talking about the MAME.ini and a5200.ini that the retroarch MAME core uses not Hyperspin. Reference the guide above.

 

i got my retroarch.apk from the downloads tab of the website. It takes you to the 1.3.6 stable. Then I scrolled down to the 1.4.0 folder

[jcort154]

Hi guys. Previously, I had Atari 5200 setup and running in RA and Hyperspin on a Shield TV. Since that time, I have updated the STV FW to ver. 5.1 and RA to ver. 1.4.1. I had black squares for the icons in RA and didnt know what the issue was. I reloaded RA but forgot to save the SYSTEM folder I had the files in for Mame/Atari 5200. I recreate the necessary files and got Atari 5200 games to work in RA again. However, when I try to launch from HS, RA crashes.  The mame core version is 0.182. I dont know what Im missing. I havent touched my HS files. Any help would be appreciated.

[thatman84]

Check your "system/BIOS" directory is set correctly once you have launched any RA game any core from Hyperspin 

[jcort154]

I have other console bios files in REtroarch.com/System and had my "system/BIos" directory pointed there. I also have the Atari 5200 bios in there too. Sega CD still works from HS but I am no longer able to navigate to that directory after I quit a game in HS! I can however go to that directory if I run RA straight away. Why this is, I dont know.

[jcort154]

This problem was also on another thread here. Maybe I should go back to RA 1.3.6

 

[thatman84]

Try this

 

also your zipped 5200 bios needs to be in with your zipped roms in a folder called a5200

[jcort154]

I got it working as another user with the same RA 1.4.1 issue suggested. Since I couldnt point to the RA system directory on my internal drive, I copied the system directory and files to the external drive. Ran a game in HS, then adjusted the system BIOS directory to point there. Now Atari 5200 works again from HS. Thanks for your help.

 

[thatman84]

No worries, it's probably a good idea to do the config trick for some of the directories just incase you want access to take stuff in the future

[nespcbuild]

I followed all of these steps but still can't get any roms to launch through HS or RLHQ. They're working fine when I launch them from RA and my mame roms also work. Mame roms will launch from HS or RLHQ. I'm using the .182 core. Anyone know how to get them to launch with HS? 

[nespcbuild]

Having the same issue with the Mess2014 core as well. Roms run fine in RA but won't launch at all from HS or RL. I checked the RLUI logs and keep getting this:

"- You have your path set to  defined, but it could not be found here:" but all my paths (roms, emulator, core) are set correctly. If anyone can help, I'd be pretty grateful. I've now spent hours trying to get this working and I'm about out of ideas

[thatman84]

This is for android not pc @nespcbuild