Modified HyperSpin APK for RetroArch - Works with all modern versions (Doesn't work with Android 10+)

[HyperSeeder]

Update: As @reznnate has recently introduced support for newer versions of RetroArch in the official version of HyperSpin this mod is officially deprecated. Please use the official HyperSpin version instead.

Update 2: The last official HyperSpin for Android Beta version can be found bellow. Having said that, the beta version is suffering from several issues (No support for SAF, no ability to launch several emulators, suffering from some instability, etc). Unfortunately it looks like development has slowed down again. So, for now, I'm "un-deprecating" the modded APK - at least until a new official version of HyperSpin gets published to Google Play Store. Just a heads up: The modded APK only works with Android 9 or earlier. If you are a Shield owner there are ways to downgrade it back to Android 9, but for now I would encourage new users to try other frontends as neither the official beta version nor the modded APK are really up to standard (for users already that are already invested in the ecosystem, currently Android 9 and the modded APK are still working better than Android 11+ and the Beta APK).

---

To anyone following my posts lately, I have been working in modifying HyperSpin so that it can run all modern versions of RetroArch. I know that some of you have been waiting for it since 2019.

Well, the wait is finally over.

Download:

HyperSpin_v0.1.8_HyperSeeder.apk: https://mega.nz/file/uNx0gQQA#f5ktYDOV6nMAWxatrlg6XAYz14ZMdYlkWg994s-1WDg
MD5: 4692846e4fe9a90bd0da3a6cd9f10ed3
SHA512: 2f5db6b625983c189b9f82c574bf48781921780825a38ceaf9c1094bd113545f9abdd06c5b4ac8707093e3e2ac0fc1185b9bc939f30f5ee830a41689c68e5b21

How to configure your Settings_Android ini files:

Main APK from RetroArch's website and Google Play Store Version:

exe=com.retroarch/com.retroarch.browser.retroactivity.RetroActivityFuture

RetroArch's website 32bit version:

exe=com.retroarch.ra32/com.retroarch.browser.retroactivity.RetroActivityFuture

RetroArch's website 64bit version and RetroArch Plus:

exe=com.retroarch.aarch64/com.retroarch.browser.retroactivity.RetroActivityFuture

Have fun!

FAQ:

1. Can I mix and match multiple RetroArch distributions?
   Yes, you just need to set different exe values for different systems.
   For instance, you can use the 64bit version of RA + Dolphin core for GameCube games (Nintendo GameCube.ini):

   exe=com.retroarch.aarch64/com.retroarch.browser.retroactivity.RetroActivityFuture
   parameters=cores/dolphin_libretro_android.so

   
   And the 32bit version of RA + MAME Core (MAME.ini):

   exe=com.retroarch.ra32/com.retroarch.browser.retroactivity.RetroActivityFuture
   parameters=cores/mame2010_libretro_android.so

    

2. Will it load separate configuration files for 32bit and 64bit versions?
   Yes, it will always load the default configuration file for each version.
   Default configuration files are in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/[package name]/files/retroarch.cfg
   For example:
    

   /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.retroarch.ra32/files/retroarch.cfg

    

3. Can I make Hyperspin launch my own custom compiled version of RetroArch?
   Yes. As long as the package name starts with com.retroarch everything should work.

4. Can I configure HyperSpin to load retroarch.cfg from a custom location?
   Not for now. I find that I can accomplish what I want with the default config file + settings overrides.
   If you have a specific use case that would benefit from this feature comment bellow and I'll see what I can do.

5. How was this implemented?
   I reversed engineered the original Google Store APK using Apktool and JEB.
   You can find the two lines of code that I've modified bellow. You can use APK Studio to verify my changes.

    

6. Has it been tested?
   I tested it with my NVIDIA Shield 2017 and 2019. It worked with all mentioned distributions, RA versions 1.9.0 to 1.9.8
7. How can I help?
   If you know someone able to get my two lines change integrated in the official build and published to the Google Play Store, please point the person to this topic.

Acknowledgment: Many thanks to@zerojay, @yarrick and @Honosuseri for "hacking" their own versions of HyperSpin. While this version is my own work, I couldn't do it without the information that you all made available to the community.

Edited December 18, 2022 by HyperSeeder
"Un-deprecating" the mod

[mikty]

thanks a lot, great work

can't wait to test

thanks

[Honosuseri]

6 hours ago, HyperSeeder said:

Acknowledgment: Many thanks to@zerojay, @yarrick and @Honosuseri for "hacking" their own versions of HyperSpin. While this version is my own work, I couldn't do it without the information that you all made available to the community.

@reznnate is the guy who did the original build to have HS on his Nvidia Shield Portable. Not sure if he published it to Google Play BUT he's the guy we are all really thankful to.

Congrats on your project, sadly I don't really have the time to test it out. Those who use adopted storage might need to install RetroArch and then immediately move it to internal storage before running, worth testing that out to prevent people saying your build doesn't work. 

[HyperSeeder]

7 hours ago, Honosuseri said:

@reznnate is the guy who did the original build to have HS on his Nvidia Shield Portable. Not sure if he published it to Google Play BUT he's the guy we are all really thankful to.

I've emailed him as well as the email address registered for HyperSpin in Google's Play Store. Hopefully someone still has the source and access to publish new official versions of HyperSpin. It would be great if someone could update the official version.

7 hours ago, Honosuseri said:

@reznnateThose who use adopted storage might need to install RetroArch and then immediately move it to internal storage before running, worth testing that out to prevent people saying your build doesn't work. 

Interesting stuff. RA in adoptable storage may actually be a use case that would justify implementing support to load a custom retroarch.cfg with HyperSpin.

On my Shield, RetroArch APK installs directly to internal shared storage. It doesn't even give me an option to install it to my adopted SSD.

More than that, once installed it also doesn't give me an option to move RetroArch outside of internal shared storage.

Is installing RA in adopted storage even possible nowadays? https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues/8353

If there's a guide somewhere to get RA to install outside of internal shared storage I can try to make HyperSpin work with it.

[HyperSeeder]

22 minutes ago, HyperSeeder said:

Is installing RA in adopted storage even possible nowadays? https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues/8353

If there's a guide somewhere to get RA to install outside of internal shared storage I can try to make HyperSpin work with it.

By the way. Looks like RA will soon have to comply with even more restrictive storage permissions from Google (https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues/12181). I'm not sure if installing RA in adopted storage is a good idea at this stage.

[Honosuseri]

1 hour ago, HyperSeeder said:

Is installing RA in adopted storage even possible nowadays? https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues/8353

I have very little interest in emulation on Android now, so it's been a very long time since I touched the STV, RA & HS. I can tell you that it used to install by default to shared storage and the RA paths were different to when on internal storage. So I had to go into apps select RA and move it before running it, once run RA set the paths automatically.

If you use adopted storage and everything works with your HS build then that's awesome, nothing to worry about. I only mentioned it as people use different setups, some just have HS and "roms" on an external drive with others using adopted storage...maybe both.

[HyperSeeder]

Hi guys,

Just giving everyone a heads up.

While my version of the app is still working great, unfortunately whoever is in charge of the Play Store version ignored my emails about merging changes upstream.

More than that, in a few months (November 1st deadline) Google will start enforcing Android 11 / API Level 30 as the minimum target for Play Store apps updates. Updating Hyperspin to comply with Android 11 requires non trivial changes, particularly around Scoped Storage. https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/behavior-changes-11. 

I don't know if there is someone in charge for the app right now (as far I can tell, there isn't). But what I can say is that, if the person in question isn't willing to merge a 3 LoC patch, I doubt that he will be willing to do what it takes to keep HS alive. So, you have heard here first, the official Play Store version is likely dead in the water. New versions are unlikely to be released (unless things change and the official development team takes over the Android version).

Also, contrary to some posts in the forum that previously led me to believe that there is active development going on and community members hacking the app to keep it alive behind closed doors, to the best of my knowledge, both official and community development efforts around the Android version of HS are basically non-existent.

As far as I can tell, the modded APK in this thread is the only version that works with all modern versions of RetroArch. I couldn't find a working alternative anywhere else.

I'll try my best to keep this version alive for as long as possible. Nevertheless, I feel the need to echo the message from older community members: If you are starting from scratch, don't use HS. There are great Emulator Front Ends for Android (E.g., Dig and Arc Browser).

[Creezz67]

6 hours ago, HyperSeeder said:

Hi guys,

Just giving everyone a heads up.

While my version of the app is still working great, unfortunately whoever is in charge of the Play Store version ignored my emails about merging changes upstream.

More than that, in a few months (November 1st deadline) Google will start enforcing Android 11 / API Level 30 as the minimum target for Play Store apps updates. Updating Hyperspin to comply with Android 11 requires non trivial changes, particularly around Scoped Storage. https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/behavior-changes-11. 

I don't know if there is someone in charge for the app right now (as far I can tell, there isn't). But what I can say is that, if the person in question isn't willing to merge a 3 LoC patch, I doubt that he will be willing to do what it takes to keep HS alive. So, you have heard here first, the official Play Store version is likely dead in the water. New versions are unlikely to be released (unless things change and the official development team takes over the Android version).

Also, contrary to some posts in the forum that previously led me to believe that there are active development going on and community members hacking the app to keep it alive behind closed doors, to the best of my knowledge, both official and community development efforts around the Android version of HS are basically non-existent.

As far as I can tell, the modded APK in this thread is the only version that works with all modern versions of RetroArch. I couldn't find a working alternative anywhere else.

I'll try my best to keep this version alive for as long as possible. Nevertheless, I feel the need to echo the message from older community members: If you are starting from scratch, don't use HS. There are great Emulator Front Ends for Android (E.g., Dig and Arc Browser).

Thanks for all your hard work keeping this working.

I am assuming it will still work fine with RA 32bit and other versions that are NOT on Google Play ?

[HyperSeeder]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:23 AM, Creezz67 said:

Thanks for all your hard work keeping this working.

I am assuming it will still work fine with RA 32bit and other versions that are NOT on Google Play ?

Yes, the modded APK works with the website (https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms) 32 and 64 bits versions , F-Droid and Google Play Store versions, as well as modded / recompiled versions of RetroArch (as long as its package starts with com.retroarch). 

Sideloading the modded APK will work until Google permanently remove READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions and force everyone to use Storage Access Framework (SAF).

They are already enforcing Scoped Storage and SAF for new Android Applications in the Google Play Store. Google will also be enforcing it for new versions of already published apps from November 1st.

Despite the Play Store situation, I won't expect Android devices to stop supporting READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission soon, so sideloading should be fine for a while. Nevertheless, my advice would still be for people to move on to a different Emulation Front End so that they aren't caught by surprise when it happens.

[Honosuseri]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:57 AM, HyperSeeder said:

As far as I can tell, the modded APK in this thread is the only version that works with all modern versions of RetroArch. I couldn't find a working alternative anywhere else.

I'll try my best to keep this version alive for as long as possible. Nevertheless, I feel the need to echo the message from older community members: If you are starting from scratch, don't use HS. There are great Emulator Front Ends for Android (E.g., Dig and Arc Browser).

To my knowledge it's @reznnate who we have to thank for the Android version of HS. I believe he created it originally for the Shield Portable device. I seem to recall the official HS app was updated, when it stopped working because of previous Android changes many moons ago. Of course I can't speak for future development.

I applaud your efforts on modding and maintaining your version of the APK. I modded it solely for RA32 as IMHO adding the 64bit version of RA for it's limited benefits were not worth my time. I was aware of these Android changes coming, the dev for LaunchBox has stated they've stopped development of their Android version iirc. I hope FreeLancer will continue on with Arc Browser.

All the best, I'm sure many people are thankful for your efforts

[Creezz67]

15 hours ago, HyperSeeder said:

Yes, the modded APK works with the website (https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms) 32 and 64 bits versions , F-Droid and Google Play Store versions, as well as modded / recompiled versions of RetroArch (as long as its package starts with com.retroarch). 

Sideloading the modded APK will work until Google permanently remove READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions and force everyone to use Storage Access Framework (SAF).

They are already enforcing Scoped Storage and SAF for new Android Applications in the Google Play Store. Google will also be enforcing it for new versions of already published apps from November 1st.

Despite the Play Store situation, I won't expect Android devices to stop supporting READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission soon, so sideloading should be fine for a while. Nevertheless, my advice would still be for people to move on to a different Emulation Front End so that they aren't caught by surprise when it happens.

Not really the place to be giving people advice about NOT using Hyperspin mate, but thanks again for your work on the modded apk.

It works great and worst case scenario is to just get to a setup you are happy with and not update RA after a certain point.

[Honosuseri]

1 hour ago, Creezz67 said:

Not really the place to be giving people advice about NOT using Hyperspin mate, but thanks again for your work on the modded apk.

It works great and worst case scenario is to just get to a setup you are happy with and not update RA after a certain point.

Worst case scenario is that when the STV is updated to Android 11 or 12 that Hyperspin won't work, it's not about RetroArch but the changes Google is making to the OS. Perfectly valid post for him to make, I'd be livid if as a new user I sunk in a lot of time setting up HS for it just to stop working out of the blue.

I help people with HS plenty BUT still recommend Arc Browser as it is a better frontend being actively developed. I've used HS on the STV for what 5 years, there's a suggested features thread here on the forum BUT nothing new has been added. I hope that HS will be updated when the Android OS changes kick in BUT I can't say for sure that it will be.

[Creezz67]

3 hours ago, Honosuseri said:

Worst case scenario is that when the STV is updated to Android 11 or 12 that Hyperspin won't work, it's not about RetroArch but the changes Google is making to the OS. Perfectly valid post for him to make, I'd be livid if as a new user I sunk in a lot of time setting up HS for it just to stop working out of the blue.

I help people with HS plenty BUT still recommend Arc Browser as it is a better frontend being actively developed. I've used HS on the STV for what 5 years, there's a suggested features thread here on the forum BUT nothing new has been added. I hope that HS will be updated when the Android OS changes kick in BUT I can't say for sure that it will be.

All I am saying is don't put Hyperspin down.

It is struggling as it is and some people won't be happy until it's gone forever !

[Honosuseri]

On 9/2/2021 at 11:53 AM, Creezz67 said:

All I am saying is don't put Hyperspin down.

It is struggling as it is and some people won't be happy until it's gone forever !

No, you clearly misunderstood the situation by saying just don't update RA. Hyperspin on PC and Android are two very different animals. When M$ does a Windows update which messes up Hyperspin, I'm confident it'll be fixed as that's happened many times. On Android I'm not as confident but hope for the best, the fact Launchbox has abandoned their Android version should tell you enough to be concerned.

It's sound advice to warn new users about the changes to Android and the knock on effect it will have on HS with the STV. Arc Browser is a superior frontend with better features, being actively developed AND it's also compatible with phones/tablets when HS is not. When the Android OS changes kick in on the STV and HS is known to be working, I'll recommend HS "for show" and help people set it up.

Until that day comes, I agree with Hyperseeder and new users should wait before sinking in a lot of time learning and setting up Android Hyperspin. I have a very nice Hyperspin PC setup, people are perfectly "safe" sinking time into that, many of the assets can then be shared with an Android setup later.

[Creezz67]

7 hours ago, Honosuseri said:

No, you clearly misunderstood the situation by saying just don't update RA. Hyperspin on PC and Android are two very different animals. When M$ does a Windows update which messes up Hyperspin, I'm confident it'll be fixed as that's happened many times. On Android I'm not as confident but hope for the best, the fact Launchbox has abandoned their Android version should tell you enough to be concerned.

It's sound advice to warn new users about the changes to Android and the knock on effect it will have on HS with the STV. Arc Browser is a superior frontend with better features, being actively developed AND it's also compatible with phones/tablets when HS is not. When the Android OS changes kick in on the STV and HS is known to be working, I'll recommend HS "for show" and help people set it up.

Until that day comes, I agree with Hyperseeder and new users should wait before sinking in a lot of time learning and setting up Android Hyperspin. I have a very nice Hyperspin PC setup, people are perfectly "safe" sinking time into that, many of the assets can then be shared with an Android setup later.

I understand what you are saying, and appreciate what you and Hyperseeder have done to help keep it afloat on Android.

I have an awesome setup on Hyperspin and even with zero development it's still the best setup you can get on both android and PC (IMO)

I also have a full 800 wheel setup with 200,000 games on Launchbox,  and even though it looks great it's as slow as hell compared to my super slick Hyperspin setup.

Note: Launchbox has started up their Android paid version and it's now in full speed development.

 

[rexryan]

800 wheels? @200,000? On LaunchBox i would have to see that...

 

[C0ntrA]

So...

I am late to the party.

I have recently found out the hard way that Hyperspin has issues (the playstore version). For the last few weeks, this has been very frustrating to say the least, and the information out there for fixes regarding "Hyperspin/Android" issues is minimal as you all know.

In a nut shell, I have a 2019 shield pro with adopted internal storage using an ssd. Roms and media etc are located on my external hdd (same old story blah blah).

I found a thread that's dated a year or so prior to this one regarding a modified apk that works with Retroarch_32. 

I have tried Retroarch_32 with the playstore Hyperspin. Obviously that didnt work out (like I said, "late to the party").

So are you saying that this Hyperspin apk that you have modded will work with Retroarch (32 bit playstore version) as well as the side loaded Retroarch_32?

I ask this as I am about to attempt to download this Hyperspin version and try it with the playstore version of Retroarch and then the _32 bit version.

I have deffinately tried most everything else without editing any ini files etc. With an old version of Retroarch 1.7.7?...most of my games worked. 

The exception seems to be some of which most likely use the "mame" core as "MAME_current" or whatever mame core it's looking for was resulting in a black screen when the game was launched via the Hyperspin wheel (again playstore version of Hyperspin).

So I guess I am asking if I will need to edit files etc with this option as they were presented in that other thread?

Edit:

After more messing around, I have been trying to find the place within my Nvidia Shield storage to edit/add the following as per the original post in this thread. Sooo...where the heck is this? Can't find it anywhere within my File explorer app...

exe=com.retroarch.ra32/com.retroarch.browser.retroactivity.RetroActivityFuture

[C0ntrA]

Edited/deleted 

Edited October 24, 2021 by C0ntrA

[C0ntrA]

Update.

 

Thankfully your method still works. Just took a bit more knowledge of how to do the editing of ini files.

Still going strong in 2021!

[Creezz67]

5 hours ago, C0ntrA said:

Update.

 

Thankfully your method still works. Just took a bit more knowledge of how to do the editing of ini files.

Still going strong in 2021!

From RIP, to still going strong in 1 day ! 🤣

Maybe delete your previous post now, seeing as it was incorrect ?

One thing you are correct about ... Hyperspin is still THE best, even though they have done nothing to it for years.

[C0ntrA]

3 hours ago, Creezz67 said:

From RIP, to still going strong in 1 day ! 🤣

Maybe delete your previous post now, seeing as it was incorrect ?

One thing you are correct about ... Hyperspin is still THE best, even though they have done nothing to it for years.

I have yet to confirm it works for Namco system 22 etc, seem to have some issues there. I have the side loaded Retroarch_32 version (current) and haven't been able to get it to work with either mame or mame2010.

But yeah, I'll make changes to the above posts.

[Creezz67]

2 minutes ago, C0ntrA said:

I have yet to confirm it works for Namco system 22 etc, seem to have some issues there. I have the side loaded Retroarch_32 version and haven't been able to get it to work with either mame or mame2010.

But yeah, I'll make changes to the above posts.

Namco System 22 will work, but performance on android is not good.

I use the MAME core, but have tried them all and even on Windows it's not 100%

[C0ntrA]

3 minutes ago, Creezz67 said:

Namco System 22 will work, but performance on android is not good.

I use the MAME core, but have tried them all and even on Windows it's not 100%

Totally fine. I will find closure in at least seeing something other than a black screen lol.

I just figure things will improve with performance as Nvidia Shield progressively gets more powerful with each new generation. Will try again with mame.

I have many more systems to get through yet

[Creezz67]

Just now, C0ntrA said:

Totally fine. I will find closure in at least seeing something other than a black screen lol. Will try again with mame.

I have many more systems to get through yet

If you are using Hyperspin on Windows , don't expect every game to run as well on android as it won't happen.

General performance is good overall, but android has limitations in comparison.

[C0ntrA]

5 minutes ago, Creezz67 said:

If you are using Hyperspin on Windows , don't expect every game to run as well on android as it won't happen.

General performance is good overall, but android has limitations in comparison.

Give me more credit than that...

Bruh...

😎

Got a mini pc on it's way to be added to my home theater and Retro gaming setup for more of that horsepower.

But was thinking of leaving hyperspin on my Shield as I typically only play up to around ps1/DC/saturn games.

Namco racing games would be sick though...

Hmmm.

Also, I was under the impression that mame2010 was more ideal for mame games as far as Retroarch cores go anyway.

So, should I NOT be pushing everything already set to mame, to mame2010?