GameStick $17/$20 (in store/online) at Gamestop

xeroblade said:
Have you guys tried this emulator pack from hackinformer?

http://hackinformer.com/DLC/Andoird%20EMU.rar

I havent gotten a chance to yet. I have only heard good things so let us know if you get a chance to use them.
Click to expand...
I gave both builds of NESoid a shot. One is pretty much just like NES.emu, playable but not 60 FPS. The other gets really, really close, but still hitches a bit if you put it at a frameskip of zero. Haven't had a chance to sample the others yet.

As for as overclocking goes, you wouldn't need much to get over the bar. I've noticed pretty much the same amount of skipping in all the *.emu emulators, which makes me think it's not the emulation that's the bottleneck, it's other ancillary stuff in the background of the emulator. I figure just a bump of 100 MHz would get things close.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Can't get the store to work anymore

Edit: apparently date and time set back to 1970 etc. If anybody else has this problem check that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm kind of disappointed that you have to plug the Gamestick into an AC adapter while it's hooked up to the TV.  I was under the impression that all I needed to do was plug the stick in the HDMI slot and it would be good to go.  Didnt realize it needed an additional power source.  Makes it a lot less portable than I thought it would be.  

 
Quick CAG question.  I picked up the Gamestick but before I get started with setting everything up I need to buy a decent micro SD card.  I have been looking at some off brand generic cards on Newegg that meet my CAG price standards but I don't know how any of these products perform or if they are to be trusted.

Any one have any recommendations for a cheaply priced micro SD that also performs reasonably well?

Thanks. 

 
troublebreathing said:
I need help!
Can someone tell me exactly what setting i need to have in order to use the Gamestick controller in Retroarch?

I pair it, but no matter what I do, i can't get it to work..

I got the Dualshock 3 working, but whenever i hit the start button it registers as hitting "home" and goes to the homescreen.

Help?
Click to expand...
I have the same problem. I can't figure out the path/settings.

I got mame running fine and md.emu Can load up Snatcher (but black screens w sound on opening cutscene) but I can't figure out retroarch. I think it's not seeing my controller and keeps kicking me to that green/yellow gui.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Punisher138 said:
I'm kind of disappointed that you have to plug the Gamestick into an AC adapter while it's hooked up to the TV. I was under the impression that all I needed to do was plug the stick in the HDMI slot and it would be good to go. Didnt realize it needed an additional power source. Makes it a lot less portable than I thought it would be.
Click to expand...
It's meant to plug into a USB slot on the TV for power, which most HDTVs have at least one of.

Mad Martigan said:
Quick CAG question. I picked up the Gamestick but before I get started with setting everything up I need to buy a decent micro SD card. I have been looking at some off brand generic cards on Newegg that meet my CAG price standards but I don't know how any of these products perform or if they are to be trusted.

Any one have any recommendations for a cheaply priced micro SD that also performs reasonably well?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
They tend to go on sale reasonably often at most retail outlets (Best Buy, Amazon, Staples, etc). I picked up a Sandisk 32GB Class 10 for $15 several months ago that way. Just keep an eye out.

That said, whatever you do, don't go with generic. You're a whole lot more likely to get faulty cards that way.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
So...once you get it in the dock...how do you get it out? Doesn't just slide apart with the stick inside.

Edit: Just got it out, but I had to use a *lot* of force to pull it apart.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
SargeSmash said:
I gave both builds of NESoid a shot. One is pretty much just like NES.emu, playable but not 60 FPS. The other gets really, really close, but still hitches a bit if you put it at a frameskip of zero. Haven't had a chance to sample the others yet.

As for as overclocking goes, you wouldn't need much to get over the bar. I've noticed pretty much the same amount of skipping in all the *.emu emulators, which makes me think it's not the emulation that's the bottleneck, it's other ancillary stuff in the background of the emulator. I figure just a bump of 100 MHz would get things close.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I was thinking. Out of all the Androids I have owned, those that were labeled to have a 1GHz processor actually was slightly over that 1GHz, but with the GameStick, it's actually slightly under to where it's not really 1Ghz. No-frills clearly showed that.
 
OK finally got this dumb thing working. Have to plug it into the HDMI before powering it on. Whatever. Now it's on the main tv closest to the router and I'll see if this wifi application helps

 
Ok installed genesis on SPMC and once i load up a video the gamestick immediately crashes.

Edit: Weird i load up GoT and it plays fine and when i load TWD it crashes. Will keep on testing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Can confirm wireless 360 controllers will work via the usb receiver. Hadn't seen it mentioned. Won't work with the P&C kit wire though as I believe that's strictly for powering the controller and has nothing to do with connectivity.

Going to mess around with the emulators a bit more after this Patriots game.

 
I'm playing catch up so forgive me if this has been answered, but mine did the same thing until I rebooted, then Bluetooth was turned on and the icons were active (not greyed out).

elbarto1 said:
I prefer the actual paper book, but yeah, that does look rad.

So, nobody else is having a problem w Bluetooth not turning on?
It just says searching but it's not on (icons greyed out).
Any idea how I can force a reset? Cold boot does nothing. USB mouse still works fine.
Click to expand...
 
I wish someone would tell me if mine is defective or not.. and how I may be able to return it to gamestop.

it flashed perfectly, but freezes a few seconds to a minute after booting.

I tried erasing and flashing again, same thing.. it just hangs.

 
I'm having the same issue with the gamestick controller. My DS3 will sometimes register properly, then will do exactly as you said. So odd.


My biggest issue is with spmc and xbmc. When I try to exit, it crashes and won't exit.
 
jkimrey said:
I'm playing catch up so forgive me if this has been answered, but mine did the same thing until I rebooted, then Bluetooth was turned on and the icons were active (not greyed out).
Click to expand...
Same, my issue corrected itself. I think it was because I had WiFi and Ethernet and Bluetooth active after installing the dock.

The only problem I have now is the controller going to sleep during streaming a show and not reconnecting without using a mouse to resync.

Gotta find a solution to this and I'm golden.
 
Sorry if this has been asked, but is it possible to boot in recovery mode when using the dock?  (I don't see how you can get to the reset switch when in the dock)...

Thanks.

 
aiman241 said:
I wish someone would tell me if mine is defective or not.. and how I may be able to return it to gamestop.

it flashed perfectly, but freezes a few seconds to a minute after booting.

I tried erasing and flashing again, same thing.. it just hangs.
Click to expand...
Maybe try a different TV I had the problem were it would boot up and crash immediately I then switch to another TV and it worked fine. Also another suggestion would be to try the wall adapter thing as the power source. Hope any of that works.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just finished playing a little Wayward Souls with an original MS Sidewinder USB controller. Every button mapped perfectly except for whichever button would have allowed me to enter the 'pause' screen.

 
If I could just get this got-dang vidya game stick to work, I tell yuh h'what.

Hank-hill-sells-propane-and-propane-accsesories.jpg


 
For navigating the OS what is the best option for you guys? I'm using the mouse, but its a pain when trying to exit apps.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
boredasfook said:
For navigating the OS what is the best option for you guys? I'm using the mouse, but its a pain when trying to exit apps.
Click to expand...
There's a home button on the bottom of the screen.


What emulators do you guys recommend? And where's the best place to get Roms? I'd prefer to download straight to the gamestick if possible
 
1teaney said:
Here is a list of the emulators OP has in his video:

NES.emu
MD.emu
GBC.emu
MSX.emu
PCE.emu
Saturn.emu
NGP.emu
GBA.emu
ePSXe
Mupen64
relcast
RetroArch
Snes9x EX+
PPSSPP
Click to expand...

Bleedingwickedly said:
There's a home button on the bottom of the screen.


What emulators do you guys recommend? And where's the best place to get Roms? I'd prefer to download straight to the gamestick if possible
Click to expand...
Above is a list from one of the OP's videos. Certainly not a definitive list, but that should be good to get you started. Rom discussion is usually frowned upon by the mods here, but google should point you in the right direction.

I tried a few PSP games on PPSSPP and it was pretty choppy and generally unplayable. Tried NBA Street Showdown and GTA Vice City Stories. No problem for me as I already have a PSP, just wanted to test the strength of this thing. Are there any settings and configurations I should look at changing, or is that it? I saw OPs video of the Castlevania game and it looked pretty flawless. I understand GTA having some choppiness, but Street is almost 10 years old so I'm surprised it didn't work a bit better.

 
MillerTime2523 said:
Above is a list from one of the OP's videos. Certainly not a definitive list, but that should be good to get you started. Rom discussion is usually frowned upon by the mods here, but google should point you in the right direction.

I tried a few PSP games on PPSSPP and it was pretty choppy and generally unplayable. Tried NBA Street Showdown and GTA Vice City Stories. No problem for me as I already have a PSP, just wanted to test the strength of this thing. Are there any settings and configurations I should look at changing, or is that it? I saw OPs video of the Castlevania game and it looked pretty flawless. I understand GTA having some choppiness, but Street is almost 10 years old so I'm surprised it didn't work a bit better.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it will just depend on the game... android is just starting to get popular for emulators. Don't be shocked if games that barely play today on it that in 6months to a year play flawlessly with emulator programming improvements.

 
Thanks for the info and I watched the video. I ment which Emulators work best for each system? Or are those the best one. Really only interested in NES, SNES, and SEGA really.
 
I can attest that the Gamestick Controller is not too bad for Normal Games on the App Stores. BUT.. for some odd reason with the Bluetooth being on, slows down the emulation Apps tremendously. I have zero slowdown using any wired controller Ive tested.and BTW, a wired N64 controller is the ONLY way to play N64 emulators the right way.

 
abbabaab said:
It's meant to plug into a USB slot on the TV for power, which most HDTVs have at least one of.

They tend to go on sale reasonably often at most retail outlets (Best Buy, Amazon, Staples, etc). I picked up a Sandisk 32GB Class 10 for $15 several months ago that way. Just keep an eye out.

That said, whatever you do, don't go with generic. You're a whole lot more likely to get faulty cards that way.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I ended up finding a Samsung EVO 64GB class 10 for under $30 on Ebay.
 
zebular said:
Yeah, it will just depend on the game... android is just starting to get popular for emulators. Don't be shocked if games that barely play today on it that in 6months to a year play flawlessly with emulator programming improvements.
Click to expand...
True. I've been messing around with the settings, and honestly anything past Genesis / SNES / GBA doesn't seem to be worth my time. PS1 games seem to be getting around 40-50 FPS during gameplay, which by all means isn't bad, but just slow enough that I'd rather play on a PC or another device and not have to deal with it. Still, worth $20 to me for Kodi alone, so I can't complain.

 
Bleedingwickedly said:
Thanks for the info and I watched the video. I ment which Emulators work best for each system? Or are those the best one. Really only interested in NES, SNES, and SEGA really.
Click to expand...
Actually came here to provide this info for people. I spent most of my evening messing with a variety of emulators on this thing (Google Play Store now offers full refunds within the first 2 hours--such an awesome feature!!!), and, sadly, most of them are not so great in terms of performance. HOWEVER, here's a list of the ones that I found to be the best overall when using the GameStick:

  • NES: NES.emu FREE
    $0
  • decent emulation--used Super Mario Bros. 3 for my analysis
  • minor GameStick controller issue: "Back" button is hard-coded to exit the program, so just set "Select" and "Start" to "L" and "R", respectively
  • NONE of the NES emulators perform as well as they should, which leads me to believe that the base code being used for them is poorly suited for the GameStick hardware.

[*]SNES: Snes9x EX+
  • $0
  • decent emulation--used Super Mario World for my analysis
  • plays Starfox perfectly!

[*]SEGA Genesis: MD.emu
  • $4.99
  • excellent emulation--used Sonic 3 for my analysis
  • SEGA Genesis emulators are slim pickings

[*]GBA: MyBoy! FREE ($0)
  • $0
  • excellent emulation--used Mario Kart - Super Circuit for my analysis

...and here's a quick list of notes regarding my selected emulators:

  • work well with the GameStick controller, though there's no getting around the very slight Bluetooth lag
  • require Frameskip set to "Auto"
  • turn filtering to "off" (default is "Linear")
  • turn on Scanlines to tweak clean up appearance w/ minimal to no performance hit; adjust Scanline settings to suit your preference (I like them @ 25%)
  • no noticeable immediate performance impact from messing with Sound Buffer settings, so set it to the lowest / smallest value
Okay, I'm done for now--it's well past the time I needed to be in bed. Hope the info. I provided helps some of you out.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow op tyvm for this.. Just picked mines up and spent an hour with it. Flashing was ridiculously simple and once I looked up and found out how to get spmc to set itself up with all the popular channels.. It has been GOLDEN!!! Man.. Best freaking 17 dollars spent bar none. It's super dope to see android pull up on my tv from this little USB dongle. I'm smitten. I need another one of these
 
sweatysides said:
...for some odd reason with the Bluetooth being on, slows down the emulation Apps tremendously. I have zero slowdown using any wired controller Ive tested.
Click to expand...
Hmmm, now this is interesting. I'm going to try a wired controller tomorrow and see if it leads to me editing the findings I posted. Thanks for sharing!

 
AwRy108 said:
Hmmm, now this is interesting. I'm going to try a wired controller tomorrow and see if it leads to me editing the findings I posted. Thanks for sharing!
Click to expand...
It makes a world of difference. I posted earlier that the GameStick controller causes fps issues... it's REALLY odd as when I paired a ps3 controller and an ouya controller they didn't cause those issues.

 
MillerTime2523 said:
True. I've been messing around with the settings, and honestly anything past Genesis / SNES / GBA doesn't seem to be worth my time. PS1 games seem to be getting around 40-50 FPS during gameplay, which by all means isn't bad, but just slow enough that I'd rather play on a PC or another device and not have to deal with it. Still, worth $20 to me for Kodi alone, so I can't complain.
Click to expand...
You do realize that all of those game systems only ran 30fps natively right?

 
AwRy108 said:
Hmmm, now this is interesting. I'm going to try a wired controller tomorrow and see if it leads to me editing the findings I posted. Thanks for sharing!
Click to expand...
I find that the Xbox 360 Wired controller got the best results, and an N64 to Usb adapter to use the N64 controller which worked perfect too. I was messing around with a PS2 to Usb last night but got bored with playing with the settings to get it to work. Still need to test the Ps2 Steering wheel as well. May pick up a PS3 wireless next week since im hearing good things about it.

 
[quote name="Finch106" post="12399355" timestamp="1420850331"]Sounds like you have the android settings outputting 1080p, and Kodi 14 forces 720p. The only way I fixed the issue was by changing the android display output to 720p, so I deleted Kodi and went to SPMC from the play store.[/quote]
This is the reason I'm using SPMC over Kodi because I was having that zooming issue with Kodi. If someone knows a fix other than changing the android output setting to 720p feel free to post ;)
 
So if after you flash it with the firmware in the OP, that means it's Rooted right? Or do I need to do something else? I've been jailbreaking Apple devices for a few years now, but never had an Android.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top