NES on Android TV

Software

What	Pick	Why
Emulator	RetroArch (Play Store)	FOSS, GPL v3, no ads, no tracking
NES Core	FCEUmm	Lightweight — runs smooth on TV hardware
Alternate Core	Mesen	Most accurate, but heavier — try if FCEUmm works fine
Frontend (optional)	Daijishou	FOSS game launcher with box art scraping

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TV Settings

Set before launching any game. Switch back to Standard/Vivid for movies — it’s 2 presses (⚙️ → Picture Mode).

Setting	Value	Why
Picture Mode	Game	Drops input lag from ~100ms to ~15ms. No visual loss for pixel art
MotionFlow	OFF	Adds soap opera effect on pixel art
A/V Sync	OFF	Settings → Display & Sound → Audio Output
Power Saving	OFF	Prevents random dimming

Game Mode disables MotionFlow, Noise Reduction, Reality Creation — none of which help NES pixel art. RetroArch’s CRT shaders look better than any TV processing.

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Controller Setup (8BitDo Ultimate C 2.4G)

No physical mode switch. Modes are set via button combos at power-on (saved for next use):

Combo	Mode	Use For
B + Home	D-input	Android / Raspberry Pi
X + Home	X-input	Windows PC

Each controller has a dedicated USB dongle (pre-paired, no setup). Plug dongle → power on controller → LED goes solid.

2-Player with Two Identical Controllers

Two identical 2.4G dongles report the same USB device ID. Android merges them into one input. Fix:

Controller	Power-On Combo	Mode
Controller 1	B + Home	D-input
Controller 2	X + Home	X-input

Different modes = different device IDs = Android sees two separate controllers.

Order matters: plug Dongle 1 → power on Controller 1 → wait 3 sec → plug Dongle 2 → power on Controller 2.

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RetroArch Setup

First Launch

Main Menu → Online Updater:

1. Core Downloader → download Nintendo - NES / Famicom (FCEUmm)
2. Update Controller Profiles
3. Update Assets

Settings (for low-power TV hardware)

Navigate: Settings (gear icon) → each section below.

Input

Setting	Value
Max Users	2
Android Disconnect Workaround	OFF
Menu Toggle Gamepad Combo	L1 + R1 (or your preference)

“Android Disconnect Workaround → OFF” is critical for 2-player with identical controllers.

Video

Setting	Value
Threaded Video	ON
Hard GPU Sync	OFF
Max Swapchain Images	3
VSync	ON

Hard GPU Sync and Threaded Video OFF are PC settings. They cause stuttering on TV hardware.

Audio

Setting	Value
Audio Latency (ms)	128

Lower to 96 or 64 only if no crackling at 128.

Latency

Setting	Value
Run-Ahead	OFF

Run-Ahead runs the emulator twice per frame. Too heavy for TV CPUs. Enable only if performance is solid.

Save Config

Main Menu → Configuration File → Save Current Configuration

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2-Player Controller Mapping

1. Load a 2-player game: Main Menu → Load Content → pick ROM
2. Press L1 + R1 (or your menu combo) → Quick Menu
3. Controls → Port 1 Controls → Device Index → select Controller 1 (they’ll have different names since they’re in different modes)
4. Controls → Port 2 Controls → Device Index → select Controller 2
5. If X-input controller buttons are wrong: Port 2 Controls → Bind All → remap
6. Controls → Save Core Remap File

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Transferring ROMs

Both USB ports are occupied by controller dongles. Options:

Method	How
Send Files to TV	Free app on Play Store. Install on both TV and phone/laptop. Same WiFi → Send/Receive
USB pre-transfer	Unplug one dongle temporarily → copy from USB stick to Internal Storage/Download/NES/ → replug dongle
Google Drive	Upload from PC → download on TV via Drive app

Organize as: Internal Storage/Download/NES/*.nes

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Playing

Day-to-day

1. Power on controllers (Home button — mode is remembered)
2. Open RetroArch → Main Menu → Load Content → Download → NES → pick game

In-Game Controls

NES	8BitDo
D-Pad	D-Pad
A	B (east)
B	A (south)
Start	Start
Select	Select

A/B feel swapped? Remap: Quick Menu → Controls → Port 1 → swap A ↔ B → Save Core Remap.

Quick Menu

Press L1 + R1 during gameplay:

• Save State / Load State — save/resume anytime
• Close Content — exit game back to RetroArch menu

Exit RetroArch

Main Menu → Quit RetroArch or press Home on Bravia remote.

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CRT Shaders (Optional)

Makes pixel art look gorgeous with scanlines and glow. Zero input lag (runs on GPU).

1. Online Updater → Update Slang Shaders
2. Load a game → Quick Menu → Shaders → Video Shaders → ON
3. Load Shader Preset → shaders_slang → crt:

Shader	Notes
zfast-crt	Ultra-light — guaranteed smooth on TV hardware
crt-easymode	Good scanlines, slightly heavier
crt-royale	Best looking, heaviest — test first

4. Save Preset → Save Core Preset (applies to all NES games)

If it stutters, turn shaders off. Use zfast-crt as the safe default.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Both controllers control same player	Use mixed modes: Controller 1 = B+Home (D-input), Controller 2 = X+Home (X-input). Disconnect Workaround → OFF
Audio choppy / video stuttering	Threaded Video → ON, Hard GPU Sync → OFF, Run-Ahead → OFF, Audio Latency → 128ms. Switch core from Mesen to FCEUmm
Controller works in menu but not in-game	Ensure D-input mode (B+Home). Power-cycle: off → unplug dongle → replug → on
RetroArch not on home screen	Settings → Apps → find in list. Or install “Sideload Launcher” from Play Store
Can’t open Quick Menu	Set Menu Toggle Gamepad Combo in Settings → Input → Hotkeys (e.g., L1+R1)

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Great 2-Player NES Games

Game	Type
Contra	Co-op run & gun
Ice Climber	Co-op platformer
Bubble Bobble	Co-op platformer (100 levels)
Double Dragon II	Co-op beat ‘em up
River City Ransom	Co-op brawler/RPG
Jackal	Co-op top-down shooter
Super Spike V’Ball	Sports
Balloon Fight	Co-op/competitive
Life Force	Co-op shmup