Emulator Input Lag

[Noah98]

I just started messing with emulators on my Ouya and noticed that many of them have significant input lag, even with wired controllers. For example, if I play Super Mario brothers on either the nes or snes emu's there is like a half second delay when jumping. This makes it near impossible to play accurately. Even Bonk's adventure does the same on the PCE emu. Could it be my TV (Vizio 3d LED) or is it just the emulators? I know it can't be the controllers since wired ones do the same.

[atarileaf]

Does your tv have a game mode?

[Sluup]

All of the emulators have an extremely insignificant amount of latency (input lag) not worth mentioning, but it is there but not noticeable. It all relies on the tv you have, and all tvs work different and have different results. My tv has that latency at around 200-300ms, so games like Mario and Tekken is impossible to be precise with. My tv has a setting called "Game Mode" which displays unprocessed images onto the tv, basically reducing latency. It doesn't take it completely away but reduces it noticeably. Some tvs won't have much of an effect while others will completely take latency away. All tvs should have this setting so check your tv.

[Noah98]

I tried game mode, but it didn't make a difference. It's weird because. Ouya games don't have significant lag. I have a feeling that the emulators need to be optimized.

[Sluup]

Perhaps. For me I have no problems with input lag because I'm using a computer monitor, it completely eliminates the lag input.

[Vato]

i picked up the ouya on a buddy's recommendation a few weeks back. <3 it so far. thanks AW =)

just wanna say that your lag issues are not unfounded, Noah98. i dont think its an issue 'accross the board' so-to-speak, so it's kinda hard to get a definite answer about what to do.

upon hooking up my ouya, the first thing i happen to load up was an unofficial version of retroarch (even though i'd read about latency issues w/that emulator- although i'd never experienced any lag on my wii), and was mucho disappointed in the performance running recca on a nes core, and also progear on the newer mame core.

of course there is the obvious factor of how [insert emu here] was coded,
but i did some surfestigating, and found that there was several options to get the lag to dissipate as much as possible.
like:
- tip yer ouya on its side so the top is aimed towards you. apparently the case can interfere w/reception. tip 'er over.
- the ouyas settings has an option to prioritize the bluetooth connection over the wifi. do dat.
- move the ouya away from other wifi styley devices/electronics. do dat too.
- config/dumb down the settings of your hdtv; turn overscan off, enable 'game' mode (only an option on my tv if hdmi is connected). dats what i did.
- set tv to 720p instead of 1080p (iirc the tegra overclock ouya edition app can set to 720p, or via the mod collection app which requires rooting). look 'em up.
- there was a 1.03 controller firmware update to 1.04 in later model ouyas. dunno what was addressed/fixed. see yer firmware ver at:
manage > system > advanced > bluetooth.


anyway, to make a boring story long, disable yer tv to make it handy-capable.
my latency mainly was attributed to my fancy-shmancy new-fangled television having all its bells and whistles enabled.

[Noah98]

Thanks for the tips! I know it's not the controller because wired controllers act the same. How do you switch your tv to 720p? I can see how that might help.

Would the lag go away if I used a crt with a converter?

[Vato]

unless i'm mistaken, i think you need to root (which is quite a simple process) your ouya to be able to set it at 720p.
LightyKD made a great all things root! guide stickied in the tutorial section.

[Noah98]

I tried 720p and it didn't help. Native Ouya games work with no noticeable lag. I can't figure out why the emulated ones are so bad!