I just got my GameShell today and it’s been a negative experience so far, mostly due to a lack of organized information.
I really think this community needs a wiki, which can provide organized, up-to-date documentation and tips. It took a lot of searching both within these forums and on the internet at large to find answers, and I don’t even have all the answers yet…
My issues, in case you’re wondering:
The printed assembly guide has many errors. The “parts list” section names all the parts, but then in the guide the names do not match the parts being used. I really think should be an official video guide.
Speakers: they seem to have directional connectors, but the assembly guide doesn’t tell you what to do. Apparently it does not matter what direction you put them in. Is this true? I could not find information.
What is the difference between Launcher and LauncherGo? Which is recommended? Why are both included? How are users supposed to know?
I see that OS 0.3 was recently released. And by “released” I mean that the img is available to download. I have no idea how to check what version I have and nowhere are there instructions on how to upgrade and more importantly how to backup all your ROMs, game saves, retroarch remaps, etc.
The gaming experience is not good. GBA games have sound stuttering (Castlevania, Metroid Zero Mission). My favorite game, StarTropics, does not have sound when running in Nestopia.
I should say that I do have answers for many of these issues, but that’s just because I have years of experience with Linux and RetroArch. I know how to flash the img and expand the partition with gparted, I know how to switch to the QuickNES core which does run StarTropics correctly. I know that Launcher is written in Python and the LauncherGo in Go (but still don’t know why it comes with both).
There’s a lot of potential and I’m sure this decide will get better. I’m definitely loving ssh-ing into it and doing cool Linux things. But this device is in no way close to being ready for the general gaming public. Can we start with a wiki, please?
…no way close to being for the general gaming public…
That’s because it’s not strictly for the general gaming public. It’s for hackers, enthusiasts and technologically savvy people like yourself.
I would love a wiki though. There’s a lot of useful information spread around this forum, but there’s no proper categorization. The device is just out, however, so it’s still early days; software is raw and keeps getting updated. I’m sure we’ll get there eventually
My goal is to offer a series of tutorials to guide new users step by step.
In reality I share my own experience. I received my GameShell two days ago and I’m pretty happy with it. I REALLY experienced worse on other similar projects (Yes, Raspiboy, I speak well of you …).
So, every question and problem I solve is an opportunity to write a new article.
For now I’m working on the first: how to set up a connection between the GameShell and the PC.
Is this some sort of official?
Curious about branding, copyright and that stuff, since its running under a French external blog hosting platform. Don’t want you to get in trouble with that, since you put effort into bringing content to the people.
Why not posting tutorials in this forum though? In my experience people don’t like ‘platform hopping’.
It is a french external blog hosting simply because… I’m french, moneyless, and I don’t have time to built a complete website
I wasn’t aware about that. Maybe you’re right. But the fact is that I saw some people a little lost on the forum. The idea is to have a place where the info is centralized and where you go straight to the point.
I think this blog will not stay long in this form and will turn into a wiki later.
There is tons of great information for new users all over the forum… you just need to look for it
Everyone on here was in the same boat as you at one point or another. The community here has built up this place with information and how-to’s. It’s not polished, but it’s damn beautiful.
Thanks, everyone! I do understand that GameShell is not for the “general public”, but that doesn’t mean that the geeky public needs to have such a hard time. Think of Arch Linux and its wonderfully clear wiki.
Anyway, I will step up in my own way. I have created a bunch of scripts to help working with and customizing GameShell. I will share there here soon. Thanks @Dowdheur also for starting the blog. The more the merrier. If a proper wiki does materialize perhaps you would contribute to it.
