For years now, RetroArch has been the gold standard in emulation, thanks to its ease of use and simplicity. Similarly, Lakka has gotten a name by using RetroArch to create an incredibly smooth and straightforward experience for its users.
Hence, we have recommended it in the past to turn your old PC into a retrogaming console.
It is always a great day when these two large projects announce new releases, and it looks like we have some exciting news with Lakka 3.4 and RetroArch 1.9.9 release.
Here, we will be looking at some of the new features announced in RetroArch 1.9.9 and Lakka 3.4 and the significant impact on the future of emulation.
What’s New?
With this release, RetroArch has introduced some useful and impactful new features. These include:
- AMD FidelityFX support for all games
- Windows users can now use HDR on many games
- New touchscreen menu for the Nintendo DS
Lakka (which includes RetroArch) has also received some welcome improvements.
- Improved stability
- 3 new cores for the PS1, PS2, and DOS
- Updated Mesa to version 21.2.1
Here we focus on the key highlights and, primarily, Integrated FidelityFX.
FidelityFX For Retro Games
When AMD announced its open-source alternative to DLSS back in June, we could never have predicted the incredible impact it would have on emulation.
For those not aware, FidelityFX allows games to run at a lower resolution while retaining the same image quality, dramatically improving the performance.
Now, with the RetroArch 1.9.9 release, this technology is being brought to RetroArch and Lakka. This is great because it allows older games designed to run at a low resolution to look much better without resorting to mods or texture packs.
Overall, I expect this addition to be widely appreciated, especially by people looking for a more modern version of their favorite retro games.
If you want to learn more about FidelityFX and upscaling, I’d highly suggest you check out our article on Intel’s XeSS where we explain all this and how it impacts you.
New Touchscreen Menu For Nintendo 3DS
One of the more interesting ports of RetroArch, the Nintendo 3DS, has also gotten a cool new feature. This comes in the form of a touchscreen menu for the bottom screen, which shows a few useful shortcuts without covering the game.
While this doesn’t apply to Lakka, users of RetroArch running on top of another distribution should receive this change once RetroArch 1.9.9 lands in the repositories.
Wrapping Up
Overall, RetroArch 1.9.9 and Lakka 3.4 are looking to be significant upgrades, especially with the new integration with FidelityFX.
As we have already seen, with emulators such as RPCS3, FidelityFX can provide significant graphical improvements on older games, so it is exciting to see this come to RetroArch.
What do you think about FidelityFX being used for retro games? Let me know in the comments below!
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