January 22, 2025 Guide

PS1 Game Optimization Guide for R36S

Master PlayStation 1 emulation on your R36S with optimal emulator core selection, performance tuning, and ROM format conversion. Achieve smooth 60fps gameplay for even demanding PS1 titles.

Introduction

PlayStation 1 emulation is one of the R36S's strongest features. The RK3326 chip can handle most PS1 games at full speed with proper configuration. However, enabling enhanced resolution or using the wrong emulator core can cause lag and stuttering.

This guide teaches you how to optimize PS1 performance through emulator core selection, settings adjustment, and ROM format optimization. You'll learn which cores work best for different game types and how to convert ROMs to compressed formats for faster loading and better compatibility.

By the end of this guide, you'll be playing PS1 classics like Final Fantasy VII, Crash Bandicoot, and Metal Gear Solid at their best possible performance on your R36S.

Understanding PS1 Performance on R36S

The R36S uses a Rockchip RK3326 quad-core ARM Cortex-A35 processor running at 1.5GHz. While this is sufficient for PS1 emulation at native resolution, it has limitations when applying graphical enhancements.

Native vs Enhanced Resolution

PS1 games originally ran at 320×240 or 640×480 resolution. Enhanced resolution rendering upscales the internal game rendering before output, producing sharper graphics but requiring significantly more processing power.

📊 PS1 Game Performance Tiers

Easy to emulate (60fps with enhancements):

  • 2D games: Final Fantasy Tactics, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
  • Simple 3D: Spyro, Crash Bandicoot

Medium difficulty (60fps native, 45-55fps enhanced):

  • Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX
  • Resident Evil series
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Demanding (60fps native recommended, laggy with enhancements):

  • Gran Turismo 2
  • Ridge Racer Type 4
  • Tekken 3 (enhanced resolution causes slowdown)

Emulator Core Selection

RetroArch offers two main PS1 emulator cores for R36S: PCSX ReARMed and DuckStation. Each has different strengths, and choosing the right one dramatically affects performance.

PCSX ReARMed - Speed-Focused

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Best for: Demanding 3D games, racing games, games you want to run at maximum battery efficiency

DuckStation - Accuracy-Focused

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Best for: 2D games, less demanding 3D titles, games where you want enhanced graphics quality

Choosing the Right Core

Game Type Recommended Core Reason
2D RPGs, Fighting Games DuckStation Not demanding; can benefit from enhancements
3D RPGs (FF7, FF8) PCSX ReARMed Better performance, smoother battles
Racing Games PCSX ReARMed Needs consistent 60fps
Action/Adventure PCSX ReARMed Responsive controls require low latency
Puzzle, Visual Novels DuckStation Performance not critical; enhanced visuals nice

💡 Pro Tip

When in doubt, start with PCSX ReARMed. It provides the most consistent performance across the widest range of PS1 games on R36S. Switch to DuckStation only for specific titles where you want enhanced resolution and performance isn't an issue.

Changing Cores Per-Game

You can assign different cores to different games for optimal performance:

  1. Launch the game you want to configure
  2. Press SELECT + START to open RetroArch Quick Menu
  3. Navigate to "Close Content" and exit the game
  4. Go to "Load Core" from the main RetroArch menu
  5. Select your preferred core (PCSX ReARMed or DuckStation)
  6. Load the game again using the new core
  7. This setting persists for this game

Optimal Emulator Settings

Once you've selected the right core, fine-tune these settings for best performance.

PCSX ReARMed Settings

Core Options (Quick Menu → Options):

Video Settings:

DuckStation Settings

Core Options for Performance:

⚠️ Important

Enhanced resolution in DuckStation is the #1 cause of PS1 lag on R36S. If a game stutters or drops below 60fps, immediately reduce the resolution scale to 1x (Native). The R36S screen is only 640×480, so you won't notice much visual improvement above 2x anyway.

Recommended Settings by Core

For maximum performance (PCSX ReARMed):

For enhanced visuals (DuckStation):

ROM Format Optimization

Converting PS1 games to compressed formats reduces file size, improves loading times, and can enhance compatibility. The two main compressed formats are PBP and CHD.

PBP Format (PlayStation Portable)

PBP is a PSP format that bundles PS1 games into a single compressed file with built-in multi-disc support.

Advantages:

Conversion Tools:

Basic PSX2PSP Conversion Steps:

  1. Download and extract PSX2PSP
  2. Run PSX2PSP.exe
  3. Click "Browse" and select your game's .CUE file
  4. Set compression level (5 = good balance of size/speed)
  5. For multi-disc games, add all discs in order
  6. Click "Convert" and wait (takes 5-15 minutes per disc)
  7. Copy the resulting .PBP file to your EASYROMS/psx folder

💡 Pro Tip

For multi-disc games like Final Fantasy VII, PBP format is essential. It allows seamless disc swapping without exiting the game or accessing menus. This is the single best quality-of-life improvement for playing PS1 RPGs on R36S.

CHD Format (Compressed Hunks of Data)

CHD is a lossless compression format developed for MAME but widely supported by modern emulators.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Conversion with chdman:

  1. Download chdman (part of MAME tools package)
  2. Open Command Prompt or Terminal in the folder with your .CUE file
  3. Run: chdman createcd -i "game.cue" -o "game.chd"
  4. Wait for compression (5-10 minutes per disc)
  5. Copy the .CHD file to EASYROMS/psx

For multi-disc games:

chdman createcd -i "Final Fantasy VII (Disc 1).cue" -o "Final Fantasy VII (Disc 1).chd"
chdman createcd -i "Final Fantasy VII (Disc 2).cue" -o "Final Fantasy VII (Disc 2).chd"
chdman createcd -i "Final Fantasy VII (Disc 3).cue" -o "Final Fantasy VII (Disc 3).chd"

Format Comparison

Format File Size Multi-Disc Loading Speed Best For
BIN/CUE Largest Manual swap Fast Original dumps
PBP Small Automatic Fast Multi-disc RPGs
CHD Smallest Manual swap Medium Single-disc games

Per-Game Fine-Tuning

Some games need specific settings for optimal performance. RetroArch's override system lets you save per-game configurations.

Accessing Game-Specific Settings

  1. Launch the game
  2. Press SELECT + START to open RetroArch Quick Menu
  3. Navigate to "Options" to adjust core-specific settings
  4. Navigate to "Settings" for system-wide RetroArch settings
  5. Make your changes
  6. Go back to Quick Menu
  7. Select "Overrides" → "Save Game Overrides"

These settings now apply only to this specific game. Other games remain unaffected.

Common Per-Game Adjustments

For racing games (Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer):

For 2D games (Castlevania SOTN, Final Fantasy Tactics):

For problematic games with graphical glitches:

✅ Optimization Workflow

Follow this process for any new PS1 game:

  1. Start with PCSX ReARMed at default settings
  2. Test the game - if it runs perfectly, stop here
  3. If performance issues occur, check if it's a demanding game
  4. For 2D or less demanding games, try DuckStation with native resolution
  5. Only enable enhancements after confirming the game runs at 60fps natively
  6. Save working settings as a game override

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