Performance & Game Compatibility
System-by-system performance ratings, game compatibility lists, and optimization tips for the R36S retro gaming handheld.
At-a-Glance: Can the R36S Run It?
| System | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NES / SNES / Genesis / Neo Geo | ✅ | Full speed, no issues |
| Game Boy / GBC / GBA | ✅ | Perfect performance |
| PlayStation 1 | ✅ | Excellent, nearly full library |
| Nintendo DS | ✅ | ~80% playable |
| PSP | ⚠️ | A curated subset only — lighter 2D titles, not the 3D library |
| Dreamcast | ⚠️ | ~59% playable, popular titles ok |
| Nintendo 64 | ⚠️ | ~63% playable, hit or miss |
| Sega Saturn | ❌ | Most games too slow |
| GameCube / PS2 / Wii / 3DS | ❌ | Not supported — underpowered |
✅ Full speed · ⚠️ Mixed results, tweaks needed · ❌ Not recommended
Scroll down for per-system settings, game lists, and optimization tips.
Quick Performance Summary
The R36S can emulate a wide range of retro gaming systems. Performance varies significantly depending on the hardware demands of each platform.
- Best for: 8-bit, 16-bit, and PS1 games (full speed, no issues)
- Good for: Nintendo DS (~80% of tested games run well)
- Worth a try, with caveats: Dreamcast (~59%) and N64 (~63%) both run a substantial part of their libraries but not the whole of it, and PSP is a curated set of lighter 2D titles rather than a library
- Not recommended: GameCube, PS2, Wii, 3DS (hardware limitations)
Supported Emulation Platforms
Perfect Performance - Full Speed, No Slowdowns
8-bit Consoles:
- Nintendo Entertainment System (NES/Famicom)
- Sega Master System
- Game Boy
- Game Boy Color
- Atari 2600/7800
- Sega SG-1000
16-bit Consoles:
- Super Nintendo (SNES/Super Famicom)
- Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
- Game Boy Advance
- Neo Geo
- PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16
- Sega Game Gear
Arcade:
- MAME (2D boards, through CPS2 and Neo Geo)
- Arcade setup guide — romsets, cores and BIOS zips
- Neo Geo MVS
- Capcom CPS1/CPS2
⭐ Perfect Rating: These systems run at full speed with no noticeable slowdowns. The R36S is ideal for players primarily interested in 8-bit and 16-bit era gaming.
Excellent Performance - Highly Playable
PlayStation 1 – Games generally run smoothly at full speed. Reviewers report completing demanding titles like Final Fantasy VII, Crash Bandicoot, Tekken 3, and Metal Gear Solid without issues.
Recommended PS1 Settings:
- Emulator core: PCSX ReARMed (best compatibility and speed) or DuckStation (improved graphics options)
- Convert disc images to .PBP or .CHD format for better loading times and compatibility
- Disable enhanced resolution if you experience slowdowns
- Most games run perfectly at native PlayStation resolution
Good Performance - Most Games Playable with Tweaks
Dreamcast – Roughly 59% of the library is playable. Many popular titles run well, but heavier 3D games show slowdowns.
That 59% sits above N64’s 63% in this list on purpose. Raw compatibility counts every game equally, and what decides whether a system feels good here is which games fall on which side of the line. Dreamcast’s marquee titles — Crazy Taxi, Soulcalibur, the Sonic Adventure games — are mostly in the working half. Several of N64’s are not.
Playable Dreamcast Games:
- Crazy Taxi
- Sonic Adventure 1 & 2
- Virtua Fighter 3
- Jet Grind Radio
- Soulcalibur
- Power Stone 1 & 2
Recommended Dreamcast Settings:
- Emulator: Flycast
- Internal resolution: native 640×480 — the panel is 480p, so anything higher is rendered and then discarded
- Enable DSP: off (costs some reverb and filter effects, buys real headroom)
- Enable threaded rendering
- Alpha Sorting: Per-Strip (the fast setting; Per-Pixel is the expensive one)
- Some games benefit from frameskip
PSP (PlayStation Portable) — a curated subset rather than a library. Some lighter 2D and isometric titles hold full speed; most 3D games do not. Our PSP guide names which is which.
Playable PSP Games:
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (2D, full speed)
- Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (2D, full speed)
- Lumines (full speed)
- Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (about 30fps)
- Persona 3 Portable (mostly menus and 2D)
- Patapon series
PSP Games That Do Not Hold Up:
- God of War: Chains of Olympus / Ghost of Sparta — 15–20fps, not playable
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories / Vice City Stories — too demanding
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII — poor performance
- Monster Hunter Freedom Unite — often unplayable
- Ridge Racer, Gran Turismo, Daxter and similar 3D titles — below playable speed
Recommended PSP Settings:
- Emulator: PPSSPP
- Resolution: 1× or 2× PSP resolution (avoid higher)
- Enable frameskip for heavy games
- Reduce texture quality if needed
- Disable post-processing effects
Nintendo DS – Approximately 80% of tested games run well. The dual-screen layout can be awkward on a single display.
Recommended DS Settings:
- Emulator: DraStic
- Press L3 (click left analog stick) to access video options
- Enable high-resolution 3D rendering for improved graphics
- Screen layout: choose between top/bottom stacked or side-by-side
Mixed Performance - Hit or Miss
Nintendo 64 – Around 63% compatibility, so roughly a third of the library has problems. What makes this tier “hit or miss” is less the count than which titles land on which side: several of the games people specifically want an N64 for are among the ones that struggle.
Playable N64 Games:
- Super Mario 64
- Mario Kart 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (minor slowdowns)
- Pokémon Stadium
- Kirby 64
Problematic N64 Games:
- GoldenEye 007 (significant lag)
- Perfect Dark (near unplayable)
- Conker's Bad Fur Day (slowdowns)
Recommended N64 Settings:
- Use the standalone Rice emulator (better performance than RetroArch cores)
- Expect compromises; not all games will run well
Atomiswave/Naomi – Atomiswave lands around 43% and Naomi lower still, so both are rougher going than Dreamcast despite sharing its architecture. Both run on Flycast and take the same settings — see the Dreamcast guide.
Poor Performance - Not Recommended
Sega Saturn – Only a handful of games are playable; most are too slow to enjoy.
GameCube, PlayStation 2, Nintendo 3DS, Wii – Not realistically playable due to hardware limitations. The RK3326 chip lacks the power for these sixth-generation and newer systems.
Performance Optimization Tips
Maximize your R36S performance with these essential optimization strategies.
Update Firmware
The stock firmware is often outdated. Updated ArkOS or Rocknix builds include performance improvements, better emulator cores, and bug fixes.
Choose the Right Emulator Core
Different cores offer different performance profiles. For example:
- PS1: PCSX ReARMed (speed) vs. DuckStation (features)
- Genesis: PicoDrive (fast) vs. Genesis Plus GX (accuracy)
- SNES: Snes9x 2005 (speed) vs. Snes9x (accuracy)
Access per-game emulator selection by highlighting a game, pressing Start, navigating to "Edit This Game's Metadata," and changing the emulator.
Convert ROM Formats
For PlayStation 1, convert .BIN/.CUE disc images to .PBP or .CHD format. These compressed formats load faster and often improve compatibility.
Adjust RetroArch Settings
Access RetroArch's Quick Menu during gameplay by pressing the hotkey combination (default: FN + X):
- Lower resolution or disable enhanced graphics
- Enable frameskip (set to 1 or 2 for struggling games)
- Adjust audio latency to reduce crackling
- Save settings per-core or per-game using "Save Core Overrides" or "Save Game Overrides"
⌨️ Use Hotkeys
Default ArkOS hotkeys (customizable):
- FN + R1: Save state
- FN + L1: Load state
- FN on its own: Fast-forward
- FN + X: RetroArch Quick Menu
- FN + A: Pause emulation
- FN + B: Reset the game
- FN + Start: Exit game