this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
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SBC Gaming

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SBC Gaming is for Single Board Computer aimed to play video-games, also called Retro Handhelds


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Hi guys, I would like to port my savegames from an Android/retroarch to the R36S running ArkOS. Not sure how to do that. Any guides? I already tried to sync savegames between two android devices, but Retroarch on the "new" device did not recognize the saves, hence I am close to giving up.

Any help will be appreciated!

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[–] AHemlocksLie@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I'm not sure about your specific problem, but I've recently dealt with save migration. There's two sections of the RetroArch settings that I had to deal with.

First, there's the Directory section. This is where you can see and set the location for game saves. Either make sure you're putting saves where it says it puts them, or change it to where you want them to go.

There's also the Saving section. There's a few settings here to control how saves are handled. One setting forces saves to go with content, so save in the same folder as the ROM. This is like 5-10 options down for me. Closer to the top, there's a few settings for saves and save states. If I remember right, and I might be off a bit since I don't have my device handy, these are about grouping saves into folders based on core and on content folders. I personally want my saves to be grouped by content folder, NOT core, and NOT in the same folder as the ROMs, but your tastes may differ.

[–] ratzki@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Noted, will check. Curious if RA updates the folders if one changes the steiings or if it only applies to new saves.

[–] AHemlocksLie@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If I remember correctly, it makes no changes to existing saves. It only changes behavior moving forward. You may have to manually move saves to the new location. I may be mistaken, although I don't think so, so test things out to be sure.

[–] ratzki@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I have manually moved the save file from RA(Android) - SRM format - to R36S. As R36S does it, I put the ROM and .SRM files into the same folder. ArkOS/R36S does not recognize the .srm file (even if renamed .state). For other games, R36S saves .state/.state1... files. I compared the Retroarch settings on both devices - literally the same, except for the save location. I have not found any option to select between .srm and .state format. For saving, I always save manually from Reetroarch quick menu, hence the .SRM on Android are not "standard SRAM" game saves. Frustrating in migrating devices.

[–] AHemlocksLie@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago

I only use conventional game saves, so I'm not sure how to help with the rest. Save states should theoretically work similarly to normal saves, but they have their own options which may include their own saving directory. I like to collect hardcore RetroAchievements, so I don't get to use anything but conventional saves.