No extra software needed, all you need to do is turn on the relay server option in Settings->Network. Relay Server - With this type of connection, both players connect to a 'middle-man' relay server, hosted by RetroArch. Since the signal is routed to a Hamachi VPN server before going to each player, there may be more latency in the connection (higher ping) than direct connect.ģ. There are times in the past where Hamachi caused problems for some, and direct connect was found to be the better solution. Using a 'middle-man', you are at the mercy of the connection quality. You also need to make sure you and your opponent are in the same 'virtual network'.Ĭons - Extra software needed. You need to install Hamachi and have it running before starting RetroArch.

This removes the need to port forward (in most cases). Direct Connect w/ Hamachi - With this type of connection, Hamachi VPN is used as the 'middle-man'. You can look up how to port forward and set up Static IP for your router model online.Ģ. Might not be possible for some setups (university, work, apartment, hotel, etc). Some cases, setting a Static IP for your PC and port forwarding on your router is required. With direct connect, you don't have to worry about any 'middle-man' causing issues with the connection.Ĭons - Hard to setup. Port that needs to be forwarded on your router is TCP 55435. Port forwarding is required in most cases, though if uPNP is enabled on your router, this may not be needed. Direct Connect - With this type of connection, the 2 players connect directly to each other. With RetroArch, we have 3 options, listed here with their pros and cons:ġ. Gens uses Kaillera for netplay, we still need Hamachi, and suffers from numerous lag, stutter, and desyncs, depending on the connection. Though ZSNES 1.42 has great netplay, we still require Hamachi for connections, since ZBattle does not exist anymore. The advantages to using RetroArch for netplay over Gens or ZSNES are numerous. Since RetroArch is a frontend for multiple emulator cores, setting up netplay for any core is very simple (as long as it supports it!), and is the same procedure.įor Genesis, we are using the Genesis Plus GX core for netplay.įor SNES, we are using the Snes9x core for netplay.įor installing RetroArch, please check out this page on - Getting Started

Snes9x netplay tutorial