Official release notes for Onion V4.3.0

This release includes new systems, such as Nintendo DS and PICO-8, a lot of new and updated apps such as the Battery Monitor and the Blue light filter, support for the v4 Miyoo Mini's 560p screen as well as lots of other new features and fixes.

Overview​

Features​

Core Onion features & apps​

Emulators and cores​

Fixes and minor improvements​

• Fix MainUI's sighandler - by @tGecko
• Fix network check - by @codeudan
• Fix hint no screenshoot images after back from first image - by @codeudan
• OTA: format release date and size info of new version zip - by @codeudan
• Fixed low battery warning overlapping other battery icons - by @schmurtzm
• Fix lockups entering apps or games - by @XK9274

Updated/added languages​

Added​

• Magyar (Hungarian) - credit: @dszollosinagy
• Norsk (Norwegian) - credit: @kasperlosa and @jakobkg
• Română (Romanian) - credit: @rcarausu

Updated​

• 한국어 (Korean) - credit: @DDinghoya
• Português (Portuguese) - credit: @BlueKore
• Français (French) - credit: @schmurtzm
• Español (Spanish) - credit: @svera

I recently noticed a lot of our stats were looking pretty neat, so I decided to put them in a graphic, as I thought it was about time that we celebrated this amazing project.

The community engagement has been, and continues to be, amazing!

Thank you, all!

Official release notes for Onion V4.2.0

This release features updated core Onion apps, like the Activity Tracker which has been completely reworked, an overhauled and simplified multiplayer experience, upgraded network services for the Miyoo Mini Plus and even more new features, bug fixes and improvements.

Overview​

Features​

Core Onion apps​

New emulators​

Utilities​

Network features (MMP-only)​

Network services​

The Onion network services you know and love have moved! They now live in Tweaks!

Netplay support​

Retroachievements​

Fixes and minor improvements​

• Removed the Wi-Fi icons background - allows more customization for theme authors - by @tGecko
• Fixed a memory leak in installUI that crashed the app when changing slides often - by @tGecko
• Replacing unzip with 7z in install.sh - by @schmurtzm
• Fixed the "About Device" screen displaying the wrong model number on the MM - by @tGecko
• Swapped start and select buttons in the game list for consistency with other screens - by @tGecko
• Fixed a bug in MainUI where sound would play on pressing L1/R1 instead of L2/R2 - by @tGecko
• Added the option to shutdown the device instantly instead of going to standby - by @tGecko
• Fixed a bug where multiple languages would not display properly in RetroArch - by @tGecko
• New shutdown script for proper power-off (less SD card corruption) (PR) - by @schmurtzm
• Update of GMU music player (PR) - by @schmurtzm
• New Main UI (Favorite bug fixed, "." mac files are not showed anymore) - by @schmurtzm
• the red rectangle on low battery has been replaced by a battery logo - by @schmurtzm
• fix numerous Netplay problems - by @schmurtzm
• Better looking 6x10 Russian font for RetroArch - by @worthis
• Moved system settings file to SD card, should fix settings not saving on Boya/V4 devices - by @Aemiii91

RetroArch overlays​

• Multiple overlays & improvements to overlay structure - by @Jeltr0n
• GBA Real. - by @sinedied
• Perfect CRT - by u/1playerinsertcoin
• 4:3 AR Overlays for Game Gear - by @retroNUC

Updated/added languages​

Added​

• Català (Catalan) - credit: @sandrasgg
• Čeština (Czech) - credit: @spenaat
• Ελληνικά (Greek) - credit: @Tortugasss
• Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) - credit: @jiprastyo
• Polski (Polish) - credit: @Assassins78pl
• 沖縄口 (Uchinaguchi/Okinawan) - credit: @kuragehimekurara1

Updated​

• Português brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese) - credit: @bruhensant
• 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) - credit: @codeudan
• 繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese) - credit: @Erebus20
• Français (French) - credit: @gaslec
• Deutsch (German) - credit: @tGecko and @WebSnke
• Italiano (Italian) - credit: @Amiga500 and @Vitty85
• 日本語 (Japanese) - credit: @kuragehimekurara1
• Русский язык (Russian) - credit: @RandomKartopfel
• Español (Spanish) - credit: @sandrasgg
• Українська мова (Ukrainian) credit: @RandomKartopfel
• Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese) - credit: @Grayjks

Download Onion V4.2.3
you'll find the download at the bottom of the page

You're finally here.. good to see you traveler!

We've moved away from the limited GitHub Wikis and over to GitHub Pages, and are happy to introduce our shiny new website!

New features​

The new site is statically generated using Docusaurus, and offers a ton of amazing features:

1. Instant search (press Ctrl+K for quick access)
2. A souped up wiki with a bunch of awesome functionality and page styles:
   • Info boxes: clearly marked notes, tips, warnings, and info boxes
   • Tabs: e.g. the installation guide now includes tabs for device model and OS type
   • Embeds: YouTube videos are directly embedded on the page
   • Better organization: since we have global site search, we can split stuff into multiple pages (like we've done with the Emulators page)
3. A blog for all our creative release notes, and soon even more interesting stuff
   • including a comment section on each post (powered by GitHub Discussions)
4. Versioned documentation - Using an older version of Onion? Go back in time and browse an older version of the Onion wiki!
5. SEO - this wiki should get picked up by Google (finally)! 😅

We hope you'll find this new site a joy to use, and even more impressive than our old wiki.

Where to next?​

• Home page ← our new beautiful landing page
• Docs ← the renowned Onion wiki, now supercharged
• Blog ← you are here (well, almost)

Official release notes for Onion V4.1.0

This release features a new menu, GLO, with game and list specific options (for example, you can now change core per game and load without save state); automatic icon switching and customization, a whole new ports collection, random game app, on-screen overlays, AdvanceMENU (an alternative frontend), and so much more!

Features​

Game List Options (GLO)​

Press Y in a game list to get specific options for the selected game and the entire list

Game List Options
When in a game list, press Y to open GLO (this action can be reassigned in Tweaks)	GLO - specific options for the selected game or the entire list	Use the "Game core" option to change core per game

• Reset game - load game without save state
• Game core - set custom core per game
• Filter list - use a keyword to filter the list
• Refresh roms - refresh the list’s game cache
• Custom scripts:
  • Random game - added by Random Game app - launches a random game from the list
  • Set time - added by Clock app - quick access to setting date and time

Icon switching​

• ThemeSwitcher now supports themes with icon packs - remember to visit our themes repository for additional themes and icon packs!
• Change icon pack and edit individual icons in Tweaks

Icon Switching
Showcase: Applying themes with icon packs	Use Tweaks to change icon pack or edit individual icons

Ports Collection​

Onion's Ports Collection has been completely redone and now includes 61 game ports!
All the necessary files (except licensed game files) are now hosted on the:

Ports Collection repository

Ports Collection
Click the image to view it in full size

• 24 free game ports are offered as complete packs
• 37 game ports are available through the collection of game engines, and you are only required to supply the licensed data files from the original game
• Pre-configured config files are included - which gives you the best settings and uniform key mapping for FPS games (credit: axcelon)
• Box art is also included

New apps​

• Random Game - launch a random game from any cached system - credit: @marchiore
• Video Player (FFplay) - watch your favorite 4:3 or 16:9 video content - credit: Steward-Fu , @bobotrax , @schmurtzm
• PDF Reader (Green) - ideal for looking up clues in game manuals - credit: Steward-Fu
• Ebook Reader (Pixel Reader) - well suited for reading walkthroughs on the go - credit: ealang

Other exciting features​

• Automatic import of ScummVM games: games are now automatically imported in Onion thanks to a new script created - no more manual shortcuts to create! (@schmurtzm)
• A new core option has been added to ScummVM: "Target FPS for stutter reduction" allows to run some heavy games with less audio stuttering - unique to Onion! (@schmurtzm)
• Improved color palette organization for GB: an organization by palette style (Essentials, Subtle, Single_Color, Multicolor, Hardware, Nintendo_Official, Extras, Others) unique to Onion ! (Jeltron & @schmurtzm)
• mGBA one-key fast forward button - R2 by default (@schmurtzm)
• Added support for On-Screen Overlays in RetroArch (Eggs)
• Hotkey for video scaling: MENU+START (Eggs) (remember to save overrides to make it stick)
• File explorer for PDF Reader and Video Player apps (@schmurtzm & @Aemiii91)
• Tutorials: video tutorial for arcade saves, video tutorial for Video Player shortcuts, pdf tutorial for PDF Reader (@schmurtzm)
• Package Manager UI update (@Aemiii91)
• AdvanceMAME with AdvanceMENU - browse your arcade games with video previews! (@schmurtzm)
• Onion easter egg (コナミコマンド) (@Sichroteph)

Highlight: Package Manager (UI update)	Highlight: On-Screen Overlays	Highlight: AdvanceMENU

Core updates​

• [GBA] Default core changed: gpSP -> mGBA
• [Scumm] Updated: ScummVM 2.7
• [PS] Updated: PCSX-ReARMed
• [GB/GBC] Updated: Gambatte
• [Commodore 64] Updated: vice x64
• [ZX Spectrum] Updated: fuse
• [Arcade] Updated: MAME 2003-Plus
• [Virtual Boy] Updated: Beetle VB v1.31.0
• [Ports] Updated: ecwolf (Wolfenstein 3D)
• [Expert/PICO-8] Updated: fake-08 standalone
• [SNES] Updated: Beetle Supafaust (~10% increase in FPS)
• [Expert/SNES] Updated: Snes9x
• [Expert/SNES] Updated: Snes9x 2005 and 2005 Plus
• [Expert/SNES] Updated: Snes9x 2010

New core additions​

• [Amiga] Added: puae 2021 v2.6.1
• [PICO-8] Added fake-08 libretro core (supports save states)
• [Expert/OpenBOR] Added Steward-Fu's OpenBOR
• [Expert/DOS] Added: DOSBox Pure 0.9.7 (the old 0.21 is still default)
• [Expert/PS] Added: PCSX-ReARMed standalone emulator (no GameSwitcher integration, but much improved performance - allows for using enhanced resolution)
• [Expert/Arcade] Added: M.B.A-mini (M.B.A = MAME's skeleton + FBA's romsets)
• [Expert/Arcade] Added: AdvanceMenu, AdvanceMame, and AdvanceMess
• [Expert/NEC PC-98] Added: Neko Project II Kai
• [Expert/Music] Added: Game Music Emu (GME)

Added languages​

• Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese) - credit: @anibaldeboni
• Nederlands (Dutch) - credit: @ronvandegraaf
• Svenska (Swedish) - credit: @Megamannen
• Turkce (Turkish) - credit: @tcgumus
• Українська (Ukrainian) - credit: @semioys
• Беларуская (Belarusian) - credit: @introkun
• Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese) - credit: Viên Vĩ Khang
• 한국어 (Korean) - updated by: @DDinghoya

Breaking changes​

• The new V4.1 Ports Collection is not compatible with files from earlier versions (V4.0.4 and below) - download the new ports files from our Ports Collection repository, and add the necessary game files in Roms/PORTS/Games.
• PS roms of type .bin now requires accompanying .cue files (you can use this tool to generate them) - this improves game compatibility, fixes some audio issues, and allows for indexing games consisting of multiple .bin files!

Download Onion V4.1.4
you'll find the download at the bottom of the page

Official release notes for Onion V4.0.0

This release introduces a new app, Tweaks, containing everything you need to make Onion your own! Built-in global search. Improved theme support.

Changelog​

• Minimal UI: Recents are now hidden by default and GameSwitcher can be launched by pressing MENU
• Tweaks: A new app for making Onion your own!
  • System settings: Startup behavior, auto-save and exit, vibration
  • Custom shortcuts: Single/long/double press MENU, and launch apps or tools via X or Y in MainUI
    • Known limitation: Some apps can't be launched this way (for now only Music Player / GMU is known not to support this)
  • Personalize the UI: Show/hide recents/expert tabs, theme overrides
  • Advanced: Quick access to advanced emulator settings, plus a submenu to reset different settings
  • Tools: Sort favorites, fix thumbnails, remove OSX system files
• MainUI context menu is now mapped to SELECT (MENU default action is instead GameSwitcher - this can be changed in Tweaks)
• GameSwitcher: Minimal mode (press Y to toggle - hold Y for fullscreen image)
• Package Manager: Besides the new name, the old "Onion Installer" has also gotten a massive overhaul:
  • "Changes count" now shown for each tab and the total emu/apps added/removed are shown in the top bar
  • Press X to toggle all items in selected tab
  • Press Y to reset all changes in selected tab
• Search app is now native to Onion (more info)
• RetroArch: supports save state thumbnails, less on-screen notifications
• File Explorer: Updated color scheme, fullscreen image viewer (with navigation)
• Retired unused cores: mame2003 (use mame2003-plus instead), fbalpha (use fbalpha2012 instead)
• Updated/added cores: Fake-08 (pico8) , blueMSX and fMSX,
• New experimental emulator: PCSX-ReARMed standalone and mame2003-extreme
• New theme features: custom boot/shutdown/save splash, charging animation (up to 24 frames), more options for battery percentage

Ports collection​

• The Ports collection binaries have moved to Roms/PORTS, and a reinstall via Package Manager is required.

ScummVM game list​

• We've changed the way ScummVM games are indexed, which now allows showing the games as single list items with the possibility of having boxart (more info)

GB/GBA Fast Forward​

• Fast forward is no longer additionally mapped to R in the Game Boy emulators.
• This is to unify the shortcut for fast forward across all systems (MENU + R).
• Note: Click here for information on how to bind fast forward to a single button.

Installation

• Check out the new installation guide.
• Important: If you choose "Update" during installation, it is recommended to reinstall included apps using the Package Manager.
• Note: if you experience slower gameplay than usual, we recommend you create an in-game save and delete your save states.

Updating (from v4.0.0-RC)​

• If updating from the release candidate you can leave out BIOS and Icons when copying files to your SD card.

Battery icon hotfix​

• If you're having trouble with the battery icon not showing when in MainUI, unzip the contents of the battery-icon-hotfix.zip to your SD card.
  • This fix has already been applied to the Onion install zip below.

Eggs keymon integration​

Low battery red frame warning in game.  

Light sleep mode on power tap.     
Deep sleep mode on long power press.   
Save and show the game switcher on a menu button tap.   
Save and exit game on menu button long press.   

The hibernation is properly implemented (The device will save and goes to sleep after X minutes without touching a button) 
The mainUI binary is repatched to be able to change this feature in the main menu settings, and set to 3mn on a fresh onion install.   
Screenshot everywhere. (Menu+power)     

Game switcher / Main UI tight integration​

Change brightness with the up and down key.    
MainUI and the game switcher are merged and they use the same launch script.     
The game screens are now compressed. (from 1mo to 20-100ko)    
Bootup script rewritten.     

New ports in the port collection (Credits : r0b0-tr0n, Schmurtz)​

New entries :  
Quake   
CannonBall   
Flashback   
Powder   
Rick dangerous   
MrBoom   
Spear of Destiny   
Super 3d Noahs Ark   
Dinothawr   
Wolfenstein 3d   

Revamped Wiki (Credits : Olywa123)​

Gamelists are accepted in every console by default (Olywa123)​

(v3.12.0) 
Initial release

(v3.12.1) 
Power button long press delay reduced from 1s to 0.5s for more snappiness. 
The main menu shutdown panel is not displayed anymore.
The short pulse rumble (Main menu tap, power button tap..) is lowered by 20%
The default DiMo Onion theme is updated to v1.2

(v3.12.2)
Option to turn off button vibrations feedback. (Add a .noVibration file in the .tmp_update folder)
Save states / auto save states times reduced : Faster exit time to the menu.
Onion timers integration in the Keymon, boot script and play activity UI.
(The RetroArch ones had a bug that added hundreds of hours erratically)
The activity time is properly paused when the device is in sleep mode, even if it is not a RetroArch game.

(v3.12.3) (Files updated : onionLauncher, keymon_onion, menuBar.png)     

Game switcher changes :      
    Total time display.    
    Game launch / No game screen freeze fix.    
Keymon :      
    Start button waking up the device fix.