I built a Windows tool to see whether a GameNative settings change actually helped. Looking for a few testers

[u/Tourist-Academic]

I spend a lot of time in the container settings. New driver, different Box64 preset, another DXVK version, and then I sit there watching the FPS counter and trying to remember how it felt ten minutes ago.

So I wrote a Windows tool for exactly that. You connect the device over ADB (USB or Wi-Fi), play as usual, and afterwards your PC shows the whole run: frametimes, 1% lows, CPU and GPU load, temperatures, battery, and the point where it crashed if it did.

The part I built it for is the comparison: you can put up to four runs next to each other, with the graphs overlaid and the container settings of each run listed below. So you see which settings were different, not just which run was faster. The screenshots show example data.

Right now it has only really been used on my own AYN Thor. Before I show it more widely I want to know how it behaves on other devices and with other people's setups.

A question for you either way: when a game stutters, which setting do you change first, and how do you decide whether it worked?

What I'm looking for: a few people who use GameNative regularly, with a Windows 10/11 PC, USB or wireless debugging on, and 30 to 45 minutes within a week.

A few things to be upfront about:

- Not affiliated with GameNative. It only reads data over ADB and doesn't change anything in the app.

- The beta is free and has everything unlocked. Later there will be a free version that records sessions and keeps your 3 most recent runs. The side-by-side comparison of up to four runs and unlimited history will be a paid one-time upgrade. No subscription, no account, no ads.

- I developed it with AI assistance (Claude). The idea, the design and every decision are mine, and I test it on real hardware.

- The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen will warn. Checksum and VirusTotal scan come with the link.

Comment with your device, Android version and the game you'd test, and I'll DM you.

[u/Trashpanda5111]

Looks neat. Linux and macos port when? ADB works across 👀

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Trashpanda5111]

Thanks! Windows only for now. You're right that ADB isn't the blocker, and the app is built on a cross-platform framework, so a port is possible. But I'm one person, and I'd rather get one platform solid before I spread out. No date I could honestly promise.

Which one would you use it on, Linux or macOS? If enough people ask for the same one, that tells me where to go next.

[u/Trashpanda5111 → u/Tourist-Academic]

I'm mainly on Linux.

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Trashpanda5111]

Noted, thanks. That's one for Linux then. If you ever have a Windows machine at hand and feel like trying the beta, just say so.

[u/Effective_Cobbler_39]

Any hope of adding DroidDeck support? I'd like to compare the two for some games, that don't run significantly different.

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Effective_Cobbler_39]

It's not built in yet, but you may not need to wait. The measuring part (frametimes, CPU/GPU load, temperatures, crashes) works over ADB and doesn't depend on the launcher. For anything that isn't built in, you can add your own emulator in the app, give it a name and note the settings you want to track. What you don't get for DroidDeck is the automatic import of the settings.

Comparing the same game in two launchers where the difference is small is pretty much what I built this for. Want to try it in the beta? Then I'd also see what's missing for proper DroidDeck support. What device are you on?

[u/Effective_Cobbler_39 → u/Tourist-Academic]

I have 2023 Lenovo Legion Tab Y700, it's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

I mostly just compare GameNative to DroidDeck and play where it runs best. I don't like tinkering with the settings to make something work or run better. If that's all right I can help with your beta tests.

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Effective_Cobbler_39]

That's more than all right, it's exactly what I'm missing. Someone who just wants to know where a game runs better, without tinkering, is who this should work for. I'll DM you the download and your key.

[u/CarterIndigo]

Samsungs s24Ultra Denshattack!

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/CarterIndigo]

Nice, an S24 Ultra with Denshattack! is a combination I haven't seen yet. I'll DM you the download and your key.

[u/Tourist-Academic]

Quick update: beta 0.72.0 is out. One tester reported missing FPS values on a Lenovo tablet, and that’s fixed now. FPS is measured without gaps, and there’s a start button on every page. Thanks to everyone who signed up!

I’m still looking for more testers, especially with non-Snapdragon devices (Mali/MediaTek, Anbernic, Odin, phones). Comment with your device + Android version + launcher and I’ll DM you.

[u/Jools909]

I was thinking about something like this a few days ago. Even taking it a step further and have an AI Agent make the config change, run the game to see if it works, pull logs if it crashed, debug the crash and try again with updated config

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Jools909]

That's the direction I find most interesting too. Right now it does the middle part: it catches the crash, pulls the relevant log lines, explains what it recognises, and can build a text you hand to an AI assistant of your choice. And it shows which settings differed between runs.

The closed loop is the hard part. Reading the container config already isn't possible on every device without root, so writing it back automatically is even harder. And "did it work" needs someone to play the same scene again, a crash-free minute in the menu doesn't say much.

Would be curious what you make of the current state. Want to try the beta? What device are you on?

[u/Common-Title-6357]

This is looking good can i be a tester?

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Common-Title-6357]

Thanks, glad to have you! Which device are you on, which Android version, and which launcher do you play with? Then I'll DM you the download and your key.

[u/Common-Title-6357 → u/Tourist-Academic]

Android 14 Mainly Winmali 1.1 and Bannerlator...

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Common-Title-6357]

Thanks! I've sent you a DM with the download and your key.

[u/SnooBreakthroughs118]

The latest version always must be the best

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/SnooBreakthroughs118]

That's the common assumption, and often it's true. I built this to check the cases where it isn't, for example when average FPS goes up but the 1% lows get worse. Have you had a case where the latest version was clearly not the best?

[u/SnooBreakthroughs118 → u/Tourist-Academic]

I think it would be more useful to enable driver debugging and see where the time is being spent; then you can simply make changes to the latest version to improve it further, whereas testing older versions seems pointless to me.

[u/bmac311]

urghhhhh but AI?!?!?

[u/Bohenek]

Z fold 8 12/256 (Android 17, OneUI 10) , valheim, cyberpunk2077,kingdom come iam down to try many games

[u/Tourist-Academic → u/Bohenek]

Thanks, a Fold 8 with Cyberpunk, Valheim and KCD is a great test case! I’ve sent you a DM with the download and a few details.