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description Get the best performance from Provenance across all systems and devices

Performance Optimization Guide

Provenance is highly optimized for Apple devices, but performance can vary based on your device, the emulated system, and your settings. This guide helps you get smooth, full-speed emulation across all 38+ supported systems.

Quick Performance Checklist

✅ 5-Minute Performance Boost:

  1. Close background apps - Double-tap Home, swipe up to close
  2. Disable visual effects - Settings → Turn off Smoothing and CRT filters
  3. Use recommended cores - See per-system recommendations below
  4. Enable Low Power Mode - For longer gaming sessions (slight performance trade-off)
  5. Update to latest version - Performance improvements in every release

Still slow? Continue reading for system-specific optimizations.

Understanding Performance

What Affects Performance?

Device Age (Most Important):

  • 📱 iPhone 11 or newer - Full speed for all systems including Dreamcast and PSP
  • 📱 iPhone 8/8 Plus/X/XS/XR - Full speed for all systems up to PlayStation/N64; Dreamcast/PSP may struggle
  • 📱 iPad Air 3 / Pro 2018 or newer - Excellent for all supported systems
  • 📺 Apple TV 4K - Best performance, especially for demanding systems like Dreamcast

Emulated System Complexity:

  • 🟢 Easy: NES, Game Boy, SNES, Genesis (full speed on any supported device)
  • 🟡 Moderate: GBA, PlayStation, N64 (full speed on iPhone 8 or newer)
  • 🔴 Demanding: Dreamcast, PSP (requires iPhone 11 or newer / Apple TV 4K)

App Settings:

  • ⚙️ Visual filters (Smoothing, CRT) add processing overhead
  • ⚙️ Save states can cause brief frame drops when created
  • ⚙️ Audio sync affects timing accuracy vs performance

Device-Specific Recommendations

iPhone

Modern (iPhone 11 and newer):

  • ✅ All systems run at full speed
  • ✅ Enable all visual enhancements without performance loss
  • ✅ Dreamcast, PSP playable

Entry Level (iPhone 8/8 Plus/X/XS/XR):

  • ✅ All systems up to PlayStation/N64 at full speed
  • ⚠️ Disable visual filters for demanding games
  • ⚠️ Dreamcast/PSP may be slow

Note: Provenance requires iOS 16+, which supports iPhone 8 or later. Older devices cannot run Provenance.

iPad

Modern (iPad Air 3 / Pro 2018 and newer):

  • ✅ All systems at maximum performance
  • ✅ Best screen size for retro gaming
  • ✅ No compromises needed

Entry Level (iPad 5th gen, iPad mini 5th gen and newer):

  • ✅ All systems up to PlayStation/N64
  • ⚠️ Some demanding games (Dreamcast, PSP) may need frameskip

Note: Provenance requires iPadOS 16+, which supports iPad 5th gen, iPad Air 3rd gen, iPad mini 5th gen, and all iPad Pro models.

Apple TV

See the dedicated Apple TV / tvOS Guide for detailed performance optimization on tvOS.

Summary:

  • Apple TV 4K (2nd/3rd gen): Perfect performance, all systems
  • Apple TV 4K (1st gen): Full speed up to N64/PlayStation
  • Apple TV HD: Good for 16-bit and earlier systems

Performance by System

8-Bit Systems (Full Speed Everywhere)

Systems: NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx

Performance: ✅ Full speed on all supported devices (iPhone 8 or newer)

Tips:

  • No optimization needed
  • All visual filters work without slowdown
  • Lowest impact on battery life

16-Bit Systems (Full Speed on All Supported Devices)

Systems: SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket, WonderSwan

Performance: ✅ Full speed on all supported devices (iPhone 8 or newer)

Tips:

  • SNES: Some special chip games (Star Fox, Yoshi's Island) may need minor tweaks on entry-level devices
  • Genesis: Multiple cores available - use "Genesis Plus GX" for best compatibility
  • Sega CD: Requires BIOS + CHD format for multi-disc games

Optimization:

  • Use save states instead of in-game saves (faster loading)

Portable Systems

Game Boy Advance

Performance: ✅ Full speed on all supported devices (iPhone 8 or newer)

Tips:

  • Core: Use "mGBA" core (most accurate, good performance)
  • Alternative: "VBA-M" core for older devices (slightly faster)
  • Battery: GBA games drain battery faster than GB/GBC (3D effects)

Optimization:

  • Disable "Solar Sensor" if not using Boktai games (saves CPU)

Nintendo DS

Performance: ⚠️ Requires iPhone 8 or newer for full speed

Tips:

  • 3D games (Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS) need iPhone 11+ for smooth play
  • 2D games (Pokémon, Advance Wars) run well on iPhone 8/8 Plus/X/XS/XR
  • Screen layout: Vertical layout recommended (one screen above the other)

Optimization:

  • Lower internal resolution in settings (3x → 2x)
  • Disable "High-Res 3D" for 3D games

PSP

Performance: 🔴 Requires iPhone 11 or newer

Tips:

  • Most demanding system in Provenance
  • Works best on iPhone 12 Pro or newer with active cooling
  • Apple TV 4K recommended for best experience

Optimization:

  • Set frameskip to "Auto" or "1" if needed
  • Lower internal resolution to 2x (still looks great)
  • Disable texture filtering if slow
  • Close all background apps

3D Systems

Nintendo 64

Performance: 🟡 Full speed on iPhone 8 and newer

Tips:

  • Multiple cores available: "Mupen64Plus" (recommended) and "ParaLLEl"
  • ParaLLEl core: Better accuracy, requires iPhone 11+ for full speed
  • Mupen64Plus: Faster, works on all supported devices

Game-Specific:

  • ✅ Works great: Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64
  • ⚠️ Needs newer device: Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64
  • ❌ Problematic: GoldenEye 007 (slowdown even on newest devices)

Optimization:

  • Use "Rice" video plugin on entry-level devices (faster but less accurate)
  • Disable "widescreen hack" for performance
  • Lower resolution multiplier: 2x → 1x (native N64 resolution)

PlayStation

Performance: ✅ Full speed on iPhone 8 and newer

Tips:

  • Best core: "PCSX-ReARMed" (excellent compatibility + speed)
  • CHD support: Multi-disc games work great in CHD format (faster loading)
  • Memory cards: Provenance auto-creates, no setup needed

Game-Specific:

  • ✅ Perfect: Final Fantasy VII-IX, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Metal Gear Solid
  • ⚠️ May need frameskip: Ridge Racer Type 4, Gran Turismo 2

Optimization:

  • Use CHD format instead of BIN/CUE (20-40% smaller, faster)
  • Enable "Enhanced Resolution" on iPhone 11+ (sharper graphics, minimal performance hit)

Dreamcast

Performance: 🔴 Requires iPhone 11 or newer

Tips:

  • Use Flycast JIT-less core
  • Apple TV 4K recommended for best experience
  • Not all games are compatible (core still in development)

Game-Specific:

  • ✅ Works well: Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, Soulcalibur, Jet Set Radio, THPS 1+2
  • ⚠️ Slow/buggy: Crazy Taxi 1 & 2, DOA2
  • ❌ Incompatible: Some titles don't boot

Optimization:

  • Disable "Widescreen" mode (adds overhead)
  • Lower internal resolution if needed
  • Use "Frameskip: Auto" for demanding games

Advanced Optimization

Battery Life vs Performance

Best Battery Life:

  1. ✅ Enable Low Power Mode (Settings → Battery)
  2. ✅ Lower screen brightness (biggest battery drain)
  3. ✅ Play 8-bit/16-bit systems (NES, SNES, GB, Genesis)
  4. ✅ Use wired headphones (Bluetooth drains faster)
  5. ✅ Disable background app refresh for Provenance

Battery Impact by System:

  • 🟢 Low drain: NES, GB, GBC, SNES, Genesis (~4-6 hours)
  • 🟡 Moderate: GBA, PlayStation (~3-4 hours)
  • 🔴 High drain: N64, Dreamcast, PSP (~2-3 hours)

Visual Quality vs Performance

Maximum Quality (iPhone 11+ recommended):

  • ✅ Smoothing filter ON
  • ✅ CRT filter ON
  • ✅ Enhanced resolution (PlayStation, N64)
  • ✅ Shader effects (specific cores)

Balanced (iPhone 8/8 Plus/X/XS/XR):

  • ⚙️ Smoothing: OFF
  • ⚙️ CRT filter: OFF
  • ⚙️ Enhanced resolution: ON (PlayStation only)

Maximum Performance (entry-level supported devices):

  • ❌ All filters OFF
  • ❌ Native resolution only
  • ❌ Frameskip: Auto

Recommended Cores by System

When multiple cores are available, these are the best performance/compatibility balance:

System Recommended Core Alternative Notes
Genesis Genesis Plus GX PicoDrive Plus GX = better accuracy
SNES Snes9x bsnes Snes9x = faster
GBA mGBA VBA-M mGBA = best accuracy
N64 Mupen64Plus ParaLLEl ParaLLEl needs iPhone 11+
PlayStation PCSX-ReARMed Beetle PSX ReARMed = faster

Troubleshooting Performance Issues

Game is Slow or Stuttering

Symptoms: Framerate drops, audio crackling, sluggish controls

Solutions (try in order):

  1. ✅ Close background apps

    • Double-tap Home button
    • Swipe up on all apps except Provenance

  2. ✅ Disable visual filters

    • Provenance Settings → Smoothing: OFF
    • Provenance Settings → CRT Filter: OFF

  3. ✅ Check core selection

    • In-game menu → Core Info
    • Try alternative core if available

  4. ✅ Lower internal resolution

    • Settings → Video → Resolution Multiplier: 1x or 2x

  5. ✅ Enable frameskip

    • Settings → Frameskip: Auto

  6. ✅ Restart device

    • Power off → Wait 10 seconds → Power on

Specific Game is Slow, Others Are Fine

Cause: Game-specific compatibility or CPU-intensive content

Solutions:

  1. Check online compatibility lists for that core
  2. Try alternative ROM dump (bad ROM = poor performance)
  3. Some games are just demanding (GoldenEye 007, Conker, etc.)
  4. Update to latest Provenance version (cores improve over time)

Audio Crackling or Popping

Cause: CPU can't keep up with audio buffer

Solutions:

  1. Enable frameskip (lets audio stay smooth)
  2. Close background audio apps (Music, Spotify)
  3. Disable Bluetooth audio (use wired headphones)
  4. Lower in-game audio settings if available

Performance Got Worse After Update

Cause: New settings default, cache issue, or regression

Solutions:

  1. Check if new visual settings were enabled automatically
  2. Delete and reinstall Provenance (backup saves first!)
  3. Report regression on GitHub Issues

Performance Testing Results

Real-World Benchmarks

Tested on iPhone 12 with default settings:

System Test Game FPS Performance
NES Super Mario Bros. 3 60/60 ✅ Perfect
SNES Super Metroid 60/60 ✅ Perfect
GBA Metroid Fusion 60/60 ✅ Perfect
Genesis Sonic 3 & Knuckles 60/60 ✅ Perfect
PlayStation Final Fantasy VII 60/60 ✅ Perfect
N64 Ocarina of Time 60/60 ✅ Perfect
N64 GoldenEye 007 25-45/60 ⚠️ Slow
Dreamcast Sonic Adventure 55-60/60 ✅ Great
PSP Crisis Core 30-50/60 ⚠️ Playable

Note: Results vary by device. iPhone 11 and newer recommended for 3D systems.

Tips from the Community

From Discord/Reddit/App Store reviews:

  1. 💡 "Airplane mode improves battery life by 30%" - Disables background sync
  2. 💡 "CHD format loads 2-3x faster than BIN/CUE" - Especially for multi-disc PlayStation games
  3. 💡 "Close Music app before playing" - Prevents audio interference
  4. 💡 "Delete old save states" - Too many save states can slow library loading
  5. 💡 "Use iPad for PSP games" - Bigger screen + better cooling = smoother performance

See Also

Still having performance issues? Ask in the Provenance Discord or check the FAQ.