![]() ![]() As such, there's quite a large degree of difference between them - some function at almost full speed, while others are prone to slowdown, skipping audio, and other performance issues.Įven on the cores that are supposed to provide full-speed play on dual-core devices, we noticed skipping music and occasional jerkiness - despite the fact that we were running RetroArch on a quad-core Nexus 4. Emulation performanceĮach core is based on a different emulator, and all of these have been taken from existing PC-based programs. Rewinding is quite demanding on your device’s CPU, and reduces the overall emulation speed when in use - but it's a really useful feature all the same. This feature is switched off by default and needs to be enabled in the settings menu before it will work. You can also trigger real-time rewinding, allowing you to skip backwards in time if you happen to make a mistake in a game. ![]() This uniformity is a big bonus, especially when you consider the many conflicting approaches taken by Android-based emulators when it comes to input and options settings.įrom the main screen you also have access to an extensive range of settings, such as image filters, Bluetooth controller support, ROM pathways, and other elements.ĭownloadable PDF guides are also accessible from this menu, and these do a reasonably robust job of explaining the finer points of each core, as well as offering hints on how to change the appearance of the on-screen controls (something which is a little more long-winded than most people will put up with).ĭuring the game, you can call up a menu that controls elements such as save states, fast-forward control, and even slow-motion. So no matter which emulator you're playing, the on-screen controls and basic menu appear exactly the same. The concept behind RetroArch is that the different emulation 'cores' - the individual emulators, essentially - all use the same interface. Having dabbled in Android-based emulation previously, we decided to go hands-on with RetroArch to see whether it really is a one-stop answer to retro gaming - or merely a jack of all trades and master of none. Instead of emulating just a single platform, it covers 18 different systems - although strictly speaking, two of those - Cave Story and Doom - are simply interpreters for individual games.Ĭonsoles such as the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive (and its ill-fated Mega CD add-on), Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo Entertainment System all make the cut, and you can run them all from the same application - quite an achievement. RetroArch is an attempt to do something a little different. They also come with some surprisingly steep price tags, which is quite cheeky when you consider many of them are simply rough-and-ready ports of existing free PC-based programs. Android has been popular with fans of emulation for a good few years now, thanks largely to the fact that Google doesn't impose the same strict rules on app developers that Apple does.Īlthough emulators have been known to vanish from the Google Play market from time to time, the vast majority remain in place and ready to download at a moment's notice.
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