The History of Multi-Console Emulators - Part 4

RetroArch (2012)

RetroArch

It all started in 2010, when Norwegian Hans-Kristian Arntzen, known as themaister, created the SSNES project, which created a front-end for the BSNES emulator, bringing it as the core to the LibSNES API library, where it was accessed, releasing it in May 2010 for Windows. LibSNES was also a library accessible to other front-ends. The idea of ​​libsnes evolved, and the LibRetro API was born, expanding this idea beyond BSNES. In April 2012, RetroArch (something like retro archive) was released, which was the combination of LibRetro and the SSNES front-end, now also called RetroArch, a multi-emulator for Windows. Regarding the consoles, portables and PCs that run on the emulator, we have all Nintendo consoles and portables up to the Wii/3DS, and also all from Sega, Atari and NEC (such as PC Engine). The Odyssey 2, ColecoVision, Vectrex, PS1 and 2 and 3DO consoles. The NG Pocket series, WonderSwan series and PSP portables. The Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Atari Falcon, MSX 1 and 2, ZX Spectrum, ZX81 PCs, and all Thomson computers, as well as almost 100% of the arcades produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and some arcades produced in the 2000s, reproducing them through the MAME, MESS, FB Neo and FBA emulators.

RetroArch (Lakka)

By January 2014, less than two years later, RetroArch was already on seven different platforms, that is, fixed and portable hardware systems with the widest possible variety of execution. Speaking of systems, we have a range of operating systems where the software ran. Among them the most classic Windows, MacOS X, Linux and Ubuntu, in addition to RetroPie. The PS2, 3 and 4 consoles, Xbox, Xbox 360, One and Series, Nintendo Wii, Wii U and Switch. The PSP, PS Vita, Nintendo 2 and 3DS portable systems. Mobile and portable systems, such as Android, iOS, BlackBerry, OpenPandora, OpenDingux, and GCW Zero. And even on Steam (an online gaming service), through Steam Link. Speaking of Steam, it started to be part of it in July 2019. In July 2014, the emulator's front-end gained its own operating system, Lakka. Developed by the LibRetro community, Lakka was built on top of RetroArch itself, being based on the LibreELEC Linux system, which in turn was created to run the media center, Kodi.

RetroArch

In total, we have 28 consoles, 15 portables, 19 PCs, and around 200 arcades running on the software. Regarding emulators, in addition to those already mentioned, we have well-known emulators such as 4DO, Stella, Handy, Nestopia, Higan, mGBA, VisualBoyAdvance, Dolphin, Picodrive, Genesis Plus GX, PPSSPP, PCSX-ReARMed, Snes9x, uoYabause, among others. Several of their emulators came from the Mednafen project. Regarding particular emulation features, we have, among others, audio plug-ins for equalization, sound reverberation, and other functions. Advanced save state resources. Rewind games frame by frame. In addition to support for the OpenGL and Vulkan APIs, giving different graphical support to the emulators. Regarding Vulkan, it was one of the first systems/software to implement it, doing so on the same day of its launch, in February 2016. Regarding problems, one of its biggest criticisms is the difficulty of configuring emulators and ROMs, due to the numerous options available to the user. On the other hand, it is also praised for several advanced features it has.

RetroArch: VBA Next and bSNES

In November 2016, due to the costs of developers who helped the project, and the online netplay services themselves, they would be joining the Lakka system on Patreon to reimburse costs. In December of the same year, the RetroArch team, known as The LibRetro Team, was reportedly approached by GoGames, which produces games for Sega, to use RetroArch in the Sega Forever project, but this never happened. Sega Forever was a project that distributed its old games for purchase and execution on modern operating systems. The emulator's last update was in May 2021. RetroArch also had a fork, RALibRetro, released in April 2018 also by The LibRetro Team, creating the possibility of achievements in the games, that is, challenges that, if overcome, bring rewards. The project is still in development, and its latest version was released in October 2020.

Phoenix (2014)

Phoenix

Phoenix (3DO/Road Rash)

Phoenix (3DO/Super Street Fighter II Turbo)

The Phoenix project, also known as PhoenixEmuProject, was started by Russian Maxim Grishin, Altmer, in August 2006 with the aim of emulating the Atari Jaguar console. At the time, he was part of the FreeDO project, also for the Atari Jaguar, and was helped by members of the project with his emulator. He had hoped to re-found the FreeDO emulator, but ended up not getting support from the group, and so he continued his project alone. The name Phoenix comes from the game Phoenix 3 for the console that Altmer won along with the console when he was a child.

Phoenix (ColecoVision/Antarctic Adventure)

Phoenix (Sega Master System/Monaco GP)

Phoenix (SG-1000/Wonder Boy)

Phoenix (Game Gear/Batman Returns)

Phoenix (Atari Jaguar/Rayman)

The emulator was only released eight years after its inception, in early 2014 for Windows and Linux. At that time, Altmer had already rewritten the emulator from scratch. The emulator is able to develop 100% compatibility with the console's games. In April 2016, it became a multi-console emulator, adding emulation for the Master System, Game Gear, ColecoVision and Atari Jaguar (the first three with the same hardware processing base), with the last one added in May 2017. All emulators ran almost 100% of the games. Its last release was dated June 2017. It even had a version for MacOS X in January 2018. From February 2016 to November 2019, it was released with separate versions of each console (except SMS and GG which were released together) for Android.

Other Emulators

OpenEmu

PicoDrive and Kega Fusion were also multi-emulators, however, since they did not cover consoles from companies other than Sega, I thought it best not to include them in this specific part of the article. Other emulators also followed similar paths to those mentioned above.

RetroCopy and VDMGR

SmartGear

DSP Emulator (also for Linux) (which emulates computers and the ColecoVision), emulator (runs NES/SMS/GG/GB), Ninth Star (runs NES and Atari 2600), RetroCopy (runs SMS, NES, MD, GG, SG-1000 and the Sega System E arcade), SmartGear (runs GB, GBC, NES, GG, SMS, TurboGrafx 16 and MD), YAME (runs NS, SNES, GB and TG-16), Mimic (runs arcades from 1978 to 88 and the SMS, GG, Coleco, SM3, MD consoles, and almost supported NES and S-CD), OpenEmu (runs Sega 8 and 16-bit, Nintendo 8, 16, 64-bit, GB, GBC, GBA, VB and DS, NEC PCE, PCE CD, TG-16, TG-16 CD and PC-FX, Atari 2.6k, 5.2k, 7.8k and Lynx, Coleco, INTV, Vectrex, Sony PSX and PSP, NG Pocket and WonderSwan), VDMGR (runs NES, NG Pocket, Sega SG1, SMS3, Coleco, as well as computers with MSX and others), among others.