If you are a lover of retro gaming, that is, if you like to replay old games and relive the 80s by emulating old consoles, then you absolutely cannot fail to know RetroArch , a software that is becoming popular among lovers of the sector. You don’t even know what we’re talking about? No problem, in this short article, without getting too lost in useless chatter I will explain what RetroArch is, what it is for and why it is so widely used.
RetroArch
Let’s get straight to the point! retroArch is a graphical interface (a Front-end) to start many old console emulators as well as specific video games and various applications; it is a very old opensource project that is now over 10 years old and is completely free.
So basically RetroArch is a graphical interface that allows you to run the different emulators; you can then, for example, see the list of games for Atari 2600 and choose one directly from this graphical interface.
In essence, the fundamental task of RetroArch is to execute the commands for the different emulators to start games by providing the user with a simple clean graphical interface and with well-organized video game libraries. It allows you to perform particular operations during games such as saving games even on old consoles and creating videos and even then sharing them on Youtube.
RetroArch has become very popular because it is available for so many platforms; to begin with, it can be installed on all Windows, Mac and Linux computers and is then available for Android , iOS and for practically all game consoles (Play Station 3, PSP, PS Vita, Xbox, Wii, Wii U and so on) and even for the Fire Stick. Precisely for this reason many consoles dedicated to retro gaming use RetroArch; in fact, most of the portable consoles dedicated to retrogaming have Linux or Android and RetroArch porting operating systems.
There is also the web version of Retroarch to play online through a very common browser.
RetroArch is compatible with almost all old 8,16 and 32-bit console emulators and reads practically all game controllers and can configure them automatically. Another important feature of RetroArch is that it perfectly manages touch screens and can create virtual on-screen controllers so that you can play old games even on smartphones.
Finally, I also point out the RetroArch function called netPlay which allows you to play online games with other players.
