Top 5 Emulator Frontends

[@Jennn]

Gosh thank you for the terminology "frontend". I knew exactly what I wanted but had no idea how to describe it. I also appreciate all the suggestions!

[@Brenryz]

its not even 2024 this is old info recycled

[@JaymeSplendid]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not

[@thisisreallyme3130]

Nice, first view of your videos. I appreciate your overlay text (bottom left) indicating which front-end is currently up... this really helps views who like to "scrub" through videos using arrow keys (like me!). Nicely done presentation. Cheers.

[@telostia]

retrobat, core type r and coinops are the true hero here.

[@whiskeymcclinton]

What I like about Retroarch is you can install it on PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, as well as PC Operating systems. I ended up building a cabinet and used the Lakka OS, which is a light Linux Build that boots directly into Retroarch as the front end.

[@310_Latchkey_kid]

Thanks to your video tutorials, I've install and played many games on my pc (not computer savvy) PS3, 2......etc. Thank you!!

[@SocialSophia]

*I want to thank you by subscribing because the #1 Emulator you said in this video is AMAZING! Like I was a RetroArch user before and it still has some PROs over other sources, yet LaunchBox is so pretty and organized and connects to ALL of your clients which is unheard of. You can launch Fortnite from there if you want. To be able to launch any game from any console is a feature worth paying for. Thanks again for putting me on*

[@kingcognito]

Glad it’s working for you, but I have to say Launchbox was a disappointment for me. It was slow and sluggish even with a list of just a few hundred games - and this was on fast gaming PC with very fast SSD. I have the paid Big Box-version so I spent countless hours trying to get it working smoothly, but to no avail. That said, even if it would have worked smoothly I think it’s very expensive and you get the same, or better, experience with these free alternatives.

[@yogibear2k220]

Thank you. As always, your information is well researched and easy to understand with no unnecessary waffle. . I love all your videos, especially when I was jail breaking up my Vita, I found your videos to have the best explanations and the easiest to use and understand.

[@ShandellJames]

No problem

[@gameofyou1]

I use Retrobat, and I have been really happy with it.

[@RETROBAT]

Good choice ;-)

[@danieldega8389]

​​@@RETROBATI also use retrobat 6.3, in previous versions i was very happy with it, but in this latest version, the simple fact that it is open makes the processor work a lot. so unfortunately I'm looking for other alternatives 😢

[@xdsmastermia]

@@RETROBAT mine doesn't let me update. I've downloaded latest 6.4 and it wants to update, I agree, and it fails.... any ideas why? Edit: Thanks for no reply retrobat! I fukin figured it out on my own like every other obscure setting! 😑

[@xdsmastermia]

@@danieldega8389 I don't think it's retrobat. Emulation station is what opens + the emulator. Did you find a better alternative?

[@mrtiggah7]

does it make your monitor go dark once you log on?

[@Rodger_Phillips]

Thank you this is very helpful, I have chosen to go with one I have heard of which as you predicted is Retroarch as I have been into emulation for a very long time, my first emulation was a Commodore C64 on a IBM PC DOS machine in the 486 era (yes I am that old) and I even had the C64 Disc Drive physically connected to the IBM for the Emulator to create .d64 files from my C64 Disks. They all look fantastic, but I will start with what I am familiar with.

[@ChandraWortel]

😂 we used cassette tapes for loading and it took 10 15 min to load up 😂😂😂 ow those were the days. It amazes me to have all games on 1 disk. Craxy times.

[@der-Troet]

i used launchbox for a few years. its okay. now i have retrobat, it works with emulationstation. really nice and free.

[@RETROBAT]

Good choice ;-)

[@richard-rt8bw]

You really are the best. Gets straight to the point.

[@easymb3069]

You were the one that showed me launch box/big box. Thank you.😊

[@DaisyHollowBooks]

This was very helpful. Thanks for making it.

[@sdhjr]

Part of the thrill in emulating is honestly doing so spending very low over head. From shopping around for the best priced hardware, researching specs and accessories to software. Some even look at market value of roms and regions. Its an hobby that were passionate about. I find dig front end to be useful under this umbrella. Fast and easy installation. Premium features but works great free version out the box. Works across many platforms even offers themes and customizations. Solid with retroarch backend. Longest review i ever wrote but worth it.

[@yasukesupreme]

Frontends always look visually stunning

[@thegamelounge659]

Watched a few of your videos now! Subbed!🎉

[@gregghernandez2714]

Batocera is really the one to watch, it is jam packed with features, and although it may not be as beautiful as BigBox, it really does work well and is extremely easy to set up, also Retrobat is a nice front end for Windows.

[@knowledge4741]

Batocera gets buggy eventually, after using nearly everyone after building drives, Launchbox has to be the best and most reliable front end.

[@senritsujumpsuit6021]

what you mean by buggy @@knowledge4741

[@hdjoe22]

Batocera is ok for basic retro setups. It blows at steam and windows games integration because it’s Linux based. Retrobat .. last time I used it anyway, sucked for Steam, gog, etc. big box works extremely well for old and new games

[@Retrocaus]

launchbox is buggy, i'd say retroarch@@knowledge4741

[@JamieStuff]

Batocera isn't a front end; it's a complete OS.

[@noiselabproject9659]

Good video and Retroarch in particulator is great but it`s best to use another graphical front end for it to make it much more user friendly just to browse and play like using one of the Retro FE front ends : CoinOps, Core Type R etc

[@hdslave]

Your voice over sound quality is amazing

[@omaramrani8687]

Nice top 5 ! Here is mine : 1. Retrobat. 2. Core Type R. 3. Big Box. 4. Attract Mode. 5. Hyperspin

[@ShandellJames]

I left out Hyperspin because it's the most complicated one to set up.

[@omaramrani8687]

@@ShandellJames agree that's why Iu put in the 4th.position because once it's done, the result is incredible.

[@HeavyInstinct]

Retrobat is my number one pic as well. It just makes everything so easy

[@telostia]

you forgot coinops, theres many variations of it :)

[@HeavyInstinct]

@@telostia Maybe it's just not one of HIS top five.

[@xzenitramx666]

Well time to find tutorials to understand and use this

[@ShandellJames]

I have a launch box playnite and retro arch guide. The other 2 will be coming soon.

[@xzenitramx666]

@@ShandellJames great, you save me a lot of time once im in home, thank you.

[@kronosaurus]

Could you do a guide on Syncthing? Seen it mentioned a lot to sync files between different devices. Especially for the Steam Deck and like Windows, Mac, Linux when it comes to save files that don't have cloud support. Would be useful for emulators and syncing progress between different devices.

[@valg.3152]

Hi mate, you have awesome videos. Thank you so much. You’re very helpful. I’m just kind of deciding which front end I’m gonna use. I will see once I have one. I’ll let you know. Thank you for your support.👍🏼

[@Speejays2]

2:49 What theme of EmulationStation is that? I can't seem to find it myself.

[@aldusric]

For me Retroarch is the best. Also it has undo save state option

[@Red-Revolution708]

Love this guy, he’s by far thee ‘BEST’ !

[@ThePacbaby270]

3:42 I liked playnite for a bit. But the scraping feature isn't all that great tho. And I wish they had better themes for Fullscreen mode.

[@ChandraWortel]

Bought the kinhank 2 terabite drive 😍☺️ retroarch on it. Configured pretty decently. Most games work and the demanding games need attention. Overall its the best i think. Ik cant find a game from childhood thats not on it. Nice review

[@JaymeSplendid]

3:57 Mmmmmmm "Lye Berry" sounds like some pretty good berries.

[@FaKz92]

Am using retroarch + stand alone emulators for my smartphone, ELEC, an emulations station based frontend for my ambernic and batocera for my Steam Deck and mini retro gaming pc.

[@HaydennLIVE]

Im on Big Box 🔥

[@NeptuneSega]

Trash

[@pepeshadilay]

Is it worth 75 bucks ?

[@bundangkorea]

@@pepeshadilay Absolutely

[@herusudrajat5037]

Nice info😊

[@simonringqvist7540]

Isnt there any love for Reset Collection?

[@JuanCarlos-tw9sk]

My favorite for android. Does it come for windows too?

[@jaycee6438]

Nice pics. I have put Retroarch on an external drive to make it portable for use on any Windows pc; have it on (2) Jailbroken PS3 and on my Xbox S; Have Launchbox/Big Box also on an external hard drive. Plan on using some of the other mentioned ones from this video. Awesome job!!

[@ShandellJames]

Nice, I also use external drives to hold my roms and emulators.

[@naturegreene9579]

Are u guys using HDD or SSD for that?

[@jaycee6438]

@@naturegreene9579 I have my stuff on an external 2TB HDD external and backed up copy on an external 4TB HDD ….. lately I have just been using a 256GB with individual emulators (ps2/ps1/MAME 0.260/SNES/NES/Genesis/Dreamcast/PS2/PSP/3DS/Gameboy Advance/GameCube/Wii) with over 500 games …… The important thing is to make a plan on what you want. If you want to use emulator front ends where everything will be compiled artwork, box covers, etc., and all your games then I recommend a SSD if you want instant reaction. I have 1800GB of 2000GB on my external HDD with many emulated systems, bios, CHDs, ROMs, ISOs, file conversion applications, notes, art files…… using my Surface Pro with 8GB RAM to run it all. Launch Box is slow sometimes to populate the artwork when scrolling through the games, but not terribly slow. However, it doesn’t affect the game performance based on what my Surface tablet can handle. All that said, I would just put a plan on paper on what hardware you are working with, consider hardware compatibility, and how much will speed be a factor to determine if you want an HDD or SSD. Both will work.

[@pierpig7058]

Very cool list, do you have any advice for a front end for Snow Leopard?

[@leonidasvonsparta]

launchbox is terrible... i did set it up 2 times... a lot of work and love in it. chrashed after months, wanted to use a backup. backup was corrupted somehow and after using an older one everything wasnt working.... most work i did with themes music and so on was gone. NO TY

[@Dr.Ticklebum69]

Thank you! Thought I was the only one of this opinion. Months ago it worked just fine for me, now half the stuff I try doesn't work or is a major headache to get going, on a fresh install! And nobody has been able to help me get dreamcast working, its ridiculous

[@CD-vb9fi]

I HATE retroarch with a passion. the front end on that is so horrible. The controller support is particularly terrrible. If you use that Front end you must get a controller it recognizes 100% because of it does not... then resolving that is an absolute nightmare. And word is the main dev behind it is a terrible person to deal with. One of those... "my way is the only way" types. Heck... I would offer to redesign the front end for controller support myself if that clown was not in the mix.

[@CodeAikawa]

This is why I literally have to install BATOCERA as a whole. No frontend emulation seems to work perfectly.

[@benjiisreal2865]

So true

[@ishotit....1195]

I totally agree

[@davejay6855]

Nobody used Retroarch as a FrontEnd, it was NEVER meant to be a frontend organizer, just an emulator manager that has the ability to act as a frontend for rom management.

[@CD-vb9fi]

@@davejay6855 Having trouble figuring out what I posted? Can't tell the difference between "the front end on that" and "using it as a front end"? I mean... did you even read what I wrote or did you just see the words "front end" and promptly lost your marbles? And like it or not... RetroArch IS a front end and while you or I may not have used it as one, you can bet solid money someone has. So don't waste everyone's time with a blatant lie just for hyperbole.

[@Biostar1970]

I like retrobat way better for me, lunchbox is kinda ok but u have to pay for key in order for bigbox to work.

[@RETROBAT]

Of course !

[@higorferreira5687]

There's also RetroBat! I've used many of your videos to learn about emulators. I'm currently researching and learning how to emulate, including the Commodore Amiga, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari ST, and other retro consoles. Whenever you can, please provide emulators for these consoles as well. I have a question: Using RetroArch on PC and saving the game, is there anything I can do to access that save on the RetroArch mobile app on my phone, playing the same game and picking up where I left off?

[@ShandellJames]

I've never heard of Retrobat. I will have to check it out.

[@bundangkorea]

@@ShandellJames It's basically just an enhanced version of EmulationStation and a Windows version of Batocera

[@steroidsR4losers]

Lyberry?

[@RETROBAT]

@@ShandellJames and now, you've tried ?

[@RETROBAT]

@@bundangkorea Nope, this is note a port of Batocera on Windows.

[@UltraGodAzgorath]

I recommend changing emulationstation to emulationstation desktop edition. It's basically a remake of the original ES that is far quicker and easier to setup and use and is actively developed.

[@TylerPlayzZz803]

On PlayNite is there a way to make it so that when i open a emulator game and close that game that it returns to PlayNite and closes the emulator instead of keeping it open so that its more seamless?

[@cddude]

Please tell me how you got Phill Doodle's Comics theme for Emulation Station. I can only find the RetroPie version and i want it for ES-DE.

[@herrnobody6714]

Launchbox / Bigbox is realy my favorite too. Best Tool who put all together

[@savekillqqpsounds8473]

i just had em in my steam library chilling till now lol

[@zombieowen]

been using Openemu and finding it dirt easy to set up and use. Just open, tell it where your rooms are, and that's it. Works great with my 8bitdo P2, just had to remap some buttons, which is three clicks and you can do it while paused. Loving it.

[@sammylane21]

I'm just asking but what would make a Raspberry PI console internally hot enough to blow up?? Mine did, 😭😭😭.

[@JUSTAL90]

My problem is.. the grafic seem not same like original games.. The quality not satisfied me.. Im so confused to choose the best emulator..

[@rogeriovidotto]

What's the name of the theme of bigbox/launchbox?

[@rogeriovidotto]

No one knows?😔

[@michaelsummerell8618]

I appreciate I'm a bit late to this post but have been thinking about doing this. I had a look at Retroarch but it did seem off-puttingly complicated. I'd been considering Batocera, but it seems I'd need to flash a separate hard drive or USB memory stick, as it doesn't run alongside windows. I want something I can put on the main hard drive, just open up like a standard program and don't have to spend ages faffing with to get it to work... So, is Launchbox my best option???

[@bbay1977]

I was sad that i didn't see HyperSpin here. I understand it can and will be a pain to setup if you are new to it, but it runs and looks so great. Ive used it for years now so it is easy for me to setup and get running. I do like Big box as well but never tried it cause I really didn't want to learn another front-end. Thats the reason I have stuck with HyperSpin for years now.

[@ShandellJames]

Yea, I brought big box years ago when it was half the price it is now. But honestly, Hyperspin gave me a really hard time trying to set up. I wanted to learn it so I could make a guide, but I got frustrated and gave up 😅

[@garryw1974]

I thought attract mode was hyperspin

[@gabrielgray]

Big box has a severe lack of 4:3 themes.. I would love LOVE!!! Unified Refried in 4:3

[@DJDonkeytron]

Kinda wanna try RetroBat...

[@lolorenzolamas]

yes, is very good !

[@dasamman71]

Using Launchbox for my PC games and Retroarch for my console games

[@OosMattPo]

What’s one major difference between playnite and launchbox

[@bill5974]

RetroBat joins the chat...

[@RETROBAT]

yes!

[@ThatRetroGuy2005]

I disagree paying for emulator frontends or paying anything fan made which has copyright material

[@OutlawMantis]

Where is the copyrighted material that RetroArch contains?

[@llorenstorrespr4409]

Hyperspin, my favorite.🔥

[@djturtle2006]

So I have a side question. I know emulation station can run up to at least a PS1. Maybe a GameCube. And I have EMUdeck on my steam deck which can run alternate emulators like the PS3 and the Xbox. My question is which one of these can run all of them ? Retroarch and emulation station are good for older systems but I need one that can run everything. Is that techno parrot? Or can launch box do that too?

[@lorenzomesta]

The answer to your question lies in your Steam Deck lol. If you're familiar with EmuDeck, then you should definitely download the Windows version! It will do everything you need it to do, plus Steam Library integration so you can have it all displayed in Big Picture Mode :)

[@khalidabdu8378]

what about retrobat

[@MithosDagon]

Big Box/Launchbox is by far my favorite for emulation on Windows. I’ve also tried PlayNite on windows and it just feels unpolished IMO. Daijisho is my fave for Android but I might try out Pegasus again as I’m seeing some good stuff in some videos. I use EmulationStation on Steam Deck, but it is not good at handling multi disc games (not sure if this has been added yet). I had to put each game in a folder so I didn’t see duplicates in my systems with multi disc games. For overall on Windows, I use Steam Big Picture with CSSLoader to customize it and SGDBoop for artwork. Then I add in my apps (like big box) as a non-Steam game. Which is basically a copy of my Steam deck setup.

[@PeteOliva]

Daijisho is absolutely my favorite on Android, too. Love it. I have that on my Odin. I have been using Launchbox Big Box for years on Windows and I think it is the best but Playnite is also very good, and, yes, it's completely free. It's all about the level of polish you want!

[@Cricket-Joe]

big box is amazing, you don't need an arcade cab for it to be worth it. Its great I love hoping on parsec and streaming games with a bud using the big box interface. forever license is 100% worth it. frequent updates

[@moenibus]

Retrobat is the best. But, if you want to emulate one or two systems, don't waste your time with front ends, use the specific emulator for each platform

[@erdebi]

Retroarch is powerful but ui is a nightmare. Launchbox is the way to go. Importing also is easy, you will love it ❤

[@cocktailzombie]

I use retrobat, free and works well.

[@RETROBAT]

Good choice ;-)

[@lookieman839]

retrobat also good

[@RETROBAT]

yep !

[@keepitshort4208]

Needed help for sorting out roms as in is there a way to know if a certain mame rom is of which year ? Emudeck has more then one mame roms folder

[@xxmight450]

In terms of user friendly launchbox/ bigbox is the way to go. A bit slow tho

[@Joecuzzi]

Where do you rank BAtocera?

[@anthrounit]

You didn't mention Batocera!

[@hongkaiyuan]

Great video. Could you also do one for Android please?

[@jjglaser]

Wish i could launch them all from steam so my gaming pc can open straight into steam big picture mode when i turn it on.

[@Rosshobson]

Is there no where to play Sega model 3 games, like Star Wars arcade, the lost world etc

[@lucasvanduyn31]

Right now, I’m using RetroArch, however I have a question, if I use launchbox, could I import emulators from ps3, Xbox

[@xdsmastermia]

Do front ends impact emulation? Like performance FPS ?

[@andrereis7993]

I have a limited hardware running my retro games, and to me there's no impact. This is more a emulation issue. Try Attract Mode, is the lighter one.

[@xdsmastermia]

@andrereis7993 thanks. I've been using retrobat and so far so good

[@BoTheJo]

goated video

[@crabbyjimmy1]

I bought the 5 in 1 12 TB hard drive by Kinhank and it’s a hot mess. Don’t bite on it.

[@anthrounit]

What about Batocera or RetroBat???????

[@tmancham4212]

On the ES for $3.50 is that 1 time fee or you have to pay monthly in order to use it, thanks ❤!

[@MithosDagon]

It is a monthly patreon for Windows only, it is free on Steam Deck. It is pretty much a beta on Windows and I believe they say it will be free once it’s officially released.

[@XellosMetallium]

how do you get to the playstation front end for retroarch? mine is not working

[@Cyberbrickmaster1986]

I have Launchbox, but it overclocks my CPU every time I use it on my Intel based MSI Mini PC. What is the best alternative to Launchbox that runs on Windows and won't destroy my computer?

[@AlessandroScaltritti]

RetroArch can’t take roms from the SD card on my tablet. Which fronted can you suggest to me?

[@Joy_Formidable]

Best frontend is attract mode and batocera.

[@Monte91]

I have my own emulators and game roms but what front end works completely offline?

[@demonprincess5634]

lunchbox is great and all and I been using it for 2 years but the lag spicks really kill it for me. about very 10 sec my whole pc lock up for 3 sec then it goes back.

[@FaKz92]

I bought lunchbox pro, but I wasn't really statisfied with that frontend.

[@boomerps2]

RIP HyperSpin. Their website is all but dead. I spent seven years in that forum. We miss you BadBoyBill.

[@mikemells1642]

What about Batocera?

[@obscuracrimepodcast]

It’s a comparability mess. Bluetooth works poorly on it. Many controllers as well. It’s not near feature complete yet.

[@damageinc.gaming9646]

I just wanna play ps1 ps2 and ps3 game. Which one is good?

[@franciscooteiza]

Playnite, it's totally free, open source and you've ton of themes to add

[@ThePerfectStormGaming]

Also retroarch I thought was more of an emulator not a front end.

[@Gamerbox89]

the best one is launchbox! I use it i have like 3k games in it from amiga to ps3 plus arcade games

[@cris4529]

Any all in one torrent or direct download for that big game library?

[@TheChiller20]

Retrobat for Windows or Batocera ist the Best Frontend Ever!

[@quinnreiswig-vc3cy]

If anyone could possibly help please What's the difference between these great fronted launchers (Launchbox, Playbite, etc) and software such as Retrobat, Emuelec !? Thanks have a nice day!

[@danpatrick7176]

Launchbox / BigBox is where its at

[@busymonke]

I have retroarch on my pc but for some reason the frontend is stuck on rgui so im gonna download emulation station

[@pinitxopo]

Emulation Station works wonders for me

[@MagoMakes]

Retroarch isn't technically a Frontend. It's a framework to bind emulators. More of a meta-emulator. Just to help new starters get off on the right foot

[@grantschubach5163]

Emulation is the way to go

[@aex2170]

But all others front ends use Retroarch for cores and play game. And other good FE are Retrobat and Batocera. Thanks

[@iamsheel]

which one have random game button?

[@miliocod6493]

U the best one

[@RemtheOGgamer]

Any good emulator for mame ????,,, didn't find mame on retro arch