All in one emulator (For the new guys)

[kturner]

This is to inform people who are new to emulation about something that took me over 2 years to discover on my own. I just had no idea they existed.

There is no such thing as a all in one emulator but there is what they call a front end. When I first started playing with emulators I had no I idea what a front end was. I built a bar top arcade and had to use a keyboard and mouse to chose games and close one emulator and open another to switch systems. A real pain and not very cool. I guess this is what happens when you don't know anyone who knows about this stuff so you have to teach yourself. I did this for about two years before I found out about front ends. I probably cam across many threads about it but I just didn't grasp what it was about. The front end ties all the emulators together and make it look like a all in one emulator. There are many front ends. I use attract mode. Its free and very easy to use. If you can use a emulator you can use this program. All the instructions on how to set it up can be found on their page. I was very intimidated by it but once I got the hang of if it was every easy.

[ulaoulao]

First, if you really think this community does not know the difference between frontends and core emulators, think again.

Second, we have many threads on frotends around here.

Lastly, you wrong and using “all” just makes what you are saying sound, well, ill-informed. There is no All in one anything… Some emulators only work on some operating system. So there never really can be an all in one anything for emulation. Petty, yes. Though just pointing it out.

Please take some time to look in to the following emulators.
MESS, RetroArch, bizhawk and even higan to name a few. These are “core emulation” emulators. They do just what you are saying does not exist.

Frontends have been around since the 90s. We use to use them for command based emulators that didn’t have a GUI. Now we just use them to run various emulators and tidy everything up. I’m sorry it took you 2 years, but most people (more so now) are finding this out quickly. Hell even game consoles use front ends to run emulation now.

Your post could be quite helpful in some places on the net but on a forum of enthusiasts? It’s just going to get buried like all form posts so really fails to serve any purpose.

Aside: welcome to emulation, have fun, and never stop reading because there is so much to learn.

[Lefteris_D]

The majority of emulators you will find though fit mainly in two categories. Emulators for a single system or for multiple systems. The closest thing I could compare to an "all in one" emulator would be Retroarch/liberto though technically it uses "cores" which are other emulators ported there under a big umbrella.

As for frontends, yes they are nice I use them as well but mostly for experimenting.

[pix07]

Truth was spoken.
But... is possible/is impossible imagine emulator with one cpu (which emulate any)
and gpu(which emulate any)
if we join all source codes in one file(a switch to back and foward) (every single line to jump between cores build in)
its still core emulation
how is possible build "machine" which will be working as one of every company
you buy a car how from opel you can make honda its ridiculous
many emulators have closed source how you try run it from "fronted"
you can use wineHQ but its stupid about wine i watch videos and read it even with "windows emulation"
you will have less fps if i dont know something show me your "wisdom"
but as say ulaoulao and Lefteris_D
dont show people wrong way
that "thing" its not exists and will never exists
you can't combine them in "one" becouse of architecture and way they are written
(C#.C++,C etc...)
im dont know programer which is so "crazy" to porting one language to other alone to infinity
Windows is Class in IT industry and so popular that everything is for Windows
because of their reputation
and like one chorus from Gary Moore song "over the hills and far away" i see oponents
"Over the hills and,
Over the hills and,
Over the hills and far away. "
thats all thank you for reading

[kturner]

I guess I was just trying to help people like me who are not really gamers but do like to play old games from their childhood. I didn't really see anywhere that explained what a front end is. I could not search for it because I didn't know they existed. I am a new member but I have been following this forum for a while and never came across it. I haven't ran across anything that attract mode wont open but then again I haven't tried everything either.

[ulaoulao]

Yeah Lefteris_D , needs to free up some time and add a frontend section ;p

[kturner]

That would be great! I have a pc hooked to my tv. I have the front end in my start folder and shutdown turns of the pc. (most you know how to do that, I did not.) I have nes, snes, n64, genesis and a few mame games and all in need is my ps4 controller to control everything. This is something as a kid we could only dream about. We would have to wait until Christmas to get a new game or go rent one. Most kids now days will never know what its like to go to Blockbuster video and pick out a game then only have two days to play it. To me this whole front end thing is the 8th wonder of the would.

[Lefteris_D]

Yeah Lefteris_D , needs to free up some time and add a frontend section ;p


That would be great!

Yes yes Soon™. I got the message!

[Lefteris_D]

Open to suggestions: http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/emulatorfrontends.html

[ulaoulao]

quickplay is must! by far still the best front end IMO. http://quickplay.sourceforge.net/

Also I know it's a lot of work but a page per font end would be ideal. I know we need to get some verbiage for each but a statement other then pulled text would be great. Fontends really depend on the person and everyone has one they like and for very specific reasons. This section will grow fast now I think, lots of front end developers on this forum also.

also tabs for support would be huge

exmaples; supports 7z solid state archives, supoorts ISO launching, supports preview images/videos, supports history dats, direct MAME support.

possibly maybe a section for console front ends and media center frontends like KODI. Or may just a tab that shows what platform they are for. MAC/PC/ps3/etc... and multiple OS support like Emulation station.

tip of the hat to kturner , for getting this started. I been meaning to bug Lefteris_D about this for some time.

[kturner]

tip of the hat to kturner , for getting this started.

Thanks for that.

[Lefteris_D]

QuickPlay added. Also I would rather keep this as a single page entry if possible for various reasons (I do not mind the extra work). After all, considering that they are all advanced tools somebody planning to use one will do some research first (check websites, official documentation etc).

[Robert]

Looking through my list, and listing only the ones kept are to date, here they are...

* Arcan - http://arcan-fe.com/
* Attractmode - http://attractmode.org/
* Emucon - http://emuloader.mameworld.info/emucon/downloads.htm
* Emu Loader - http://emuloader.mameworld.info/downloads.htm
* FEEL - http://feelfrontend.altervista.org/download/
* GameEx - http://www.gameex.com/news/
* LusSpaceFE - http://lusspace.free.fr/modules/news/
* MAME Classic - http://mameclassic.mameworld.info/
* mgalaxy - http://www.mgalaxy.com/download.html
* Negatron - http://babelsoft.net/products/negatron.htm
* pfemame - https://sourceforge.net/projects/pfemame/rss?path=/
* QMC2 - http://qmc2.batcom-it.net/
* Quickplay - http://quickplay.sourceforge.net/index.php?title=download

[Lefteris_D]

Yes, one more reason I do not want individual pages! (updating list atm, please no more!!!)


Also BIG request, do not recommend specific emulator applications that handle a single command line emulator. I want more or less "multiple emulator" solutions. I guess MAME stuff can be an exception and that in itself is multiple and also Mednafen is handled by many of there programs already. Also no retroarch specific stuff, that in itself IS a frontend as well and is also handled by frontends easily already (via command line).

[Lefteris_D]

Scrap the whole MAME ban thing, solution in there: http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/emulatorfrontends.html

Any frontend designed exclusively for MAME will be split in the list bellow.

[kturner]

By the way feel free to edit and correct my first post.

[ulaoulao]

Sorry if I confused you, but QP is not mame specific. As a matter of fact, its the single most configure frontend in existence. Works with any game not only emulation, but tailored to emulation.

[Robert]

please no more!!!That's fine.


You have a typo on the page Bellow --> Below.

Thanks.

[Lefteris_D]

Sorry if I confused you, but QP is not mame specific. As a matter of fact, its the single most configure frontend in existence. Works with any game not only emulation, but tailored to emulation.


That's fine.


You have a typo on the page Bellow --> Below.

Thanks.

ok for both.

[ulaoulao]

Side note, if a person is on this forum, how do they get to the mane page? I have never really figure that out and always edit the url. More to the point how can we make it easier so people know about the download section? I have been a member since 05 and never once figured that out. It is very possible I'm exceptionally stupid, ill take full responsibility for that but I'm going to guess that is not the case.

[Lefteris_D]

how can we make it easier so people know about the download section?
Ask and thy shall receive! Top of forum, right under the logo "Main Page" and yes, that was just added.

[ulaoulao]

So much better!

[RoseyDreamy]

openemu (dot) org

Core-based multi-system emulator for Mac. Feel free to add it somewhere on the website if MacOS game emulation is covered on EZ.
Not sure I should be posting this because I'm a new member, and I'm not supposed to post links, but if it helps the site I assume it's ok ;)

[pix07]

openemu (dot) org

Core-based multi-system emulator for Mac. Feel free to add it somewhere on the website if MacOS game emulation is covered on EZ.
Not sure I should be posting this because I'm a new member, and I'm not supposed to post links, but if it helps the site I assume it's ok ;)

why not we read here and here also there and there :
https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/32xhfb/best_front_end_for_emulators/
https://www.zophar.net/frontends/universal.html
http://feelfrontend.altervista.org/
http://emucenter.2.free.fr/website/ENG/index.html

use fronted/ds is your choice i like more one emulator by one
also
RetroArch with Cores
and emulators with CommandLine if they dont have GUI
of course there is tons of linux distributions foucus of gaming and/or multimedia playing
and even if there if not there is LFS
LinuxFromScratch a ultimate guide to make own distribution really *OWN* !
im dont know how you make own repository for install programs but whatever so far best distributions are :
LinuxMint(casual gamers/users) and ArchLinux(arch is for programmers im still not advenced to use that)
best linux was Debian so many of OS'es are based on Debian
Unix is other branch FreeBsd is not equal Debian
if you want play dos programs/games use DosBox
so far best OS for playing dos software was Win XP (a gui of msdos buyed by MicroSoft because that company not write it! )
there is FreeDos if you want use it as replacement of Windows and Linux
thats all for now

[RoseyDreamy]

I prefer having one by one emulator on Windows, but prefer to use multi-system emulators/frontends on Mac simply because they offer a more native interface for me, while it doesn't really matter on Windows so much.

Lakka's a quite cool distro of Linux that is basically a libretro front end.

[nguithiman]

openemu has been good to me for most games, even PSP, though for some reason it can't handle arcade games the same way MAME does

[Geimer]

Thank you so much to get the informative information about this matter. But I have been using the snes emulators like RetroArch.