Table of Contents

Unsupported Emulator Frequently Asked Questions

A spreadsheet with what emulators are supported on which platform: https://batocera.org/compatibility.php

Global emulator F.A.Q.

Why isn't <X> emulator/variant/core/fork in Batocera?

Most commonly, the answer is just “No one has implemented it yet.”

But there may also be another reason; Batocera's old slogan is “Only cores that matter”. To a certain extent, superfluous emulators that are redundant (ie. already have another emulator for that system) may be intentionally not included. With that said, if there's a good reason to include multiple emulators for a single system, such as additional options, extended compatibility, major difference in performance (such as on a weaker platforms), it is a good candidate for inclusion. From early 2021, the “focus on one emulator per system” guideline has been loosened up, and Batocera currently features more emulators/cores than ever before!

The compatibility spreadsheet linked above contains information on why certain cores may not be found on certain platforms (usually, they're simply not powerful enough). Hover your cursor over the checkmark (or lack thereof) to bring up a tooltip with the explanation.

If unable to do that on your device, the explanation list can be found in its code form here.

One thing that Batocera will not budge on is implementing emulators for systems that are real “current generation” consoles. Batocera is a retro-gaming focused OS, first and foremost. For more advanced users, there is nothing in Batocera that would block you from implementing your own emulator system if you know how to set it up correctly; the various community resources and the notable files page might help you get set up. Just note that emulators added manually this way are not officially supported and we cannot offer help from either our forums or Discord if you choose to do this.

But <X> emulator runs perfectly fine in Linux!

That's cool. Check the question above and also consider that Batocera is its own operating system, ie. has different libraries/compilation methods available to it from most other distributions. For instance, a lot of scripts that rely on the entirety of Raspberry Pi OS running in the background (like RetroPie does) may not work in Batocera.

But <X> emulator runs perfectly fine in Windows! Can't you add it via WINE?

Check the above reason, but even more so. Programs running through WINE tend to have even stricter library/backend requirements, not to mention the whole mess that is setting up Windows programs correctly in WINE in the first place. Cemu being perfectly WINE compatible is nothing short of a miracle.

Per-platform emulator exclusions

Why isn't Steam on my ARM-based SBC/handheld?

Why can't I install Windows programs on my ARM-based SBC/handheld through WINE? I thought that let you run Windows programs in Linux!

Why can't I install Flatpaks on my ARM device?

Why isn't Dolphin (Wii/Gamecube) supported on my (old) SBC/handheld?

In other words, it could be supported for specifically older handhelds, but only through an older version of Dolphin. Batocera mostly maintains the current/latest versions of most emulators (with a few exceptions). If you'd like to port over and maintain an older version of Dolphin for your particular platform, feel free to open a pull request. Do note that expected performance would still be pretty low even if achieved.

Why isn't Reicast/Flycast (Dreamcast) supported on my Odroid C2?

Why isn't Redream supported on my RPi 3/RPi Zero 2/other ARM board?

Why isn't Apple II supported on certain older Batocera versions?

GSPlus, an Apple II+2GS emulator, has been included in Batocera since v32.

The Apple II emulator was removed from Batocera for a period of time before v32 for the following reasons:

In other words, LinApple had been removed as it required an upgrade to SDL v2. That never happened.

Why isn't Mesen/Mesen-S/bsnes on my ARM-based SBC/handheld?

Mesen, Mesen-S and bsnes are very accurate, but demanding emulators. Last tested in Batocera v34, Mesen-S and bsnes's performance was deemed too poor to include in some of Batocera's ARM builds by default. Mesen and Mesen-S have been made available on the more powerful boards.

I want <X> emulator in Batocera. I know it is possible, and want to help, what can I do?

A person of action, I like that.