While the recent news about the unofficial MAME emulator for Apple’s iOS platforms made headlines earlier this week, Android devices have long supported video game emulation software for nearly as long as the smartphone operating system has been in existence. Previously, if you wanted to emulate a console such as the Genesis or PlayStation, you would need to download a separate emulation program for each system you wanted to play. However now, there is an even better solution, thanks to the new RetroArch emulator, which has recently been published for the Android family of devices, which can support multiple emulated consoles, instead of being dedicated to a specific system.

RetroArch is a totally free game emulator that supports multiple systems within. Formerly known as SSNES, it had been made available for other computer systems and devices, including Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But recently, the program hit the Google Play Store for Android. The application supports plug-and-play detection of both USB and Bluetooth based controllers, however you can also customize the on-screen controls to play games using the screen. Some specific games are easier to play using touchscreen controls than others, for example, RPGs are easier to play with this method than a fast pasted fighter or racer.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbSqtE9Ct_s]

In addition to external gamepad support, RetroArch also offers real-time rewinding in games, allowing “instant replays” and the ability to make a quick change in a gameplay decision. An example of this feature in action is shown in the video clip above. Depending on the emulator core, you can rewind approximately 1 minute of gameplay for every 20 megabytes of RAM you make available. You also get access to customizable touchscreen overlays, advanced pixel/vertex shader support, and the program is expandable with new cores, including being able to make your own.

Currently, the supported consoles for this release are:

Arcade Cabinets

Nintendo Game Boy

Nintendo Game Boy Advance

Nintendo Game Boy Color

Nintendo NES

Nintendo Super NES

Nintendo Virtual Boy

Sega CD/Mega CD

Sega Game Gear

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive

Sega Master System

SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color

Sony PlayStation 1

TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine

TurboGrafx CD/PC Engine CD

WonderSwan Color

In addition, there is also full support for the DOOM game engine, which will allow gamers to play the first 2 DOOM game titles.

Just like nearly every other piece of emulator software even published, you will have to provide your own game ROM images, in which this product contains none for obvious reasons. There are many programs and devices out there that can assist you in ripping your physical media collection onto the emulator. (Of course, there are other less-orthodox methods that we will not discuss here.) RetroArch is currently available on the Google Play Store for Android, and the low price of nothing! For the price of $0, you will get the emulator program itself, which contains no advertisements, no “collecting stats”, and no push based advertisements.

Official Website: http://www.libretro.org/

Android Apps on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.retroarch