Retro Emulator for NativePHP Mobile#

Native emulation for six consoles, NES through Genesis — zero setup.

See it running first: grab the demo APK and sideload it — all six systems, games included. Or build the demo app yourself in minutes.

Install#

composer require kevinbatdorf/nativephp-retro-emulator
php artisan native:plugin:register kevinbatdorf/nativephp-retro-emulator

Requires NativePHP Mobile v4. No BIOS files, no API keys, no setup — your first build for each platform downloads the prebuilt emulator cores automatically (checksum-verified, cached from then on).

The bundled engines (ares, SameBoy, mGBA — all permissively licensed) play everything. Want a lighter or more accurate core? Fetch it once and your builds bundle it from then on:

php artisan retro-emulator:fetch-core snes9x

† fetched, not bundled — GPL and non-commercial licences stay out of your app unless you opt in; read LICENSING.md before shipping one. Fetched cores are Android-only; iOS plays everything through the bundled engines. Any other libretro core loads the same way.

A console in two lines#

<native:emulator name="main" system="sfc" :rom="$romPath" />
 
<native:dpad surface="main" class="w-36 h-36" />

The element boots when it mounts. The d-pad is optional on-screen touch controls — physical gamepads work with zero setup, and port 1 connects the system's default pad automatically.

Play with the running game#

use KevinBatdorf\RetroEmulator\{Emulator, Device};
use KevinBatdorf\RetroEmulator\Buttons\SfcButton;
 
$emu = Emulator::surface('main');
 
$emu->saveState();                // instant snapshot, with undo
$emu->toggleRewind();             // play time backwards
$emu->setSpeed(2.0);              // or slow-mo at 0.5
$emu->setShader($crtPreset);      // real CRT shaders (librashader)
$emu->addCheat('7E0010:01');      // live RAM patches
$emu->connectDevice(1, Device::Gamepad)->press(SfcButton::A);
$emu->watchMemory(0x7EF340, 2);   // react as the game writes RAM

That memory watch means your Livewire component updates the moment Link picks up a heart piece:

#[On(MemoryChanged::class)]
public function onGameProgress(array $payload) { /* … */ }

Inertia + Vue/React apps skip PHP entirely — every native function has a named JavaScript export:

import Emulator, { LoadRom, StateSave, onNativeEvent }
    from './vendor/kevinbatdorf/nativephp-retro-emulator/resources/js/index.js';
 
await Emulator.Boot({ system: 'snes' });
await LoadRom({ path: romPath });
onNativeEvent('EmulatorStarted', () => console.log('first frame'));

What's in the box#

• Six systems, playable out of the box, verified on real hardware.
• Save states with undo, battery saves, instant rewind, fast-forward, run-ahead.
• Controllers: touch d-pad element, physical gamepads, 4-player multitap, mouse, rumble.
• Live memory: read, write, and watch RAM — build trackers, trainers, and game-reactive UI.
• Presentation: CRT shaders, color and gamma controls, aspect correction, screenshots.
• Cheats, region control, accuracy toggles, an OS ROM picker (pickRom()), and window/safe-area metrics for overlay layouts.

Events#

EmulatorStarted, EmulatorStopped, EmulatorPaused, EmulatorResumed, MemoryRead, MemoryChanged, EmulatorError, RomPicked, and WindowMetricsChanged — listen with #[On(...)] in Livewire or onNativeEvent in JS. All under KevinBatdorf\RetroEmulator\Events\.

Permissions and secrets#

Android asks for VIBRATE (controller rumble); iOS asks for nothing. The shipped app makes no network, storage, camera, or location access, and the plugin needs no API keys or environment variables.

The deep end#

The full reference — every method and config key, element props, engine resolution rules, bring-your-own libretro cores, memory windows, build internals — lives in AGENTS.md. Licence obligations live in LICENSING.md and THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.