I Turned My Apple TV Into a Sega Genesis [RetroArch Explained]



The retro game emulator app RetroArch brings a cool new twist to Apple TV, but there’s a catch with tvOS that holds it back.

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44 thoughts on “I Turned My Apple TV Into a Sega Genesis [RetroArch Explained]

  1. With arcade… I think apple are onto a good thing with many devs on board, many games – a lot of originals and exclusives among them – are on this platform with more coming all the time, also there are “ad free” versions of many “freemium” games to consider too.

    Another issue aside from the tvOS software mentioned is that even on their phones as well as on their TV boxes, extended playtimes on certain games tend to overheat the device , causing a thermal throttle and slowing the game down/stutter frame rates etc (wreckfest seems to be apple’s Crysis based on the online scribblings I have found so far ). if apple were serious about making games from their arcade service play well, they need to sell hardware to reflect this. The latest tv boxes don’t come with any sort of cooling on their (at time of writing, Bionic range of) CPU’s. I would LOVE to see an actively cooled M-chip in an Apple TV box/device. The potential for gaming retro to emulation to more modern titles would be incredible!!

  2. Yeah I didn't know about the limited storage until just recently when I opened RetroArch on my AppleTV and ALL of my games were gone. Everything. It's pretty stupid to have a 64 GB device that can't even save a few hundred megs worth of games. I won't delete the app but I'm certainly not going to invest my time into it anymore until Apple hopefully fixes this issue. At best RetroArch on the AppleTV is good for having friends over for a fun evening of playing games. Nothing long term though.

  3. It’s unusable after 3 days. Thank you for reporting on this! Apple TV only allows 500 kb of persistent storage per app. So all roms, settings, and save states will all be wiped after a few days, also when a new update is pushed out.

  4. This is super disappointing (the storage issue) because I really do think that the Apple TV could be a great way to have streaming and console emulation in one box. They certainly have enough storage. But they don't let you USE that storage??? This is why people choose to go with less polished systems running Android. Because it can do it all, even if it isn't as nicely configured. Configuration is usually a one time thing then you can use it forever. If only Apple would get out of their own way….

  5. As a kid, I tried to turn my Power Mac G3 into a Genesis (and other 8- and 16-bit consoles). But after learning about the legal issues, I only got as far as playing homebrew ROMs.

  6. For people just getting into Retroarch, it really is just like how she said it; it looks intimidating, but once you understand where things goes and how things flow, it will all make sense. Most settings wouldn’t even need to tinkered with, they should all work by default (only a few settings needs to be changed, depending on your device). Retroarch is like an Android device; you think you need to change every settings in order for things to even work because the app lets you do that, but in reality, you don’t have to, things works fine by default.

    Watch a starter/beginner guide for Retroarch on YouTube and you’ll be set.

  7. It’s a common issue that people think Apple just isn’t playing nice with other apps or companies but truth is, they have always made it possible for these apps and companies to work together with apple software it’s just that the company or app that isn’t working is because of them. YouTube and other apps refused Picture in Picture not the other way around, and same with Siri integration and Apple TV.

  8. What the box need:

    – M1 or better
    – Netflix in the TV app
    – Maybe Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, MAX, Netflix as an AppleTV channel
    – more storage and no limitations how huge the games has to be (I thought Apple will sell storage on his devices)
    – LiveTV+Programm Guide + Recording in the tv app
    – Maps

  9. You could buy a brand new Sega Genesis Mini at an affordable price. It's a miniaturized replica down to the packaging, it works on modern TVs, and you can directly support the company and creators that gave you your childhood memories

  10. Shot in the dark: I have 2 HomePod Minis… they called for an update, installed the update, they haven’t worked since. I contacted Apple 🤷🏻‍♂️ in March, and went back and forth, still nothing. I kept getting error -5320

  11. I'm just now finding out steam sells roms. 😧… Not that I plan to buy any from there but it's good to know they are there if I can't find them elsewhere. 😜…

    As for apple loosening their grip on emulation, I think once they realize they're not making any money from it and big wigs like Nintendo asks them nicely to remove a "particular app" then Apple will rethink their decision…it's just a matter of time, wait for it.

  12. Netflix refuses to allow integration of its content into platforms like Apple TV or Google Chromecast. They want to force their subscribers to spend time finding content within their own app. It’s Netflix’s fault, not Apple on this one.

  13. I believe Netflix not being integrated with Up Next and Search on Apple TV is Netflix's choice. It's the only streaming service I use that doesn't integrate so it ends up being backburnered for me a lot. I tried moving the app to the dock so most recently watched items would show up if I go to the app screen and highlight it but it still ends up a little out of sight, out of mind when all of the other stuff I'm watching automatically pops new episodes etc up in the Up Next section.

  14. Hahaha normal people discovering how simple (ok simplish) setting up emulators are and then further finding legal means to purchasing ROMs. Thanks Sega for selling the ROMs, wish more companies did this. FYI I believe you can buy Atari ROMs as well. MagPi has an article about this as well as there is a pinned post in the Retropie forums if anyone wants to purchase ROMs. ethically.

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