Batocera vs RetroFE
Batocera
batocera.orgRetroFE
retrofe.nlSide by side
| Figure | Batocera | RetroFE |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Library Managers | 8.0 (#9) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Spec score · Game launchers | 7.6 (#33) | 8.5 (#15) |
| Purpose | Batocera Linux is a free, open-source retro-gaming distribution that can turn a computer or nano computer into a gaming console. | RetroFE is a front end for displaying, selecting, and launching games, videos, and programs, commonly for game emulation. |
| Security | Batocera says it is not designed as a secure operating system and warns users not to expose it to the open internet; its security option can change the root password and require credentials for network shares. | The maker pages opened describe RetroFE as a locally configured front end and do not state security certifications or compliance claims. |
| Support | The project points users to its wiki and Discord for documentation and community support. | The maker describes RetroFE as supported by an active and helpful community and points users to its forums. |
Plans
In their own words
Batocera
Batocera Linux is a free, open-source Linux distribution that turns compatible computers and small devices into retro-gaming consoles. It can run from a USB stick or SD card without changing the computer, or be installed permanently. Download builds are listed for desktop PCs, laptops, Intel-based Apple computers, handheld PCs, Raspberry Pi, Odroid boards, and other devices. Batocera supports many consoles, platforms, emulators, and related applications through a front end based on a modified EmulationStation. Its content downloader provides freely distributed ROMs, bezels, music themes, and other enhancements, with packages handled by pacman. Documentation covers Netplay for supported games and integrations including Kodi, RetroAchievements, The Bezel Project, Syncthing, NAS storage, and a web server. Installation requires at least 16 GB of storage; 32 GB is recommended. Batocera focuses on retro gaming and will not implement emulators for current-generation consoles.
RetroFE
RetroFE is a free, open-source front end for displaying, selecting and launching games, videos and programs, commonly used for game emulation. Collections arrange games and menu items into systems and submenus, and can show media such as box art, screenshots, logos and videos. Layouts set the front end’s appearance, with the option for collections to use their own layouts. Launcher configuration specifies an executable and arguments for starting an emulator, application or game; per-game launcher settings can override a collection’s default. Controls such as up, down, select and back are configured in a controls file. Its game information database can hold details including year, manufacturer, genre and player count. Setup involves editing global settings and controls files, then adding or editing collections. Full releases include a 32-bit Windows executable and a 64-bit Linux executable. Windows requires a recent Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio; some Linux distributions may require compiling from source. macOS users need to compile their own executable. Community-made themes are available for installation in the layouts directory, and the maker points users to forums and describes community support.