ES-DE Frontend vs RetroBat

ES-DE Frontend browses and launches games from a multi-platform collection and can also run locally installed games and applications. It supports more than 150 game systems and comes configured for a large selection of emulators, game engines, game managers, and gaming services. Its built-in scraper downloads game details and media, including images, videos, and manuals. Users can adjust configuration options and themes, and download additional themes through the built-in theme downloader. The interface supports full controller navigation. Windows, macOS, and Linux editions are free to download and use, fully open source, and may be distributed freely. The Android release is a paid, partially closed-source app, and no price is listed. It is available through Patreon, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Huawei AppGallery. The Android FAQ gives 64-bit Android 10 or later as the basic requirement and says one purchase can be used on all of the buyer’s devices without a subscription or additional costs. Support links include a user guide, FAQs, and Discord.

RetroBat is a free, open-source Windows frontend for organizing and playing retro game ROM collections. It supports more than 230 consoles and computers and can run from a PC, hard drive, or USB key. The setup does not include emulator programs; an internet connection is required to download additional emulators. Library metadata can be scraped from ScreenScraper, TheGamesDB, HFSDB, ArcadeDB, and IGDB. ScreenScraper is the default and requires credentials. Retrieved information may include ratings, images, videos, maps, manuals, and pad-to-key settings. RetroBat also lists downloadable themes, shaders, bezels, netplay, cheats, save states, and rewind. Major Windows-compatible controllers should work, with X-Input recommended for best compatibility. Supported operating systems are Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1. The plan is free, and help is available through Discord, the forum, and the FAQ.