Pegasus Frontend vs RetroArch
Pegasus Frontend
pegasus-frontend.orgRetroArch
retroarch.comSide by side
| Figure | Pegasus Frontend | RetroArch |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game launchers | 8.0 (#22) | 9.1 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game Library Managers | 7.6 (#18) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Spec score · Emulation Frontends | 7.5 (#17) | 8.4 (#6) |
| Purpose | Pegasus provides a graphical interface for collecting games from various platforms, displaying game information and media, and launching games or emulators. | RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players that runs classic games through a graphical interface with unified settings. |
| Support | The project links users to its documentation, Discord, and development thread for information and community discussion. | The FAQ directs users to the forums, Discord and documentation for help. |
Plans
In their own words
Pegasus Frontend
Pegasus Frontend is a free graphical interface for collecting games from different platforms, viewing game information and media, and launching games or emulators. Users configure how emulators launch, while themes can change both the presentation of a collection and how people interact with it. Navigation supports gamepads, keyboards, mice and touch, across screen sizes from TVs to handhelds. Listed automatic game sources include Steam, GOG, Android apps, Lutris, EmulationStation and LaunchBox, though availability varies by platform. Lutris support is marked experimental. Pegasus can use its own metadata files or read EmulationStation gamelists and associated assets. It does not include or download games, emulators, stores or game assets, so users must supply those separately. Official releases are listed for Windows 7 or later, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Android 5 or later, and macOS 10.13 or later. Android installation requires manually enabling APK installation, and Pegasus is not available from the Play Store.
RetroArch
RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines, and media players, bringing them under a unified settings system. The RetroArch/Libretro project includes more than 200 cores across those categories. Its menu can group scanned games by system and display thumbnails and animated backgrounds. Common game controllers configure automatically when plugged in, and button actions can also be assigned manually.
Stackable shaders can change rendered graphics or imitate the look of CRT monitors. Built-in netplay supports hosting or joining network gaming sessions, including spectator mode. RetroArch can record gameplay to video files and stream games to Twitch or YouTube. Versions are listed for Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and web browsers. RetroArch is free and open source under GPL version 3; the libretro API uses an MIT license. Features differ by platform and store version: the browser edition has lower performance and fewer capabilities than the full version, while Steam lacks Core Updater and thumbnail scraping and offers a selected core set.