the.com/libretro
one emulator core to rule them all, none of them to actually run.
means an api and framework that lets emulators be built as portable plug-in cores instead of standalone programs.
from grew out of the ssnes project around 2010-2011, when developers wanted a way to decouple emulator logic from the frontend that displays it, so any core could plug into any interface.
not an emulatorit is the plumbing emulators plug into
frontendretroarch is the main libretro frontend
cores galoreover 200 cores cover consoles, arcades, engines
runs anywheresame core works on pc, phone, raspberry pi, consoles
for instance
retroarch — the flagship frontend, available on almost every platform since 2011
snes9x core — popular super nintendo emulator ported as a libretro core
mupen64plus core — nintendo 64 emulation running inside retroarch
flycast core — dreamcast emulator adapted to the libretro api