It provides a central library for no less than 12 models, including Nintendo’s Game Boy/Game Boy Advance, DS and SNES systems, plus Sega’s Game Gear, 32X and Master System. You can also check out a full list here.'Emulating old computers, consoles and even entire arcade machines on your computer is nothing new, but OpenEmu aims to make the process a whole lot easier for a wide variety of classic consoles. The list includes peripherals for PlayStation 3 and 4, the Nintendo Switch Pro, 8Bitdo, and the Xbox One and 360, as well as Wiimotes. Speaking of-OpenEmu supports a bunch of controllers right out of the box, and you’ll find they even come pre-mapped to great layouts without you having to do anything but connect them. This is great if you’re planning on playing games with your keyboard, but it’s also nice if you’re configuring a Bluetooth or USB controller.

OpenEmu saves you the hassle and shows you the controller while you’re configuring it so you get everything right without having to do extra research. It’s important that the buttons all be in the right place, which is why I usually end up googling a picture of the original controller and using that as a map. OpenEmu is the ultimate app for computer retro gaming, and the race is not particularly close.Ĭonfiguring controllers with actual visualizationsĬonfiguring controllers with most emulators is annoying because of how hard it is to visualize a controller you probably haven’t had at hand for a while. But you could probably get a PhD in computer science in roughly the same amount of time it takes to set that application up. There are other tools out there you could install that will do the job, like RetroArch for Windows or Linux. This application solves just about every frustration a novice would have with emulation software, and allows users to just drag their ROM collections, connect a supported controller, and start playing. OpenEmu is an emulation program, and it’s by far the easiest way to organize and play a retro game or ROM collection. If you’re an emulation fan you should get a Mac, immediately. It’s common knowledge that if you’re serious about gaming you should probably be using Windows, but there’s one exception: retro emulation, or old console games you play on your computer.

Macs are better than PCs for gaming. Okay, obviously I’m joking.

Openemu mac controller