(I'm updating my review to reflect the current updates since it's been a while. Plus, some emulators have been fixed and work better now and new cores have come out since my last review.)

Retro Arch is an emulation program that can do a good selection of gaming console engines. I want to point out right away, if you do not know what an emulator is or you don't know anything about emulation, then it's best if you move on. Yes, it's a free program, but that's what this is, a program, not a game. This does not include any games. So if you are not familiar with RetroArch or other similar programs, move on or do research.

I say this because this is not something you can just install and get into right away, you have to be very knowledgeable about ROMs, BIOS, CORES, and how this program configures games, controllers, graphics, and how they work.

Now with the added DOS-BOX emulation core, this will be great for those who know how to use it. I am such a DOS fan that I still own tons of DOS games from floppies to CD-ROM. It will be neat to see how Windows 3.1/95/98 will work on this. Would be interesting to see if I can get some other DOS related ROMs and applications to work, such as OS-2/Warp, QEMM, and even see if certain TSR's will work.

(If you have no clue what DOS-BOX Is, please do some research.)

I've managed to test quite a few games for every console/handheld system and overall works pretty good with a few exceptions...

1.) = Some emulators can be a bit glitchy with certain ROMs. Expect this when you try to play any ROM, old or new.

2.) = You pretty much have to pre-configure most of the options if you want the games to work correctly.

3.) = Retro Arch does require a bit of knowledge to get started as setting up the games can be tricky. You have to understand how cores and bios works and knowledge of it's purpose. Plus, cores and bios require to be in a folder of the main program to work properly. Games also require to be "added" to the list so that the program can know how they function.

This program can do the following types of console...

Arcade (It uses Final Burn as it's core, I much prefer MAME)
Gameboy
Gameboy Color
Gameboy Advance
Game Gear
Nintendo 64 (Overall works good, couple games glitched, but I expected that)
Nintendo Entertainment System
Playstation (Possible bios required, if you don't know how to use a bios, move on)
Playstation 2 (Possible bios required)
Sega Dreamcast (This actually works really well, I was surprised)
Sega Genesis (Cart, 32x, and CD)
Sega Master System - Mark III
Super Nintendo
Turbo Graphx 16 (Card And CD)
MS-DOS

And more. I am sure they are going to update the cores as they also update the system.

The main thing i don't like about this is the whole menu system. It makes no sense and getting around the menu/interface can be a bit confusing at first. Especially for people who don't know how this program works. Plus, there are better emulation programs out there and work a lot better and actually less buggy. Almost every other multi-emulator has a better working Playstation than this.

My only concern is that emulation is becoming an issue with companies and I have been around emulation long enough to know it's issues as well as the problems it represents. In case you're not aware, although running an emulator is not illegal, owning bios and ROMs is illegal. (Unless you own the actual cartridge or disc) I am a little surprised Steam is allowing such devices on their gaming platform as they are suppose to be about legalities and copyright protection.

It's not a bad emulation program, but there are better ones out there. I recommend you do some searching around and check them out. About the only plus side is you can upload your own screen shots since it's part of the Steam family.

Another issue is that it's very fussy about the ROM formats. Unless the ROM's are a "proper" format, Retroarch will not read the ROM's correctly and games will not work. Example, if a Playstation game is in ISO or CUE/BIN format, it will read the file pretty good (For the most part), it will not read Playstation games if they are in CHD format. This also includes other gaming systems which use the CD/DVD format such as SEGA CD, Turbo Grafx 16, Dreamcast, etc.

If you are familiar with emulation, overall it works good, just be ready for a few systems to be glitchy until they can patch it or update the cores. Overall we will see where this goes and how long this will last.

Some advice for people who might have an issue while playing a ROM and still new to RetroArch...

1.) When using MAME/ FinalBurn, if the program kicks you back out when you try to run the ROM, or if you get an error message, it's usually because the ROM you are loading is what's called a "Bad Dump", meaning the ROM is missing a file or the whole ROM itself is made wrong. So if you try to play an arcade game, and it's not working, you need to download/get a working ROM.

2.) This is also true for consoles, such as Playstation, SNES, SEGA Genesis. If you get a ROM that doesn't load correctly, most cases, you got a bad ROM. Not all sites offer working ROMs, so make sure to test your games when you download them.

3.) Don't be too upset when you play a title that is a "HACK" and it quits working. Those usually tend to be glitchy. They are not intended to function properly with an emulator. This is not to say that "HACKed" ROMs are bad, they just tend to not work as good as the original game/title.

(I'm updating my review to reflect the current updates since it's been a while. Plus, some emulators have been fixed and work better now and new cores have come out since my last review.) Retro Arch is an emulation program that can do a good selection of gaming console engines. I want to point out right away, if you do not know what an emulator is or you don't know anything about emulation, then it's best if you move on. Yes, it's a free program, but that's what this is, a program, not a game. This does not include any games. So if you are not familiar with RetroArch or other similar programs, move on or do research. I say this because this is not something you can just install and get into right away, you have to be very knowledgeable about ROMs, BIOS, CORES, and how this program configures games, controllers, graphics, and how they work. Now with the added DOS-BOX emulation core, this will be great for those who know how to use it. I am such a DOS fan that I still own tons of DOS games from floppies to CD-ROM. It will be neat to see how Windows 3.1/95/98 will work on this. Would be interesting to see if I can get some other DOS related ROMs and applications to work, such as OS-2/Warp, QEMM, and even see if certain TSR's will work. (If you have no clue what DOS-BOX Is, please do some research.) I've managed to test quite a few games for every console/handheld system and overall works pretty good with a few exceptions... 1.) = Some emulators can be a bit glitchy with certain ROMs. Expect this when you try to play any ROM, old or new. 2.) = You pretty much have to pre-configure most of the options if you want the games to work correctly. 3.) = Retro Arch does require a bit of knowledge to get started as setting up the games can be tricky. You have to understand how cores and bios works and knowledge of it's purpose. Plus, cores and bios require to be in a folder of the main program to work properly. Games also require to be "added" to the list so that the program can know how they function. This program can do the following types of console... Arcade (It uses Final Burn as it's core, I much prefer MAME) Gameboy Gameboy Color Gameboy Advance Game Gear Nintendo 64 (Overall works good, couple games glitched, but I expected that) Nintendo Entertainment System Playstation (Possible bios required, if you don't know how to use a bios, move on) Playstation 2 (Possible bios required) Sega Dreamcast (This actually works really well, I was surprised) Sega Genesis (Cart, 32x, and CD) Sega Master System - Mark III Super Nintendo Turbo Graphx 16 (Card And CD) MS-DOS And more. I am sure they are going to update the cores as they also update the system. The main thing i don't like about this is the whole menu system. It makes no sense and getting around the menu/interface can be a bit confusing at first. Especially for people who don't know how this program works. Plus, there are better emulation programs out there and work a lot better and actually less buggy. Almost every other multi-emulator has a better working Playstation than this. My only concern is that emulation is becoming an issue with companies and I have been around emulation long enough to know it's issues as well as the problems it represents. In case you're not aware, although running an emulator is not illegal, owning bios and ROMs is illegal. (Unless you own the actual cartridge or disc) I am a little surprised Steam is allowing such devices on their gaming platform as they are suppose to be about legalities and copyright protection. It's not a bad emulation program, but there are better ones out there. I recommend you do some searching around and check them out. About the only plus side is you can upload your own screen shots since it's part of the Steam family. Another issue is that it's very fussy about the ROM formats. Unless the ROM's are a "proper" format, Retroarch will not read the ROM's correctly and games will not work. Example, if a Playstation game is in ISO or CUE/BIN format, it will read the file pretty good (For the most part), it will not read Playstation games if they are in CHD format. This also includes other gaming systems which use the CD/DVD format such as SEGA CD, Turbo Grafx 16, Dreamcast, etc. If you are familiar with emulation, overall it works good, just be ready for a few systems to be glitchy until they can patch it or update the cores. Overall we will see where this goes and how long this will last. Some advice for people who might have an issue while playing a ROM and still new to RetroArch... 1.) When using MAME/ FinalBurn, if the program kicks you back out when you try to run the ROM, or if you get an error message, it's usually because the ROM you are loading is what's called a "Bad Dump", meaning the ROM is missing a file or the whole ROM itself is made wrong. So if you try to play an arcade game, and it's not working, you need to download/get a working ROM. 2.) This is also true for consoles, such as Playstation, SNES, SEGA Genesis. If you get a ROM that doesn't load correctly, most cases, you got a bad ROM. Not all sites offer working ROMs, so make sure to test your games when you download them. 3.) Don't be too upset when you play a title that is a "HACK" and it quits working. Those usually tend to be glitchy. They are not intended to function properly with an emulator. This is not to say that "HACKed" ROMs are bad, they just tend to not work as good as the original game/title.