Resume
Right where you left off
Quit whenever you want. PolyConsole saves as you leave and drops you back in the moment you return. Missed a jump? Rewind it, or Jump Back to a moment ago.
A retro console for the TV you already own
Drop in a game.
Press play.
PolyConsole turns your TV, your phone or tablet, or your computer into a retro console. Point it at the games you own and they line up on a shelf, ready to play. No emulators to wire together, no settings to babysit.
This is PolyConsole itself, running in your browser. Add games you own from your computer, or drop them on the screen, and play with a keyboard or a gamepad. They stay in this browser, and nothing you add leaves your computer. Read how it is built on oneiriq.com.
How it works
From a pile of files to playing.
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Point it at your games
A folder on your computer or tablet, a USB stick, or a share on your home network. Loose files and zipped sets both work, tucked away as deep as you like.
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It sorts them out
PolyConsole reads each file to tell which system it belongs to, folds duplicates together, and puts every game on its console's shelf. Got box art or BIOS files beside your games? It uses those too.
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Press play
The right emulator loads by itself. TVs, phones, and tablets have them built in, and a computer fetches each one the first time it is needed. Nothing to download by hand, no settings to tune.
Made for the couch
The console handles the hard parts.
Controllers
Any controller, no setup screen
Plug in or pair whatever controller you have, even mid game, and each new one is the next player. The Siri Remote drives the menus on Apple TV, keyboards work on computers, and phones and tablets get touch controls on screen.
Looks
The glow you remember
A CRT filter is on from the start, so old games get their scanlines back. Rest on a game and its cover comes alive with a quiet preview of it running.
Family
Safe for the whole family
Parental controls sit behind a PIN, so kids only see the games you pick. Snap a screenshot from the pause menu and it lands in your Scrapbook.
What it plays
Nearly a hundred systems.
From the Atari 2600 to the Dreamcast, with home computers, arcade boards, and a few games that run all on their own. 96 in all, and counting.
Nintendo 15
- NES
- Famicom Disk System
- Super Nintendo
- Satellaview
- Sufami Turbo
- Game Boy
- Game Boy Color
- Game Boy Advance
- Virtual Boy
- Nintendo 64
- Nintendo DS
- GameCube
- Wii
- Pokemon Mini
- Game & Watch
Sega 11
- SG-1000
- SC-3000
- Master System
- Genesis / Mega Drive
- Sega CD
- 32X
- Game Gear
- Pico
- Saturn
- Dreamcast
- Naomi
Sony 2
- PlayStation
- PSP
NEC 6
- TurboGrafx-16
- TurboGrafx-CD
- SuperGrafx
- PC-FX
- PC-8801
- PC-98
SNK 3
- Neo Geo
- Neo Geo CD
- Neo Geo Pocket
Atari 7
- 2600
- 5200
- 7800
- 8-bit
- Lynx
- Jaguar
- ST
Arcade 6
- FinalBurn Neo
- MAME 2003
- MAME 2010
- CPS-1
- CPS-2
- CPS-3
More consoles 13
- 3DO
- CD-i
- ColecoVision
- Intellivision
- Vectrex
- Odyssey 2
- Channel F
- WonderSwan
- Supervision
- Mega Duck
- Arduboy
- Uzebox
- Vircon32
Home computers 12
- Amiga
- Amstrad CPC
- MSX
- MSX2
- ZX Spectrum
- ZX81
- X68000
- Spectravideo
- Tandy CoCo
- Dragon 32/64
- Elektronika BK
- Galaksija
Fantasy consoles 3
- TIC-80
- WASM-4
- Lutro
Games on their own 18
- Doom
- Quake
- Quake II
- Quake III
- Wolfenstein 3D
- ScummVM
- Cave Story
- OutRun
- Flashback
- Rick Dangerous
- Tyrian
- Mr. Boom
- Jump 'n Bump
- Dinothawr
- 2048
- Craft
- RPG Maker 2000/2003
- Z-Machine
Some systems, like the PlayStation and the Saturn, want BIOS files from your own hardware. Apple TV and iPad skip a few, like GameCube and Wii. A few more systems are in testing and will join the wall when they are steady.
Play together
Couch co-op, minus the couch.
Play the same game with friends on your home network or across the internet, whatever screen each of you has. Every machine runs the game in step, and PolyConsole measures the connection and sets the timing to match, so it feels like everyone is in the room.
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Any screen, one match
Every build carries the same netplay. A PC, a Shield, and two phones have shared one game, and so have a Mac, an iPad, and an Apple TV.
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Host for Friends
Open your game to friends from the pause menu. They tap your name and land in the same match.
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Same game, checked
Before anyone joins, PolyConsole checks you all have the same copy. If a machine ever slips out of step, it is caught and put back without ending the match.
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Pull up a seat
Friends without the game can still watch along. Chat in the Lobby, your room, or a whisper. Messages are relayed and never stored.
Four players, 60 frames a second. Measured on real hardware: a Windows PC hosting, a wired Shield, and two phones, with no stalls on any of them.
Where it runs
Play it here today. The apps are on the way.
PolyConsole runs right on this page. The apps for TVs, phones, tablets, and computers come from the same code and run today, shared with friends while the rough edges come off, and every build speaks the same netplay. There is no public download of the apps yet. When that changes, this is where it will be.
- Android TV Nvidia Shield and other Android TV boxes. It opens from the home screen like any other app. Runs today
- Apple TV Apple TV 4K. The Siri Remote drives the menus, and a Bluetooth controller plays. Runs today
- Android phones and tablets Touch controls on screen, or clip it into a controller grip. Runs today
- iPad Touch controls on screen, with your games in the Files app or on a home share. Runs today
- iPhone The same app as the iPad. It is next to be tried on a real phone. Nearly there
- Windows The desktop build, 3D systems included. Runs today
- Mac Macs with Apple silicon. The 3D systems are still on the way. Runs today
- Linux The desktop build, 3D systems included. Runs today
- Web browser Right here on this page, in browsers with WebGPU. The 3D systems are not there yet. Runs today
On the way
What is next.
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Achievements
Unlock RetroAchievements in the classics you already love. In the works now.
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A window into a friend's game
Keep a friend's game in a corner of your screen while you play your own, so an evening together does not need the same game.
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Quick resume
A strip of your recent games, each showing exactly where you left it, ready with one press.
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Online in the browser
Friends, chat, and netplay on this page too, the way they work in the apps. For now the browser plays on its own.
Questions
Good to know.
Can I download it?
Not yet, but you can play it right here, in your browser, today. The apps for TVs, phones, tablets, and computers are shared with friends for now, while the rough edges come off. When that changes, this page will say so.
What can I play in the browser?
Games for 40 emulators, from the Atari 2600 and the NES through the Super Nintendo, the Genesis, the Game Boy Advance, the PlayStation, the Nintendo 64, the Dreamcast, and the arcade. The PSP is not in the browser yet. You need a browser with WebGPU, like a current Chrome, Edge, or Safari.
Will it cost anything?
No. No price and no upsell waiting down the line. Playing on your own does not need an account either. Only the online side, friends and chat, uses one.
Does it come with games?
No, and it never will. PolyConsole plays the games you already own. Point it at your collection and it takes care of the rest.
How is this different from RetroArch?
Under the hood it runs the same family of libretro emulators, but it runs them inside one app and makes the choices for you. RetroArch is a toolbox with a lot of knobs. PolyConsole is the appliance: fewer settings, more playing.
Do I need BIOS files?
For some systems, yes. A few consoles, like the PlayStation and the Saturn, want the BIOS from your own hardware, and games like Doom or Quake need their original data files. Keep them beside your games and PolyConsole puts them where the emulator looks. Most cartridge systems need nothing extra.
Does it run on Apple devices?
Yes, on Apple TV, iPad, and the Mac, and they play netplay with each other like everything else. Apple does not let an app download emulators, so they come built in. A few systems, like GameCube and Wii, need a speed trick Apple does not allow, so Apple TV and iPad go without them. On the Mac, the 3D systems are still on the way, and iPhone shares the iPad app.
Can I play with friends far away?
Yes. Netplay works on your home network or across the internet, and it does not matter what each of you plays on: every build speaks the same netplay. PolyConsole measures the connection and sets the timing to match. Four players have shared a match at a steady 60 frames a second.
What does it touch on my machine?
Only what you give it. In the browser, the games you add stay in this browser's own storage, and nothing you add leaves your computer. The apps read the folders you point them at and keep their own saves and settings. On a computer they also fetch emulators from the libretro project when they need them.