# ducalex/retro-go

Retro emulation for the ODROID-GO and other ESP32 devices

Repository: https://github.com/ducalex/retro-go
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/retro-go
Language: C
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: odroid-go, launcher, lynx, nes, gameboy, pce, pceengine, turbografx-16, sms, mastersystem, gamegear, snes, emulator, sega, nintendo, mrgc-g32, esp32, doom, esp32s3
Last push: 2026-01-19T19:01:17+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 60/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 63, release rhythm 32, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2406, "days_push": 226, "days_rel": 299, "gap_med": 138.5, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1313, forks 355 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:20.346327+00:00)

## What it is
Retro-Go is a firmware for ESP32-based handheld devices (ODROID-GO, MRBC-G32, and others) that provides a launcher and heavily optimized emulators for retro game consoles. It supports NES, SNES, Game Boy, Sega systems, PC Engine, Atari Lynx, and even DOOM, with features like save states, fast forward, and a WiFi file manager.

## Use cases
- play retro games on ODROID-GO
- emulate gameboy on esp32 handheld
- flash custom firmware to retro handheld
- run doom on esp32 device
- play nes and snes roms on portable console
- manage roms over wifi on handheld emulator
- turn myretrogamecase g32 into multi-system emulator

## When to choose
- you own an ODROID-GO, MRGC-G32, or other supported ESP32 handheld
- you want a single firmware with many emulators and a unified launcher
- you need optimized performance on low-power embedded hardware
- you want save states, fast forward, and cover art on a retro handheld

## When to avoid
- you want to emulate retro games on a PC, phone, or Raspberry Pi
- your device is not ESP32-based and has no port available
- you need accurate SNES emulation at full speed on weak hardware
- you prefer building your own emulator setup from individual emulators

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: game-engine, gui, embedded
- domain: gaming-tools, embedded-systems, entertainment
- platform: embedded, iot
- tags: retro-gaming, emulator, firmware, odroid-go, esp32, gameboy, nes, snes, doom, launcher

## Member repositories
- ducalex/retro-go (main) score 60

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:20.346327+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:48:51.424841+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ducalex/retro-go (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:20.346327+00:00, sha 621347e12a47)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.