PS5 RetroArch - Alpha 1

PS5 RetroArch — Alpha 1 🎮

RetroArch now runs natively on PS5, with GPU presentation powered by PS5_Vulkan.

This first public alpha includes a working menu, native controller input, stereo audio and five tested emulator cores.

✅ What works

• XMB menu, with RGUI also available.
• Vulkan video output, with a selectable CPU fallback.
• Controller input, analog menu navigation and button remapping.
• Native stereo audio.
• Content browsing and configuration saving.
• Native core loading and recovery from rejected loads.
• Correct colours and clean menu/game transitions in tested games.

🕹️ Included cores

Core	Systems
FCEUmm	NES / Famicom
mGBA	Game Boy / Game Boy Color / Game Boy Advance
Snes9x	SNES / Super Famicom
FinalBurn Neo	Supported arcade systems
Genesis Plus GX	Genesis / Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000 and Sega CD

All included cores render games in software, with RetroArch presenting their frames through Vulkan.

Coverage varies: Genesis gameplay is verified; the other Genesis Plus GX systems and disc support still need further testing.

📥 Installation

You need a PS5 already configured to run homebrew, with FTP access and a launcher that supports folder-based titles.

1. Download and extract the release ZIP.
2. Copy the entire PPSA99169 folder to /data/homebrew/PPSA99169/.
3. Check that the executable is at /data/homebrew/PPSA99169/eboot.bin.
4. Launch RetroArch through your homebrew launcher.

Avoid nesting another PPSA99169 folder inside the first one. Keep all packaged files and subfolders together.

📂 Where to put your files

These paths are accessed through FTP:

Files	Folder
Games / ROMs	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/content/
Cores	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/cores/
BIOS / system files	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/system/
FBNeo system files	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/system/fbneo/
Live configuration	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/config/retroarch.cfg
Save RAM	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/savefiles/
Save states	/data/homebrew/PPSA99169/savestates/

Inside RetroArch, the title folder appears as /app0/. Your games therefore appear under /app0/content/.

The application creates its writable folders on startup. No games or BIOS files are included.

▶️ Starting a game

1. Select Load Core and choose the appropriate emulator.
2. Select Load Content.
3. Browse to /app0/content/ and select your game.

Configure a menu-toggle shortcut under Settings → Input → Hotkeys so you can return to the menu during gameplay.

For Sega System 16/32 arcade games, use FBNeo, not Genesis Plus GX. Arcade games require compatible ROM sets.

🚧 Alpha limitations

• Compatibility is verified with selected games, not every supported system or title.
• Save RAM and save-state persistence still need broader validation.
• BIOS, CD and multi-disc workflows are not fully verified.
• RetroAchievements and netplay are unavailable in this build.
• PPSSPP, N64, Beetle PSX HW and Dolphin are not included.
• 4K, HDR, VRR, 120 Hz and advanced shader features are not validated.
• Cores from desktop RetroArch or other PS5 distributions are not automatically compatible.

Back up your configuration and saves before updating.

🐛 Reporting issues

Please include:

• The core and game-file format.
• Steps to reproduce the problem.
• Relevant settings.
• Whether you closed the application manually.

Preserve retroarch.log and trace.txt from the application folder before reopening RetroArch. Screenshots or videos are particularly helpful for rendering problems.

❤️ Credits

Developed by Mihawk, building on:

• RetroArch and the libretro community.
• BlackBearReloaded’s ProsperoLight and native PS5 application foundation.
• John Törnblom and the ps5-payload-dev contributors.
• The authors and contributors of every included emulator core.

Full credits, documentation and the roadmap are available in the project README.