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🐸 TreeFrogUI

TreeFrogUI is a free, custom retro-emulation frontend for a range of MIPS-based Hichip handhelds.

It replaces the stock game menu with a faster, more configurable interface and significantly expands the number of supported systems and features.

TreeFrogUI combines a lightweight game browser, dozens of emulator cores, save-state support, configurable video and audio options, themes, artwork, media applications, Quick Resume, and more.

New to TreeFrogUI?
The recommended way to get started is with the TreeFrogUI Installer.

Manual installation is also available through the Installation Guide.

📱

🧑‍💻 Development

TreeFrogUI is open source and is built around several components, including:

  • TreeFrogUI / FrogUI — game browser and launcher;

  • picoarch — libretro frontend and hardware integration layer;

  • libretro cores — emulators for individual systems;

  • standalone applications and emulators;

  • device-specific boot integration;

  • device-specific patches and configuration.

TreeFrogUI integrates with the device boot process to launch its own frontend while maintaining compatibility with the underlying hardware environment.

Developers interested in building, porting, testing, debugging, or contributing can start here:

➡️ TreeFrogUI Repository

➡️ Developer Documentation

🐛 Bugs, Feedback and Contributions

Found a bug or have an idea for TreeFrogUI?

➡️ Open a GitHub Issue

You can also join the TreeFrogUI community on Discord:

➡️ TreeFrogUI Discord

Contributions, testing results, compatibility reports, bug reports, and documentation improvements are welcome.

When reporting a device-specific issue, please include:

  • your exact device model and revision;

  • your TreeFrogUI version;

  • how TreeFrogUI was installed;

  • what you expected to happen;

  • what actually happened;

  • clear reproduction steps;

  • log.txt, when applicable.

Providing detailed information makes diagnosing hardware-specific problems much easier.

☕ Support the Project

TreeFrogUI is maintained independently, and supporting new handheld models often requires access to physical hardware for development and testing.

If you enjoy TreeFrogUI and would like to support its development:

➡️ Support TreeFrogUI on Ko-fi

📄 License and Attribution

TreeFrogUI combines multiple open-source components, and each component retains its respective license.

The TreeFrogUI frontend is based on heavily modified open-source software, while emulator cores, libraries, applications, and other included components may use different licenses.

Always refer to the complete license information before redistributing or modifying the project:

➡️ License and Attribution

🔗 Useful Links

Welcome to TreeFrogUI. 🐸🎮

Enjoy your handheld, explore the available systems, customize the interface, and help make TreeFrogUI better by reporting issues and sharing your experience.

# 🐸 TreeFrogUI

TreeFrogUI is a free, custom retro-emulation frontend for a range of MIPS-based Hichip handhelds.

It replaces the stock game menu with a faster, more configurable interface and significantly expands the number of supported systems and features.

TreeFrogUI combines a lightweight game browser, dozens of emulator cores, save-state support, configurable video and audio options, themes, artwork, media applications, Quick Resume, and more.

New to TreeFrogUI? The recommended way to get started is with the [TreeFrogUI Installer](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI-installer/releases).

Manual installation is also available through the [Installation Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/install.md).

📱 Supported Devices

TreeFrogUI currently supports:

Device Support
R36SX v2.6 ✅ Supported
R36SX v2.7 ✅ Supported
R36HD / compatible R36SX clones ✅ Supported
SF3000 ✅ Supported
SF3000 HD ✅ Supported
SF3100 ✅ Supported
SF3500 ✅ Supported
GB350 ✅ Supported

A single TreeFrogUI release package supports multiple device families and automatically detects the appropriate hardware configuration at boot.

Device revisions can differ internally even when the consoles look almost identical. Always make sure you are installing TreeFrogUI for a supported device and follow the installation instructions carefully.

🚀 Installation

Recommended Method: TreeFrogUI Installer

The recommended way to install TreeFrogUI is by using the official TreeFrogUI Installer.

The installer guides you through the installation process and handles the required device-specific setup, making it the easiest installation method for most users.

It is available for:

  • Windows
  • Linux
  • macOS

➡️ [Download the TreeFrogUI Installer](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI-installer/releases)

For most users, the TreeFrogUI Installer should be the first choice.

⚠️ Important Installation Warning

🔴 Do not install TreeFrogUI over the factory/preinstalled SD-card operating system.

TreeFrogUI should be installed on a freshly prepared SD card.

Installing it directly over the factory/preinstalled system may cause problems such as:

  • missing or broken audio;
  • incorrect controls;
  • display issues;
  • crashes;
  • boot failures.

Whenever possible, keep a backup of your original SD card before making any changes.

Using a separate, good-quality SD card for TreeFrogUI is strongly recommended.

Manual Installation

Manual installation is available for advanced users or situations where the installer cannot be used.

➡️ [Manual Installation Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/install.md)

Unless you specifically need the manual process, use the official installer instead.

⚡ Quick Start

For most users, getting started with TreeFrogUI looks like this:

  1. Identify your exact device model.
  2. Back up your original SD card.
  3. Get a fresh SD card for TreeFrogUI.
  4. Download the [TreeFrogUI Installer](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI-installer/releases).
  5. Follow the installer instructions and select the appropriate device when prompted.
  6. Insert the prepared SD card into your console.
  7. Boot TreeFrogUI.
  8. Copy your games into the appropriate folders under roms/.
  9. Add any required BIOS or firmware files.
  10. Customize themes, artwork, emulator options, and other preferences as desired.

For users who cannot use the installer:

➡️ [Manual Installation Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/install.md)

✨ Features

TreeFrogUI is more than a replacement game list. It provides a complete frontend and emulation environment designed specifically for supported handhelds.

🎮 Emulation

TreeFrogUI supports dozens of emulator cores and systems, including:

  • NES / Famicom
  • SNES / Super Famicom
  • Game Boy
  • Game Boy Color
  • Game Boy Advance
  • Mega Drive / Genesis
  • Sega Master System
  • Game Gear
  • Sega CD
  • PlayStation 1
  • PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
  • Neo Geo
  • Arcade systems
  • Atari systems
  • Commodore Amiga
  • Commodore 64
  • MSX
  • ZX Spectrum
  • DOS / PC
  • PICO-8
  • Doom
  • Quake
  • Cave Story
  • Arduboy
  • and many more

See the complete system and emulator mapping here:

➡️ [Supported Systems and Cores](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/cores.md)

🕹️ User Experience

TreeFrogUI includes features such as:

  • configurable emulator core options;
  • in-game saves;
  • save states;
  • Quick Resume;
  • automatic save/load support;
  • Recent Games;
  • optional OnionOS-style Game Switcher;
  • favourites;
  • play-time statistics;
  • screenshots;
  • fast-forward;
  • rewind;
  • configurable display scaling;
  • configurable audio and video settings;
  • customizable themes;
  • multiple menu layouts;
  • system icons;
  • background theme packs;
  • custom fonts;
  • custom wallpapers;
  • box art;
  • title-screen artwork;
  • screenshots;
  • USB / OTG game libraries;
  • offline updates.

🎵 Media and Applications

TreeFrogUI also provides applications beyond emulation, including:

  • 📖 Ebook reader
  • 🎬 Video player
  • 🎵 Music player
  • 🖼️ Image viewer
  • 🎧 Rockbox support

🎮 Adding Games

Games are stored inside the roms/ directory on your SD card.

The folder name determines which emulator or system TreeFrogUI uses.

For example:

roms/
├── FC/
│   └── Super Mario Bros.nes
├── SFC/
│   └── Super Mario World.sfc
├── GBA/
│   └── Advance Wars.gba
├── gb/
│   └── Tetris.gb
├── MD/
│   └── Sonic.md
└── PS/
    ├── Game.bin
    └── Game.cue

Common examples:

Folder System
FC NES / Famicom
SFC SNES / Super Famicom
GBA Game Boy Advance
gb Game Boy / Game Boy Color
MD Mega Drive / Genesis
GG Game Gear
PS PlayStation 1
pce PC Engine
amiga Commodore Amiga
c64 Commodore 64
m2k MAME 2000
pico8 PICO-8

Some systems support multiple folders or alternative emulator cores.

➡️ [Full ROM Folder and Emulator Mapping](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/README.md#rom-folder-setup)

🕹️ Arcade Games

Arcade emulators generally require ROM sets matching the specific emulator/core version.

In most cases, arcade .zip files should remain zipped.

Using the wrong ROM set may result in:

  • games not launching;
  • missing files;
  • incorrect graphics;
  • missing audio;
  • crashes.

See the dedicated arcade documentation:

➡️ [Arcade Setup Documentation](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/docs/cores/arcade.md)

💾 BIOS and Firmware Files

Some systems require additional BIOS or firmware files to work correctly.

Common examples include:

  • PlayStation 1
  • Game Boy Advance
  • Sega CD
  • Famicom Disk System
  • Neo Geo
  • Commodore Amiga
  • Atari ST
  • Odyssey² / Videopac
  • PC-FX
  • PC-88

BIOS files are typically stored in:

cubegm/bios/

Some emulator cores may have different requirements, so check the individual core documentation when necessary.

TreeFrogUI does not provide proprietary BIOS files, commercial ROM sets, or copyrighted game data that must be supplied by the user. Only use files you have the legal right to use.

🎮 Essential In-Game Shortcuts

For most libretro-based systems, SELECT acts as the function key.

Shortcut Action
SELECT + START Open the in-game menu
SELECT + R2 Save state
SELECT + L2 Load state
SELECT + R1 Fast-forward
SELECT + B Hold to rewind
SELECT + L1 Take a screenshot

Fast-forward and rewind may need to be enabled through the emulator's Audio and video options.

Some standalone emulators use their own menus and shortcut systems.

🎨 Customization

TreeFrogUI is highly customizable.

You can change:

  • color themes;
  • menu styles;
  • system icon packs;
  • background theme packs;
  • per-system backgrounds;
  • wallpapers;
  • fonts;
  • box art;
  • screenshots;
  • title-screen artwork;
  • display scaling.

See the complete customization documentation:

➡️ [Customization Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/theme.md)

🖼️ Game Artwork

Artwork can be placed alongside ROM collections using .res directories.

For example:

roms/GBA/Advance Wars.gba
roms/GBA/.res/Advance Wars.png

Artwork can be used to display game covers, screenshots, title screens, and other visual assets inside TreeFrogUI.

🔌 USB / OTG Game Libraries

TreeFrogUI can use a FAT32 USB / OTG drive as a separate game library on supported hardware.

A typical external drive looks like:

roms/
├── GBA/
├── FC/
├── SFC/
├── PS/
└── ...

The external library can then be selected as a game source from TreeFrogUI.

See the complete guide:

➡️ [USB / OTG Storage Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/docs/otg-storage.md)

🖥️ Display Scaling

Display capabilities differ between device families.

Depending on the device and emulator, TreeFrogUI provides scaling options such as:

  • Integer scaling
  • Native scaling
  • Fill
  • Aspect-ratio scaling

Some device families have different scaling capabilities because of their display hardware and stock display drivers.

See the dedicated documentation:

➡️ [Display Scaling Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/docs/display-scaling.md)

🔄 Updating TreeFrogUI

TreeFrogUI supports offline updates on compatible installations.

Typically, updating involves:

  1. Download the official update.zip.
  2. Copy it to the root of the SD card.
  3. Safely eject the card.
  4. Insert it into the console.
  5. Boot the device.
  6. Allow TreeFrogUI to verify and apply the update.

Updates are designed to preserve personal content such as:

  • ROMs;
  • BIOS files;
  • saves;
  • save states;
  • screenshots;
  • favourites;
  • recent games;
  • play-time data;
  • personal media.

Some older installations may require a full or manual upgrade before the automatic update system can be used.

➡️ [Latest TreeFrogUI Releases](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/releases/latest)

➡️ [Release Notes](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/release-notes.md)

🛠️ Troubleshooting

If TreeFrogUI does not boot or behaves unexpectedly, first verify:

  • you are using a supported device;
  • you selected the correct device during installation;
  • the SD card was prepared correctly;
  • you did not install TreeFrogUI over the factory/preinstalled system;
  • required BIOS files are present;
  • ROMs are inside the correct folders;
  • the SD card itself is working correctly.

Enable Diagnostic Logging

Logging is disabled by default to avoid unnecessary writes to the SD card.

To enable diagnostic logging:

  1. Power off the console.
  2. Insert the SD card into your computer.
  3. Create an empty file named:
log.txt

at the root of the SD card, next to directories such as:

cubegm/
frogui/
roms/
  1. Put the SD card back into the console.
  2. Boot the device.
  3. Reproduce the problem.
  4. Remove the SD card and inspect /log.txt.

The log can provide useful information about:

  • the boot process;
  • detected hardware;
  • device configuration;
  • display initialization;
  • application startup;
  • emulator crashes.

Delete log.txt afterwards to disable logging again.

📚 Documentation

The following resources provide more detailed information about TreeFrogUI:

Topic Documentation
Recommended Installation [TreeFrogUI Installer](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI-installer/releases)
Manual Installation [Installation Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/install.md)
Downloads [TreeFrogUI Releases](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/releases/latest)
ROM folders [ROM Folder Setup](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/README.md#rom-folder-setup)
Emulator cores [Cores Reference](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/cores.md)
Core-specific setup [Core Guides](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/tree/main/docs/cores)
Themes and customization [Customization Guide](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/theme.md)
USB / OTG libraries [OTG Storage](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/docs/otg-storage.md)
Display scaling [Display Scaling](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/docs/display-scaling.md)
Release history [Release Notes](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/release-notes.md)
Developer documentation [Developer Docs](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/tree/main/docs/dev)

🧑‍💻 Development

TreeFrogUI is open source and is built around several components, including:

  • TreeFrogUI / FrogUI — game browser and launcher;
  • picoarch — libretro frontend and hardware integration layer;
  • libretro cores — emulators for individual systems;
  • standalone applications and emulators;
  • device-specific boot integration;
  • device-specific patches and configuration.

TreeFrogUI integrates with the device boot process to launch its own frontend while maintaining compatibility with the underlying hardware environment.

Developers interested in building, porting, testing, debugging, or contributing can start here:

➡️ [TreeFrogUI Repository](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI)

➡️ [Developer Documentation](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/tree/main/docs/dev)

🐛 Bugs, Feedback and Contributions

Found a bug or have an idea for TreeFrogUI?

➡️ [Open a GitHub Issue](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/issues)

You can also join the TreeFrogUI community on Discord:

➡️ [TreeFrogUI Discord](https://discord.gg/JYFsmBYFBd)

Contributions, testing results, compatibility reports, bug reports, and documentation improvements are welcome.

When reporting a device-specific issue, please include:

  • your exact device model and revision;
  • your TreeFrogUI version;
  • how TreeFrogUI was installed;
  • what you expected to happen;
  • what actually happened;
  • clear reproduction steps;
  • log.txt, when applicable.

Providing detailed information makes diagnosing hardware-specific problems much easier.

☕ Support the Project

TreeFrogUI is maintained independently, and supporting new handheld models often requires access to physical hardware for development and testing.

If you enjoy TreeFrogUI and would like to support its development:

➡️ [Support TreeFrogUI on Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/proszty)

📄 License and Attribution

TreeFrogUI combines multiple open-source components, and each component retains its respective license.

The TreeFrogUI frontend is based on heavily modified open-source software, while emulator cores, libraries, applications, and other included components may use different licenses.

Always refer to the complete license information before redistributing or modifying the project:

➡️ [License and Attribution](https://github.com/tzubertowski/TreeFrogUI/blob/main/LICENSE.md)

🔗 Useful Links

Welcome to TreeFrogUI. 🐸🎮

Enjoy your handheld, explore the available systems, customize the interface, and help make TreeFrogUI better by reporting issues and sharing your experience.

Clone this wiki locally