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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 and more configurable interface while expanding the number of supported systems and features.
TreeFrogUI includes emulator cores, save states, Quick Resume, configurable audio and video options, themes, artwork, media applications, USB / OTG game libraries, and more.
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 your device is supported before installation.
The recommended way to install TreeFrogUI is with the official TreeFrogUI Installer.
The installer handles the required device-specific setup and is available for:
- Windows
- Linux
- macOS
➡️ Download the TreeFrogUI Installer
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 system may result in problems such as:
- missing or broken audio;
- incorrect controls;
- display problems;
- crashes;
- boot failures.
Whenever possible:
- keep a backup of your original SD card;
- use a separate, good-quality SD card for TreeFrogUI;
- make sure the correct device is selected during installation.
If you need to install TreeFrogUI manually:
TreeFrogUI supports a wide range of consoles, computers, arcade systems, game engines, and emulator cores.
Examples include:
- 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 systems
- MSX
- ZX Spectrum
- DOS / PC
- PICO-8
- Doom
- Quake
- and more
➡️ View Supported Systems and Cores
TreeFrogUI includes features such as:
- save states;
- automatic save/load support;
- Quick Resume;
- Recent Games;
- optional Game Switcher;
- favourites;
- play-time statistics;
- screenshots;
- fast-forward;
- rewind;
- configurable audio and video options;
- multiple menu layouts;
- themes and custom artwork.
Additional applications include:
- 📖 Ebook reader
- 🎬 Video player
- 🎵 Music player
- 🖼️ Image viewer
- 🎧 Rockbox support
Games are stored inside the roms/ directory on the SD card.
The folder containing a game determines which system or emulator TreeFrogUI launches.
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 |
➡️ View the complete ROM Folder and Emulator Mapping
Some systems require additional BIOS or firmware files. Arcade systems may also require ROM sets matching a particular emulator or core version.
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 |
Some standalone emulators use their own menus and shortcut systems.
TreeFrogUI can be customized with:
- color themes;
- menu styles;
- system icons;
- background themes;
- wallpapers;
- fonts;
- box art;
- screenshots;
- title-screen artwork;
- display scaling.
TreeFrogUI can use compatible USB / OTG storage as an additional game library on supported hardware.
USB behavior may vary depending on the handheld, adapter, storage device, and hardware revision.
Available display-scaling options depend on the device and emulator.
Options may include:
- Integer scaling
- Native scaling
- Fill
- Aspect-ratio scaling
TreeFrogUI supports offline updates on compatible installations.
Updates are designed to preserve personal content such as:
- ROMs;
- BIOS files;
- saves;
- save states;
- screenshots;
- favourites;
- recent games;
- play-time data;
- personal media.
➡️ Download the Latest TreeFrogUI Release
If TreeFrogUI does not boot or behaves unexpectedly, first check:
- that your device is supported;
- that the correct device was selected during installation;
- that the SD card was prepared correctly;
- that TreeFrogUI was not installed over the factory system;
- that required BIOS files are present;
- that ROMs are stored in the correct folders;
- that the SD card itself is working correctly.
TreeFrogUI can generate diagnostic information using log.txt.
To enable logging:
- Power off the console.
- Insert the SD card into your computer.
- Create an empty file named
log.txtat the root of the SD card. - Insert the card back into the console.
- Boot TreeFrogUI.
- Reproduce the problem.
- Inspect
/log.txt.
Delete log.txt afterwards to disable diagnostic logging.
Compatibility may differ depending on the game, emulator, hardware revision, BIOS, ROM format, and TreeFrogUI version.
Community reports can help identify problematic games, emulator-specific issues, and possible compatibility improvements.
A dedicated list is being built from reported PlayStation 1 performance and compatibility results.
➡️ List of PS1 Games and Their Reported Performance
The underlying compatibility data is maintained as a CSV file:
➡️ View the PS1 Compatibility Database
TreeFrogUI continues to evolve through experimentation, testing, development, and community contributions.
Some technical topics and possible future directions that have been discussed include:
- USB and Wi-Fi exploration;
- PSP emulation;
- USB OTG improvements and stabilization;
- FrogShell and developer tools;
- multi-language support;
- PlayStation 1 compatibility improvements.
These topics represent areas of interest and exploration, not fixed commitments, priorities, or release schedules.
➡️ Development Ideas & Areas of Interest
TreeFrogUI is open source and includes several components, such as:
- TreeFrogUI / FrogUI — game browser and launcher;
- picoarch — libretro frontend and hardware integration layer;
- libretro cores;
- standalone applications and emulators;
- device-specific integration and configuration.
Developers interested in building, porting, testing, debugging, or contributing can visit:
Found a bug or unexpected behavior?
When reporting a device-specific issue, please include whenever possible:
- exact device model;
- hardware revision;
- TreeFrogUI version;
- installation method;
- expected behavior;
- actual behavior;
- reproduction steps;
-
log.txt, when applicable.
You can also discuss TreeFrogUI with the community:
➡️ Join the TreeFrogUI Discord
TreeFrogUI is maintained independently, and supporting additional hardware often requires access to physical devices for development and testing.
➡️ Support TreeFrogUI on Ko-fi
TreeFrogUI combines multiple open-source components, each retaining its respective license.
Welcome to TreeFrogUI. 🐸🎮