A custom minimal Emulation Frontend for Libretro/Retroarch cores, a heavily modified fork of FrogUI.
Note
TreeFrogUI is developed by a single developer and is built primarily for the SF3000 handheld. It might also support similar hardware variants such as the SF3000HD, SF3100, SF3500, and GB350. Since I currently do not own these devices to test them myself, compatibility is unverified - please try it out and let me know if it works!
📦 Installation Guide - Start here to install TreeFrogUI on your device
🎨 Theming Guide - Learn how to customize themes, backgrounds, and fonts
⬇️ Latest Release - Download the latest version
☕ Support the Project - Buy me a coffee!
💬 v0.1.0 Feedback Form - Submit anonymous feedback or compatibility reports
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
TreeFrogUI (frogui_libretro.so) |
ROM browser and launcher, runs inside picoarch |
| 57 emulator cores | NES, SNES, GBA, Mega Drive, PC Engine, Amiga, Atari ST, and more |
| build system | Cross-compile everything from source using the SF3000 toolchain |
See cores.md for the full folder→core mapping table.
- Minimalistic but powerful UI - Clean, fast game selection screen with quick navigation.
- 57 emulator cores - Now supports 57 emulator cores compared to only 14 in the stock OS. This includes standout additions such as PICO-8 (via Fake08/Retro8), Quake (via Tyrquake), Cave Story (via NXEngine), Doom (via PrBoom), PlayStation 1 (via PCSX ReArmed), plus classic computer systems like Commodore Amiga and Atari ST.
- Highly configurable cores - Configurable settings for all cores, allowing for retro features like console palette swaps, LCD ghosting emulation, and more.
- In-game saves - Fully supported across all compatible cores for seamless session saving and loading.
- Auto-resume on boot - Automatically boots back into the last played game or frontend view upon device boot.
- Rich theming options - Custom background images, fonts, and 30 built-in color themes to fit your style.
- Proper PCSX4ALL support - Configurable PlayStation 1 emulator core with native support for
.iso,.bin/.cue, and other disc formats. - Flexible display scaling - Easily adjust display scaling modes (Zoom, Aspect Ratio, and Integer Scaling) to suit your preference.
Create subfolders inside the roms/ directory on the root of your SD card matching these names (e.g., roms/GBA, roms/FC). TreeFrogUI automatically detects the correct emulator based on the folder name. For built-in cores, see the picoarch submodules/cores. Below is the full folder-to-core mapping table:
| Folder Name(s) | Target Console / System | Core Shared Library (.so) |
|---|---|---|
| FC, nes | NES / Famicom | fceumm_libretro.so |
| NES, nesq | NES / Famicom (fast) | quicknes_libretro.so |
| nest | NES / Famicom (accurate) | nestopia_libretro.so |
| SFC, snes | Super Famicom / SNES | snes9x2005_plus_libretro.so |
| snes02 | SNES (accurate / alt) | snes9x2002_libretro.so |
| GBA, gba | Game Boy Advance | gpsp_libretro.so |
| mgba, gbaf | Game Boy Advance (accurate) | mgba_libretro.so |
| gbav | Game Boy Advance (alt) | vba_next_libretro.so |
| gb, dblcherrygb | Game Boy / Color | gambatte_libretro.so |
| gbgb | Game Boy (Gearboy) | gearboy_libretro.so |
| gbb | Game Boy (TGBDual) | tgbdual_libretro.so |
| MD, SMS, sega | Mega Drive / Genesis / Master System | picodrive_libretro.so |
| GG, gg | Game Gear | gearsystem_libretro.so |
| gpgx | Mega Drive (accurate) | genesis_plus_gx_libretro.so |
| PS, ps1, psx | PlayStation | pcsx_rearmed_libretro.so |
| pce | PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 | mednafen_pce_fast_libretro.so |
| pcesgx | PC Engine SuperGrafx | mednafen_supergrafx_libretro.so |
| pcfx | PC-FX | mednafen_pcfx_libretro.so |
| pc8800 | NEC PC-8800 | quasi88_libretro.so |
| ngpc | Neo Geo Pocket / Color | race_libretro.so |
| geolith | Neo Geo AES/MVS | geolith_libretro.so |
| wswan | WonderSwan / Color | mednafen_wswan_libretro.so |
| wsv | Watara Supervision | potator_libretro.so |
| vb | Virtual Boy | mednafen_vb_libretro.so |
| a26 | Atari 2600 | stella2014_libretro.so |
| a5200 | Atari 5200 | a5200_libretro.so |
| a78 | Atari 7800 | prosystem_libretro.so |
| a800 | Atari 800 | atari800_libretro.so |
| lnx | Atari Lynx | handy_libretro.so |
| atari-st | Atari ST | castaway_libretro.so |
| amiga | Commodore Amiga | uae_libretro.so |
| c64 | Commodore 64 | vice_x64_libretro.so |
| c64sc | Commodore 64 (accurate) | vice_x64sc_libretro.so |
| c64f, c64fc | Commodore 64 (Frodo) | frodo_libretro.so |
| vic20 | Commodore VIC-20 | vice_xvic_libretro.so |
| msx | MSX | bluemsx_libretro.so |
| spec | ZX Spectrum | fuse_libretro.so |
| zx81 | ZX81 | 81_libretro.so |
| col | ColecoVision | gearcoleco_libretro.so |
| amstrad | Amstrad CPC | crocods_libretro.so |
| amstradb | Amstrad CPC (CPC+) | cap32_libretro.so |
| thom | Thomson MO/TO | theodore_libretro.so |
| xmil | Sharp X68000 | x68k_libretro.so |
| Quake | Quake | tyrquake_libretro.so |
| prboom | Doom / Heretic | prboom_libretro.so |
| wolf3d | Wolfenstein 3D | ecwolf_libretro.so |
| outrun | Out Run | cannonball_libretro.so |
| cavestory | Cave Story | nxengine_libretro.so |
| flashback | Flashback | reminiscence_libretro.so |
| xrick | Rick Dangerous | xrick_libretro.so |
| jnb | Jump 'n Bump | jumpnbump_libretro.so |
| gw | Game & Watch | gw_libretro.so |
| fake08 | PICO-8 (fake08) | fake08_libretro.so |
| retro8 | PICO-8 (retro8) | retro8_libretro.so |
| lowres-nx | LowRes NX | lowresnx_libretro.so |
| pokem | Pokémon Mini | pokemini_libretro.so |
| m2k | MAME 2000 | mame2000_libretro.so |
| int | Mattel Intellivision | freeintv_libretro.so |
| fcf | Fairchild Channel F | freechaf_libretro.so |
| cdg | CD+G Karaoke | pocketcdg_libretro.so |
| chip8 | CHIP-8 | jaxe_libretro.so |
| arduboy | Arduboy | arduous_libretro.so |
| vec | Vectrex | vecx_libretro.so |
| o2em | Odyssey² / Videopac | o2em_libretro.so |
| gme | Game Music Emu | gme_libretro.so |
| gong | Pong clone | gong_libretro.so |
| vapor | VaporSpec | vaporspec_libretro.so |
See cores.md for detailed build status and source repositories of TreeFrogUI external cores.
TreeFrogUI supports selectable visual color themes, custom pixel fonts, and per-folder background image loading from the SD card.
📦 Theming Guide - Details on customizing colors, background images, fonts, and editing settings
While playing a game, use the following button combinations:
SELECT + START- Opens the in-game picoarch menu (for all cores except PCSX4ALL).SELECT + L- Opens the emulator menu (for PCSX4ALL only) or loads a state (slot 0, default) for other cores.SELECT + R- Saves a state (slot 0, default) for all cores except PCSX4ALL.
Some cores need BIOS/firmware files. Place them in the system folder the core expects (check individual core docs), typically alongside the ROMs or in a bios/ subfolder.
| System | File needed |
|---|---|
| GBA (gpsp) | gba_bios.bin (official Nintendo GBA BIOS) |
| Amiga (UAE) | kick.rom (Amiga Kickstart ROM) |
| Atari ST (castaway) | TOS ROM image |
| Neo Geo (geolith) | Neo Geo BIOS |
| PC-FX (beetle-pcfx) | pcfx.rom |
| PC-88 (quasi88) | NEC PC-88 BIOS files |
- SF3000 cross-toolchain at
~/sf3000-work/sf3000toolchain/ git,make,nproc
git clone git@github.com:tzubertowski/treefrog-ui.git
cd treefrog-ui
# Clone FrogUI source (submodule)
git submodule update --init frogui
# Clone all emulator core sources
./clone_cores.sh
# Build everything
./build_all.sh
# Results in build/*.so - copy to SD card
cp build/*.so /mnt/sdcard/cubegm/cores/cd frogui
make -f Makefile.sf3000 frogui_libretro.so
cp frogui_libretro.so /mnt/sdcard/cubegm/cores/[boot] icube (/mnt/sdcard/cubegm/icube)
│
└─► picoarch frogui_libretro.so ← TreeFrogUI is a libretro core
│
│ user selects ROM
│
└─► fork()
│
[parent] [child]
waitpid() picoarch <game_core.so> <rom>
(blocks) │
│ game runs
│ user exits
│ │
resumes ◄──── child exits
TreeFrogUI menu
picoarch handles display (/dev/dis + framebuffer), audio (ALSA), and the libretro core lifecycle. TreeFrogUI is just another .so loaded by picoarch - it renders the file browser UI and uses fork+waitpid to launch games without losing the display connection.
Input comes from cubevol (SF3000 button daemon) via shared memory at /tmp/joy_key. TreeFrogUI reads it directly since picoarch doesn't route input callbacks to cores on this device.
treefrog-ui/
├── frogui/ ← FrogUI source (git submodule, sf3000 branch)
├── cores/ ← emulator core sources (populated by clone_cores.sh)
├── build/ ← compiled .so output (gitignored)
├── patches/ ← patches applied to externally-owned core repos at build time
├── build_all.sh ← build all cores
├── clone_cores.sh ← clone all core source repos
└── cores.md ← folder→core mapping reference
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
vecx (Vectrex) |
❌ needs OpenGL - not available on SF3000 |
arduous (Arduboy) |
❌ needs cmake - not in toolchain |
o2em (Odyssey²) |
❌ not yet cloned |
vice (C64) |
commented out - large build, enable manually in build_all.sh |
fake-08 (PICO-8) |
not yet built |
| picoarch binary | not included - obtain from SF3000 multicore project |
- picoarch - libretro frontend adapted for SF3000
- FrogUI - original launcher by tzubertowski, fork of FrogUI
- angree - Amiga (UAE4ALL) and Atari ST (castaway) ports for SF-series handhelds
- goph-R - SF3000-RE reverse engineering project and boot logo specs
- All libretro core authors
This project is a compilation of multiple components, each retaining its original license:
- TreeFrogUI for SF3000 (UI Port): Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. It is a heavily modified fork of FrogUI, created by Tomasz Zubertowski, Desoxyn, and Q_ta.
- Attribution: Changes have been made to support the SF3000 hardware architecture, resolution, input handling, and directory layout.
- ShareAlike: Any modifications or derivations of the UI frontend code must be distributed under the same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
- NonCommercial: This software is strictly for non-commercial use. Selling or bundling it with commercial devices is prohibited.
- Assets & Images: The logo and font were taken from the upstream FrogUI repository, while the default system background images were sourced from the Art Book Next ES-DE theme by Anthony Caccese. These assets are used under their respective open-source and creative commons licenses.
- picoarch (Frontend Integration): Uses code from
libpicofe(triple-licensed under GNU GPL v2+, GNU LGPL v2.1+, or the MAME license) and neonloop's wrapper code (licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License). - Emulator Cores: Each emulator core located in the
cores/directory is built from its respective upstream repository and retains its individual open-source license (such as GPL, BSD, MIT, or MAME license). See cores.md and individual core subdirectories for details.
See the root LICENSE.md file for the full copyright notices and license texts.