OS X Targeted 'OpenEmu' to Deliver Native Mac Interface to Console Emulators

There are few great emulator options for OS X, but that is set to change in the near future as multi-source system emulator OpenEmu prepares for an official launch.

Open Emu is an open source project to bring game emulation to OS X as a first class citizen, leveraging modern OS X technologies such as Cocoa, Core Animation and Quartz, and 3rd party libraries like Sparkle for auto-updating. Open Emu is based on a modular architecture, allowing for game-engine plugins, this means Open Emu can support a host of different emulation engines and back-ends while retaining a familiar OS X native front-end.

OpenEmu, which has been in beta for quite some time, is able to emulate the hardware of several different consoles. Version 1.0 of the software will include support for several 16-bit systems, including the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, NeoGeo Pocket, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo, among others.

Support for additional systems like the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo DS, and the Sony PlayStation will be added in the future.

pic-browser
The emulator features a slick iTunes-style design, displaying downloaded ROMs in a menu organized by system. Designed from the ground up for OS X, it offers up a native OS X interface.

With full save state support, the software allows for multiple ROMs to be played at once and it also provides OpenGL scaling, multithreaded playback, and gamepad support.

At this point in time the team behind OpenEmu is working on polishing the app and adding final artwork, but the release is "close."

pic-pref
OpenEmu was previously available as a beta download and the beta version of the application can still be acquired by downloading and compiling the source code via Xcode. A full set of instructions is available here.

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...

Top Rated Comments

nepalisherpa Avatar
159 months ago
Good thing I can download 3rd party applications on my Mac without "jailbreaking"! :)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mucx Avatar
159 months ago
Ok, lets clear up some things about this project.

In no particular order...

1. This is open source software. You don't pay for it, we don't ask for anything in return, not even a donation.

2. We absolutely are not selling any ROMS through this application.

3. This will not appear on the Mac App Store.

4. OpenEmu utilizes a bevy of fantastic open source emulators (read our GitHub!). Our trick is to unify them into one application that seeks to remove the geekiness of this area of video gaming. Drop a legally owned ROM into the application, it organizes, adds box art, cleans up the game name and with a single click... off you go and play. We want to be the interface HUB for all open source emulation projects. We have many more emulators and supported systems to come.

5. We have gamepad support working right out of the box (excluding XBOX controllers which will need a 3rd party driver to use). Almost all the popular HID compliant controllers will work. (If we missed one, tell us!) Simply connect it, and OpenEmu does the rest (it auto-assigns buttons). Do we recommend a controller?... sure, possibly the WiiU Pro controller.

6. Skeumorphism. Thats right, we do it. Hopefully tastefully. The main application is extremely simple and understated. (though purposely black so that your games stand out and look great). The controller preference screen (as shown by MacRumors screenshots) are were we go to town. Its actually interactive. Click the buttons on the images and it interacts. Its done that way to aid the understanding of the hardware you are playing, as well as a general visual & interactive aid to re-assignment of gamepad or keyboard inputs. Trust me, we didnt go to the Scott Forstall school of visual design but nor did we get the google iron out.

7. When is it out? Setting dates in open source hobby software is suicide! Sorry... compile it or ask a friend who has used it. Then take a guess how close you think it is. :p

8. Is this illegal? No, emulators aren't illegal (at best a mild shade of grey). We don't distribute any BIOS stuff or ROMs. We provide the tool, its up to you what you want to do with it. We will provide and promote legal gameplay solutions (see below).

9. We plan to offer a original homebrew ROM pack upon release should you not have any old games at hand but want to see what this emulation thing is all about.

10. What about Retrode? Ah yes Retrode (some of the OpenEmu team have helped on that project)... in the meantime, let me just put this here and say that this will be the most legal way to play and backup your games soon:



Want to know more? Then hit us up on Twitter (@OpenEmu) or browse our GitHub page.

Thanks
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Semester Avatar
159 months ago
Skeumorphism!!!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UnfetteredMind Avatar
159 months ago
OMG! Road Rash for Sega Genesis would be awesome. Been a loooooooong time since I've flown around corners in the air at over 100mph while beating someone else with a club!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farmermac Avatar
159 months ago
wow would love to see the original Mario on NES ROMs in a legit easy to use marketplace.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
159 months ago
This.Is.Epic!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)