RetroArch

Feature Suggestions
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1

This was something I saw a non-PP forum user ask about. I know it isn’t remotely possible now, but I don’t think it’s as crazy as it sounds.

It would only work on moderate- to high-powered servers. But RetroArch has already ported to just about everything under the sun (much like Plex!). I know it would be complicated and a ton of work, so consider this in the long-term/stretch category of feature suggestions.

The big hurdles would likely be:

  1. Modifying the RetroArch platform to output to a remote/virtualized display.
  2. Solving input type/variety, and lag.
  3. Optimizing compression and balancing against resource requirements for actually executing the game code.

It probably sounds weird and/or stupid right now, but Netflix is getting ready to support game streaming in some form in the near(ish) future. It’s entirely possible that this will become something people think of as normal for a streaming service, and what is Plex if not a suite of tools for rolling your own streaming service?

It would be great if Plex comes in right behind Netflix, with an arguably better experience for game streaming, before the other big players like Hulu, Amazon, and Disney+ are even caught up? But like I said, a ton of work. Also working out the licenses.

2

Yes please, if not RetroArch then some other emulation integration. I know other front-end media solutions have options (Kodi retro-player, and kodi+launchbox)

I’d specifically be interested in some sort of integration that can be used via Unraid

3

It would be a lot more complicated than any Kodi plugin because Plex is more than a front-end, as at its core it’s a media server solution. But I believe it should be feasible, and if added would be a much more robust and far-reaching solution than Kodi which would execute the emulation code on the client, requiring the streaming device to be powerful enough to run the games, rather than having a centrally-positioned server manage that load.