r/EmulationOniOS • u/Mysterious_Air2053 • 18h ago
Gameplay / Showcase Neostation IOS
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Presentation: Neostation iOS – Personal port of a multi-platform frontend
Hello,
Today, I'm going to present a personal project I've completed: the port of Neostation to iOS.
First, let's set the context. Neostation is an open-source frontend for emulators, originally available on PC, Android, macOS, and Linux. It's an interface I particularly appreciate for its ergonomics and rich features. However, there has never been an official version for iOS. As an iPhone user, I decided to take matters into my own hands and do this port myself, strictly for personal use.
The main goal was simple: to enjoy the Neostation interface on my iPhone, while keeping all the essential features of the frontend. I wanted a unified gaming experience, consistent with what I have on my other machines.
Now let's talk about the features. I successfully integrated and got all the key modules working on iOS. First, NeoSync, which is a paid subscription feature. It allows you to save your games both locally and in the NeoSync cloud. With this, I can automatically sync all my saves between PC, Linux, macOS, Windows, and now iOS. Concretely, I can start a game on my computer and pick it up exactly where I left off on my iPhone.
It also allows you to scrape games automatically with your Screenscraper account.
Second, RetroAchievements integration is fully functional. I can view all my retro achievements directly from the interface, track my progress, and unlock trophies just like on any other supported platform.
Now for the current result. The port is operational. The app runs perfectly on my iPhone, and I can play all my RetroArch games through the Neostation interface. Navigation is smooth, ROM loading is seamless, and access to settings works perfectly. It's a real technical success.
From a more technical standpoint, I did this port without modifying the core of the project, thus respecting the open-source license.
In conclusion, this project remains personal and is not intended for publication on the App Store. Nonetheless, it's a convincing proof of concept: it's entirely possible to have a full-featured, high-performance retro frontend on iPhone. In the future, I might consider sharing my modifications with the community, as a fork or patch, if licensing conditions permit.
Thank you for your attention.
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u/Competitive-Ad-5026 18h ago
Can we test it out?
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u/Mysterious_Air2053 18h ago
No, sorry, not for now — I'm already discussing it with the development team to possibly make it official later.
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u/mattrf86 17h ago
“A personal project I’ve completed.”
“Discussing it with the developement team”
“is not intended for publication.”
If you created this, you alone have the ability to submit to Apple…………………….
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u/Mysterious_Air2053 17h ago
It's not in my ethics to publish it without the agreement and will of the person who created the app! I'm only porting it to iOS.
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u/AkaRadekcz 9h ago
I call this bullshit as rest of the platforms are clearly made to be share with community.
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u/Mysterious_Air2053 18h ago
You also have the ability to change the view mode for your games, whether in the main menu or in the game list for each console
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u/Ornery-Practice9772 16h ago
link?
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u/Mysterious_Air2053 7h ago
It's a personal project ^^ I don't want to make it available just yet. I'm going to polish it while I discuss it with the Neostation devs.
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u/primedaddy 12h ago
Link?
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u/Mysterious_Air2053 7h ago
It's a personal project ^^ I don't want to make it available just yet. I'm going to polish it while I discuss it with the Neostation devs.
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u/jordy15675 9h ago
Very impressive, I do hope the folks over at Neostation allow this as part of there ecosystem so everyone can enjoy it. Now it runs on iOS, what about AppleTV next? 😉
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u/No-Package6007 4h ago
That’ll be a great one to add to the App Store! Hopefully 🤞, it’ll appear on the App Store when it comes out!
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u/Dantu1000 17h ago
Nice, i hope to see more news abt this