I Built a Mobile-First Retro Gaming Website (Because I Couldn’t Find One That Worked Right)
from Doctype123@retrolemmy.com to retrogaming@lemmy.world on 01 Sep 04:08
https://retrolemmy.com/post/24524266

RetroLemmy I’ve been a huge fan of retro handhelds for years — my GBA is still one of my favorite consoles. The problem is, I can’t always carry it around. Sometimes I forget it at home, sometimes it’s just not practical.

But you know what I always do carry? My phone.

That’s when I started searching: “Surely there’s a way to play GBA/GBC/GB/N64 games online directly on mobile?”

I found plenty of emulator websites, but they were almost all built for desktop — clunky UI, tiny touch controls, or just not optimized for phones at all. After trying a bunch, I realized none of them matched what I wanted:

No downloads, no apps, no ROM hunting

A clean mobile-friendly UI with real touch controls

Save states that work across sessions

Simple, private, and instant gameplay

So… I decided to build it myself.

That’s how Moboretro.com was born. It’s a web-based retro console designed for mobile, where you can load up GBA, GBC, GB, and even N64 games right in your browser. No logins, no installs, just pick a game and play.

I originally built it for myself, but then thought — why not share it with the community? If you’ve ever wanted to carry a retro handheld in your pocket without actually carrying one, this might scratch that itch.

Try it out here: www.moboretro.com

Would love feedback from fellow retro fans. Do you think mobile-first retro gaming is the way to go?

#retrogaming

threaded - newest

Xanthobilly@lemmy.world on 01 Sep 04:19 next collapse

What’s with all the spammy pop ups?

gramie@lemmy.ca on 01 Sep 04:45 next collapse

Yes. That was a quick close of the web browser for me.

Doctype123@retrolemmy.com on 01 Sep 05:26 collapse

I apologize, I’m turning off all ads. Thanks for the feedback.

EvilBit@lemmy.world on 01 Sep 05:14 next collapse

Yeah honestly make it work reasonably well and allow you to load your own ROMs or use a cloud storage or something and charge $5 through Patreon or whatever and I’d like it a lot more than clicking through the sketchiest ads ever.

Doctype123@retrolemmy.com on 01 Sep 05:37 collapse

I apologize, I’m turning off all ads. Thanks a lot for your idea, I will try to implement your idea.

dukemirage@lemmy.world on 01 Sep 07:24 collapse

Ads are fine when hosting a service. Just use an unobtrusive provider (like Carbon for tech ads).

Doctype123@retrolemmy.com on 02 Sep 15:25 collapse

Thanks for the feedback. I agree, ads should never ruin the experience. That’s actually why I’m experimenting with ways to keep them minimal and non-intrusive, especially since the site is built mainly for mobile gaming. Carbon Ads seems better… I’ll definitely check it out.

Doctype123@retrolemmy.com on 01 Sep 05:25 collapse

I apologize, I’m turning off all ads.

DmMacniel@feddit.org on 01 Sep 07:11 collapse

Mhm but how would I use my own ROMs?

It’s a fine looking interface for libreto, but why not just use retroarch on your device?

Doctype123@retrolemmy.com on 02 Sep 15:17 collapse

I will add the function of playing local ROMs in the next update. Thanks for the feedback.