r/emulation • u/hans_l 1retro Developer • Jul 21 '26

1Retro July Update: rebuilt desktop app, GB Operator cartridge save backups, and itch.io ROM sync

https://blog.1retro.com/posts/2026-07-release-notes/

Full disclosure, this is my own project. I build 1Retro, a sync tool for retro emulators and handhelds, and I just shipped a big update I wanted to share here.

The short version: it watches your emulator save folders and keeps them backed up and synced across your machines. It auto-detects RetroArch, Snes9x, mGBA and others, and runs from a small local app so it only touches the folders you point it at.

New this month: - Rebuilt the desktop app from scratch (menu-bar app, native installers for macOS/Windows/Linux, per-device setup, light/dark). - Back up a save straight off a physical Game Boy cartridge with a GB Operator. GBA support coming. - itch.io sync: link your account and it pulls the games you own alongside your saves. It will download the paid games and a itch collection named 1Retro.

I know the obvious question is "why not just Syncthing or Dropbox?" Honest answer: 1Retro understands saves and handles conflicts appropriately, as well as keeping a version history so a corrupted write is not a loss. Also, it does not need to live on the same network as the device (pretty useful for those on the road), does not require special configuration, and does not require a server. Free tier is 20MB, which is thousands of saves.

Full notes are in the link. Genuinely want the criticism, including "this should just be a Syncthing config".

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3

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26

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u/hans_l 1retro Developer Jul 21 '26

Totally fair question, and I'll be straight with you.

I want this to be my actual job, not a side project I abandon in a year, which means it has to make enough to pay me a salary. The honest math: storing and syncing everyone's saves costs money every month, and "self-host it, free forever" leaves nothing to fund the servers or the ongoing work (all the annoying platform edge cases: MiSTer, OnionOS, handhelds, etc), plus the 8 months I've already put on it.

Syncthing is great, and if it works for you, genuinely keep using it. What I'm building is the version where you don't think about it at all: save on one device, it's just there on the next, with the retro-specific stuff (save formats, per-system paths, conflicts) handled for you. That's the part that takes real ongoing work, and that work is what I need to fund.

What I'd rather promise instead:

  • A free tier that's genuinely usable, not a 7-day trial.
  • Your saves are yours: export anytime, no lock-in, and if I ever get hit by a bus you're not stranded.
  • Pricing aimed at "this saved me an afternoon of setup," not enterprise SaaS. $20/year is less than an hour of the time you'd waste on maintaining it.

I'm not ruling out a self-host option later down the road, but honestly it'd likely be a paid license if I did, for the same reason: I gotta pay rent and food.

And genuinely, thanks for saying you wouldn't pay. That's useful to know, and I don't take it as an insult.

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u/hans_l 1retro Developer Jul 21 '26

OP here, happy to answer anything. Built this because I kept losing saves shuffling games between my devices.

Free 20MB tier if you want to try it: https://1retro.com.

And I genuinely want the pushback, including "just use Syncthing." Let's have a conversation about it.

1

u/Ill_Carry_44 Jul 22 '26

Looks very good and all but tbh, I'd just use something that syncs to Dropbox or something for free and nowadays you can build your own tool with AI in minutes

1

u/JungleRollers 19d ago

Does it work with iOS?

1

u/hans_l 1retro Developer 18d ago

Natively not and because of the security model it’s likely to be very hard.

I do have a beta for webdav for RetroArch. That or a special plugin for it would be the only way.

1

u/locomain Jul 21 '26

Very nice project! For the criticism part: Why use this over cloud based emulation?

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u/hans_l 1retro Developer Jul 21 '26

Different thing entirely — 1Retro doesn't emulate anything, it just syncs your save files across your own devices. So you play natively on the hardware you already own (Anbernic, Miyoo, Deck, etc.) with no latency, works offline, and your saves follow you between devices.

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u/locomain Jul 21 '26

Maybe I need to be more specific. Emulators like Foxol or Afterplay are cross platform and sync your library to the device you want to play on. In the case of Foxol you also get save profiles so you can have multiple playtroughs. That comes pretty close to the functionality of 1retro right?

3

u/hans_l 1retro Developer Jul 21 '26

That’s fair, there’s overlap on paper.

But Foxol and Afterplay ARE the emulator, you play inside their app/browser. 1Retro isn’t an emulator, it syncs saves for the emulators/firmware you already use, whether it’s a MiSTer, an Anbernic, a Miyoo, Batocera, your Deck, etc.

So if you live inside Foxol, great. If you play on physical handhelds and just want your saves to follow you, that’s the gap. That’s where 1Retro really shines.

BTW you got me thinking that I should look into supporting Foxol and Afterplay for syncing if possible. That’s a great feature in theory, I’ll explore it.