RetroArch’s new lag-reduction tech is the next generation of emulation

Emulating retro games and consoles on a computer is a well-established concept, with tools for playing almost anything you could want. This has freed up some community developers to focus on ensuring software emulation accurately re-creates the hardware experience. Other emulation engineers, meanwhile, are focused on eliminating latency and input lag. This has led to a breakthrough in the RetroArch emulation front-end software that almost eliminates the time between when you press a button and when something happens on the screen.

A lot of emulators have found ways to eliminate most lag. This means that if you have a fast enough computer and your settings are correct, you can put a command into a USB or Bluetooth controller on your PC, and the onscreen action will react as quickly as it did on original hardware. But RetroArch is notable because its newest feature goes even further and reduces input lag to a point that is “better than reality” — and it works.