Software Alternatives & Reviews

RetroArch VS Shadow

Compare RetroArch VS Shadow and see what are their differences

RetroArch logo RetroArch

RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.

Shadow logo Shadow

Transform any device into a supercharged gaming machine.
  • RetroArch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-22
  • Shadow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-04

RetroArch videos

RetroArch - Getting Started! Your Ultimate Retro Gaming PC! [Setup and Demonstration]

More videos:

Shadow videos

Shadow - Movie Review

More videos:

  • Review - Shadow Cloud Gaming Review
  • Review - Shadow - Movie Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RetroArch and Shadow)
Gaming
90 90%
10% 10
Games
0 0%
100% 100
Emulators
100 100%
0% 0
Game Streaming
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare RetroArch and Shadow

RetroArch Reviews

Best DS Emulator: Are These Emulators Safe And Legal To Use?
RetroArch also supports a wide range of controller types, making it a great choice for gamers who want to use their favorite controller.
Source: appletoo.us
5 Best Nintendo DS Emulators for PC
It has highlights like RetroArch are shaders, netplay, rewinding, next-frame response times, run ahead, machine translation, blind accessibility features, and much more.
Best emulators for Android in 2023
RetroArch is a popular open-source front-end for emulators. If you’re into playing retro games, RetroArch is your one-stop shop for all your emulating needs. It's not an emulator by itself but instead allows you to add "cores" that act as the backend to emulate several legacy consoles. While most of its most popular emulators are already covered here by dedicated apps, it...
5 of the Best GameBoy Advance (GBA) Emulators for Android
RetroArch is a poster child worldwide of emulation, specifically due to the fact that it’s not precisely an emulator. The retroArch is best refer to as a solitary, unified application where you can communicate with other emulators.
4 Free Open Source Game Emulators For Windows PC, Linux, and macOS
In addition to this, you are able to run original game discs (CDs) from RetroArch. RetroArch has advanced features like shaders, netplay, rewinding, next-frame response times, runahead, machine translation, blind accessibility features, and more! What systems does it play?

Shadow Reviews

11 Best Parsec Alternatives & Similar Apps
Still, it can consume your battery. All in all, Shadow is a worth-trying app for those who love games and want to always connect with their games regardless of the location.
7 Best Cloud Gaming Services for 2020 (No. 3 is My Favorite)
Although games are a popular use of Shadow, and work well on it, Shadow’s core service is more than just games. While that’s a pro for some, it may be extra weight for people who want to keep things simple.
Source: hostingpill.com
Stream games with these Google Stadia alternatives
The Shadow cloud gaming model is about to be updated, and it will make it quite the formidable foe. For the basic monthly investment of £13, you gain access to a timeshare comprised of an Intel Xeon CPU, an Nvidia GTX 1080 equivalent graphics card, 12GB of DDR4, a 256GB SSD, and an internet connection that’ll make you weep in awe. It’s 1Gbps, so you absolutely don’t need to...
15 game streaming services you can try before Google Stadia arrives
You might not have heard of Shadow, but it’s a real cloud game streaming service based in the United States. Like other similar platforms, Shadow works by giving you a virtualized computer with the means to play 3D games. Currently, Shadow is operational in 38 out of the 50 states, with more on the way.
The Best Cloud Gaming Services for Streaming Video Games
Shadow: Cloud gaming at a fixed price. Shadow functions as a subscription service, with a price of $35 a month no matter how much time you spend playing. For those of you that play way more than you should, this service may be for you. It’s also similar to Parsec in that it’s essentially a computer in the cloud, so you can run any app you want in it.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Shadow seems to be a lot more popular than RetroArch. While we know about 320 links to Shadow, we've tracked only 20 mentions of RetroArch. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

RetroArch mentions (20)

  • RetroArch cannot be found on the PlayStore, the first result is a copycat. It is just me?
    No, isn't just you. Every 64-bit phone haves the Play Store Retroarch available, the 32-bits no. But you can still download the 32-bit version on the Retroarch website. Source: 11 months ago
  • Cause of the intrusion has been found and isolated. Sites are operational again.
    It was only the download links on retroarch.com on the Platforms page that got (briefly) redirected for a few hours. That should all be safe now. Source: 11 months ago
  • Malicious download links?
    Yes, only the retroarch.com and libretro.com websites were affected. Source: 11 months ago
  • Recent update from supposed hackers
    I went to retroarch.com and it said "discord.gg/evaderz is big haxors" its unrespectable. Source: 11 months ago
  • Latest RetroArch on Xiaomi Mi box
    I've got installed RetroArch Plus from Google Play on my Xiaomi Mi box 4k and I want to update it to the latest version. I downloaded apk from retroarch.com but when I use apk installer to update it say is not compatible. I removed version from Google Play but fresh install 1.15.0 is not compatible too. I tried 32 and 64 version. What I'm doing wrong? Is any other AndroidTV version? Source: 11 months ago
View more

Shadow mentions (320)

  • 🚀 Get a 5€ Discount on Your ShadowPC Subscription with Code: 80EDA79
    Upgrade your gaming experience with ShadowPC! Use my referral code "80EDA79" at checkout to snag a cool 5€ off your first subscription. Game on! 🚀. Source: 7 months ago
  • PCVR on Mac?
    I had Shadow. There quite affordable when I registered and the hardware was top line. I was using it as my gaming PC for a long time (mainly for PCVR). I live in Spain and these days there wasn't dedicated servers here so I connected through Paris nodes (and that increased a bit the latency) but I play HL Alyx and a lot of games that way with good graphics (in that moment Shadow has a GTX1080 GPU) and great... Source: 10 months ago
  • Journeyperson save on a potato? Or stuck to one large nation/several small ones?
    Https://shadow.tech/ It’s a cloud PC. I used to use it until I got my current laptop. Not cheap but very good. Source: 11 months ago
  • Apple's game porting toolkit is fantastic. Cyperbunk 2077 at Ultra on an M1 MBP
    > But then Apple doesn't ship devices with actually powerful GPUs, so it can never compete with the gaming PCs which are far less expensive and far more powerfull graphics-wise. It is still expensive to have to use Windows just so you can game. Or put all the effort into dual booting Linux. Most people just use a Macbook and then get an Xbox/Ps5/Switch/Quest2. For games I can't use on those you can get Shadow PC... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Stream pirated Games
    There is shadow.tech, which just gives you a full Windows Desktop with a little persistent disk. This should in theory work the way you want to. Source: 11 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing RetroArch and Shadow, you can also consider the following products

OpenEmu - Console and Arcade video game emulator for macOS.

Parsec - Streams games locally or over the internet

LaunchBox - LaunchBox is a portable, box-art-based games database and launcher for DOSBox, emulators, arcade cabinets, and PC Games. Download it free!

Geforce Now - Underpowered PC can now pack the punch of high-performance GeForce GTX GPUs with GeForce NOW.

BSNES - bsnes is a Super Nintendo (SNES) emulator focused on performance, features, and ease of use.

Paperspace - GPU cloud computing made easy. Effortless infrastructure for Machine Learning and Data Science