Donations & Licenses
Information
RetroDECK thrives thanks to the support of the open-source community and relies on a wide range of third-party libraries, systems, and tools. Without these vital dependencies, RetroDECK, and many other similar projects, would not be possible.
Our philosophy is to collaborate openly with other projects to enhance both RetroDECK and the broader Linux ecosystem. We believe in the power of shared knowledge and contribution to drive innovation forward for the entire FOSS ecosystem.
This several lists of current and future software, features, and libraries we plan or hope to integrate into RetroDECK, including their respective licenses. These lists will continue to evolve as we add new components in future updates.
We also highlight some third-party software that we cannot integrate due to being proprietary or otherwise incompatible with RetroDECK’s licensing. Even though they cannot be included, we still appreciate their work and want to make it easy for users to find their donation or support links and because good software deserves recognition.
Support the Right Place
If you're interested in supporting a specific frontend, art asset, emulator, engine, or any other part of the ecosystem, we strongly encourage you to donate directly to the creators or maintainers of that project. Donating via a third party or proxy can lead to funds being misdirected, which means the project or person you're hoping to support may not receive the intended support.
No other project should handle or control another project's funding. To ensure your contributions are used effectively and reach the right hands, always donate directly to the individuals or projects you care about. Direct contributions are always the most effective way to support the open-source community and ensure that your donations make the greatest impact.
RetroDECK
RetroDECK is a passion-driven, not profit driven project created and maintained in our free time. By donating to RetroDECK, you support the project’s development and our vision of a unified, streamlined experience for retro gaming on Linux handhelds and desktops.
Important: Donations do not grant any special privileges, perks, or early access. RetroDECK is a hobby project, not a commercial product. We only ask for donations in a limited and modest fashion and we genuinely prefer that you donate directly to the software, projects, and creators we depend on, as they are the foundation that makes RetroDECK possible.
How We Use Your Contributions
| Area | What It Funds |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Web hosting, build servers, and other hosting-related costs |
| Development Tools | Occasional software licenses (we prioritize FOSS and Creative-Commons resources whenever possible) |
| UI & Artwork | Commissioned UI elements and artwork from artists (again, favoring FOSS/CC-licensed assets) |
| Hardware (rarely) | New devices for testing and development (details below) |
Explanation: Rare Hardware Purchases
From time to time, the RetroDECK team may need to acquire new hardware to test compatibility or develop new features. If such a purchase is ever necessary, we will always consult the community beforehand.
Examples include:
- Gaming handhelds - Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and similar devices.
- Controllers - major-brand and niche models for compatibility testing and profile creation.
- Special peripherals - light guns, racing wheels, X-Arcade cabinets, V-Boards, accessibility controllers, rhythm controllers, etc.
Important: As of now, no hardware has ever been purchased using donations. All devices used for testing and development have been bought with personal funds from RetroDECK team members.
Where to donate / support the project?
Licenses used in RetroDECK:
Components: Systems
| Component | Logo | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES-DE Frontend |  |
A frontend for browsing and launching games from your multi-platform game backup collection. | Patreon: Android App | License Licenses |
| PortMaster |  |
Your Ultimate Linux Port Manager. | Patreon | Licenses |
| Steam Rom Manager (SRM) |  |
Makers of Steam Rom Manager and SteamGridDB. | Open Collective | Licenses |
| Flips |  |
Makers of Steam Rom Manager and SteamGridDB. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | GPL3 |
Components: Multi-Emulators
| Component | Logo | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ares (Not yet in RetroDECK) |  |
A cross-platform, open-source, multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and preservation. (Not yet added to RetroDECK) | Patreon | Licenses |
| LibreRetro - RetroArch |  |
The LibreRetro Team makes RetroArch, Libretro, and Lakka. | Teespring Patreon YouTube Membership Liberapay BountySource | Licenses |
| MAME |  |
A multi-purpose emulation framework dedicated to software preservation. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | Copy License Licenses |
Components: Emulators
| Component | Logo | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azahar |  |
3DS emulator capable of running most titles in a playable state. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | Licenses |
| Cemu |  |
Wii U emulator capable of running most titles in a playable state. | Patreon | Licenses |
| DOSBox-X (Not yet in RetroDECK) |  |
Open-source DOS emulator for running DOS games and applications. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | Licenses |
| Dolphin |  |
Emulator for GameCube and Wii with HD rendering and many enhancements. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | Licenses |
| EKA2L1 |  |
Symbian OS / N-Gage emulator. | GitHub Sponsor | Licenses |
| melonDS |  |
Fast and accurate Nintendo DS emulator with an expanding feature set. | Patreon PayPal | Licenses |
| PCSX2 |  |
Open-source PlayStation 2 emulator with many enhancements. | GitHub Sponsor | Licenses |
| PPSSPP |  |
PSP emulator with HD rendering, texture upscaling, shaders, and more. | PPSSPP Gold | Licenses |
| PrimeHack |  |
Modified Dolphin emulator made for Metroid Prime Trilogy with keyboard/mouse support. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | Licenses |
| RPCS3 |  |
Free and open-source PlayStation 3 emulator/debugger for Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD. | Patreon Alipay | - |
| Ruffle |  |
Flash emulator focused on preserving Flash content. | OpenCollective | Licenses |
| Vita3K |  |
Experimental PlayStation Vita emulator for PC and mobile. | Ko-fi | Licenses |
| Xemu |  |
Open-source original Xbox emulator for Windows, macOS, and Linux. | Patreon | Licenses |
| Xenia (Not yet in RetroDECK) |  |
Experimental Xbox 360 emulator. | Patreon | Licenses |
Components: Engines
| Component | Logo | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEMEN Go |  |
Remake of the IKEMEN fighting game engine (compatible with M.U.G.E.N resources). | No donation link available or donations not supported | Licenses |
| OpenBOR |  |
Royalty-free sprite-based side-scrolling game engine, growing since 2004 into one of the most versatile engines of its type. | No donation link available or donations not supported | Licenses |
| ScummVM |  |
Engine replacement allowing classic adventure games and RPGs to run on modern devices. | Website - PayPal | Licenses |
| Solarus |  |
Free, open-source 2D Action-RPG engine written in C++ with Lua scripting; inspired by 16-bit classics. | Liberapay | Licenses |
| UZDoom |  |
Modern source port of Doom, supporting new hardware and offering extensive customization options. | No donation link available or donations not supported | Licenses |
Components: Clients
| Component | Logo | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mudlet (Not yet in RetroDECK) |  |
MUD client for playing text-based online games. | Contribute | Licenses |
Architecture
| Component | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| dxvk | Vulkan-based implementation of D3D8, 9, 10 and 11 for Linux / Wine. | - | Licenses |
| Flatpak | As a flatpak we are nothing without the technology. | Flathub Donate | Licenses |
| GameScope | Valves session compositing window manager. | - | Licenses |
| Godot Engine | Multi-platform 2D and 3D game engine. | Godot Donate | Licenses |
| InputPlumber | Open source input router and remapper daemon for Linux. | - | Licenses |
| OpenGamePadUI | Open source gamepad-native game launcher and overlay. | - | Licenses |
| Proton | Valves compatibility tool. | - | Licenses |
| SDL_GameControllerDB | A community sourced database of game controller mappings for SDL Game Controller functionality. | - | Licenses |
| umu-launcher | Unified launcher for Windows games on Linux. | - | Licenses |
| Wine | Wine compatibility layer. | Wine Development Fund | Licenses |
Art and Assets
| Item | Description | Donate / Source | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup Tiles | CC0 tile assets used or referenced. | Tiles Supplemental Tiles | CC0 |
| Freedoom | Open-source Doom-compatible assets. | - | Licenses |
| Kenney.nl | RetroDECK Team owns a separate donation license. | Kenney.nl Patreon itch.io | CC0 & CC1 and RetroDECK Team owns a purchased license. |
| Lahrs Folder Icons | Lahrs contributed an folder iconset to RetroDECK. Some of these icons are based on the original work of Dan Patrick, for which Lahrs obtained formal permission to incorporate and adapt. | - | RetroDECK Team |
| Mini Banner / RetroDECK Theme (Remixed) | A remix of the LaunchBox Mini Banner theme by Weestuarty for RetroDECK; original artwork by Weestuarty, DerSchlachter, and Dan Patrick. | Source | Weestuarty |
| Pixel Sans 13 | Pixel-style font. | - | Licenses |
| Pixel UI Theme for Godot | Itch.io Page | RetroDECK Team owns a purchased license. | |
| Pixelitos | Pixel-based icon theme. | - | Licenses |
| SVG Repo | Asset repository of SVG graphics. | Website | Various |
Components: Legacy
| Component | Logo | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DuckStation (Legacy) |  |
A PS1 simulator/emulator focused on accuracy, speed, and long-term maintainability. Was marked as legacy due to licensing changes. | No donation link available or donations not supported. | Licenses |
Components: Proprietary / Closed Source
These components cannot be added to RetroDECK, but we want to recognize their work and show their donation / purchase links.
| Component | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses / Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DSen | NES emulator that transforms classic and homebrew games into full 3D experiences. | Website | - |
| BigPEmu | First Atari Jaguar emulator with full retail library compatibility, high performance, and unique features. | Patreon Website | BigPEmu FAQ |
| ReDream | Sega Dreamcast emulator. | Website Premium Upgrade | - |
| DREAMM | DREAMM is a emulator for LucasArts, Lucasfilm, and Lucas Learning games. . | Website Donate | - |
Other: Software we like
| Component | Description | Donate / Support | Licenses / Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prism Launcher |  |
Open-source Minecraft Launcher. | Donate |
Other: Licenses & Credits
Things we use or have taken inspiration from or use.
| Item | Description | Source / Donate | Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batocera | Open-source retro OS referenced for ideas. | - | Licenses |
| Lutris | Linux game management platform referenced for inspiration. | - | Licenses |
| Other Trademarks | All trademarks, logos, controller images, and brand names referenced in this project are the property of their respective owners. Use is for identification/descriptive purposes only and does not imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement from the respective holders. | - | Trademark notice (Various) |
| Pugsy's Cheats for MAME | MAME cheat database. | Website | - |
| Steam Deck & Logo | The Steam Deck device and associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation. RetroDECK is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Valve Corporation. | - | Trademark notice (Valve Corporation) |
| Zulip | Zulip is an organized team chat app designed for efficient communication. ideas. | Website | Zulip did sponsoring of RetroDECK's Zulip instance for a try out a big thanks to the Zulip Team |