ConsoleMini is a free, open-source, controller-first big-picture launcher that wraps the best macOS emulators - DuckStation, PCSX2, RPCS3, shadPS4, PPSSPP, RetroArch, mGBA, Flycast - in one couch UI. Plug a controller. Pick a system. Play.
No keyboard, no mouse, no friction. Boot the app and your TV is a console.
Full HTML5 Gamepad API navigation - DualShock, DualSense, Xbox, 8BitDo. Each emulator owns in-game input.
PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, N64, SNES, NES, GBA, Dreamcast - one launcher, one UI.
Glass cards, aurora gradients, per-console accent glow - tuned for living-room viewing distance.
arm64 + x64 builds. Hardened runtime, codesigned with Developer ID, notarization in flight.
Bundled Homebrew script grabs every supported emulator. ROM folder scanner indexes by extension.
Auto-launch at login, disable sleep, hide Dock. Mac mini boots straight into the launcher.
ConsoleMini hands the ROM path to the right emulator. The real teams below do the heavy lifting - all credit to them.
| System | Emulator | Install | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation (PS1) | DuckStation | brew install --cask duckstation | Stable, fast on M-series |
| PlayStation 2 | PCSX2 | brew install --cask pcsx2 | Apple Silicon native |
| PlayStation 3 | RPCS3 | brew install --cask rpcs3 | macOS arm64 build - heavy |
| PlayStation 4 | shadPS4 | manual download | Experimental, low compatibility |
| PSP | PPSSPP | brew install --cask ppsspp | 4x native easily |
| Nintendo 64 | Mupen64Plus | brew install mupen64plus | CLI core |
| SNES / NES | RetroArch + cores | brew install --cask retroarch | Pull cores from Online Updater |
| GBA | mGBA | brew install --cask mgba | |
| Dreamcast | Flycast | brew install --cask flycast |
Grab the signed DMG, drop into Applications, open Settings → "Install / update all" - Homebrew pulls every emulator.
ConsoleMini# 1. Download
open https://github.com/momenbasel/ConsoleMini/releases/latest
# 2. Or build from source
git clone https://github.com/momenbasel/ConsoleMini.git
cd ConsoleMini
bash scripts/setup.sh
npm run dev:electron
# 3. Living-room kiosk mode (auto-launch at login + no sleep)
bash scripts/setup-kiosk.shNo. Bring your own (legally). ConsoleMini only indexes paths and launches emulators - it never bundles or distributes copyrighted content.
Yes for menu navigation via the HTML5 Gamepad API. For in-game input, each emulator handles the controller directly - pair once over Bluetooth and every emulator picks it up.
OpenEmu is great but doesn't cover modern PlayStation. RetroArch's menu is rough on a TV. Pegasus is heavier and Linux-leaning. ConsoleMini is purpose-built for the macOS / Mac mini → TV setup with native codesign and a kiosk script.
shadPS4 is upstream-experimental on macOS. ConsoleMini wires it up but title compatibility is thin today. Treat it as preview-grade and watch the shadPS4 project for progress.
Codesigned with a Developer ID Application certificate (Hardened Runtime on). Notarization is in progress - until that lands you may need to right-click → Open the first time.
Both. We ship arm64 + x64 builds. M-series is the recommended target for PS3/PS4 emulation.
MIT. Fork it, ship your own theme, contribute back.