Today, the world of televisions no longer belongs to the Japanese, but to the Koreans. Furthermore, today with the appearance of streaming platforms they bring with them embedded processors that come from the world, mobile phones and, for Therefore, it has the ability to run applications albeit in a limited way. That is why we are going to teach you how to easily install RetroArch on an LG, as well as other applications that are not officially available in principle.
LG TVs use an operating system called WebOS , which is not the same as Android and therefore has its own apps. Like Google’s operating system, it is based on Linux as a base, but its differences mean that we cannot run applications designed for one operating system on another, which limits the offer of applications on said SmartTVs. Well, we thought that you might be interested in playing retro console games on your TV through RetroArch. However, to do it before you will have to make a series of changes.
With this application you can install RetroArch on your LG TV
Homebrew is any software created for a closed platform whose use has not been approved by its owner. That is, they have a console-style ecosystem in which no software is released in the app store without permission. Which means that certain types of software that are in limbo of legality, such as emulators, are not seen regularly. Some tolerate them and turn a blind eye, while others simply veto them.
The fact is that a Smart TV has the necessary hardware to move retro games and we should be able to install RetroArch on an LG with WebOS without having to depend on external hardware for it. The problem? Officially, it cannot be done, what’s more, the manufacturer itself has blocked the permissions of the USB port of its televisions to do it, what’s more, to be able to do it you will need the WebOS Dev Manager , an application that allows you to install applications on your television LG from the PC regardless of whether you use Windows, macOS or Linux on your computer.
What’s more, you won’t need to use a custom firmware for it, which means that it won’t compromise the health of your Smart TV at all if you want to install emulators on it and enjoy your favorite classics from the sofa and, incidentally, save yourself the money to buy a retro console and not have another device connected to the television.
An alternative option
It is no secret that the different televisions of the Korean brand that can be hacked are, simply through the HP internet and what will make it so that we do not need an external PC to be able to install RetroArch on an LG, it will also allow us to install applications such as Moonlight to do this mini of our Steam games hello towards the television which is the PC itself. However, there is a danger of making your television completely useless. So we recommend you read the documentation of the creators of this exploit.
To do so, it is very easy from the Internet browser included in the television, you only have to access this web page and from it the entire process will be carried out to install the Homebrew Channel, which will allow you to install applications on your LG television beyond the official store.
What systems can I play and with what controllers?
Well, basically it perfectly emulates an 8 and 16-bit and portable system that technical level up to Advance, so it doesn’t differ much from most low-cost retro consoles on the market. So unfortunately you won’t be able to play 32-bit systems onwards with 3D graphics, since the chip that the TV incorporates is not powerful enough, but it is not below a Raspberry Pi 4 either.
Regarding the game controller or gamepad, today you have support for the PS4 and Xbox One controllers and both in their wired and wireless modes, although we don’t know how DualSense works. HP also works the controller of the PS 3 although the latter only if we connect it by cable. In any case, the support of the peripherals you expect to play is a lottery and, therefore, if you have a generic controller you should try if it works for you because it may be that it works perfectly for you or that it simply does not recognize it.
