1Retro
1Retro vs Dropbox & Google Drive
A synced folder feels like cloud saves, right up until a conflicted copy eats an afternoon. Here's an honest look at where the big cloud drives work for retro saves, and where they don't.
The short version
Choose 1Retro if you want
- Saves on devices Dropbox will never run on: MiSTer, Miyoo, retro handhelds
- No folder moving or symlink setup; saves stay where your emulators put them
- A conflict screen that shows games and versions, not "conflicted copy (2)"
- Save history that lasts as long as your account, not a 30-day window
- Background sync on Android without third-party autosync apps
Choose Dropbox or Google Drive if
- You only play desktop emulators on one or two computers
- You want a single cloud for documents, photos, and everything else
- You already pay for storage and don't want another account
- You're comfortable maintaining symlinks when emulators move or update
Real cloud storage, wrong shape
Credit where due: unlike peer-to-peer tools, Dropbox and Google Drive give you a true cloud copy, and your devices don't need to be online at the same time. For saves, the problem is everything around that. Emulators don't save into your Dropbox folder, so you relocate folders and maintain symlinks on every machine. The clients sync on any file change, even one the emulator is still writing. And when two devices disagree, you get a renamed duplicate file instead of a decision.
1Retro starts from the save, not the folder. It watches your emulators' real save locations, waits for writes to settle before uploading, matches files to games, and keeps a history you can actually navigate: by game, version, and device.
Feature by feature
| 1Retro | Dropbox / Google Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for game saves | General file storage | |
| Automatic save detection | You arrange folders and symlinks | |
| Cloud backup copy | ||
| Syncs while other devices are off | ||
| Save versioning & rollback | Per-file history, expires in weeks | |
| Conflict resolution | Conflicted-copy files pile up | |
| Waits for the emulator to finish writing | Syncs on any change, even mid-write | |
| Works without moving save folders | Relocate or symlink every save dir | |
| MiSTer FPGA | No client | |
| OnionOS / Miyoo handhelds | No client | |
| Android emulator saves | Needs third-party autosync apps | |
| Game-aware dashboard | Games, versions, devices | Generic file browser |
| In-game save metadata | Play time, party, items for supported games | |
| Syncs any file type | Game saves only | |
| Free | Free tier; paid plans add storage | 2 GB Dropbox, 15 GB Google Drive |
The differences that matter
The symlink tax
Cloud drives sync one blessed folder, but emulators save wherever they save. Bridging the two means moving save directories and symlinking them back, per emulator, per machine, then redoing it after reinstalls and updates. 1Retro skips the ceremony: it auto-detects emulators and watches their save folders right where they already are.
A conflicted copy is not a decision
Play on two machines before they sync and Dropbox politely keeps both files, one renamed to "conflicted copy". Both are opaque binary blobs; nothing tells you which holds your 40 hours. 1Retro shows the conflict as a choice between versions, with game, device, and timestamp attached, and keeps the full history either way, so picking wrong is never fatal.
History with an expiry date
Both drives can restore old file versions, which is genuinely useful. But it's per file, organized by filename, and time-boxed: 30 days on free Dropbox plans, and Google Drive prunes old versions too. A retro playthrough spans months. 1Retro's version history is per game and bounded by your storage plan, not a countdown timer.
Retro hardware has no Dropbox app
There's no Dropbox or Drive client for a MiSTer or a Miyoo Mini, and on Android the official apps won't watch an emulator's local save folder without third-party autosync tools. 1Retro ships for MiSTer and OnionOS, has a native Android app that syncs in the background, and covers desktop and CLI. The saves flow between all of them.
Where Dropbox and Google Drive genuinely win
Fair is fair. You almost certainly have one already, the desktop and web apps are mature, Google's 15 GB free tier is generous, and they handle every other file in your life. If your retro setup is a single desktop emulator on two computers and you're handy with symlinks, a synced folder may be all you need. Keep them for your documents; bring your saves somewhere that understands them.
Common questions
Can I sync emulator saves with Dropbox or Google Drive?
On desktop, yes: move each emulator's save folder into the synced folder and symlink it back, then repeat on every machine. It holds up until two devices write the same save and you're staring at a 'conflicted copy' with no idea which file has your progress. And it never extends to MiSTer, handhelds, or most Android setups.
What about my handheld or MiSTer?
There is no Dropbox or Google Drive client for MiSTer FPGA, OnionOS, or similar retro devices, so those saves simply stay stranded. 1Retro ships packages for MiSTer and OnionOS, plus desktop apps, Android, and a CLI.
Dropbox already keeps old versions. Isn't that enough?
It's per-file history with an expiry date: 30 days on free Dropbox plans, and Google Drive prunes old versions too. Retro playthroughs span months, and the history is organized by filename, not by game. 1Retro keeps the version history of each game's save, bounded by your storage, not a countdown timer.
Do I have to move my save folders to use 1Retro?
No. 1Retro auto-detects emulators like RetroArch and OpenEmu and watches their save locations right where they are. No relocated folders, no symlinks, nothing to redo after a reinstall.
Cloud saves without the symlinks
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