Luna Controller vs RetroArch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Luna Controller
This app allows you to set up and manage your game controllers for a cloud gaming service. It also enables you to use your phone as a virtual controller to play games, with options for guest play and managing connections.
- Register Luna Controllers
- Set up Wi-Fi and Cloud Direct
- Use phone as virtual controller
- Add guests to gaming sessions
- Manage Bluetooth connection
- Update controller software
- Check battery status
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Luna Controller app allows you to set up and manage your Luna Controllers and play Luna games using your phone via the Phone Controller. With the Luna Controller app you can: - Register Luna Controllers to your Amazon account - Set up your Luna Controller to connect to wifi and enable Cloud Direct - Play games on Luna using touch inputs on your mobile device using the Phone Controller - Add friends to your local Luna gaming session using Guest Mode - Manage the Cloud Direct wifi connection - Manage your Luna Controller Bluetooth connection - Update the software on your Luna Controllers - Check battery status - Switch between Cloud Direct and Bluetooth - Get help for common troubleshooting problems To set up the Luna Controller: 1. Download and install the Luna Controller app on your mobile device. 2. Power up your Luna Controller with 2 AA batteries. Press and hold the Luna button for 3 seconds, and an orange light will start spinning 3. Open the Luna Controller app and follow the on-screen instructions To set up a Luna Phone Controller: No controller? No problem. You can use your phone to play Luna games. 1. Go to the appstore on your mobile device and install the Luna Controller app. 2. Sign into your Amazon account. 3. Select Play With Phone Controller. The next time you're ready to play, just follow these steps: 1. Open the Luna app on a compatible device, such as a compatible Fire TV, PC or Mac 2. Open the Luna Controller app on your mobile device. 3. Select Launch under your virtual controller and wait for your controller to connect to Luna. 4. Use the virtual controller to select the game you want to play and launch it. Guests can also download the Luna Controller app and join in on the gameplay. By using this app, you agree to Amazon’s Conditions of Use (www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse) and Privacy Notice (www.amazon.com/privacy).
RetroArch
This application serves as a versatile frontend for emulators and game engines, supporting a vast array of systems through downloadable cores. It offers advanced features like netplay, save states, and customizable controls for an enhanced gaming experience.
- Supports numerous gaming systems via libretro cores
- Netplay for multiplayer gaming
- Save states and fast forward/rewind
- Controller support and key remapping
- Customizable shaders and overlays
- RetroAchievements integration
- AI translations for games
Read full descriptionHide full description
RetroArch is a free, ad-free, open source, and cross platform frontend/framework for emulators, game engines, video games, media players, and other applications. Supported systems come in the form of libretro cores. The following systems are supported through various cores: * 2048 * Acorn - BBC Micro * Amstrad - CPC/GX4000 * Anarch * Arcade * Arduboy * Atari - 2600 * Atari - 5200 * Atari - 7800 * Atari - Jaguar * Atari - Lynx * Bandai - WonderSwan/Color * Cave Story * Coleco - ColecoVision * Commodore - Amiga * Commodore - C128 * Commodore - C64 * Commodore - C64 SuperCPU * Commodore - CBM-II 5x0 * Commodore - CBM-II 6x0/7x0 * Commodore - PET * Commodore - PLUS/4 * Commodore - VIC-20 * Dinothawr * Doom * DOS * Fairchild ChannelF * Flashback * GCE - Vectrex * Game Music Emu * Handheld Electronic * MSX/SVI/ColecoVision/SG-1000 * Mattel - Intellivision * Mega Duck / Cougar Boy * Mr.Boom * NEC - PC Engine / SuperGrafx / CD * NEC - PC-FX * NEC - PC-98 * Nintendo - DS * Nintendo - Game Boy / Color * Nintendo - Game Boy Advance * Nintendo - NES / Famicom * Nintendo - Nintendo 64 * Nintendo - Pokemon Mini * Nintendo - SNES / SFC * Nintendo - Virtual Boy * Palm OS * PocketCDG * Quake * Quake II * Rick Dangerous * SNK - Neo Geo AES/MVS * SNK - Neo Geo CD * SNK - Neo Geo Pocket / Color * ScummVM * Sega - MS/GG/MD/CD/32X * Sega - MS/GG/SG-1000 * Sega - Saturn * Sharp - X68000 * Sinclair - ZX Spectrum * Sony - PlayStation * Sony - PlayStation Portable * Texas Instruments TI-83 * The 3DO Company - 3DO * Thomson - MO/TO * Vircon32 * VirtualXT * WASM-4 * Watara - Supervision RetroArch supports a broad range of features, including: * Netplay * Soft patching * RetroAchievements * Save states * MFi controller support * Key remapping per core or per game * Gyro * Cheats * Custom overlays * Shaders * Fast forward and rewind * Game artwork * AI translations * Advanced latency management **RetroArch and Libretro are in no way affiliated with Nintendo. The name "Nintendo" and all associated game console names are registered trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.**
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: RetroArch at 69% against Luna Controller's 29%. RetroArch also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and device support (5 vs 3). Luna Controller's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (7.5K vs 1.8K). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Luna Controller holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.5K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of Luna Controller's written reviews are positive against 69% of RetroArch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Luna Controller ships an update monthly, RetroArch weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Luna Controller | RetroArch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7.5K ratings) — better | 4.3 (1.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 28.7% of reviews | 69.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.5K — better | 1.8K |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 652 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | AMZN Mobile LLC | Libretro |
Customer experience
Luna Controller
RetroArch
User reviews
Luna Controller
From 7.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Quick and easy setup
- 👍 Smooth and responsive app
- 💡 Great option for gaming grandkids
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes on opening
- 🐛 Bluetooth connectivity issues
- 🐛 Controller not working as expected
- 🐛 Laggy and slow performance
- 🐛 Compatibility problems
RetroArch
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth emulation performance
- 🎮 Wide range of supported systems
- 🕹️ Controller support
- 💯 Comprehensive emulation features
- 🔓 No ads or tracking
Room to improve
- 🤯 Steep learning curve
- 🤖 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Stability issues and crashes
- 🔌 Slow loading times
- 🤷♂️ Inconsistent core support
Bugs and requests
Luna Controller
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch
- Virtual controller not working
- Controller disconnects frequently
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
Requested features
3 requests- Add support for Backbone controller
- Allow using phone as controller for TV
- Improve controller compatibility
RetroArch
Reported bugs
5 issues- N64 games not loading textures properly
- Crashes when changing settings or cores
- Bios files not being recognized
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Saved settings not persisting
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for PS2, GameCube, and 3DS emulation
- Improve iCloud/cloud storage integration
- Implement customizable button layouts
- Add a more user-friendly setup wizard
- Provide better documentation and tutorials
In-app purchases
Luna Controller
No in-app purchases
RetroArch
No in-app purchases









