Frequently Asked Questions

Nethercore was a small company that made game consoles. The Nethercore Archive is an open source project preserving those consoles through accurate emulation. Play the games on modern systems, with added features like rollback netcode for online multiplayer.

Nethercore Corporation is fictional. The emulators, SDK, and games are real, built to real constraints. We present the consoles as recovered hardware so limits feel like hardware, not arbitrary rules.

Yes! Nethercore is 100% free and open source. There are no licensing fees, no revenue sharing, and no paid tiers. Both the player and development tools are completely free to use, even for commercial games.

Nethercore runs on Windows (10+), macOS (11+), and Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+). We support both Intel and Apple Silicon on macOS. All versions include the same features.

Not directly on nethercore.systems today. The SDK targets WebAssembly, but games are played through the desktop player for controller support, offline play, and consistent performance.

No. You can browse and download games without an account. Creating a free account lets you save your library, rate games, and upload your own games.

First, download the Nethercore player for your platform. Then browse games on this site and click "Download & Play" on any game. The game will automatically open in the player.

Yes! Nethercore supports all major gamepads and most generic USB/Bluetooth controllers. Controllers are automatically detected and mapped. You can also remap buttons in the player settings.

Nethercore uses deterministic rollback netcode, which helps online play stay responsive even with moderate ping. Today, online play uses direct peer-to-peer lobbies: one player hosts and shares an address, and others join. Matchmaking is planned for a future release.

Yes! Once you've downloaded a game, you can play it offline anytime. Your saves are stored locally on your device.

Nethercore games compile to WebAssembly, so you can use any language that targets WASM: Rust, C, Zig, AssemblyScript, and more. Rust is our primary SDK language, but you're free to use what you prefer. Our Getting Started guide covers the Rust workflow.

Basic programming knowledge helps, but you don't need prior game dev experience. Nethercore's constraints (limited resolution, fixed framerate, retro graphics) make it easier to create complete games compared to modern engines.

Currently, Nethercore doesn't support paid games or in-platform purchases. All games must be free to play. However, you retain full rights to your games and can sell them elsewhere if you'd like.

Sign in to your account, go to your Dashboard, and click "Upload Game". You'll need to provide a compiled ROM file, title, description, and optional icon/screenshots. Games are reviewed automatically and published within minutes.

Games must not contain illegal content, malware, or excessive violence/gore. We're building a platform appropriate for schools and developers of all ages. Adult content and gambling are not allowed.

Yes! Upload a new version anytime from your Dashboard. Players will automatically get the update next time they launch the game.

Nethercore uses wgpu, a cross-platform graphics abstraction that runs on Vulkan, Metal, DirectX 12, or WebGPU depending on your platform. Each console has distinct rendering modes — ZX supports Lambert, Matcap, Metallic-Roughness Blinn-Phong, and Specular-Shininess Blinn-Phong for varied visual styles.

Currently, the archive accepts ZX ROMs up to 16 MB (.nczx). Other consoles are planned and will have their own ROM limits when supported.

Not officially yet, but since Nethercore is open source, you can modify the player yourself. We're exploring official mod support for a future release.

Absolutely! Nethercore is open source on GitHub. We welcome bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests. Check our contributing guide to get started.

On first launch, macOS may block the app because it's downloaded from the internet. Right-click the Nethercore app in Finder and select "Open", then click "Open" in the security dialog. After that, you can launch it normally.

Make sure your graphics drivers are up to date. Nethercore targets 60fps on modest hardware, but very old GPUs may struggle. Check that no other apps are using excessive CPU/GPU resources.

Rollback netcode works best with ping under 150ms. Check your internet connection and try playing with someone geographically closer. Wired connections are always better than WiFi for online gaming.

Open the Nethercore player and check your Library tab. All downloaded games appear there. If it's missing, try downloading it again from the website.