iiSU – A Frontend Full of Promises

iiSU, a Nintendo 3DS-styled frontend that has caused quite a stir amongst the emulation and retro gaming community, has released a new video with details on the upcoming platform. This is a promising frontend that will have an option for both a base free version and a paid premium version, so there’s something here for everyone!

Menu Navigation and Game Select

UsagiShade, the creator of iiSU, describes his background as an animator and motion graphic designer living in Asia. After being unsatisfied with existing frontends, UsagiShade put ideas on paper for iiSU.

Widgets, user-selected thumbnails, swipe navigation, and icon customization are just a small part of what is being offered. Minimalist design, along with contrasting white-and-color icons and user profiles, elicits feelings of the Nintendo 3DS menu navigation screens found on the 3DS and Wii/U, but improved with an even more modern and stylistic look.

The frontend will come with Retroachievements built in, which would be incredible considering we only just got Retroachievement support for Dolphin this week. Having the achievements overlay as part of the game selection screen, where you can take a further look at your achievements and information, is also a very neat concept. As someone who struggles with the lack of customizable BGM options on the Beacon Game Launcher (currently my favorite frontend), the promise of being able to customize menu music based on the game selected sounds incredible.

User Profiles and Media

A feature known as the iiSU Network was shown in the presentation, and it looks very interesting. The feature will support third-party apps like PictoVerse, which is a MiiVerse-alike, and Retroachievements.

It appears that iiSU Network will be its own social platform within the iiSU frontend that users can use to connect with other gamers and friends. This includes instant messaging, drawings, and invites to and with others while playing games and within the iiSU Network platform.

iiSU also promises a media player based on the style found on the PlayStation Portable. Browsing through .wav and .mp3 files looks to be smooth and simple, along with the ability to select images, videos, and other media associated with games during game selection. Users will be able to submit and curate their own media items, including how the content is collected and displayed.

Shopii and iiChannel

Shopii was another feature that was shown during the presentation, promising access to a community hub full of downloadable content and user-submitted assets and media, but even UsagiShade themselves mentioned that it’s being worked on and they couldn’t confirm or guarantee much about the feature. It’s a promising feature, but it comes with a bit of speculation right out of the gate.

iiChannel was also shown as a feature that would provide a news feed for users, a dedicated news board that would provide the latest updates and feature builds for iiSU, server maintenance, new content in Shopii, and other apps within the frontend. Along with the ability to link other RSS feeds into the iiChannel to stay on top of creators like Retro Game Corps and Retro Handhelds. Like Shopii, not much else was discussed or shared about iiChannel during the presentation, with UsagiShade promising more in the future.

DS Mode

This has to be one of the more exciting features shown in the presentation, as the overall design and feel of iiSU strongly mimics that of the Nintendo DS and 3DS menu and navigation systems. With the AYN Thor recently making its way into gamers’ hands, the excitement at being able to use this frontend on a dual-screen clamshell is salivating.

Quick menu access, touch navigation, and context being split between screens make the AYN Thor truly look and feel like the DS and 3DS device many of us have been craving. Team member Nathan Lohnes is given credit as being in charge of the layout, design, and functionality of the DS Mode.

Some Trepidation

I’ll be candid; this all still feels like a collection of ideas at this point. I appreciate UsagiShade being transparent about the design process and the team involved, but little was shown running on an actual emulation device during this presentation.

Some users in the Retro Handhelds Discord have mentioned having access to an Alpha build of the frontend (courtesy of Huesos), but nothing out there currently looks like what is being shown in the presentation. A lot of this feels like promises at this point, although well-designed and presented.

The excitement is extremely palpable in the emulation and retro handheld gaming community, and it’s not hard to see why, considering what’s been presented so far, but it still feels more like a well-designed proof of concept at this point than an actual product that can be tested and engaged with at this time. The functionality of the iiSU Network is especially something that I’m curious about how it’s actually implemented, as this is not something found on any other existing frontend.

Going Forward

UsagiShade shared some potential launch dates for the frontend during this presentation. While initially thought to be released closer to Q4 2026, they believed they might be able to launch in Q2 2026.

They stated it’s still a “wait and see” at this point, but that would be much sooner than many of us were anticipating. This might start with a release of some general features first, with more advanced features coming at a later date.

UsagiShade also shared that users interested can make an iiSU Network account early in anticipation of the iiSU launch, with early adopters and supporters already being able to do so.

Conclusion

If iiSU can come to fruition, this might be the most promising and exciting frontend to have ever come to the emulation scene. This especially rings true for those with the new AYN Thor, as the iiSU frontend feels like a perfect fit for the new dual-screen clamshell.

While my excitement for iiSU is currently tempered until we see more, we will continue to watch the development of this project in the hopes that these ideas can be made whole.

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