Handheld gaming glossary

Plain-English definitions of the terms you'll see in guides, forums and our compatibility reports. Tap a term to jump to it, or link a friend straight to one.

Turnip: The open-source Mesa Vulkan driver for Qualcomm Adreno GPUs. On Android handhelds, emulators that support custom drivers can load it, often fixing graphics bugs or improving speed. Driver guide.
Adreno: Qualcomm's GPU line, found in Snapdragon chips. Adreno devices can use custom drivers like Turnip.
Mali: Arm's GPU line, used in many MediaTek and other chips. Adreno-only drivers like Turnip don't work on Mali.
PanVK: The open-source Mesa Vulkan driver for Arm Mali GPUs, the Mali counterpart to Turnip. See the drivers hub.
Vulkan: A modern graphics API. Most demanding emulators and translation layers render through Vulkan, which is why the GPU driver matters so much.
GPU driver: Software that lets apps talk to the graphics chip. On Android, the built-in one is fixed to what the maker shipped; some emulators can load a newer custom one.
Winlator: An Android app that runs Windows (x86) PC games using Wine plus x86 translation (Box64 and related tools). Many forks exist. Guide.
GameHub: An Android app for running Windows PC games, with built-in driver and compatibility settings. GameHub Lite is a community-modified version. GameNative is a similar app focused on your Steam library.
Wine: A compatibility layer that runs Windows programs on Linux-based systems without Windows. Proton (Steam Deck) and Winlator build on it.
Box64 / FEX: Translators that let x86 (PC) programs run on ARM chips like those in Android handhelds. Box64 and FEX-Emu are two different projects doing this job.
DXVK / VKD3D: Translators that turn DirectX graphics calls into Vulkan. DXVK covers DirectX 9–11; VKD3D-Proton covers DirectX 12. Used by Proton and Winlator-style apps.
Proton: Valve's Wine-based layer that lets Windows games run on SteamOS / Steam Deck.
Emulator: An app that imitates a console so its games can run on other hardware. Legal software; the games and BIOS you use must be your own.
Frontend: A launcher that shows your game library with box art and opens each game in the right emulator. Examples: ES-DE, Daijishō, Beacon. Tip: Retro Game Corps' ES-DE Directories gives you ES-DE's Android ROM folder layout ready to unzip onto a card. Frontend guide.
ES-DE: EmulationStation Desktop Edition, a popular frontend on Android, Windows, Linux and Steam Deck. It expects a ROMs folder with one subfolder per system.
Core (RetroArch): A single emulator packaged as a plug-in for RetroArch. Pick a core per system.
BIOS: Startup software from a console that some emulators need (e.g. PS1, PS2). Dump it from your own console.
Firmware: A console's system software. Some emulators (e.g. Switch) need firmware and keys dumped from your own console. Also means your handheld's own system software, which you should keep updated.
ROM / game dump: A copy of a game's data. Legal when you make it from a game you own.
SoC: System on a chip: the CPU, GPU and more in one chip, e.g. a Snapdragon. Your SoC decides which drivers and emulators perform well.
TDP: Thermal design power: roughly how much power the chip is allowed to use. On PC handhelds, raising TDP can improve performance at the cost of battery and heat.
Performance mode: A device toggle that raises or lowers chip speed and fan curve. Higher = faster but hotter and less battery.
Upscaling / resolution scale: Rendering a game at a multiple of its original resolution (e.g. 2x) for sharper images. Higher scales cost GPU power; lower it first if a game is slow.
Frame generation: Creating extra in-between frames so motion looks smoother. It doesn't make the game itself run faster and can add input lag. Guide.
Shader cache: Saved compiled graphics shaders. The first time an effect appears, the emulator compiles it (a short stutter); later it loads from cache. Clearing it can fix glitches after a driver change.
Asynchronous shaders: An option that compiles shaders in the background to reduce stutter, at the cost of brief missing or flickering effects.
Port: A game rebuilt to run natively on a platform, e.g. an Android port that uses your own game files. Ports directory.
Recomp (static recompilation): A port made by translating a console game's code into native code ahead of time, rather than emulating it. Usually needs your own copy of the game.
JIT: Just-in-time compilation: how fast emulators translate console code while running. Some platforms restrict it, which slows emulators.
Container (Winlator/GameHub): A self-contained Windows setup with its own settings, drivers and installed games. Settings are per container, so you can tune one game without breaking others.

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