brunodev85
Current Situation of Winlator
Recently, many users, especially newcomers and content creators, have been discovering PC emulation through GameHub because it’s extremely easy to use and performs very well on modern Android devices. Even though GameHub is fully closed-source, it currently offers features and performance that make casual users migrate away from Winlator.
GameHub link:
https://gamehub.xiaoji.com/
but How?
GameHub/Fusion uses bionic, arm64ec, FEXCore, box64, a more modern X server (Termux X11–based), better Mali support, and a much more user-friendly UI.
This makes it faster and dramatically easier for regular users, which is why it’s gaining popularity very quickly.
A huge number of new users only learned about “PC-on-Android” because of GameHub’s accessibility.
Meanwhile:
Winlator became closed-source after v8, limiting community collaboration.
Community developers (e.g., PissBlaster649/Pypetto-Crypto) ported the CMOD Winlator fork to bionic/arm64ec and achieved performance similar to GameHub using open-source code,but they have now lost interest in continuing work on the Winlator codebase https://github.com/Pipetto-crypto/winlator
The original UI (taken from legacy ExaGear designs) feels outdated compared to competitors.
GameHub applies automatic settings for Game/Device, which is extremely advantageous for everyone.
Winlator still uses an older X server, which causes limitations compared to Termux X11–based solutions.
Community developers cannot effectively contribute to Winlator’s evolution.
Suggestions for Winlator’s future I’m sharing these respectfully, the goal is to help Winlator stay relevant and competitive:
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Add bionic / arm64ec compatibility This is one of the biggest reasons GameHub performs so well on modern devices.
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Evaluate integration paths for FEXCore This layer dramatically improve x86 emulation performance on ARM64.
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Update the X server approach Consider switching to a Termux X11–based method or another modern alternative.
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UI modernization A cleaner, more user-friendly interface would help Winlator reach the same audience that GameHub is attracting.
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Automatic settings Automatic settings help fix problematic games that would require hours to adjust, avoiding frustration when using the emulator.
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Improve Mali GPU Performance This is especially important on mid-range devices where GameHub has a clear advantage, Vortek, in comparison, is very slow.
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Reopen or partially open the project to contributions Even limited PR acceptance or documentation would allow community developers (like those who maintained CMOD) to help Winlator evolve. Right now, forks stagnate because there is no collaborative path.
Why this matters If things continue as they are, Winlator risks losing most new users to GameHub due to:
accessibility performance modern architecture support ease of setup growing creator-driven visibility
Many of us would prefer to keep using Winlator because it was the project that originally opened the door for PC emulation on Android. These suggestions aim to help Winlator stay competitive and revive community interest.
Thank you for reading
Hello Mikalia0,
Let's highlight a few points here. The reason the source code is closed is precisely because of the number of forks that have emerged over the years, and in the end, nobody wants to help the main project. Even your beloved GameHub uses several things from this project and other projects, and it's closed source. The Winlator project has grown considerably, reaching many users, and it has excellent performance/compatibility thanks to Box64. I have many cool things being implemented that will be released soon.
Thank you for your understanding.
Hello Mikalia0,
Let's highlight a few points here. The reason the source code is closed is precisely because of the number of forks that have emerged over the years, and in the end, nobody wants to help the main project. Even your beloved GameHub uses several things from this project and other projects, and it's closed source. The Winlator project has grown considerably, reaching many users, and it has excellent performance/compatibility thanks to Box64. I have many cool things being implemented that will be released soon.
Thank you for your understanding.
Hi Bruno, Do the developers from other forks not want to help with the development of the official Winlator? It would be very valuable if they also contributed to the project.
and in the end, nobody wants to help the main project
Thank you for your reply. @brunodev85 i understand your concern about forks, but I believe an important part of the situation is being overlooked. There are many developers who genuinely want to help Winlator. I literally mentioned one,but they currently cannot. Not because they don’t want to support the main project, but because the project’s development model doesn’t allow meaningful technical participation. when it comes to technical collaboration, most issues related to QoL improvements, feature requests, or even arm64ec, all are ignored or closed without discussion.
This creates a situation where:
People want to contribute ideas, fixes, and improvements,but the project structure doesn’t allow any collaboration beyond donations.
They either fork the latest open-source release and get stuck on winlator code, or they fork the latest release and can't make many changes.
So the problem isn’t that “nobody wants to help the main project.”
The real issue is that those who do want to help have no channel where their contributions are considered. When issues are dismissed immediately, even constructive feedback feels unwelcome. This very issue was opened as an attempt to help, yet the concerns were rejected instead of being discussed technically. This is exactly why forks appeared in the past. not out of disrespect, but because developers had no viable way to collaborate upstream.
gamehub used many parts from winlator when it was open source before,like for example
- the same on-screen controls structure from the official winlator project.
- also back then,winlator was open source when gamehub were in early releases,and gamehub released with closed source,because they say we did collab with mediatek and we are adding a support for Mali gpu's(they taught we would steal those Mali drivers) while it's just cpu emulated bcn textures like vortek, ,the real early beta Mali driver is the vulkan wrapper by leegao, he's implementing a way to transcode from bcn to astc and etc2 format which enables hardware accelerated texture compression and recompression in Mali GPUs (because they don't support bcn formats natively while they support astc and etc2) so Mali GPUs can compete with adreno in emulation finally.,other thing is that xiaoji is making profit by forcing players to buy supported controls from gamesir. how they are making a profit? simply, to let you know,I and many users noticed that gamehub limits the fps and the performance when you use on-screen controls, while you get full performance and good fps when you use a supported controller by gamesir,isn't that a profit?,so there's so there's no reason to blame Bruno for closing the source code and saving his yearly work from being stolen.
how they are making a profit? simply, to let you know,I and many users noticed that gamehub limits the fps and the performance when you use on-screen controls, while you get full performance and good fps when you use a supported controller by gamesir,isn't that a profit?,so there's so there's no reason to blame Bruno for closing the source code and saving his yearly work from being stolen.
Even if that is true, that is exactly why users want open alternatives. This behavior actually proves the opposite of your point: If closed-source apps restrict users for profit, then Winlator being closed-source means the community has less ability to prevent similar situations in the future. Openness protects users.
"Therefore it’s right for Bruno to close Winlator to protect his work.” Again, this misunderstands the issue. Right now, even QoL suggestions and FEX-related issues are ignored. Developers want to help, but have no way to do so. This results in forks because the main project is closed to participation, not because people want to “steal code.”
If Bruno doesn’t take action, Winlator will fall behind,users are moving to alternatives because they improve faster, respond to feedback, and openly accept technical contributions. Winlator can absolutely remain relevant, but only if the project grows, adapts, and allows the community to participate in some form, If nothing changes, the gap will only get bigger, and that’s not what anyone here wants.
i agree with you that other forks and alternatives improve faster and respond faster to users feedback and suggestions, but keep in mind that bruno is working alone,also he's dealing with other things releated to the future Android versions,like google's new terms regarding sideloading apks ...etc also, xiaojididn't acknowledge and give atleast credits to bruno.>
how they are making a profit? simply, to let you know,I and many users noticed that gamehub limits the fps and the performance when you use on-screen controls, while you get full performance and good fps when you use a supported controller by gamesir,isn't that a profit?,so there's so there's no reason to blame Bruno for closing the source code and saving his yearly work from being stolen.
Even if that is true, that is exactly why users want open alternatives. This behavior actually proves the opposite of your point: If closed-source apps restrict users for profit, then Winlator being closed-source means the community has less ability to prevent similar situations in the future. Openness protects users.
"Therefore it’s right for Bruno to close Winlator to protect his work.” Again, this misunderstands the issue. Right now, even QoL suggestions and FEX-related issues are ignored. Developers want to help, but have no way to do so. This results in forks because the main project is closed to participation, not because people want to “steal code.”
If Bruno doesn’t take action, Winlator will fall behind,users are moving to alternatives because they improve faster, respond to feedback, and openly accept technical contributions. Winlator can absolutely remain relevant, but only if the project grows, adapts, and allows the community to participate in some form, If nothing changes, the gap will only get bigger, and that’s not what anyone here wants.
Também não vejo vantagem e sentido em deixar o código aberto dessas novas atualizações. Já q muitos q criam sua versão do Winlator pensam apenas no seu sucesso próprio e além do mais a pessoas má intencionadas q podem usar disso em criar uma versão sua do Winlator para jogar vírus ,dar golpes e muitas outras maldades e com isso acabar manchando o nome winlator. Agora sobre a parte de dar uma reformulada no visual do Winlator! Sim isso tem q ser feito. Outra adição também seria a volta de o emulador poder deixar instalar diferentes versões da wine . Ou até mesmo deixar instalar uma proton . Ou melhor ainda instalar partições do windows como no aplicativo VECTRAS-VM. Por que tem muitos jogos e programas que não são compatíveis com a wine e a proton. E por último outra sugestão era eliminar o puxar a barra pra lateral pra ter acesso ao input (controle de entrada) e deixar de outra forma mais fácil e rápida acesso . Como o Rpcsx e o Xodos faz . Com a bolha de menu flutuante
Também não vejo vantagem e sentido em deixar o código aberto dessas novas atualizações. Já q muitos q criam sua versão do Winlator pensam apenas no seu sucesso próprio e além do mais a pessoas má intencionadas q podem usar disso em criar uma versão sua do Winlator para jogar vírus ,dar golpes e muitas outras maldades e com isso acabar manchando o nome winlator. Agora sobre a parte de dar uma reformulada no visual do Winlator! Sim isso tem q ser feito. Outra adição também seria a volta de o emulador poder deixar instalar diferentes versões da wine . Ou até mesmo deixar instalar uma proton . Ou melhor ainda instalar partições do windows como no aplicativo VECTRAS-VM. Por que tem muitos jogos e programas que não são compatíveis com a wine e a proton. E por último outra sugestão era eliminar o puxar a barra pra lateral pra ter acesso ao input (controle de entrada) e deixar de outra forma mais fácil e rápida acesso . Como o Rpcsx e o Xodos faz . Com a bolha de menu flutuante
Uma boa adição a uma nova maneira de acesso rápidos a itens dentro da wine eu acho mais viável e organizado fazer estilo o geforce now mobile, aonde ao clicamos na tela temo uma mini barra lateral no canto superior da tela, dando acesso aos controles na tela e demais funções. Uma boa implementação com isso séria muito boa.