libretro / libretro/RetroArch

[Feature Request] Support for External Display on Android (USB-C / HDMI)

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feature request
Dominant language
C
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

It would be highly beneficial if RetroArch for Android supported external displays connected via USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) or HDMI. This would allow cores that support dual screens (e.g., DS emulators, Game Boy multiplayer cores, or debugging overlays) to render different outputs to the internal and external display.

This could be implemented with the Android’s DisplayManager and Presentation APIs.

This is optional and Android-only, with zero impact on other platforms. Could be gated behind compile-time or runtime checks.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating RetroArch's Android display and window handling, then read Android's DisplayManager and Presentation APIs. Define how dual-screen output should be selected and verify that Android-only behavior leaves other platforms unchanged; done means supported dual-screen cores can render separate outputs on the internal and external displays.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
android
Domain
mobile
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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