Channel 3
a RomM client for Apple TV
Channel 3
a RomM client for Apple TV
Meet Channel 3, a native Apple TV client for your RomM library. Pair with a QR code, find a favorite from the couch, and press Play. Your games come from your server. Your saves go back to it.
A familiar channel. A new way to play.
Built for Apple TV · Bring your own RomM 5+ server
Your library, made for the couch. Screenshots show fictional games and original demo artwork.
Before you install
Channel 3 is a third-party client for RomM, the open-source ROM manager you host yourself. You'll need a server reachable from your Apple TV, your own game files, and a compatible controller for play. RomM versions before 5 are not supported.
Self-host RomM version 5 or newer on your NAS, home server, or homelab. New to RomM? Start with the official docs.
Channel 3 finds RomM on your network, then shows a QR code and a short code. Approve it from your phone or computer — your RomM password is never typed on the TV. See each requested RomM permission and why it is needed.
Pick a game, and Channel 3 fetches it from your server on demand. Channel 3 includes no games, no firmware, and no cloud — your library is entirely your own.
Channel 3 looks for RomM on your network, or you can enter your server address. Scan the QR code with your phone, approve the Apple TV in RomM, and your library is ready to browse.
RomM keeps your collection organized. Channel 3 makes it feel like a console.
Find your next game in Continue Playing, Recently Added, Favorites, platforms, and collections. Big artwork and simple navigation make your library easy to browse across the room.
Press Play and Channel 3 fetches the game from RomM right then. No file copying, no sideloading, no juggling USB sticks.
tvOS play sessions are cleaned up automatically when you're done — no permanent ROM copies pile up on the box. Your server stays the single source of truth.
Pair a PlayStation, Xbox, or MFi controller and play the way the games were meant to be played. Menus stay navigable with the Siri Remote.
Supported games run locally on your Apple TV using bundled libretro emulator cores. Check the systems below to see how your collection fits.
Save states sync back to RomM, and Channel 3 can restore them when you pick a game up again. Progress follows your library — not one device. Unsynced saves are never treated as disposable.
No separate Channel 3 account and no ads. Your library stays on your server. Usage sharing is off until you opt in through Privacy & Legal. Read the privacy policy.
Channel 3 speaks RomM 5's documented API, inherits its permissions model, and follows its EmulatorJS platform catalogue for core support.
Channel 3 will be released as free, open-source software under the GNU AGPL, just like RomM itself. The bundled emulator cores keep their own GPL-family licenses, each credited with full source availability.
Every platform on your server, one focus-swipe away.
Every game runs on a proven emulator core from the libretro ecosystem, compiled from pinned, audited source and bundled with the app — no emulator downloads are needed. These are the systems qualified in development today; the exact lineup is published with each release.
Every core above is licensed for commercial redistribution and built from pinned, audited source. Systems that need hardware GPU rendering — Nintendo 64 and PSP — are not supported. Huge thanks to the libretro project and every core's authors — each emulator above links to its source.
Channel 3 is coming soon to the App Store for Apple TV. In the meantime, get your server ready at romm.app and check the requirements. You'll need RomM version 5 or newer, your own games, and a controller.
Want to know when it ships? Email support@channel3.games and we'll tell you — nothing else, ever.