Usenet Share explained
Quick answer: Usenet Share lets you use a build straight from Usenet without downloading it all first. You copy the Share Link from a build's download box into the Usenet Share app, then stream games into RetroBat or Batocera, mount the image, write it to a drive, or grab just the files you want. You need a Usenet account, and only some builds offer it.
Usenet Share is the cleverest way to use a build on Arcade Punks. Instead of downloading tens or hundreds of GB, finding the space for it, then unpacking a pile of RAR files, you use the build straight from Usenet, on demand.
The problem it solves
A normal download works like this: fetch the whole build, unpack the archives, then write or copy it somewhere. For a 500GB build that means a long wait, roughly double the space while you unpack, and plenty of chances for something to go wrong. Usenet Share skips most of that.
How it works, in plain English
Usenet already stores every Arcade Punks build on fast servers. Usenet Share connects to those servers using your Usenet account and treats the build as if it were a drive sitting in the cloud. It only fetches the parts you actually use, when you use them.
On builds that support it, the download box has a Share Link. You copy that link, paste it into the Usenet Share app, and choose what you want to do with the build.
What you can do with it
- Stream games into RetroBat. Play a whole library in RetroBat, only fetching the game you launch. See Streaming your games to RetroBat with Usenet Share.
- Stream games into Batocera. The same idea for Batocera. See Streaming your games to Batocera with UsenetShare.
- Mount an image. Open a build image as if it were a drive on your computer, without downloading it. See Mounting an image without downloading it with UsenetShare.
- Write an image straight to a drive. Write a ready-made build to your card or SSD directly from Usenet, with no big download sitting on your PC first. See Writing an image from the cloud to a drive with UsenetShare.
- Grab files without extracting RARs. Pull out just the files you want, with no wrestling with RAR parts. See Grabbing files without extracting RARs with UsenetShare.
What you need
- A Usenet account. Usenet Share uses the same Usenet access as NZB downloads. We tested it on Newshosting with 100% results. Our deal gives 70% off plus 3 free months, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- The Usenet Share app. Our main guide explains where to get it and how it works: How UsenetShare will revolutionise the way we download retro gaming builds.
- A build that offers it. Not every build has a Usenet Share option yet. Look for it in the download box.
- A decent internet connection, especially for streaming games, since each game is fetched when you launch it.
Usenet Share vs a normal NZB download
| NZB download | Usenet Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Download the whole build first? | Yes | No |
| Disk space needed | Archives plus the unpacked build | Only what you use or write |
| RAR extracting | Done by the downloader or by you | Not needed |
| Account needed | Usenet provider | The same Usenet provider |
| Available on | Every build | Some builds |
When a normal download is still better
- You want a full offline copy you can keep and re-use.
- Your internet is slow or unreliable, which would make streaming painful.
- The build does not offer Usenet Share. In that case, use the NZB: see Usenet and NZB for beginners.
Ready to try it? Follow Getting started with Usenet Share.
Still stuck? Read Which download option should I pick? or ask on our Discord.