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Released in the arcade in 1993, Mortal Kombat II has been ported to numerous platforms. Gamers on Game Boy, SNES, Mega Drive, Amiga, Master System, Sega Saturn and PlayStation were able to enjoy the famous fatalities right in their living rooms.

Now a group of independent developers have brought the game to a platform that was neglected at the time, the 3DO.

A long-term project

Le projet, présenté en 2023 par le développeur 3DO HD, a considérablement progressé depuis. A recent video posted on their YouTube channel reveals advanced gameplay and confirms that the port is now ready for launch. The first images show an impressive respect for the original arcade version, with sprites and backgrounds faithful to the original game.

Technical challenges

With its memory and resolution limitations, 3DO posed a number of challenges for the developers. Despite these constraints, the port features :

• All the original characters and stages,
• A single-player mode, a VS mode and a training mode with no timer or life bar,
• A stage explorer mode and even secret fighters to come.

However, some concessions were necessary. For example, fighter-specific fatalities are not yet included, and Shang Tsung can currently only transform into the opponent he's fighting. 3DO HD saids:

"This is still a BETA version. At the moment, the latest version is 5.01, as shown on the Start menu screen. I will continue to post patches on the same link. The Mortal Kombat intellectual property is owned by MK / Netherrealm. This is a non-profit fan project for a 30 year old console that has never received a port.

There will be bugs. I'll fix them as I find them. If you're playing with a CD, there may be slight audio skips when the scenery changes in the intro and ending. There are no fighter-specific fatalities in this version. Shang Tsung can only become an adversary. Soon I'll start work on the ‘full’ version, which will include fatalities, babalities, friendships and the fact that Shang Tsung can turn into anyone."

A promising beta version

Although still in the beta phase, version 5.01 is already available for download. The developer is continuing to make improvements and is planning a full version, with all the game's iconic features.

To download this port, go to 3DO HD's Google Drive. If you'd like to support their work, a Ko-Fi page is also available, as are their other ports, such as Tetris 1&2 for 3DO, accessible on their GitHub page.

Source: RetroRGB, Time Extension

Zetof, one of our users and an active member of our Discord, has informed us of the availability of the first demo of Cronela's Mansion, a point-and-click game inspired by the LucasArts classic, Maniac Mansion, released in 1987 for Commodore 64 and Apple II.

The brainchild of Spanish homebrew developer Straynus, Cronela's Mansion will be available on NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PC/MS-DOS and even Nintendo Switch!

For the time being, the demo is only available on the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and NES versions. Zetof has tested the NES version on Recalbox and reports that it runs perfectly.

If you'd like to try it out, the demo is available at itch.io. The developer points out that you can flash a cartridge to play on a console, or use an emulator. He particularly recommends playing on a CRT TV for a ‘magical’ experience.

Four years in the making, the game oozes passion and has been given special care in its visuals. The story promises to be rich and will take place in an open world. Straynus told Time Extension:

"Players will only control Tommy. The other characters are the family who live in the mansion (enemies or allies?). Cronela is Anibal and Hedda's mother, and the zombie (Pavel) is Cronela's brother (and Anibal and Hedda's uncle). The reason why Tommy has to go to the mansion is still a secret. The game will be an open world, so we won't be limited to the mansion."

If you're interested in the game, you can download the demo and sign up on the project's Kickstarter to be notified once it's online so you can take part in the fundraising. By taking part in the fundraiser, you'll also have the chance to buy physical versions of the game for your preferred platform, along with exclusive goodies from the game's universe.

Finally, the announcement of the game was accompanied by a tasteful animated trailer, which we invite you to discover below:

As a watch fan, I couldn't resist sharing the news that my bank account will be depleted in just a few days' time.

But there are no Rolexes, Mauboussins, Tudors or Apple Watches in my drawers. If I had to choose just two brands, they would be Swatch and, of course, CASIO. And if I had to sum up what these Japanese watches represent, I wouldn't go any further than the source of this article: Retrododo, which I quote:

"They're iconic, instantly recognisable, have a retro design and could probably withstand being dropped off a cliff after being stolen from your wrist by an eagle. Battery life also seems to be one of the greatest mysteries of our childhoods - I swear mine never gave up the ghost!"

If CASIO is of interest to us today, it's because of the collaboration announced at the end of the year on YouTube (video at the bottom of the article) and relaunched a few days ago on the brand's official Instagram.

To celebrate 50 years of watches and 45 years of PAC-MAN, CASIO has teamed up with Bandai to bring us four watches featuring the little yellow gobbler and his ghosts.

From left to right in the photo illustrating the article:

• A168WEPC-7A: with its instantly recognisable ‘CASIO’ design, dressed all in grey with its brushed metal strap, the watch has a blue light that displays a WAKA-WAKA message, also visible on the clasp. On the face of the watch, the pastel blue PAC-MAN features surround the dial, and the ghosts are never far away. Advertised price: €79.95.

• F-91WPC-1A**: with exactly the same design and features, but this time in black with a black biosourced resin strap. Advertised price: €59.95 (the cheapest in the range).

• ABL-100WEPC-1B**: the connected watch in this collection (Bluetooth). The dial features an image of the game in black and white, while a splash of colour appears at the bottom with two PAC-MANs and the famous cherry that offered bonus points in the game. The black metal strap lets you show off your geekiness while remaining sober. Advertised price: €130 (the most expensive in the range).

• CA-53WPC-1B: the calculator watch in the collection. No more sobriety, here the predominant colour is firecracker yellow! Beneath the dial displaying the time are the 16 calculator buttons arranged in the game's maze. Advertised price: €79.95.

The watches are not yet available in France via the official CASIO website, but some retailers are already stocking them.

Note that this is not the first collaboration between CASIO and Bandai, who have previously offered the A100WEPC-1B, among others, with the partnership existing for over forty years.

Dreamcast ports have been prolific in recent weeks. After Minecraft and GTA 3, it's now the turn of Valve's iconic franchises, Half-Life and Counter-Strike, to show off their polygons on SEGA's console.

A Russian developer by the name of Maximqad is currently working on a port of the Xash3D engine, designed to be compatible with Half-Life. This ambitious project paves the way for the adaptation of numerous games using this engine, including Counter-Strike. Thanks to his work, it is now possible to play online games of Half-Life Deathmatch: Source (2006) and Counter-Strike (2000) on Dreamcast, a technical feat that is already generating a great deal of enthusiasm in the community.

Dreamcast specialist developer Falco Girgis recently shared images of Counter-Strike running online, although he warned that the project is still in its early stages:

"WHAT KIND OF ENGINE IS THIS? That ‘very special’ new Half-Life compatible engine, Xash3D, that @craf7y24 barely ported to the Sega Dreamcast the other day? ...Well here's a direct hardware capture of that engine that brings us back online with COUNTER-STRIKE 1.6 running on the DC!".

For the moment, no specific optimisations have been made to the console's hardware, but it does suggest that there is considerable potential for improvement. Other videos also show two players on a Half-Life map.

Despite graphical bugs and adjustments that are still needed, Maximqad's progress shows that the Dreamcast, although old, continues to fascinate fans and independent developers alike.

SEGA's latest console, which is similar in architecture to the PCs of the early 2000s, remains a favourite playground for homebrew developers, who are constantly pushing the limits of this machine with ports that are as surprising as they are ambitious.

Source: MagMO5, Time Extension

In a press release published on Friday, Atari congratulated itself on its resolutely retrogaming strategy.

Hardware true to its heritage

On the hardware front, the American company recently re-released updated versions of its iconic consoles: the 2600 and 7800. Unlike the ‘mini’ re-releases offered by Nintendo and SEGA, which include around twenty pre-installed games, Atari is banking on authenticity by allowing these new consoles to read the original 2600 and 7800 cartridges, thus strengthening its link with its heritage.

Software successes in 2024

On the software front, Atari also enjoyed great success in 2024 with titles such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind, The Thing: Remastered and RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic. The company also consolidated its position in 2023 by acquiring two major retrogaming players: Digital Eclipse and Nightdive Studios.

"The 2023 acquisitions of Digital Eclipse and Nightdive Studios have significantly deepened the company's expertise in retro games from the 1970s to the early 2000s on PCs and modern consoles, and strengthened the company's skills and reputation for rights acquisition and content development around some of the world's most beloved intellectual properties," said Wade Rosen, Atari's Chairman and CEO.

A successful fourth quarter

Wade Rosen also praised Atari's performance in 2024:

"It was critical for Atari to execute our retro strategy in 2024, and I am extremely pleased with the company's performance across all of our businesses. Ending the year with such an enthusiastic response to our fourth quarter games - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind and The Thing: Remastered, as well as the release of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic on Nintendo Switch - I am confident that our strategy will lead to even greater success in 2025."

Retrogaming in 2025

Atari is fully committed to its retrogaming strategy, banking on the nostalgia and popularity of its historic licences. The year 2025 promises to be full of re-releases, new games and, who knows, hardware surprises.

Source: Time Extension

The original game Prince of Persia, released in 1989 for the Apple II, can now be played on Dreamcast.

The title was a huge success thanks to its captivating world and, above all, its avant-garde animations for the time. These used the rotoscoping technique to reproduce realistic movement dynamics.

This port is based on SDLPoP, an open source disassembly of the DOS version of the game, which has already been adapted for many other platforms.

For this port, homebrew developer memorix101 used the Dreamcast SDL2 library, designed by programmer Troy Davis. A solution that necessitated the adaptation of a number of features.

Nevertheless, the developer has succeeded in integrating the ability to perform Dreamcast-specific quick saves (VMU) into his port, which, in return, takes time away from players' runs.

Currently in the alpha stage, the project is available for download (CDI image) from GitHub. For fans of the Prince of Persia saga, it's worth noting that the first opus, its many ports and its sequels can also be played on Recalbox on a number of platforms.

Source: Time Extension

This is the story of an exceptional book. Three years ago, author and illustrator Philip Summers set off on a Kickstarter adventure to fund hand-illustrated guides to classic games from the 80s.

The campaign was a runaway success, with almost 4,700 contributors raising $322,000. But the enthusiasm wasn't enough to bring the project to fruition, for one simple reason: Philip Summers didn't own the rights to the franchises he was working on.

The project had to be abandoned on the last day of the fund-raising campaign.

Motivated by the support he received, Summers continued to work on his drawings while working discreetly to negotiate the rights that would allow him to publish an officially licensed guide.

And so, in partnership with NF Publishing and with Capcom's blessing, Philip Summers is offering his very first official hand-drawn guide: "Hand-Drawn Game Guides: Mega Man ’.

Launched just three days ago, the project has already raised almost €70,000 of the €19,302 requested, thanks to 1,404 contributors at the time of writing. In fact, the target was reached in just 12 minutes!

As well as making it possible to produce the book, this success could encourage Capcom to repeat the experience with future projects in the same spirit.

We invite you to discover the Kickstarter page, which reveals some illustrations taken from the book. After all, these are not just drawings: the entire guide is hand-drawn.

Characters, levels, tips, traps... everything is meticulously drawn with a remarkable pencil stroke that exudes passion and attention to detail. This 200-page guide will help you rediscover the secrets of the original Mega Man adventure (1987) and Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (released on Game Boy in 1991).

Photos: NF Publishing

Source: mag.mo5.com

The PlayStation Plus catalogue will be expanded on 21 January with the arrival of a number of new games, including a title from the PlayStation Classic range that is sure to delight fans of retrogaming.

Medievil II, released in 2000 on PlayStation, joins over a hundred classic titles. A direct sequel to MediEvil, this game takes us back to the world of the skeletal hero Sir Daniel Fortesque, awakened after 500 years of well-earned rest for a new adventure set in England.

The version on offer is a remastered version: the original game, developed by SCE Studio Cambridge (now Guerrilla Cambridge), has been given a slight visual facelift. So it's not a complete remake, unlike the first MediEvil, released in 2019 and developed by Other Ocean Interactive, which offered a modern reinterpretation of the game.

MediEvil is an iconic franchise of the early PlayStation era, on a par with Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider. It stands out for its technical quality, quirky universe, charismatic hero and clear inspiration from the world of Tim Burton.

To enjoy MediEvil II, you'll need to subscribe to the PlayStation Plus Premium service or buy it individually. Note that the first instalment of MediEvil is also available, allowing you to discover the story in chronological order.

Finally, for fans of retrogaming, MediEvil titles can be played via Recalbox on PlayStation 1.

Following the announcement of his retirement, Shuhei Yoshida has given an interview to media outlet Kinda Funny Games, in which he looks back on his long career at Sony and shares some interesting observations on the failure of the PS Vita.

If the name Shuhei Yoshida isn't familiar to you, but you've been a PlayStation gamer, then you owe him a good portion of your gaming sessions.

Recruited by Sony in 1986 from university, Yoshida rose through the ranks working on iconic titles such as Gran Turismo and Ape Escape, before becoming president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios from 2008 to 2019.

The Time Extension website reports on Yoshida's comments in the two-hour-plus interview.

The context of a failure

Building on the success of the PSP (which sold 80 million units), Sony decided to launch a new handheld console: the PS Vita. However, this ambition came up against a major competitor. Nintendo's 3DS was a runaway success, selling almost 76 million units. The PS Vita, on the other hand, has struggled to make an impact, selling only around 15 million units.

However, Yoshida stresses that competition is not the only factor holding back the Vita.

Lack of development resources

Yoshida explains that Sony had split its teams between the PS Vita and home consoles, in particular the PS4. With a limited number of studios, the company had to make choices, and it was the PS4 that was prioritised. In comparison, more recently Nintendo has managed to consolidate its teams to work on a single hybrid platform, the Switch, a strategy that Yoshida considers to be one of the keys to its success.

Proprietary memory cards: a costly mistake

Another point raised by Yoshida concerns the PS Vita's proprietary memory cards, often criticised for being prohibitively expensive. He admits that this choice weighed heavily on consumers:
*It was a mistake. People have to spend more money to get a memory card.

Standard SD cards, such as those used by Nintendo for its 3DS, would have been a more economical and practical alternative. Note that for some games, this memory card became compulsory.

Questionable hardware choices

The PS Vita included innovations such as a rear touchscreen and a high-quality OLED screen (which was later removed in favour of an LCD screen), but Yoshida now admits that these choices increased costs without adding any real value. These elements, although attractive during the prototyping phase, were not essential in the end.

In addition, the lack of a TV output on the commercial model was also detrimental to the console. Yoshida reveals that this feature was present in the development kits but was removed to save on production costs. A regrettable decision considering the positive impact of TV compatibility on the Switch's success.

An analysis after the fact

It's always easier to draw lessons after the fact, especially in the face of the Switch's success, which now seems to be a given in terms of design. However, there's no denying that Sony tried to innovate with the PS Vita, delivering a quality product that was forward-thinking for its time, not least thanks to its OLED screen, rear touch surface and impressive graphics for a handheld console released in 2011.

After hearing Yoshida's words, we can't help but wonder how successful the PS Vita might have been if it had been dockable or, at the very least, compatible with a TV output, a feature that the Switch brilliantly exploited five years later.

Warner Music Japan has opened pre-orders for a vinyl set that should be high on the wish list of Super Mario collectors and fans.

The Super Mario World soundtrack will be available from April 30, 2025 and will come in the form of a three-disc box set featuring no fewer than 179 tracks featuring music from the titles Super Mario Bros to Super Mario Bros 3. Notably, the B-side of the third disc contains 118 sounds, mainly sound effects from the games.

According to RetroRGB, the tracks appear to be based on the CD version of a compilation released in 1991.

At present, the vinyls are only available on two Japanese sales platforms, but these are expected to offer international delivery.

This boxed set of three vinyl records is priced at 11,550 yen, or around $74, from these two addresses:

Tower JP / HMV.CO.JP

You may be familiar with the Arcade Archives range from Konami, which offers re-releases of the Japanese firm's classics on modern platforms. This time, the surprise comes in the form of Escape Kids, an arcade game released in 1991 that has never before been brought to home consoles.

With its colourful style and very ‘toonesque’ animations, the game asks you to complete three laps of each race, the aim being to come out on top while beating the black-clad champion.

There are several circuits to choose from, each with its own variety of scenery and obstacles. Along the way, you can collect coins to improve your stats: endurance, crash recovery and even braking.

To add a little spice, bonuses can appear on the ground. These can be used to make up a substantial deficit, or to see your opponents swooping down on you.

Escape Kids will be available from 16 January on PlayStation and Switch.

Source: Time Extension, Famitsu

A few days ago we told you about an innovative CAPTCHA that lets you play Doom, and now fans of the franchise and of technical tinkering can rejoice: the famous 1993 first-person shooter has been ported... to a PDF file. This feat is the work of a high school student known as ading2210 on GitHub, inspired by a similar project for Tetris.

Using the capabilities of Javascript in PDF files, ading2210 used Emscripten to compile Doom in asm.js format, making the game playable in Chromium-based browsers. The rendering, minimalist but functional, is based on a palette of six ASCII-art colours.

Admittedly, it lacks sound and the original palette, but players can still wander around level E1M1, eliminating demons and zombies, simply by typing commands or clicking on on-screen buttons, which allow them to move the character, shoot and switch from one menu to another.

Because of the PDF format, you'll understand that there are a few constraints, notably a response time of 80ms, which in itself isn't really a problem but isn't up to the standards of the genre.

This port continues the long tradition of running Doom on improbable objects, such as toasters, fridges, pregnancy tests and treadmills (you'll find here this long, improbable list).

For those who want to try out this offbeat version, the project is available on GitHub and at this address.

Sources: IGN, Time Extension

A few weeks ago, GOG announced its preservation programme entitled ‘Preserved by GOG’. It's an initiative designed to safeguard the great classics of video games, in order to preserve these works while making them compatible with today's PCs.

The programme currently includes just over 100 titles, including Diablo, Fallout: New Vegas and System Shock 2. These games have been tested and optimised to offer a DRM-free experience, with manuals included, technical support and much more.

This ensures continued compatibility and support, so that these iconic titles will be around for years to come.

Retro News today announced that GOG has reinforced this commitment by joining the European Federation of Video Game Archives, Museums and Preservation Projects (EFGAMP).

Founded in 2012, this federation brings together more than 20 institutions across Europe, including the French association MO5.com.

This step marks a further commitment by GOG to the preservation of videogame heritage, by collaborating with recognised associations in the field of video games and retrogaming.

Andreas Lange, Director of EFGAMP, welcomed the move:

"GOG brings a unique perspective to EFGAMP as Europe's leading digital distributor of games [...] its experience in making classic games accessible to modern audiences complements the work of our existing members by bringing additional digital expertise to our collective efforts".

At a time when dematerialisation is playing an increasingly important role, it is reassuring to see that this can coexist with the protection of our heritage, and that major players such as GOG and Sony, with its game library, are taking steps to address this issue.

Source: Retro News

8BitDo has become accustomed to more elaborate accessories than the one presented here. The manufacturer, well known for its Recalbox-compatible peripherals, offers controllers of excellent quality, with exemplary finish and few bugs.

This time, the accessory manufacturer is unveiling a "Mobile Clip ’, a simple plastic clip designed to attach a phone to a Micro or Zero 2 controller from the same brand (these are very small controllers).

With the disappearance of physical buttons on smartphones, many users of retro games find themselves frustrated by the often uncomfortable grip of touch screens.

The solution proposed by 8BitDo has the merit of offering an alternative that allows you to have a controller in your hand and your smartphone, offering a slightly more natural gaming position while remaining close to your phone screen.

The quality and finish of this clip remain to be seen. Let's hope it has a little foam to protect the screen and a system that's strong enough to hold both the controller and the phone, without requiring excessive effort.

However, given the high standards to which 8BitDo has become accustomed, it's regrettable that the brand has opted for such a simple and, let's face it, somewhat ‘cheap’ accessory compared to its usual products.

The Mobile Clip is available for $9.99.

If you want to spend the next 15 minutes shaking your head with a goofy grin while watching a speedrun, you've come to the right place.

From 4 to 12 January, the Awesome Games Done Quick festival was held, a charity marathon which, as the name suggests, is centred around speedruns. During the event, spectators had the chance to make donations, which were donated to cancer prevention and Médecins Sans Frontières.

For this first edition of 2025, the marathon was a great success, with $2,556,305 raised. Among the many speedruns broadcast live, one in particular caught our attention: that of the legendary Crazy Taxi, performed by Chuckles825 in just under 18 minutes.

This performance made its mark not only because of its speed, but also because of the unique conditions in which it took place. The game's famous soundtrack, featuring iconic tracks by The Offspring and Bad Religion, was played live by a group of musicians. The musicians didn't just play the songs: they synchronised their performance with the different phases of the game, starting and stopping their tracks at the beginning and end of each level.

To top it all off, the musicians also commented on the session, replacing the game's announcer, who had been cut for the occasion. It's an original approach that has allowed us to recreate an atmosphere faithful to Crazy Taxi's wacky, free-flowing spirit, while cleverly sidestepping copyright concerns.

If you're interested in this kind of performance, don't hesitate to explore the Games Done Quick channel, where you'll find other videos just as entertaining.

As a reminder, Crazy Taxi was originally released on Naomi (arcade) and was one of the major titles of the Dreamcast. If you own this game, you should know that it is perfectly playable on Recalbox (a Pi5 with 4 GB RAM is recommended).

Source: vg247.com

My Arcade is certainly prolific at CES 2025. After unveiling its partnership with SEGA to offer mini kiosks featuring Sonic and its new Game Gamestation Retro, the American manufacturer this week presented the Super Retro Champ.

This portable console, equipped with a six-inch screen, is capable of reading SNES and Mega Drive game cartridges. If this project sounds familiar, that's because it was already presented at CES 2020 before being shelved without any official communication until now.

The console's architecture is based on an emulation system and not on FPGAs, as is usually the case with this type of device. You'll be able to connect Bluetooth controllers and also link the console to your television via an HDMI port.

The Super Retro Champ is due for release this year, at a price that has yet to be confirmed. However, according to the mag MO5.com, it could go on sale for around €99. This is not the first console of its kind to be offered by My Arcade, which also markets the Retro Champ, capable of holding NES and Famicom cartridges.

While the quality of the device remains to be seen, it's worth pointing out that My Arcade has taken up an unprecedented challenge: to offer a console capable of bringing together SNES and Mega Drive ‘cartridge’ players on a single device!

If you frequent the Recalbox Discord, you'll have noticed that beudbeud organises a fortnightly challenge open to everyone. The idea is simple: try to achieve the best score on a selected game, often from the arcade catalogue.

To kick off 2025, the first challenge will be played on Over Top :

Over Top, developed by ADK in 1996, is an iconic arcade racing game. Get behind the wheel of sports cars or off-road vehicles to take on a variety of dynamic circuits. From snow-covered mountains to tropical forests and urban roads, each track is a unique challenge where precision, speed and cornering are essential. ‘*

Challenge rules

At the wheel of one of the eight cars available, your objective will be to complete a full lap of the map, divided into several stages, before the dreaded "Time Over ’ appears.

Each car has a unique driving style, favouring certain types of surface (tarmac, mud, snow, etc.) but with weaknesses on others. It's up to you to choose the one that best suits your style of play.

A few tips to help you shine:

• Take the time to memorise the lines.
• Be precise, because the slightest mistake could ruin your race.
• Note that there are few shortcuts: consistency is better than improvisation.

How do I take part?

1. **Start the game ** (rom ‘overtop’)
2. Play and try to beat the best time.
3. Take a screenshot or photo of your final score.
4. Share your score on the Discord channel #challenges or use the command /submit score leaderboard on the same channel.

Rules to follow

To ensure the fairness of the challenge :

• The score must be achieved in only one credit, without save state, rewind, cheats, or auto fire (unless provided for in the game).

Rewards and fair play

The challenge is all about discovering new games, sharing tips and, of course, having fun. All in a spirit of competition that's always welcome!

The winner will receive a game key (GOG, Steam, etc.) to choose from a list of over 80 titles. Note that if you've won a challenge in the last three months, the prize will go to the next person on the podium.

**Good luck to you all, and may the best score win!

If you're familiar with retrogaming and emulation, you'll no doubt know that some consoles are harder to emulate than others. Among them, the Nintendo 64 is often considered a real bête noire.

The site Time Extension recently shared an article with a video from Modern Vintage Gamer on YouTube. The video, which is in English but can be automatically subtitled in French via the settings, explains in an accessible way why Nintendo 64 emulation is so complex.

To put it simply (and with a lot of shortcuts), the Nintendo 64 has a atypical architecture. While some consoles have similarities with the architecture of PCs, the Nintendo 64 has radically different hardware.

Emulation of the Nintendo 64 began in the early 2000s, at a time when PCs were often less powerful than the console itself, which was released in 1996. To get round this problem, developers had to use custom ‘micro-codes’ for each game, to ensure faithful, high-performance emulation.

At the same time, specific plug-ins were developed to emulate the graphics, sound and joystick management sub-systems. However, these solutions, adapted to specific games, proved ineffective, and even problematic, for other titles.

So why does this problem persist with modern PCs? Because it's not just a question of power, it's a question of methodology. The basics of Nintendo 64 emulation haven't really changed for 25 years.

Even Nintendo's official emulation struggles to faithfully reproduce Nintendo 64 games on its Virtual Console.

When we asked Recalbox which version of the Raspberry Pi we were able to use to offer a correct solution, BkG2k's response was apt:

It's hard to say. On the Pi3 there were games that already ran well. It was more a question of emulation than power. Then new emulators/cores came along, and they all evolved. It's quite hard to say really.

The Time Extension article concludes, through this video, that the problem stems from the very approach to Nintendo 64 emulation. Cobbled-together solutions, such as plug-ins and other micro-codes, must be abandoned in favour of a rethought emulation dedicated to the console's unique architecture.

This year, expectations are high when it comes to Nintendo's announcements, and it seems that the Japanese firm has decided to surprise us. While leaks about announcement dates and even supposed photos of the Switch 2 have been circulating online, Nintendo has chosen to defy predictions... by unveiling a LEGO GameBoy.

If you're active on social media, you've probably seen this news thanks to a short teaser posted on Nintendo's official accounts.

This isn't the first time that Nintendo and LEGO have worked together. We remember the set reproducing the NES with an ‘interactive’ CRT screen, or the sets more geared towards a younger audience, such as those inspired by the Super Mario franchise.

This time, LEGO is targeting an older audience, in particular those nostalgic for the 80s and fans of retrogaming. The video presentation is very brief, however: there's no mention of the scale (which we hope will be life-size) or the number of pieces that will make up this replica of the famous handheld console.

The only information confirmed is the release date. You'll be able to get your hands on this GameBoy in bricks from October 2025, at a price as yet unknown.

Let's hope this model proves to be both ingenious and faithful to the original, making it a must-have collector's item. Today, the GameBoy is a veritable pop culture icon, having left its mark on the history of video games with some 119 million units sold, and greatly contributed to the democratisation of portable consoles.

The Kubii website, the official Raspberry distributor in France, has announced the availability of the Raspberry Pi 5 in 16GB RAM version.

A boosted Pi 5, but for what use?

The Raspberry Foundation is kicking off the new year with a Pi 5 boosted by 16 GB of RAM. While this evolution may make sense for uses such as office automation, programming, multitasking or servers, it is totally superfluous for use dedicated to Recalbox.

For optimal use with Recalbox, the Raspberry Pi 5 4 Go is still the ideal solution. It's more than enough to run your PS1 and Dreamcast games, demanding arcade titles (particularly Cave games), and soon, with version 10 of Recalbox, some GameCube games (with a few reservations depending on the title).

Even the 8GB version, offered with the release of the Pi 5, doesn't seem relevant for Recalbox use.

Price comparison

The 16 GB model is priced at 147 €, compared with 69 € for the 4 GB version. We therefore strongly recommend the 4GB version and advise you to invest the money you save in a good microSD card (for example a SanDisk that meets U3 A2 standards) and a quality external storage device. These elements will improve your user experience far more significantly than a few gigs of RAM.

What's more, the 2GB version of the Pi 5, released a few months ago, is now compatible with Recalbox (as we explained in this article). However, we continue to prefer the 4GB version for optimal use, particularly in the context of the release of version 10.

Raspberry Pi 5 specifications (16 GB version)

Finally, with regard to the 16GB model, it's important to note that apart from the RAM, its specifications remain strictly identical to those of the other versions:

• Processor**: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 (64-bit, 2.4 GHz)
• GPU**: VideoCore VII (800 MHz)
• Connections**: identical to other versions.

If you're just discovering these microcomputers and how to get to grips with them with Recalbox, we invite you to watch the video below: