The team behind Dolphin, the benchmark emulator for Nintendo Wii and GameCube, has released a new update (Release 2503). This version brings a host of improvements, particularly for fans of RetroAchievements.

Better cheat management in Hardcore mode

One of the major changes concerns RetroAchievements' Hardcore mode. RetroAchievements** is a platform that adds achievements to retro games, while Hardcore mode disables instant saves, slow motion and cheat codes for a more authentic experience.

Until now, Dolphin has completely blocked the use of cheats in Hardcore mode. However, after much feedback from the community, the developers worked with the RetroAchievements team to relax this rule. From now on, certain specific codes will be authorised, including those that fix bugs or improve gameplay, such as fixes for freezes or widescreen display.

Note that RetroAchievements is also compatible with Recalbox. To take advantage of this, simply create an account at retroachievements.org, then log in to your Recalbox game options. You'll be able to unlock trophies on your retro games, just like on modern consoles, and activate Hardcore mode to get back to the original game conditions, without emulation assistance.

Integrated game time tracking

Another welcome new feature is the addition of a game time counter, similar to that found on modern consoles. Activated by default, it shows the total time spent on each game in a dedicated list. However, it can be deactivated if you don't want to keep track of this statistic.

Simplified interface for graphics settings

Finally, Dolphin introduces a new interface for editing graphics settings on a game-by-game basis. Until now, these settings required manual modification via a text box, which could be tedious. Now everything is done directly via a visual interface integrated into the game properties, making customisation more intuitive.

Future integration into Recalbox

For the moment, this update only concerns the Dolphin emulator itself. We are currently testing this version internally for future versions of Recalbox and will integrate it once it is fully compatible with our solution.

Remember that GameCube should be supported on the Raspberry Pi5 with V10, while the Wii will require a PC with more resources than the Pi5 to run Recalbox.

For full details of this update, please see the full list of changes in version 2503.

Source : Time Extension