GameCube Archives

BetaBeacon

June 4, 2025

Dolphin emulator hits a milestone as the full Wii catalog is now playable

Dolphin emulator release 2506 includes improvements to address audio stuttering on lower-end machines, fixes for frame pacing issues, new anisotropic filtering options for graphics, ability to emulate games beyond 60fps, full compatibility with GameCube and Wii catalogs, and new features for Android users.

AppWizard

May 31, 2025

Misc. A Tiny Tale Confirmed For Release in Late July

Indie game developer Tinyware Games has announced that Misc. A Tiny Tale will be released on PC and Nintendo Switch on July 22. The game features two tiny robots, Buddy and Bag Boy, navigating a whimsical post-human world. Players will collect trash, coins, and golden cogs while solving puzzles and assisting robot inhabitants. The game emphasizes environmental stewardship by allowing players to recycle trash and repair machinery. The narrative involves restoring villages after a mysterious explosion and celebrates diversity and community. Misc. A Tiny Tale will also be compatible with the upcoming Switch 2.

BetaBeacon

May 19, 2025

Retroid Pocket 5 Gaming Handheld Is Now Available At Amazon

The Retroid Pocket 5 is a powerful Android gaming handheld device with a 5.5-inch 1080p touch screen, two thumbsticks, D-pad, and standard gaming buttons. It is equipped with an Adreno 650 GPU, Snapdragon 865 processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage. The device is compatible with high-end native Android games, retro games, and sixth- and seventh-generation console games. It is available on Amazon for with free shipping, but due to high demand, there may be delivery wait times of around two weeks.

AppWizard

May 14, 2025

Modders use reverse engineering to bring Mario Party 4 to PC, more GameCube games to follow

The gaming community has seen a rise in reverse-engineering source code from retro console games, particularly from the Nintendo 64 era and earlier, leading to native PC ports. The decompilation of Mario Party 4 is nearly complete, making it the first fully decompiled GameCube title, which will facilitate unofficial PC ports. A port of Mario Party 4 with online multiplayer is in development. Other GameCube titles like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Metroid Prime are also being targeted for decompilation. An unofficial PC port of the Xbox 360 game Sonic Unleashed has been completed. Previous titles such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have received PC ports with enhanced features. Modders are experimenting with advanced technologies like ray tracing for classic games. A modding tool has improved the recompilation process, but technical challenges remain. Nintendo has not taken legal action against these decompilation efforts, and modders use clean room tactics to avoid legal issues, requiring ownership of the original game for PC ports.

BetaBeacon

May 13, 2025

Goodbye, emulators: Native GameCube fan ports are now a reality, starting with Mario Party 4

The decompilation of Mario Party 4 for the Nintendo GameCube has been successfully completed, resulting in a nearly perfect replication of the game's source code. This is the first GameCube game to be decompiled, with plans to decompile other Mario Party games and potentially combine all boards into a single game or add online multiplayer in the future.

BetaBeacon

May 1, 2025

Why does retro gaming and emulation matter so much?

The author's family primarily played Nintendo and Microsoft games, with limited exposure to Sony consoles. They missed out on playing some Nintendo consoles and games, but now they can easily access a variety of games on their phone. The author has recently become a father and their child is not interested in gaming controllers, only in how they feel or make noise.

BetaBeacon

April 18, 2025

The AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic is everything I wanted the Game Boy Micro to be

The AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic is a modern handheld device inspired by the Game Boy Micro, featuring a premium metal body, large shoulder buttons, and a 3.5-inch IPS display perfect for GBA emulation. It runs on Android 13 and is powered by a Helio G99 SoC, allowing it to emulate some PS2 titles. The device is designed for discerning gamers and is priced starting at 9.

BetaBeacon

April 4, 2025

Nintendo made its own Switch emulator… for the Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 will use emulation to achieve backwards compatibility with original Switch games.

BetaBeacon

March 22, 2025

This overkill Android Game Boy is better than my memories of the real thing

The AYANEO Pocket DMG is a luxury, Game Boy-styled handheld device that offers a classic vertical format for enjoying retro games.

Winsage

March 11, 2025

You Can Now Run Windows NT on a Nintendo Wii

A new workaround allows users to run Windows NT on a Nintendo Wii by downloading necessary binaries, extracting them onto an SD card, and partitioning the disk. After installing the Flipper interrupt controller in the Hardware Abstraction Layer, users can utilize various input options, including GameCube and N64 controllers, an N64 mouse, and an N64 Randnet keyboard, as well as standard USB keyboards and mice through Vegas USB controllers. However, network support is not currently available.