recompilation Archives

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.

AppWizard

May 8, 2025

Google requiring Android apps support 16 KB memory page size to improve performance

Android is transitioning to a 16 KB page size, which will become mandatory for applications in the Google Play Store by November 1, 2025. This change replaces the previous 4 KB page size and aims to enhance performance by improving memory management and reducing overhead. The introduction of Android 15 has been refactored to support this larger page size, with testing currently available on Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 devices. Expected performance improvements include faster app launches (3% to 30% faster), improved battery usage (average gain of 4.5%), quicker camera starts (4.5% to 6.6% faster), and speedier system boot-ups (approximately 8% faster). Apps without native code should remain compatible, while those using libraries or SDKs with native code may need updates. Apps containing native code might require recompilation and review for compatibility. Developers can check memory page size support through the Play Console.

BetaBeacon

April 1, 2025

Goodbye N64 emulators: Recompiled N64 ports are getting a major power up

The N64: Recompiled tool is getting a major upgrade with full support for mods and improved performance on lower-end GPUs.

AppWizard

March 8, 2025

Hundreds Of Delisted Xbox 360 Games Now Have The Potential To Return On PC

XenonRecomp is a software tool that converts Xbox 360 executables into C++ code, allowing for the potential porting of Xbox 360 games to PC. This process is unofficial and may face challenges from original publishers. While some games, like Sonic Unleashed, have already been ported, the complexity of the process may limit the number of successful transitions. Many Xbox 360 titles were delisted from the marketplace when the old Xbox Store was closed, and XenonRecomp may be a key method for preserving these games. Xbox head Phil Spencer has shown interest in exploring options for delisted Xbox 360 games.

AppWizard

March 8, 2025

Run Xbox 360 Games On Your PC With XenonDecomp

XenonRecomp is a project focused on preserving Xbox 360 games by transforming them into native x86 software, enhancing their graphical fidelity. The Xbox Series X currently supports only 632 out of 2,155 Xbox 360 titles through emulation. XenonRecomp faces challenges such as understanding system architecture, supporting PowerPC instructions, and addressing the lack of MMIO support. Developers must also obtain assets from legal copies of the original games. The game Sonic Unleashed has been successfully ported using this method, with enhancements demonstrated by Modern Vintage Gamer.