Tag: Emulation
News Denuvo's 'Switch Emulator Protection' Is Now Available Via Nintendo's Official Dev Portal
A DRM come true
Denuvo protection software is now available to game developers creating games for the Nintendo Switch via Nintendo's Developer Portal. Cybersecurity company Irdeto announced the news at Gamescom 2023, with the "authorised Nintendo Switch middleware" now available (via VGC). Denuvo says it is the first security partner available on...
News The GameCube And Wii Emulator Dolphin Is No Longer Coming To Steam
"We are abandoning our efforts"
The team behind GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin has announced it is "abandoning" its efforts to release the product on Steam. Valve's requirement is for the Dolphin team "to get approval from Nintendo" for a Steam release, and this is believed to be "impossible". "Valve ultimately runs the store and can set any...
News Popular Switch Piracy Subreddit Promoting Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Downloads Banned
It had over 70,000 members
The free open-source Switch emulator Yuzu made headlines a few weeks ago when it was released on Android devices. Now, in somewhat related news, the unofficial and top Yuzu piracy subreddit 'r/NewYuzuPiracy' has been banned. According to PC Gamer, the subreddit - covering Switch game piracy "as well as emulation" - jumped...
News Dolphin Emulator Steam Release "Indefinitely Postponed"
Update: Nintendo responds with statement
Update #3 [Sat 3rd Jun, 2023 01:35 BST]: Valve spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle has now issued a statement (via The Verge), noting how Valve was the one to inform Nintendo: Given Nintendo’s history of taking action against some emulators, we brought this to their attention proactively after the Dolphin...
News Switch Android Emulator Skyline Halts Development Due To "Potential Legal Risks"
Nintendo apparently issues DMCA takedown for Lockpick
The developers behind the popular Switch Android emulator Skyline have announced the open-source project is no longer in active development. According to a post shared on the Skyline Discord, the team apparently received a DMCA takedown notice from Nintendo. The catch here is the takedown is...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Pirates Called Out By Former NoA Boss Reggie
He is the "nightmare" you don't want to mess with
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has now leaked and it seems some people are already playing the anticipated release. On social media, users are even bragging about supposedly acquiring the game early. One Twitter user known as 'imhumanandimagamer' went to the extent of sharing a photo of the new Zelda...
Random The GameCube & Wii Emulator Dolphin Is Coming To Steam In Q2 2023
"This has been the product of many months of work"
The development team behind the GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin has shared some surprising news - announcing Dolphin will be "coming soon" to Valve's Steam service in Q2 2023. You can even wishlist the free download right now. When Dolphin launches as an early access game on the Steam Store, the...
Video MVG Investigates Switch Online's "Impressive" Game Boy & GBA Emulation
"Nintendo has knocked this out of the park"
Nintendo last week surprised fans with a shadow drop of the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance libraries for Switch Online. If you're wondering how Nintendo's official emulations hold up, game developer and YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer has now taken a look at the new libraries. The verdict is these emulators...
Video MVG Checks Out "Awesome" Update For GameCube Emulator On Xbox
Can we have GameCube now, Nintendo?
The GameCube might not have had much success in terms of sales, but it was actually home to quite a lot of amazing first-party titles. To this day, many of them are still essentially locked off on the same Nintendo platform. This includes games like Eternal Darkness, F-Zero GX, and even third-party hits such as...
News Nintendo Isn't Happy About Switch Game Images On Steam
New action taken against Switch emulation
Switch emulation is a thing, and it's something Nintendo obviously isn't happy about - with a lot of first-party releases often leaking ahead of official street dates, and in most cases, running on other devices at much higher resolutions and frame rates. Nintendo's taken action in the past against piracy...
Random Valve's Latest Steam Deck Trailer Briefly Shows A Switch Emulator
Oof, cheeky!
Valve Corporation has provided Steam Deck fans with some pretty big news, confirming that orders for the handheld beast will now be processed and shipped without reservation, bringing an end to lengthy wait times for prospective owners. A new trailer for the device has been launched to promote the update, and eagle-eyed viewers have...
Random Wii U Emulation On Valve's Steam Deck Supports Gyro Controls
Dual screen 3DS and Wii U gaming also possible
Valve's Steam Deck has already proven it's able to run all sorts of video game emulators. What's even more impressive though is just how capable it is when it comes to Wii U and 3DS emulation. As highlighted by the website Steam Deck HQ, Valve's handheld PC is not only able to split screens across...
News Nintendo Is Apparently Not Involved In The New Switch DRM Initiative
Demand supposedly came from Denuvo's "existing clients"
Earlier this week at Gamescom, Denuvo by Iredeto launched a "Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection Solution" to safeguard games launched on the hybrid system. Essentially, it's going to be inserted into Switch games in an attempt to prevent them from being played on emulators. Denuvo, as you...
"Don't expect this to come out any time soon"
Remember the absolutely stunning showcase of Super Mario 64 with ray tracing? Well, the same individual is now working on a new project that could evolve N64 emulation. Modder turned software developer Dario has just revealed 'RT64' (the path tracer behind the sm64rt project) is being transformed into a...
Random Smash Ultimate Rollback Netcode Mod "Proof Of Concept" Up And Running On Switch
It's cross-platform, too
Back in 2020, a Famitsu column suggested Masahiro Sakurai and his team considered rollback netcode for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but apparently, it didn't work out. While we have seen rollback support in other fighting games on the Switch, there's one software engineer - known as 'DShad' on Twitter -
News Steam Deck Nintendo Emulation Videos Are Being Pulled From YouTube
Is Nintendo at it again?
Valve has just released the Steam Deck - a new handheld gaming PC. It's capable of running all sorts of games (new and old) and can even run emulators - allowing it to host a huge library of retro systems and games. Nintendo emulation has been covered in the lead-up to the device's release, and now that the Steam Deck is in...
News Legendary SNES Emulator Liberated Using NSA Tool
Swedish programmer bags long-rumoured SNESticle
The fabled SNES emulator known as SNESticle, which for much of the past two decades was considered to be nothing more than a rumour, has finally been unearthed and excavated by a Swedish programmer using, of all things, a National Security Agency-designed open source tool. SNESticle, the follow-up to...
News Hackers Have Cracked Open A Sega Saturn Emulator Inside A Commercial Switch Release
And it's surprisingly good
If you're a fan of retro shooters, you'll no doubt be aware that last week saw the arrival of Cotton 2, Cotton Boomerang and Guardian Force on Switch – three games by the Japanese company Success which were originally available on the 32-bit Se
Video The History Of The 'Silhouette' Super Nintendo Emulator Might Be An "Elaborate Hoax"
MVG takes a closer look
The Switch generation has seen Nintendo call on emulation for games such as the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, but long before this, there was apparently an official emulator that could run Super Nintendo titles. Starting out life as 'Mirage', project 'Silhouette' was a SNES emulator for MacOS and Power PC that...
News Nintendo 3DS Emulator Citra Comes To Android Smartphones
Includes tilt support, but not 3D (obviously)
The 3DS slowly might be slowly but surely shuffling off its mortal coil, but it's about to get a new lease of life (kinda) in the form of a new version of the 3DS emulator Citra, which has been officially ported to Android devices. The team behind the emulator – which is pretty much complete on PC –...
News Super Famicom Exclusive Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 English Fan Translation Released
The epic tale of Prince Leif, twenty years later
You might have noticed that the first half of 2019 has been rather exciting for Super Nintendo fans worldwide – with several new hardware and fan projects ensuring that the old 16-bit powerhouse remains relevant to this day and age. This latest news will do very little to dimmish such a trend...
Random The Captivating Mystery Of Pilotwings’ Crashing Plane
And what it means for the art of emulation
These days, we’re used to games evolving over time; developers add content, patch out bugs and generally tinker with their creations for months (if not years) after their publication, subtly re-shaping them into a form which often differs quite wildly from the initial release. Even though this practice...
Random Nintendo Shuts Down Its Anti-Piracy Website
Farewell, angry Mario
Like many other video game companies, Nintendo does not tolerate piracy. Over the past year, we have heard about the Japanese publisher and developer taking action against individuals selling modified systems and sharing ROMS online. This has resulted in a number of legal battles and some hefty fines. As part of its measures...
News Super Nintendo Emulator Brings HD To Mode 7 Retro Classics
Beyond super, beyond 4:3!
There's no shortage of options when it comes to playing SNES games on a PC, but programmer Byuu's extensive work on bsnes throughout the years has ensured that it remains by far the most cycle accurate Super Nintendo emulator ever developed. While not as user friendly or CPU-light as other offerings, it remains an...
News Celebrate The Game Boy's 30th By Putting Your Raspberry Pi Inside This Awesome Case
Why wait for Nintendo to release the Game Boy Classic Edition?
The art of retro gaming emulation is still frowned upon by many, but there's no denying that the growing number of players who forgo original hardware for the convenience of all-in-one solutions, such as the Raspberry Pi system. This pocket-sized computer can be loaded up with emulators...
News Nintendo Seeking Senior Security Software Engineer With Hacking Expertise
If you can't beat them, hire them
Given Nintendo's recent crackdown on emulation, piracy and hacking, it comes as no surprise the company is now seeking an individual who specialises in tightening up security and identifying any vulnerabilities. Nintendo Technology Development - a known hardware division of the company - has posted a new job listing...
News Illegal Game Sharing Site Mocks Nintendo's Recent Legal Actions With Trolling Video
Introduces new retro emulation
If you're a regular reader of these very pages, you may well be aware that Nintendo has been on something of a takedown streak just lately; yesterday we saw that Nintendo of America had enforced the removal of a fan-made Pokémon project, and countless stories of emulation sites seeing a similar fate have been do
"It's not worth it for us to risk potentially disastrous consequences"
Recently, we heard the news that Nintendo had filed a lawsuit in the US state of Arizona, calling out two ROM and emulator websites for unfair competition and copyright and trademark infringement. It appears that this has helped spark a new level of fear among such...
News Hackers Have Now Found A Way To Emulate Nintendo 64 Games On Switch
Pokémon Stadium anyone?
Nintendo 64 games have now been successfully emulated on Switch, teasing those who would love to see the classic console's stellar library come to the new system for real. We've been hearing of multiple stories surrounding hacking on Switch over the last few months, with players forcing adult-themed imagery into Super Mario...
Rumour Nintendo Switch Comes With A Built-In NES Emulator
Flogging a dead horse
The Switch has been out for a while now and hackers have had sufficient time to delve into its firmware and pick things apart. One of the more interesting discoveries that has been made during this exploratory work is the fact that the console apparently comes pre-loaded with its own NES emulator, named "flog". There's very...
News Famicom Title "Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Kieta Ōgon Kiseru" Translated to English
1990 JRPG spin-off includes healthy doses of Ebisumaru
Despite very few and far between official Western releases, Konami’s “Ganbare Goemon” series has quite a following outside of Japan, a deserved status considering that despite a few ninja duds it is a strong and solid series that made its way across several generations of Nintendo...
News USPS Recovers Lost Package Containing $10,000 in Rare SNES Cartridges
All is well
Some of you may remember the unfortunate news last week that a SNES archiving project was essentially destroyed when the US Postal Service lost a package containing $10,000 in rare SNES cartridges. The package had been sent from a private collector in Germany and vanished shortly after it made it to US soil. Heartbroken over the loss,...
News Ambitious SNES Preservation Project Ends After $10,000 Of Rare Carts Get Lost In The Mail
Oops
A noble attempt to accurately preserve every single SNES game has come to an end after a package containing between $7,500 and $10,000 of rare cartridges was lost by the United States Postal Service. The package was en route to renowned archivist Byuu, best known for creating the superb SNES emulator higan. It contained 100 of the rarest PAL...
Random Raspberry Pi Hack Takes The Wii U GamePad One Step Closer To Switch
Build it and they will come
Nintendo Switch comes out next year, and is already shaping up to be quite an impressive concept - a stand-alone gaming system which not only connects to your TV but can also be taken on the road. Thing is, some people don't like to wait and hacker banjokazooie has taken it upon himself to create the next best thing - a...
Video Let's See How That Xbox One N64 Emulator Held Up
Gone but not forgotten
Despite the recently infamous Win64e10 emulator being removed, we managed to download it before Microsoft pulled it from the Xbox One Store and put it through its paces. The blurb promised it to be the most powerful N64 emulator on Windows 10, but if it runs anything like it does in the above video, colour us unimpressed. The...
News Nintendo 64 Emulator Unceremoniously Yanked From Xbox One Store
Double quick
Yesterday we reported on the fact that a Nintendo 64 emulator was available for download on Microsoft's Xbox One console. Win64e10 - which retailed for $9.99 - allowed Xbox One owners to run N64 ROMs on their consoles by copying the games to a OneDrive account and loading them into the emulator. The app actually went live over the...
News The Xbox One Now Has A Nintendo 64 Emulator
But for how long?
Given the recent fuss surrounding a NES emulator on the Xbox One - and the resultant "will it, won't it" saga - it's perhaps a little surprising that you can now boot up your Xbox One system and download an N64 emulator. Win64e10 - a modified version of the Nintendo 64 emulator Mupen64plus - was previously available on Windows...
Random Someone Has Created A SNES Mini Out Of Clay And A Raspberry Pi Zero
Nintendo, take note
The NES Mini is coming this year and looks set to be quite a popular Christmas present, but a great many Nintendo fans will have their fingers firmly crossed that the SNES Mini follows shortly afterwards. For those of you who can't wait - and don't mind getting your hands dirty - there's always the unofficial route. Modder Hugo...
News Microsoft Blocks NESBox Emulator On Xbox One
That was quick
The NESBox saga appears to be drawing to a close with Microsoft "unpublishing" the app after it was submitted for launch on its Xbox One console. Many questioned whether or not the company would allow it to stand, given that NESBox effectively turns the Xbox One into a NES. However, on Friday it looked certain to be on the way as it...
News Xbox One NES Emulator Passes Certification, Could Hit Console In The Next Few Days
Your move, Nintendo
We reported on the development of a NES emulator for the Xbox One console a few days ago, and we're now hearing that the app has passed certification, meaning it could arrive on the system any day now. NESBox will allow Xbox owners to play classic NES titles on their consoles, as well as load up fan-made games. ROMs will be...
News The Xbox One Might Be Getting A NES Emulator
Nintendo's legal team, take note
Given this is a Nintendo-focused site many of you may not be aware that it is now possible for Windows developers to submit their applications for release on the Xbox One. It's all part of Microsoft's overarching plan to unify its business interests and should - on the whole - result in benefits for console users...
Video This Raspberry Pi-Powered, 3D Printed NES Mini Puts Nintendo's Effort To Shame
Complete with tiny NFC carts and scaled-down controller
The recent announcement of the NES Classic Edition (or NES Mini if you're in Europe) caused quite a stir, triggering feelings of intense nostalgia with thirtysomethings all over the globe. While we can't wait to get our hands on the unit, there's definitely room for improvement here - for...
News It's Now Possible To Play Virtual Boy Games On Your Android Phone
With a little help from Google Cardboard
The Virtual Boy wasn't a success, that much is beyond debate. It sold poorly and effectively led to Gunpei Yokoi's departure from Nintendo - a sad event when you consider how much he had done to make the company such a force in the field of toys and video games. Despite its commercial failure the system still...
News Nintendo 3DS Games Sure Look Pretty In High Definition
Jaggies begone
While it's impossible to escape the somewhat shady nature of emulation - especially when you're talking about modern-day systems - we've kept a keen eye on developments in recent years. Wii emulation is at the point where games can be given a lush HD lick of paint, while Wii U emulation is progressing at a respectable pace as well...
News Version 1.4.0 of Wii U Emulator, Cemu, Shows More Rapid Progress
Still a long way from full emulation
It's hard to know what Nintendo makes of Cemu, a Wii U emulator that's been making rapid progress. Often these fan-based projects take years to come together, but in this case there have been frequent updates, perhaps helped by the similarity - in some respects - of the current-gen system to the Wii. In any...
News Shovel Knight is Now Playable on Wii U Emulator, Cemu, But Progress Remains Slow
Is likely to remain closed-source for a while, too
A little while ago we shared news of Cemu, a functioning Wii U emulator. Early doors it could barely boot up the opening artwork of a game, and the slow nature of progress on such projects points to it being many months (maybe years) away from being functional in a meaningful way. It's less a threat...
News Proof of Functioning Wii U Emulator, Cemu, Emerges Online
Still very early days
For as long as there are consoles there'll be hackers and programmers attempting to reverse engineer them for emulation. Due to all of the work platform holders put into closing off their systems it proves to be difficult, and it took quite some time for the infamous 'Dolphin' emulator to make Wii games playable on PC. It's a...
News Nintendo Renews Patent On Multi-Platform Game Boy Emulation, But Don't Get Too Excited
Unlikely that official games will be on your iPhone any time soon
Patents are funny things. Every new product needs them, but there are countless patents filed every year which never get used for anything productive. Take Nintendo's patent for
News Microsoft Wants You To Know That Its Surface Tablet Can Play SNES Games
It's OUYA all over again
Emulation is a grey area at the best of times, but one thing that is a massive no-no is rival companies using the emulated titles of others to promote their own products. We've already seen the team behind the OUYA console attempt to use SNES emulators to sell their micro-console, and now Microsoft is getting in on the act...
News UK Store GAME Pulls Mention Of SNES Emulator From Ouya Sales Page
Super GNES no longer featured in advertising
Android-based micro-console Ouya is now available in both the US and Europe, and brings with it the ability to play specially-adapted smartphone and tablet games on your TV. It also comes with support for various emulators which allow you to play retro titles on the system — so long as you source the...