Ecco the Dolphin, a classic from the 1990s, is making a return with both remasters of its original titles and a brand new game. This revival was confirmed in an interview with Xbox Wire and will be led by series creator Ed Annunziata.

Development Team and Games

All members of the original development team are reuniting for these projects, including Annunziata who stated: "Me and the entire original team are going to remaster the original Ecco the Dolphin and The Tides of Time games". Following these remasters, they plan to create a new, third game with contemporary play mechanics.

Release Schedule

The countdown on the official Ecco the Dolphin website points to April 25-26, 2026 — approximately 353 days from now. While specific platforms haven’t been confirmed yet, Xbox Series X|S releases and PlayStation 5 versions are likely.

This revival comes after a long hiatus for the franchise, with the last entry released in 2000. SEGA had previously filed trademarks for Ec

Rich Whitehouse, the creator behind BigPEmu, is set to launch his new and improved Killer Instinct emulator in beta. Initially a fully-commercial project, funding had been pulled back in March this year, but now it seems that enough support has come through on Patreon to keep the development going.

According to Rich Whitehouse's statement, the beta release will be made available in just a few days, giving fans of the classic fighting game an exciting opportunity to try out what could very well be the best way to experience Killer Instinct and Killer Instinct 2.

Some key features include:

• Silky Smooth Multiplayer
• Brand New Stereo Sound Script
• Fast MIPS III Interpreter

You can gain access to the emulator by backing Rich on Patreon.

What aspects of this new emulator do you think will most improve the gameplay experience?

Soon you'll be able to play Diddy Kong Racing natively on your PC

The Diddy Kong Racing Decompilation project is around 80% complete.

The Trend of Decompilation

This process allows the homebrew community to recompile native versions of classic games like Star Fox, Super Mario 64, and Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Diddy Kong Racing's Place in N64 History

Released in 1997, Diddy Kong Racing is one of the best examples of a kart-based racer on the N64. Fans even claim it trumps Nintendo's own offering on the same console.

Creating motion capture and being in control of a set of fighting characters was like a dream for me. But after taking a break from two ‘pretty gory’ and dark games, Diddy Kong Racing was like a breath of fresh air and happiness.

-- Kev Bayliss, former Rare staffer (2023)

The Road Ahead

The project is 80% complete. It should be noted that, in these projects, the final percentage points often take the longest to comple

Super Mario 64, a masterpiece in gaming history, continues to captivate fans with every new discovery. Recently, an archived interview with its director, Shigeru Miyamoto, has resurfaced online, shedding light on the early stages of development.

The Interview

The video footage, uploaded by Kanpei Hagama, features an interview with Mr. Miyamoto conducted around the game's release. While the interview is entirely in Japanese, fans have dissected it to extract fascinating insights. Find a link to it in the original article.

Key Insights from the Interview

• Garden Dioramas: Miyamoto describes the levels as 'garden dioramas', suggesting a creative approach to level design.
• Product-Testing: The game was tested by both adults and elementary students, indicating an emphasis on accessibility and gameplay appeal across different audiences.

Early Build Differences

The footage also includes several differences from the final version of Super Mario 64:

• Bowser dialogues w

Lost In Cult's Next Project Is A Celebration Of A Video Game Icon

Lost In Cult has announced an exciting new project in honor of the legendary video game musician and designer, Kenji Eno. The 7LP vinyl box set titled Kenji Eno 55: Soundworks will feature a curated collection of 55 tracks, including remastered classic soundtracks, archival recordings, and previously unreleased material.

Key Points from the Article:

• Project Details: A 7LP vinyl box set dedicated to Kenji Eno's iconic music from titles like Enemy Zero, D2, newtonica, and You, Me, and the Cubes.
• Availability: Pre-sale openings on May 5th. Standalone releases for individual soundtracks in the series are also teased.
• Sign-Up Interest: Interested parties can sign up to register their interest through a dedicated link.

This project not only pays tribute to a video game music legend but also offers fans an immersive collection of his work on premium vinyl, presenting a unique opportunity f

Looks Like 3DO Might Be Getting An Unofficial Port Of PS1 Classic WipEout

The original 3DO promised to revolutionise the video game industry in 1993. Despite initial success, it couldn't compete with more powerful consoles like the PlayStation and Saturn.

However, modern homebrew programmers are once again showing interest in this platform. Recently, programmer XProgersan—known for his work on OpenLara and Tomb Raider I\III Remastered—has shared a comparison between the original PS1 classic, WipEout, and a potential 3DO version.

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# Differences in 3D graphics capabilities:
[XProger\_san] The #PSX is known for polygon jitter due to integer positioning of vertices relative to the screen grid. Meanwhile, the #3DO GPU supports subpixel positions, as seen in the comparison.[/XProger\_san]

  

While it's curr

City Connection Celebrates 20 Years With Two New Famicom Games

Japanese company City Connection has announced a pair of new games for the Nintendo Famicom, marking their 20th anniversary. These releases are part of a celebration that also includes a sale and live broadcast across various platforms.

The first game is Soldam, a previously cancelled port of the 1992 arcade game which was refocused in 2017 as Soldam: Drop, Connect, Erase for modern systems. The second and more interesting release is City Connection: Clarice's Wedding Bell, an intriguing take on the 1986 coin-op game Momoko 120%. This one is based around City Connection’s protagonist, Clarice.

Illustrator Edoya inu8 has created a special piece of artwork for these celebrations. Check it out at the top of the article if you haven't already!

What do you think about the idea of remaking Momoko 120%?

News Update: US RetroTINK Shipments Now Temporarily Suspended

RetroTINK, maker of the popular RetroTINK 4K upscalers, has announced that it will temporarily suspend shipments to the United States due to the lack of guidance on upcoming tariffs from President Donald Trump. Mike Chi, the founder and CEO, explained that without proper procedures for pre-paying tariffs, risks related to delays or lost packages were too high.

Due to lack of guidance on how tariffs will be collected starting May 2nd, we've made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend US shipments:

April 23rd - Last day for non-expedited orders April 28th - Last day for expedited orders

-- Mike Chi https://bsky.app/profile/retrotink.com/post/3lmsr6nja6k2x

Chi emphasized that this suspension only affects US customers. Orders to other countries will remain unaffected, stating: "As before, service to the rest of the world will continue without interruptions and policy-induced complications.”

Witho

Gaming preservationists have just rescued a significant piece of FromSoftware history. The long-lost mobile version of King’s Field—FromSoftware's first video game and the spiritual predecessor to the Dark Souls series—has been successfully preserved and made accessible to players worldwide.

The i-Mode version, which was released exclusively in Japan back in 2004, is a retelling of the original PlayStation release with different map layouts and an auto-map feature. What makes this preservation particularly significant is that many Japanese mobile games from the early 2000s have been especially vulnerable to being lost forever due to unique hardware and software ecosystems.

The newly preserved mobile version isn't merely a direct port but rather a retelling of the original game with new features. An English language patch is already available, and setup guides have been provided to help players get started with emulation software.

This rescue of King’s Field's mobile version repres

AYANEO has unveiled a new handheld device that promises to offer retro gaming enthusiasts a compact yet powerful solution. The device is called the Pocket ACE.

Key Features:

• 1620 x 1080p 4.5" LCD with a 3:2 'golden ratio'
• Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor
• D-pad and dual Hall-effect analogue layout
• 6000mAh battery with 40W fast charging
• 0916B ultra-wideband vibration motor

AYANEO, in a tweet, emphasized that this device is intended as the 'dream machine for retro gamers,' highlighting its combination of powerful performance and 'stunning aesthetics'. It's the latest addition to AYANEO’s range of retro-focused handhelds, joining devices like the Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro.

What Do You Think?

What do you think of the design? What do you think of the specs?

PlayStation is building a large-scale preservation vault called the PlayStation Studios Vault to safeguard over 30 years of gaming history. This ambitious project involves preserving more than 200 million files and approximately 650 TB of data on data tapes stored in actual mineshafts.

According to Garrett Fredley, a senior build engineer at PlayStation, the preservation effort includes not just backups, not just source code and source art, but everything that was ever related to a project we can possibly find. This means documentation, audio assets, prototype information, and more is being meticulously archived.

Access to this vault is extremely limited, with only a handful of people having permission, including those on the preservation team and members of IT. The oldest piece of material archived so far is a 1994 build for Arc the Lad, with current and future PS5 titles being added constantly.

While it’s unclear what plans PlayStation has for all this preserved material b

BAFTA's recent public poll has crowned Yu Suzuki's Shenmue as The Most Influential Video Game of All Time. This surprising result has ignited a fervent discussion, with fans and detractors alike debating the game's enduring legacy.

A Dreamcast Classic Redefined

• Shenmue was praised for its innovative open-world approach, detailed settings, and narrative complexity that set new standards for interactive storytelling. Yu Suzuki's vision of Yokosuka is celebrated as an astonishingly vivid portrayal of real-life Japan, influencing countless developers in the years since.
• Shenmue was also notable for introducing Quick Time Events (QTEs), a mechanic that has since become ubiquitous across various genres of video games.

The Top 21 List Unveiled

Joining Shenmue at the top of BAFTA's countdown were classics like:

• Doom - Pioneering 3D shooter and genre-defining work
• Super Mario Bros. - Establishing a blueprint for modern platformers
• **Half-Life

Game preservation group Codebound has dumped two prototypes for The World is Not Enough for the N64. The near-final prototype European version includes features like a debug menu that unlocks all levels and gadgets, as well as enabling invulnerability. An earlier version from 1998 consists of 10 out of the game's 14 levels, along with a different user interface and placeholder assets.

These prototypes provide an interesting look into the game’s development process and will likely be of great interest to fans of both The World Is Not Enough and its predecessor, GoldenEye 007, which was highly influential in the 3D FPS genre.

You can find links to a YouTube video about the discoveries, as well as the prototypes themselves, in the original article.

What do you think about The World Is Not Enough's place in N64 history? Do you think it deserves more recognition?

System Shock 2 Remaster Announced for June 26th, 2025

Nightdive Studios has announced the remaster of System Shock 2 is set to release on June 26th, 2025. The trailer shows an exciting revival of a sci-fi horror classic, available on PC and consoles.

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Rebuilding: Utilizes Nightdive Studios' proprietary KEX Engine for modern platforms
• Features: Improved visuals, enhanced gameplay, cross-play co-op multiplayer, mod support, etc.

The original System Shock 2, released in 1999, revolutionized storytelling and atmosphere. It won over a dozen awards and was hailed as 'Game of the Year.'

What game-play wrinkles from the original do you hope they've ironed-out?

Analogue has recently updated the firmware of their Analogue Pocket with a v2.5 release, supporting all variants of the Nintendo Switch Online wireless controllers.

• Connect NSO wireless controllers via the Dock:
• Genesis/MD
• NES/Famicom
• Added support for some Wii Remote Plus controllers
• Button mapping fixes:
• Switch Joy-Cons
• Switch SNES/N64 controllers
• Various 8BitDo controllers now have improved USB connectivity.
• Bluetooth LE bugs resolved: The update includes bug fixes related to controller re-pairing after disconnection or pairing with other devices.

Analogue has also updated DuoOS, the firmware for their Analogue Duo console, to v1.5.

What do you think was the most important feature in this update?

An important achievement in the preservation and translation of retro gaming has recently unfolded. Xenosaga: Pied Piper, a mobile phone spin-off developed by Monolith Soft, Namco, and Tom Create, that was previously thought to be lost to digital oblivion is now being restored and will be playable in English.

ValakTurtle from Vector Translations & Preservation acknowledges the tireless efforts of many within the Xenosaga fan community:

Firstly, I cannot express enough gratitude to the Keitai Wiki Discord for the many months of hard work and dedication they’ve put towards preserving this game. I’d especially like to thank MemoryHunter for starting the whole Keitai preservation movement, xyz for being the lead reverse engineer.., LNRC for keeping us informed about the status of the project.., cuebus for assisting in chip dumping phones, RockmanCosmo for being a pillar of the Keitai community, and everyone else who contributed to our cause. I’m also eternally grateful for the anon

AYANEO's Pocket S2 Handheld

AYANEO has just revealed their latest Android gaming handheld, the Pocket S2. This device, unveiled at GDC 2025 alongside Qualcomm's newest platform, will be powered by the 'latest Qualcomm flagship gaming platform'. The successor to the popular AYANEO Pocket S from 2024, the new model retains a similar form factor but promises enhanced performance.

The Pocket S2 aims to take the best of Android portables to a new level.

Given AYANEO's history of delivering high-end devices, gaming enthusiasts are eager to see what innovations and features this new model offers. Will it cement its reputation as a go-to device for Android emulation?

What are you hoping this more powerful chipset will bring to the table?

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remake

The much-anticipated remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion could be coming sooner than expected. According to reliable insider NateTheHate, the game is set to launch either in April or May 2025, which is earlier than the original June release date.

• Developer: Bethesda and Virtuos
• Engine: Unreal Engine 5
• Features: Significant visual enhancements, revamped gameplay mechanics (including stamina, sneaking, blocking, archery, hit reactions, and a redesigned HUD)

This remake is moving at a rapid pace, with insider reports suggesting that Bethesda is preparing an imminent reveal.

What are the enhancements you think are essential to be included in this remake?

GoRetroid, the company behind popular retro gaming handhelds like the Original Retroid Pocket, has unveiled more details about its upcoming product: the Retroid Pocket Classic.

Key highlights include:

• Processor: Qualcomm 4nm chipset
• Battery Life: 5,000 mAh
• Memory: 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage
• Wireless Capabilities: Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 5
• Dimensions: 138mm x 89mm x 8.26mm

The handheld is powered by Android 14, and will feature an AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1240x1080, capable of reaching up to 500 nits in brightness.

One standout feature is the inclusion of a six-button variant, allowing for more games that traditionally required six buttons, especially from systems like the Sega Saturn. There's also a traditional 4-button layout.

Further updates on pricing and availability are expected.

Have you been longing for a six-button layout on your retro ha

Pixel FX, known for their wide range of HDMI solutions, has now introduced an internal adapter that brings HDMI to the GameCube.

What Does This Mean For GameCube Enthusiasts?

The GEM adapter preserves your GameCube’s clean, boxy design by integrating internally, unlike the external adapters offered by other companies.

To install the GEM mod, users will need to be comfortable with soldering and DIY electronics due to its invasive nature. However, once installed, it promises clearer and crisper visuals that can significantly enhance the viewing experience for GameCube owners without breaking their budgets.

Conclusion

The Pixel FX GEM mod is a valuable advancement for GameCube owners who wish to enjoy their games in higher definition and want a self-contained set-up. Some may even prefer the DIY challenge.

Do you think the Pixel FX GEM will set a new standard, or are there any other solutions th