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Open Emulation Ecosystem Fuels Malicious Builds, Adware and Privacy Risks
Analysis

Open Emulation Ecosystem Fuels Malicious Builds, Adware and Privacy Risks

Unofficial emulator builds can contain adware or phone home; verify the build source, checksums and outgoing connections before you install.

Sam Ortega5m read
Balancing Accuracy and Performance in RetroArch Emulator Core Settings
Analysis

Balancing Accuracy and Performance in RetroArch Emulator Core Settings

Tune RetroArch cores to favor playability or preservation: this guide shows which core and frontend settings to flip, why they matter, and how to profile changes for RetroArch and its emulator cores.

Nina Kowalski5m read
Reproducible Workflow for ROM Acquisition, Organization, Metadata, and Long-Term Archival
Analysis

Reproducible Workflow for ROM Acquisition, Organization, Metadata, and Long-Term Archival

A reproducible, hands‑on workflow to legally acquire, verify, organize, and archive ROMs so your collection stays usable and verifiable for years.

Sam Ortega5m read
Dataminers Discover Switch FireRed/LeafGreen Sloop Backend Can Run GBA ROMs
News

Dataminers Discover Switch FireRed/LeafGreen Sloop Backend Can Run GBA ROMs

Dataminers found the Switch ports of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen use Nintendo's Sloop emulator and apparently support running Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald GBA ROMs, hinting at more GBA Pokémon releases.

Sam Ortega3m read
Vita3K Feb 24-26 CI Builds Add Renderer Fixes and Audio Crash Patches
Updates

Vita3K Feb 24-26 CI Builds Add Renderer Fixes and Audio Crash Patches

Vita3K published CI builds dated Feb 24–26, 2026 that include a Feb 25 OpenGL renderer fix and an audio null-buffer patch, with compiled snapshots circulating via community mirrors.

Jamie Taylor3m read
Ruffle nightlies push AVM2 improvements and add web and desktop packaging
Updates

Ruffle nightlies push AVM2 improvements and add web and desktop packaging

Ruffle’s mid-February nightlies (17–20 Feb 2026) bundled multiple AVM2 fixes and test-suite updates; try nightly-2026-02-20 and nightly-2026-02-17 to evaluate compatibility gains.

Nina Kowalski2m read
DuckStation mid-late February 2026 previews add UI polish, achievements, fullscreen fixes
Updates

DuckStation mid-late February 2026 previews add UI polish, achievements, fullscreen fixes

DuckStation’s Git rolling previews published in the Feb 18–25, 2026 window add FullscreenUI and XInput fixes; a Feb 23 x64 Git build is available and the repo is maintained by @stenzek.

Nina Kowalski2m read
jGenesis v0.11.2 released with bug fixes for multi-system emulation
Releases

jGenesis v0.11.2 released with bug fixes for multi-system emulation

jGenesis v0.11.2, released Feb 26, 2026, delivers bug fixes for Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SNES and GBA emulation; the update is available on the project's GitHub and was summarized by EmuCR.

Nina Kowalski1m read
RetroDECK Permanently Removes Switch Emulation Citing DMCA, Toxicity, Legal Risk
Updates

RetroDECK Permanently Removes Switch Emulation Citing DMCA, Toxicity, Legal Risk

RetroDECK will permanently remove all Nintendo Switch emulation support in an upcoming minor update, citing Nintendo DMCA strikes, high toxicity, and legal exposure.

Jamie Taylor3m read
Dolphin Dev Build Restores Triforce Arcade Support, Boots Most Games on Android
Updates

Dolphin Dev Build Restores Triforce Arcade Support, Boots Most Games on Android

Dolphin dev build 2512-395 reintegrates Triforce arcade emulation and reportedly boots every Triforce game except one, bringing Mario Kart Arcade GP and F‑Zero AX to Android.

Jamie Taylor3m read
MiSTer Companion v1.0.0 GUI Simplifies Local Management of MiSTer‑FPGA Systems
Releases

MiSTer Companion v1.0.0 GUI Simplifies Local Management of MiSTer‑FPGA Systems

MiSTer Companion v1.0.0, released February 23, 2026, is a third-party Windows GUI that replaces manual SD card juggling and command-line scripts for local MiSTer-FPGA management.

Sam Ortega2m read
RPCS3 automated snapshot 0.0.39-18811 reported by aggregators and EmuCR
Updates

RPCS3 automated snapshot 0.0.39-18811 reported by aggregators and EmuCR

RPCS3 snapshot 0.0.39-18811 was compiled and timestamped in the project's update API and reported by build aggregators and EmuCR following a 2026-02-26 automated build.

Sam Ortega3m read
melonDS Android v0.6.0 Adds Offline RetroAchievements in Softcore Mode
Releases

melonDS Android v0.6.0 Adds Offline RetroAchievements in Softcore Mode

SapphireRhodonite’s melonDS-android v0.6.0 adds offline RetroAchievements for Softcore mode, using a persistent local ledger labeled "In ledger" after a one-time online initialization.

Jamie Taylor3m read
PocketQuake Brings Quake to Analogue Pocket openFPGA via GitHub
Releases

PocketQuake Brings Quake to Analogue Pocket openFPGA via GitHub

PocketQuake, a focused source port of id Software’s Quake, landed on GitHub Feb 22, 2026 targeting the Analogue Pocket openFPGA and requires users to supply PAK0.PAK and PAK1.PAK.

Sam Ortega3m read
Early shadPS4 PS4 emulator pre-release and Windows binaries surface
Releases

Early shadPS4 PS4 emulator pre-release and Windows binaries surface

Pre-release "Pre-release-shadPS4-2026-02-19-06b901a" surfaced with six assets and a signed commit 06b901a on Feb 19, while an AUR pre-release package and community Windows binaries also appeared in late February.

Jamie Taylor2m read
MiSTer forum unveils Apple IIgs test builds as core work advances
Updates

MiSTer forum unveils Apple IIgs test builds as core work advances

MiSTer FPGA forum users uploaded test builds for an in-development Apple IIgs core, and a developer warned "soon they will be needing some help working through the game catalog."

Jamie Taylor3m read
PPSSPP development builds add mini video player and Android UX fixes
Updates

PPSSPP development builds add mini video player and Android UX fixes

PPSSPP posted development builds around Feb. 26–27, 2026 that add a mini video player and reintroduce Android exit options, while a new personal buildbot now produces Android, Windows and ARM64 builds.

Nina Kowalski3m read
Releases

Novel NES Emulator Projects Super Mario and Classics into Real-World AR

A new NES emulator launched today projects Super Mario and other classics into real-world AR; DramaAlert and NathieVR posted demo videos showing the effect.

Jamie Taylor1m read
shadPS4 publishes official Qt-based launcher repository as community packages appear
Releases

shadPS4 publishes official Qt-based launcher repository as community packages appear

shadPS4 pushed a Qt-only launcher repo tied to commit 2183034 and signed with GPG key B5690EEEBB952194; community packagers published shadps4-qtlauncher-bin v2026.02.28 with AUR activity through 2026-03-01.

Sam Ortega2m read
Lakka 6.1: LibreELEC 12.2, Linux 6.18, RetroArch 1.22.2, CRT Pi Images
Releases

Lakka 6.1: LibreELEC 12.2, Linux 6.18, RetroArch 1.22.2, CRT Pi Images

Lakka 6.1, posted Feb 21, 2026 by vudiq, moves the distro onto LibreELEC 12.2 and the Linux 6.18 LTS family while shipping RetroArch 1.22.2 and Mesa 25.1.9.

Nina Kowalski2m read
ClownMDEmu v1.6.6 released on GitHub with cheat-code support
Releases

ClownMDEmu v1.6.6 released on GitHub with cheat-code support

ClownMDEmu v1.6.6, published 2026-02-22, introduces explicit cheat code support so players can grant infinite lives, patch bugs, or unlock hidden content; the release is on the project's GitHub releases page.

Nina Kowalski2m read
Dolphin dev builds add fastmem mappings, non-blocking RunOnCPUThread, simpler interthread communication
Updates

Dolphin dev builds add fastmem mappings, non-blocking RunOnCPUThread, simpler interthread communication

Dolphin development builds added fastmem page mappings, made RunOnCPUThread non-blocking, and simplified interthread communication to reduce stalls and speed common workflows.

Jamie Taylor2m read
DuckStation rolling release updated on GitHub with GPU, UI, stability fixes
Releases

DuckStation rolling release updated on GitHub with GPU, UI, stability fixes

DuckStation's rolling release updated on GitHub with GPU, UI and stability fixes, improving deinterlacing, texture paths, frame pacing and memory stability for bleeding-edge users.

Jamie Taylor2m read
Azahar 2125.0 alpha adds Vulkan disk shader cache, aims to reduce stutter
Updates

Azahar 2125.0 alpha adds Vulkan disk shader cache, aims to reduce stutter

Azahar 2125.0-alpha1 (alpha builds around 2026-02-17–02-22) implemented a Vulkan disk shader cache to persist compiled shaders across runs, appearing in PR #1725 by @PabloMK7.

Nina Kowalski3m read
DOSBox Staging posts 0.83.0-alpha prerelease adding QoL, modern toolchain, CRT shaders
Releases

DOSBox Staging posts 0.83.0-alpha prerelease adding QoL, modern toolchain, CRT shaders

DOSBox Staging published a 0.83.0-alpha prerelease on February 23, 2026; grab the prerelease from the project's GitHub releases page to test QoL tweaks, modern toolchain support, and CRT shaders.

Sam Ortega2m read
Several Retro Emulator Projects Pause Public Development After Nintendo Takedowns
Updates

Several Retro Emulator Projects Pause Public Development After Nintendo Takedowns

Several emulator projects and forks paused public development or scaled back public-facing activity after Nintendo issued takedown notices, community reporting and developer statements collected around February 16, 2026 indicate.

Jamie Taylor2m read
xemu 0.8.134 fixes audio issues, advances SDL3 and platform polish
Releases

xemu 0.8.134 fixes audio issues, advances SDL3 and platform polish

xemu v0.8.134, published 2026-02-26, ships CI-built AppImages, macOS zips and Windows archives and is billed as fixing audio issues while advancing SDL3 and platform polish.

Nina Kowalski2m read
A3D Manager web app manages Analogue 3D labels, saves, per-game settings
Releases

A3D Manager web app manages Analogue 3D labels, saves, per-game settings

A3D Manager is now a hosted browser app for managing Analogue 3D cartridge labels, controller pak saves, per-game display and hardware settings, and SD backups.

Jamie Taylor3m read
Dolphin Emulator Merges Playable Triforce Arcade Emulation into Dev Builds
Updates

Dolphin Emulator Merges Playable Triforce Arcade Emulation into Dev Builds

Dolphin merged Triforce arcade emulation into dev builds (version 2512-395), enabling PC and Android play for Mario Kart Arcade GP, F-Zero AX, Virtua Striker 3, and more.

Jamie Taylor3m read