Dolphin emulator

With the recent closure of the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops, many fans are left with no way to play their favorite classic games from their childhood. Hundreds of titles are now completely inaccessible unless Nintendo decides to bring them back as remakes, remasters, or re-releases. Unfortunately, in many cases, these games never see the light of day again. However, there’s good news for retro gamers, as the popular GameCube and Wii emulator, Dolphin, is officially releasing on Steam at the end of June. While this could easily be an April Fool’s joke, the announcement was made several days ago, and it’s already been covered by many news outlets.

Easier access to your legally-owned retro games

The Dolphin emulator allows you to play your legally owned retro games on your PC, without having to download the app from the website. This is great news for gamers who have been struggling to find a way to play classic games they know and love. And even more exciting, Steam Deck users will be able to play classic games on the go with less hassle or setup!

It’s important to note that the Dolphin emulator comes with no games, as you’d expect. Anyone familiar with emulation will be prepared to provide their own games and BIOS, but the emulator’s release on Steam makes for an exciting addition to their library!

Dolphin could help fill in the hole left by Nintendo

The Dolphin emulator is highly optimized for modern hardware, so players can expect better performance and more stable emulation than ever before. Additionally, the emulator supports a wide range of features, including high-resolution textures, anti-aliasing, and even online multiplayer support.

The Steam version will feature achievements that help showcase your mastery of the emulator, and they’re cleverly named after popular game phrases like “Do a Barrel Roll!” from Star Fox for using free look to flip the screen 10 times within 20 seconds, and “Use the Force, Luke!” in reference to Star Wars, obviously for playing through all of Rogue Squadron II and III using the Null video backend. While there are many achievements listed which you’ll be able to earn, they won’t be ready for launch, but will instead by added afterward.

A trusted emulator for your Steam Deck

Dolphin has been in development for over 15 years and has become one of the most popular and highly regarded emulators available today. Its official release on Steam is a major milestone for the emulator and the retro gaming community.

The Dolphin Emulator for Steam is set to launch for everyone at the end of 2023, and early access is currently available as an experiment. It’s worth noting that you can already sideload Dolphin on Deck without the need for a Steam version. While in early access though, it will be free (it will remain free after the official release) and will feature better Steam UI support for easier navigation. Let us know in the comments if you’re excited for this release, and get ready to relive your favorite childhood games on your PC!