Retro Recompilation Wave. Mario Kart Wii, Sonic, and More
Old games aren't just being emulated anymore, they're being rebuilt. This week's biggest retro gaming story is a case in point: Mario Kart Wii has technically reached Apple TV, but not through emulation.
A project called KartPad is statically recompiling the Wii classic into native ARM64 code, and while headlines are calling it a working port, the tvOS build is actually an untested hardware preview.
It's one of several signs that fan projects are moving past preservation and into full-on reconstruction from a from-scratch PC rebuild of Sonic and the Secret Rings to hardware makers designing devices around a single retro system rather than another do-it-all handheld
Mario Kart Wii "on" Apple TV - KartPad's tvOS build recompiles the game natively rather than emulating it, but it's an untested preview, not a confirmed working port.
Sonic and the Secret Rings, rebuilt - Project Reignition's PC release ditches motion controls, reworks the skill system and progression, and adds time-attack mode.
Manic EMU 2.0 - Major update with Netplay, rewind, and more platforms, but old Dreamcast save states won't carry over convert them before updating.
Anbernic RG DS Plus - A dual-screen handheld built specifically around the DS, signaling a shift toward system-specific hardware design.
FunnyPlaying's mini Game Boy - An unnamed prototype that plays real cartridges and ROMs in one pocket-sized device.
Rapid fire: Spyro 1 gets split-screen co-op via mod, a Sega MegaZone archive drops a major preservation update, 3D Pinball: Space Cadet somehow lands on the 3DO, and two obscure arcade classics hit modern platforms via Arcade Archives.
In this video
KartPad / Mario Kart Wii on Apple TV
A new tvOS build lets Mario Kart Wii run natively on Apple TV through code recompilation, not emulation but it hasn't been tested on real hardware yet. Read the full article
Project Reignition / Sonic and the Secret Rings
Fan project Project Reignition has released a complete PC rebuild of Sonic and the Secret Rings with controller support, reworked controls, and a new time-attack mode. Read the full article
Anbernic RG DS Plus
Anbernic's RG DS Plus pairs dual 1024×768 screens and a built-in stylus for accurate DS emulation, signaling a shift toward system-specific retro hardware. Read the full article
Manic EMU 2.0
Manic EMU 2.0.0 adds Netplay, rewind, and more platforms, but Dreamcast save states from older versions won't carry over — back them up first. Read the full article