Dolphin 2609 brings NetPlay to Android, with cross-play against PC

The team behind Dolphin, the go-to GameCube and Wii emulator, has released version 2609. Its headline feature: NetPlay, which turns local-only multiplayer games into online ones, has finally landed on Android. Built by contributor tom-pratt using Jetpack Compose, the new touch interface nearly matches the desktop version, host controller configuration included.

Mobile players will be especially pleased to hear cross-platform play works too, so an Android phone can face off against a PC player in the same online match. The team does warn that games leaning heavily on the framebuffer (like Super Mario Sunshine and its co-op mod) remain more prone to desyncs when mixing ARM and x86 hardware, due to small differences between the two JIT compilers.

Also on the menu: live XFB resolution display

This release also adds an on-screen overlay showing the emulated game's native (XFB) resolution in real time, handy for spotting dynamic resolution changes mid-game (such as during Rogue Squadron II's cutscenes). Wii Balance Board support on Android has also been fixed, finally making 135 compatible games playable on mobile. Behind the scenes, the project says it has had to divert significant time this year to fending off waves of AI-generated vulnerability reports, as well as an attempted compromise of its macOS build infrastructure, though no builds were affected.

To install Dolphin 2609, head to the official download page; the official guides cover NetPlay and controller setup in detail.

Source: Dolphin Emulator

Image credit: “Dolphin Emulator Logo Refresh” by MayImilae, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).