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After the hypnotic bullet hell of Mushihime-sama Futari 1.5, we’re switching things up completely for One Credit Challenge #16. Time for a lesser-known but charming arcade platformer, released by NMK in January 1987: Psychic 5.

A low-profile game with solid roots

The third title developed by Nihon Maicom Kaihatsu (NMK) for publisher Jaleco—following Argus and Valtric—Psychic 5 hit Japanese arcades in January 1987. The cabinet runs on relatively simple hardware: two Zilog Z80 CPUs clocked at 6 MHz, a pair of Yamaha YM2203 sound chips, and an 8-direction joystick with two buttons. The game never received a faithful official port; only a Famicom title, Esper Boukentai, reused its core ideas a few months later. It wasn’t until 2023 that a proper remake, Psychic 5 Eternal, was finally released on Nintendo Switch.

Five espers, one hammer, and lots of floaty jumps

You play as one of five characters with psychic powers—children with stereotypical profiles straight out of 1970s Japanese cartoons. Two are available from the start; the other three are unlocked by breaking hidden flasks in the levels. Each esper has unique attributes: strength, speed, jumping ability, or hovering. That last mechanic is central to the gameplay: holding upward slows your fall, turning every jump into a precise aerial maneuver. Across eight maze-like levels, your goal is to reach the central boss using your hammer—but beneath this accessible surface lies a deeper scoring system that only the most meticulous players will fully exploit.

The One Credit Challenge

Psychic 5 is a game that seasoned players can clear fairly easily in a straightforward run. But finishing it on a single credit while mastering character management and exploring every corner of each maze is a different story. Grab your hammers.

For more technical information about Psychic 5, check out its Recalbox MAME DB page.

🏆 Challenge rules

Your goal is to achieve the highest score on a single credit.
The challenge runs from April 16 to April 30 at 11:59 PM. You can try as many times as you like.

📢 How to participate?

• Launch the game (ROM: psychic5.zip)
• Play and try to beat the high score
• Take a screenshot or photo of your final score
• Share your score on the #challenges Discord channel, including your username and score

⚖️ Rules to follow

To ensure fairness: Your score must be achieved on a single credit, without save states, rewind, cheats, or auto-fire (unless built into the game).
Gentlemen’s agreement: using glitches that artificially inflate the score is also forbidden.

🎁 Rewards and fair play

The challenge is прежде all about discovering games, sharing tips, and, of course, having fun—all in a spirit of friendly competition!

The winner will receive a game key (GOG, Steam, etc.) to choose from a list of around 100 titles.
If you’ve won a challenge in the past three months, the reward will go to the next player.

Your ranking will be added to the One Credit Challenge leaderboard.
The Season 1 champion will receive either an RGB Dual 2 or a one-year Recalbox Patreon subscription.

Good luck to everyone, and may the best score win!

Announced yesterday, the new Street Fighter movie trailer has just been released. It offers a clearer look at the film’s stakes and unveils new footage of the fighters as well as the arenas.

The trailer is available at the bottom of this article.

No sign of JCVD

Should we expect a lot from the Street Fighter movie? Maybe not. Video game adaptations rarely turn into masterpieces of cinema, especially when it comes to fighting games.

That said, let’s be honest: the recent Mortal Kombat movie was still an enjoyable guilty pleasure. And the fact that Paramount and Legendary are producing this Street Fighter adaptation does leave some hope for a solid piece of entertainment that at least respects the source material to some extent.

In any case, the three-minute footage showcases several fighters in action. While the cast and visual effects look generally convincing, some shots may still raise a few eyebrows.

Images: Paramount

A cast that will inevitably be harshly judged

Personally, I have some reservations about the choice of David Dastmalchian as M. Bison. The actor is excellent, but his rather slight frame and typically nuanced performances feel quite far removed from the imposing, intimidating aura of the character in the games. That said, it would be premature to dismiss his performance: Dastmalchian has portrayed many villains and disturbed characters throughout his career and could still surprise us.

To name a few other cast members:

• Noah Centineo → Ken Masters
• Andrew Koji → Ryu
• Callina Liang → Chun-Li
• Jason Momoa → Blanka (yes, really)
• 50 Cent → Balrog (yes, really again)
• Roman Reigns → Akuma
• Cody Rhodes → Guile
• Andrew Schulz → Dan Hibiki
• Vidyut Jammwal → Dhalsim
• Eric André → Don Sauvage

Images: Paramount

Fingers crossed

The film seems to aim at establishing the Street Fighter universe without leaning too heavily into a completely over-the-top tone: former fighters coming together, a “not-so-ordinary” tournament… Let’s hope the balance between seriousness, humor, and homage is found, without falling into empty fan service.

See you on October 14th at the cinema. We’ll be there — and if we can’t throw punches on Recalbox, we’ll at least watch them on the big screen.

We mentioned leaks a few days ago, but today it's official: SNK has just announced the Neo Geo AES+, a revival of the original Advanced Entertainment System scheduled for November 12, 2026. And this doesn’t look like a gimmicky mini-console: a true return to the roots?

The promise

The Neo Geo AES+ is a high-fidelity revival of the original AES, featuring modern quality-of-life improvements such as HDMI output and DIP switches, starting at €199.99 for the “base” version (console + stick), with a release set for November 12, 2026. Pre-orders are already open on PLAION’s website.

What makes this machine authentic: no emulation

This is the point that’s going to get people talking — in a good way. The Neo Geo AES+ does not rely on emulation. The console is powered by its original ASIC chips, “re-engineered” to modern standards to faithfully reproduce the original hardware. The system runs both new and original game cartridges natively — no emulation, no FPGA approximation, but a true reincarnation of the console, according to SNK.

Technical specifications

The machine is a 1:1 replica of the original 90s console, with faithful build quality, HDMI output, an original AV output for CRT enthusiasts (and that… that’s awesome!), DIP switches for language selection, overclocking and display mode, as well as permanent high score saving via memory card. It supports new Neo Geo AES+ cartridges and is backward compatible with original AES cartridges. The console comes with a wired arcade stick (15-pin connector), also a 1:1 replica of the original.

Launch titles

Ten games are announced at launch: Metal Slug, The King of Fighters 2002, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Big Tournament Golf, Shock Troopers, Samurai Shodown V Special, Pulstar, Twinkle Star Sprites, Magician Lord and Over Top — all available on cartridge, complete with boxes and manuals.

A lineup that covers the essentials of the Neo Geo pantheon: the ultimate run and gun with Metal Slug, the benchmark fighting game with KOF 2002, and one of the finest fighting games ever made on the system with Garou: Mark of the Wolves.

Available editions

SNK is also offering an Anniversary Edition in white for €299.99, including a wireless controller, a wireless arcade stick, a memory card and the 10 retro games with boxes and manuals. The Anniversary Edition also includes a white arcade stick and a limited white edition cartridge of Metal Slug. For hardcore fans, the Ultimate Edition bundle includes the console, all accessories and the 10 cartridges in a limited-edition package, priced at €899.

A quick historical reminder: why the Neo Geo holds a special place

Launched in 1990 by SNK, the Neo Geo came in two formats: the MVS (Multi Video System) for arcade machines, and the AES (Advanced Entertainment System) for home use. Its promise was unique: a strictly identical experience between arcade and home. The Neo Geo was marketed as the first 24-bit system — in reality, it used a 16/32-bit 68000 CPU paired with an 8-bit Z80 coprocessor, with a 24-bit graphics data bus. It technically outclassed everything on the home market at the time.

This power came at a prohibitive price. The AES sold for around $650 at launch — over $1,500 today — making it one of the most sought-after collector’s items in retrogaming, with some rare cartridges selling for thousands of euros. Several legendary franchises were born on this system: Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, Twinkle Star Sprites and Metal Slug. Game production continued until 2004, making the Neo Geo the longest-supported arcade system of all time.

The Neo Geo AES+ is therefore more than just another console. It’s a promise to put back into everyone’s hands something that was once reserved for the wealthiest collectors.

See you on November 12, 2026!

Source: Plaion

An Italian designer known as MagicBrick has just submitted a project on the LEGO Ideas platform that should excite more than a few old-school gamers: a 2,701-piece brick diorama paying tribute to the jungle mission from the first Metal Slug, released in 1996 on Neo Geo. For this set to become reality, it needs to reach 10,000 votes.

From pixel art to plastic bricks

Metal Slug wasn’t born under ordinary circumstances. In 1996, conventional wisdom held that 2D pixel art games were doomed, overtaken by the polygonal 3D of Virtua Fighter or Sega racing arcades. It was in this context that Nazca Corporation — a subsidiary of SNK — released on Neo Geo a run and gun whose “hand-drawn” sprites delivered a level of fluidity that 3D at the time simply couldn’t match: panicked soldiers, grateful prisoners tossing weapons, a tank waddling like a toy. Metal Slug quickly became an absolute benchmark of the genre.

Thirty years later, this is the memory MagicBrick aims to bring to life in brick form. The project, titled “1996 Jungle Mission,” recreates the opening mission of the original game: swampy terrain, palm trees and dense jungle in the background, wooden huts, and at the center of the scene, the Super Vehicle-001 equipped with functional tracks and adjustable cannons.

A “playable” diorama

What sets this proposal apart from a simple collector’s model is its intent to capture a gameplay moment rather than a static pose. Gabrielle himself describes the goal: to recreate a dynamic instant where everything is in motion, where jumps, actions, and interactions come together to reflect the frantic pace of the arcade game.

The environmental details are instantly recognizable to any player: ammo crates, yellow barrels, Heavy Machine Gun and Rocket Launcher power-ups, a hanging fish skeleton, a parachute, and a sequence of grenades frozen mid-air at the exact moment of explosion. The aim isn’t to portray war realistically, but to capture its cartoonish, arcade-style essence.

This isn’t the first time Metal Slug has tried its luck on LEGO Ideas — several projects centered around the SV-001 have circulated in recent years without ever reaching the 10,000-vote milestone. This time, MagicBrick offers a broader vision of the game that might make the difference.

10,000 votes to cross the line

The LEGO Ideas system is structured: a project must reach successive support milestones to gain additional time. Once it hits 10,000 votes, it is reviewed by an internal jury that evaluates its commercial feasibility before any potential official production.

The project currently has 457 supporters since its early April launch and has over a year to reach the first milestone.

For Neo Geo and retrogaming fans, voting costs nothing — all you need is a LEGO Ideas account.

Sources: LEGO Ideas — Retrododo — Yanko Design

A rating that appeared — then disappeared — on the ESRB website (the American equivalent of the European PEGI) has sent the retrogaming community into a frenzy. Three little words are enough to explain the excitement: Neo Geo AES+.

A leak that didn't go unnoticed

It all started with a rating published on the ESRB website, the American video game classification body. The title Samurai Shodown V Special was listed there on a previously unknown platform called Neo Geo AES+, with PLAION listed as the publisher. The page has since been taken down, but screenshots had already made their rounds.

PLAION, the modern retro hardware specialist

If the name doesn't ring a bell, their products probably will: the Atari 2600+, the Atari 7800+, the A500 Mini, and The C64 Mini. The formula is always the same — take the aesthetic of a cult machine, pack in emulation, and for some models, allow the use of original cartridges. The "+" suffix is their signature for this range, which makes the mention of "Neo Geo AES+" hard to interpret any other way.

A bit of context

The Neo Geo was launched in 1990 by SNK in two formats: the MVS for arcade cabinets, and the AES for the home (by the way, Recalbox versions from 10.0.2 onwards now properly distinguish between the two with two separate logos in the system list). The latter offered an experience identical to the arcade at home — an impressive feat for the time, but at a prohibitive price: nearly 650 dollars at launch, equivalent to over 1,500 dollars today. As a result, it has become a highly sought-after collector's item, with some rare cartridges changing hands for several thousand euros.

SNK has already attempted several hardware revivals with mixed results: the Neo Geo X in 2012, the Neo Geo Mini in 2018, and the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro in 2019.

What's next?

No official announcement has been made at this stage. If PLAION does confirm a Neo Geo AES+, we can reasonably expect their usual formula: built-in emulation, HDMI output, and perhaps compatibility with original AES cartridges? Stay tuned...

Sources: timeextension.com / renpou.com

Are you an arcade enthusiast wasting time tracking down ROM dependencies, technical details about your favourite games, or figuring out what a dipswitch does on your PCB? We have just what you need.

A database built for Recalbox

We are pleased to make Recalbox MAME DB available to you, an online tool centralising all the useful information on MAME and FBNeo games playable on Recalbox. The covered sets are MAME 0.278, FBNeo 1.0.0.03, as well as MAME 0.287 available for testing purposes.

What you can do with it

In practice, the tool lets you find the exact dependencies of a game before copying it to your Recalbox — no more pulling down a full set just to try out a single title. You will also find all the technical information associated with each game: resolution, parent ROMs, required BIOS, clones, audio, dependencies. Everything is made easy to navigate through advanced filter-based search.

Screenshots and longplays are also available to see what a game looks like before launching it. A DAT file generator is available as well. Finally, PCB dipswitches are fully documented, so you know exactly what each option does.

A community database

The tool draws inspiration from arcade-italia — well known in the retrogaming community — while refocusing it on the specific needs of Recalbox users. If MAME and FBNeo hold almost no secrets for you, you should feel right at home. As we write these lines, over 60,000 games are documented. Enjoy.

Head over to recalbox-mame-db.recalbox.com.

Enjoying the work of the Recalbox team? Support the project by becoming a Patron!

MAME, the go-to emulator for arcade heritage preservation, is announcing several structural changes to its development. Fewer updates, raised requirements: the team is making the necessary decisions to keep the project viable for the long term.

Windows 7 is gone

On April 7, 2026, the team published a post on mamedev.org detailing these upcoming changes. Most notably, future versions of MAME will require Windows 10 as a minimum. With Microsoft having ended mainstream support for all prior versions, maintaining compatibility with systems nearly twenty years old no longer makes sense.

A modernised technical foundation

A bit of technical detail for the more advanced among you: the development language standard is moving from C++17 to C++20, an evolution that will allow the team to take advantage of new language features. GCC 11 will be the oldest supported version. MAME's Qt-based debugger is dropping Qt 5 in favour of Qt 6, now available across all major Linux distributions. Several components are also being removed: the 32-bit x86 (i686) recompiler back-end, support for compiling on OpenSolaris and other System V UNIX systems, specific optimisations for PowerPC host systems, the now-obsolete macOS aueffectutil tool, and the pre-built MSYS2 environments, which have become too complex to maintain.

Less frequent releases

The other notable announcement concerns the release schedule: near-monthly updates are now a thing of the past. There will be no April release, and the next one is expected near the end of May. Longer cycles, for a project that is giving itself the means to last.

And while we're at it, a little teaser: if you're a hardcore arcade enthusiast and MAME and Final Burn Neo hold almost no secrets for you, stay tuned — we have some good news coming tomorrow ;)

Sources: mamedev.org, timeextension.com

Announced during the November Recal'Talk, RecalCards Collectors are physical and functional cards featuring the greatest retrogaming titles, exclusive to Tier 2 and Tier 3 Patrons. Shipments begin next week — here is how it works:

• Tier 2 Patrons receive 1 RecalCard Collector every 2 months.
• Tier 3 Patrons receive 3 RecalCards Collectors every 2 months.

We are accounting for subscriptions retroactively from November (or from the month you subscribed, starting from that date): Patrons will receive all the cards they are entitled to since the beginning of their subscription.

As a reminder, Tier 2 Patrons will receive all cards of the season, over a slightly longer period than Tier 3 Patrons. Also, if you subscribe mid-season, you will start with card n°1 — you won't miss any card from the current season (which is Season 1 today).

What are RecalCards? How do I get the Card Reader and RecalCards?

Supporting Recalbox is about much more than that

Recalbox is an open source project driven by a community of passionate people. Without the support of our Patrons, many developments, updates and initiatives like RecalCards simply would not exist, or would take much longer to happen.

By joining the Recalbox Patreon, you directly contribute to keeping the project alive, stay closely involved through direct contact with the team — and in return you benefit from exclusive perks: early access to new Recalbox releases, exclusive content (menu music, exclusive themes), video calls with the Recalbox team, dedicated Discord channels, discounts on the Recalbox shop and its partners... and now physical RecalCards Collectors for Tier 2 and Tier 3 Patrons. All tier details are available on our Patreon page.

Already a Patron? Check your address!

Before we proceed with shipments, make sure your delivery address is correctly filled in and up to date on Patreon. There are a few things to check to make sure everything is in order — we have detailed the full procedure in the dedicated Patreon post.

A big thank you to all our Patrons for their support. Your RecalCards are on their way!

On April 2, 2026, Yoshihisa Kishimoto passed away at the age of 64. With him goes one of the most important figures in arcade game history — the creator of Double Dragon, Kunio-kun, and one of the founding fathers of the beat'em up genre.

A street-fighting teenager turned arcade legend

Born on September 17, 1961 in Tokyo, Kishimoto spent his teenage years getting into fights at school and developing a deep admiration for Bruce Lee. It was this raw material that he would later channel into his games. At Technos Japan, he designed Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun — released in the West as Renegade — drawing directly from his own experiences as a scrappy high schooler. The title is now considered one of the cornerstones of the side-scrolling beat'em up genre. Without Kishimoto, we might never have seen Streets of Rage, Final Fight, or Golden Axe.

Double Dragon, and the birth of a genre

In 1987, he created Double Dragon, introducing cooperative two-player combat across scrolling stages. The title also referenced Bruce Lee's film Enter the Dragon. The game became a worldwide phenomenon, ported to nearly every console of the era, spawning sequels, comics, toys, and even a Hollywood film. His design philosophy was clear: put the player at the center, let them identify with the hero — "I'm playing Double Dragon and I am Bruce Lee, I'm the one controlling the game."

A quiet farewell

The news was confirmed by his son Ryūbō via Facebook: "I am sorry to inform you that my father has passed away on April 2, 2026. I hope you will continue to enjoy my father's works, including Kunio-kun." The cause of death was not disclosed. A private family funeral was held in the days that followed.

Sources: Famitsu — Nintendo-Town.fr — rom-game.fr — Gematsu — God is a Geek

The open-source PlayStation 3 emulator RPCS3 has just announced a significant technical breakthrough in emulating the PS3's Cell processor — an advancement that benefits the entire game library, regardless of the hardware configuration used.

An architecture that made everyone suffer

The PlayStation 3 left its mark for all the wrong reasons when it launched in 2006. Its Cell Broadband Engine processor, jointly designed by Sony, IBM and Toshiba, was a radically different architecture from anything developers knew: a main PowerPC core backed by up to seven specialised processing units called SPUs. As a result, early PS3 games often fell short of their Xbox 360 counterparts, simply because studios hadn't had enough time to tame the beast. That same complexity still makes emulating it particularly challenging today.

Elad's contribution

The project's lead contributor, Elad, identified previously unrecognised SPU usage patterns and wrote new code paths to generate more efficient native PC code from them. In practice, the recompilation of PS3 instructions into x86 is now lighter, reducing CPU overhead across all games.

This is not the first time Elad has shaped the project's history. In June 2024, his SPU optimisations already delivered performance gains of 30 to 100% on four-core CPU configurations, with Demon's Souls notably doubling its framerate on constrained hardware.

Concrete gains for everyone

RPCS3 used Twisted Metal as its benchmark example, describing it as one of the most SPU-intensive titles on PS3. The game now sees a 5 to 7% improvement in average FPS. The team confirms that all processors benefit from this improvement, from entry-level to high-end — with user reports noting better audio rendering and slight performance gains in Gran Turismo 5, even on a dual-core AMD Athlon 3000G.

Work in progress

Meanwhile, RPCS3's compatibility rating climbed from 73.44% to 73.82% of "Playable" games in just a few days — "Playable" meaning a title can be completed without any major game-breaking issues. The emulator had only crossed the 70% mark back in January. With the PS3 celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, projects like RPCS3 play a vital role in the long-term preservation of its library.

On the Recalbox side, PS3 emulation is not on the agenda. The console, though nearly twenty years old, remains for now too recent to fall within our scope — and emulation demands far more processing power than our most widely used hardware, starting with the Raspberry Pi.

Sources: Tom's Hardware — VideoCardz — OC3D — Official RPCS3 post on X

Our Recalbox VR headset was just an April Fools' joke — but VR and retrogaming are very much moving forward for real. Case in point: a developer taking on Metal Gear Solid on PS1 in VR.

We laughed, but the idea was solid

On April 1st, we announced Recalbox VR, our virtual reality headset dedicated to retrogaming. A joke, sure — but apparently, someone out there believed in it before we did. The developer behind the VRified Games account is currently working on a PS1 emulator with full VR support.

@VRified Games

Snake in first-person view

The project offers both first- and third-person modes, stereoscopic 3D, and 6 DOF head tracking. In practice: you put on your headset and find yourself in the corridors of Shadow Moses with Snake. The head tracking is still a little jerky — the game is locked at 30 fps while the tracking runs at 90 fps, and the developer is still working on cracking that — but the direction is clearly set.

A promising work in progress

The emulator is in development for PC, with a Meta Quest version potentially on the way. The project is still in its early stages, but the ambition is there. And when you think about what it could look like on other PS1 titles — Crash Bandicoot, Jumping Flash — the potential is real.

As for us, we're heading back to work on our own VR headset.

Sources: Time Extension, VRified Games

This month, Fab2Ris launches a brand-new monthly appointment on the Recalbox YouTube channel: a curated selection of the most anticipated indie and neo-retro releases. First episode, first must-haves.

Twenty minutes to catch up on everything

The concept is straightforward: every month, Fab2Ris runs through around thirty upcoming indie, pixel art and 2D games — no filler, no fluff. A short, effective format designed for those who want to stay in the loop without spending their whole evening doing it.

April sets the bar high

For this debut episode, April turns out to be surprisingly generous. Spark Ignites kicks things off with a 2.5D pixel art tactical RPG built around clever class synergies. ZPF pays tribute to horizontal shoot'em ups in the Mega Drive tradition — and it's disarmingly sincere about it. Vampire Crawlers takes the Vampire Survivors formula and flips it into a turn-based card game — and it works. Then there's Forbidden Solitaire, a fake cursed 1995 CD-ROM blending horror FMV and bloody solitaire, and Prohibeast, set in an alternate 1930s Chicago where meat has been made illegal.

In short, a selection that should go straight to your wishlists — and put a dent in your retrogaming budget.

Watch the video now

We'll let you discover the rest of the lineup directly in the video — most of the featured titles have a demo on Steam, so take advantage of it. Since this is a brand-new format, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. And if you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel to stay up to date with all things Recalbox and retrogaming. See you next month for more.

Enjoying the Recalbox team's work? Support the project by becoming a Patron!

The traditional meetup with Patrons and the Recalbox team returns on Saturday, April 18 at 9 PM. This third Recal'Talk will give the team an opportunity to discuss the future of the project during a Discord call: software, hardware, gaming comfort, and new tools will all be on the agenda.

As you’ve probably guessed, V10 is only a step toward even more features and options. At the time of writing, we are currently on version 10.0.5 which, along with its smaller siblings (10.0.1 and 10.0.2…), brings a number of fixes based on your feedback.
We are gradually moving toward new iterations that will introduce fresh features—some expected, others pleasant surprises for users—which we’ll be presenting during this Recal'Talk!

We will also revisit the rollout of the Recalbox Test Tools, taking a closer look at this new tool that allows you to submit your test feedback to the Recalbox team while completing steps that let you earn XP in a system that is both fun and practical.

We will also cover the hardware side with something new that will appeal to DIY enthusiasts (don’t get too excited—it’s not a brand-new standalone Recalbox hardware!). The evening will end with an open discussion where you’ll be able to ask questions and chat with the team about the project.

As a reminder, the Recal'Talk channel opens within the half hour before the show and is located in the same place as the Discord channels dedicated to Patrons. If you are a Patron and plan to join us, make sure your Discord is up to date. If you experience connection or quality issues, try switching between the desktop app, the web version, or the mobile app. We’re looking forward to seeing many of you there!

To join our Discord server, click here

Enjoying the work of the Recalbox team? Support the project by becoming a Patron!

RecalCards are back with a brand-new series of visuals, and once again, the bar is set high. Available now in the Recalbox shop, these collectible and functional cards—thanks to the Card Reader—are sure to bring back memories for more than a few of you!

What is a RecalCard?

For those discovering them: RecalCards are rigid PCB-format cards that faithfully recreate the look and feel of the game media that shaped our childhoods. NES, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive... each card is a carefully crafted tribute to an iconic format, designed by and for enthusiasts.

Simply insert a RecalCard into your Card Reader and Recalbox will ask which game you want to assign to it. Once done, every time you insert that same RecalCard, the assigned game will automatically launch—just like in the old days! Remove the RecalCard and the game will automatically close. We told you: just like back then.

What the new series brings

This new collection really delivers in terms of variety, diving straight into pop culture: Neo Geo cartridges, VHS tapes, CPC audio cassettes, floppy disks, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, PC Engine—with their iconic Japanese manuals on the back… If you're a fan of the latter, you'll be pleased to discover that the new Card Reader faceplate is dedicated to the PC Engine.

Where to get them?

The new collection is available on the Recalbox shop. As a reminder, these RecalCards are collectible and, above all, fully functional. If you'd like to equip your Recalbox with a Card Reader, you can find it right here.

Don’t forget that if you support the Recalbox project via Patreon, you get a 10% discount on the entire Recalbox store. Finally, keep in mind that if you’re a Tier 2 Patron, you’ll receive 1 Collector RecalCard every 2 months, and if you’re a Tier 3 Patron, you’ll receive 3 Collector RecalCards every 2 months. Shipments will be starting very soon ;)

For Challenge #14, we smashed cute little monsters with a hammer. For Challenge #15, we’re taking a sharp turn in atmosphere: welcome to a world where bullets reign supreme and every pixel can be fatal with MUSHIHIME-SAMA FUTARI 1.5.

A shoot ’em up by Cave

Mushihime-sama Futari is the direct sequel to Mushihime-sama, released in 2004. Cave, a Japanese studio specialized in manic shooters, pushed the concept even further in 2006 with this Futari version — literally “two” — introducing a two-player mode and several difficulty levels, including the dreaded Ultra. The game runs on Cave’s CV1000 hardware, and its 1.5 version is considered by the community to be an absolute benchmark of the genre.

MUSHIHIME-SAMA FUTARI 1.5 (Cave, 2006) — ROM: futari15

The story drops the player into a world inhabited by giant insects, where Reco, a young princess, rides her beetle mount to save her kingdom from a curse. A deliberately simple premise that sets the stage for a hypnotic barrage of projectiles arranged in pixel-perfect patterns. Reading bullet streams, spotting safe gaps, managing your shot mode, and keeping your cool under pressure: these are the four pillars of survival. The scoring system rewards risk-taking — staying close to enemies increases your points — turning every run into a constant balance between boldness and precision.

🏆 Challenge rules

Your goal is to achieve the highest score in a single credit.
The challenge runs from April 1st to April 15th at 11:59 PM. You can try as many times as you want.

📢 How to participate?

• Launch the game (ROM: futari15)
• Play and try to beat the high score
• Take a screenshot or a photo of your final score
• Share your score on the Discord channel #challenges, including your username and your score.

⚖️ Rules to follow

To ensure fairness:

The score must be achieved in a single credit, without save states, rewind, cheats, or auto-fire (unless it is part of the game).

Gentlemen’s agreement: the use of glitches that artificially inflate the score is also forbidden.

🎁 Rewards and fair play

This challenge is прежде all about discovering games, sharing tips, and, of course, having fun — all within a spirit of friendly competition!

The winner will receive a game key (GOG, Steam, etc.) to choose from a list of around 100 titles.
If you’ve won a challenge in the past three months, the reward will go to the next player.

Your ranking will be added to the One Credit Challenge leaderboard.
The champion of the first season will receive either an RGB Dual 2 or a one-year subscription to Recalbox Patreon.

Good luck to everyone, and may the best score win!

Since its inception, Recalbox has pursued a simple mission: to make the gaming experience of the past both accessible and authentic. But over the years, one question has come up more and more often internally: how far can we push this experience?
Today, we’re ready to reveal an unexpected answer.
Here is Recalbox VR, our very first virtual reality headset dedicated to retrogaming.

A legacy dating back to the 90s

The idea of immersing players in their games is nothing new. As early as the mid-90s, the Virtual Boy was already attempting a radical approach to immersive 3D. Designed by Nintendo as a new way to play, the device offered stereoscopic display… entirely in red and black.

Ambitious, ahead of its time, yet limited by the technology of the era, the Virtual Boy remains a unique object today: a striking, imperfect, yet fascinating experiment.

This is exactly the kind of attempt that inspires us.

Recalbox VR: a natural evolution

Recalbox VR was born from a line of thinking that has been evolving for several years around immersion.

After working on timing accuracy, CRT display fidelity, and peripherals, one thing became clear: we wanted to go further.

The Recalbox VR headset was therefore designed as a logical extension of the Recalbox ecosystem. It’s not about transforming retro games into modern experiences, but rather enhancing them by stepping into the game and rediscovering it like never before.

The system relies on a high-definition stereoscopic display paired with a rendering engine specifically tailored for retrogaming. Every pixel, every scanline, every blur and persistence effect has been reworked to function in an immersive environment without betraying the original look.

Early concepts

Unmatched sensations

One of the major challenges of the project was preserving the visual “readability” of retro games in a VR environment.

Unlike modern games, older graphics often rely on visual tricks tied to distance, display type, and sprite size. Translating that into a headset requires far more than a simple port.

“The hardest part wasn’t displaying games in VR, but recreating their original visual behavior. A scanline doesn’t have the same impact when shown on a flat screen versus perceived in depth. We had to completely rethink our image processing to achieve a proper result.”
— digitalLumberjack

“At first, we even considered integrating mini CRTs directly into the lenses to perfectly replicate the look of old displays — colors, scanlines, and all the charm of the era. But reality quickly caught up with us: the combined weight of the CRTs made the headset completely unmanageable. We had to rethink the concept entirely, keeping the visual fidelity and retro spirit, but with a much lighter and more comfortable solution… 7kg was just too heavy.”
— Bkg2k

A new way to play

Once in-game, it’s not so much the screen that surprises… but the way the games themselves subtly change in how they are perceived.

In a title like Metal Slug, depth becomes immediately noticeable. The different layers — background, gameplay area, foreground elements — are no longer simply stacked, they exist within a space. Explosions feel slightly detached from the scenery, projectiles move across the scene with clearer trajectories, and some animations gain impact simply because they occupy a “physical” position.

In Super Mario Bros., the effect is more subtle but just as interesting. Platforms appear slightly raised, enemies stand out more clearly from the background, and distances become almost instinctive. Without altering gameplay, this added depth brings a new clarity, as if the game reveals a structure that was always there but previously implicit.

But it’s probably in a game like OutRun where the effect becomes most striking. The road no longer just scrolls by — it truly stretches into depth. Turns are easier to anticipate, elevation gives a sense of volume, and environmental elements — palm trees, signs, vehicles — sit within a far more tangible perspective. Where the game already relied on visual tricks to simulate 3D, VR enhances that illusion without betraying it.

What’s most striking is that nothing has been artificially added. This isn’t modern 3D layered on top of the games, but rather a spatial reinterpretation of their original elements. Sprites remain identical, proportions unchanged — only perception evolves.

And that’s precisely where the experience becomes uncanny: games you know by heart suddenly feel like they were always meant to be this way.

At the same time, special care has been given to the Recalbox environment. Rather than isolating the player in a neutral space, Recalbox VR places sessions back into familiar contexts through new VR-dedicated themes: a CRT television in a living room, an arcade cabinet, or a more minimal interface. Find the theme that suits you in the theme manager to browse your game library.

Technical details and availability

On the technical side, Recalbox VR features a dual micro-OLED display with a resolution of 3840 × 3840 pixels per eye, a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, and latency below 10 ms.

Rendering is handled by a graphics pipeline optimized for stereoscopy, capable of recalculating CRT shaders and frame synchronization in real time while respecting the original refresh rates of emulated systems (50 Hz / 60 Hz). The goal is to ensure a stable, precise, and faithful image, even with the most demanding content.

The headset will be compatible with PC and Raspberry Pi 5 and is expected to launch by the end of the year. A FishStarter campaign will be launched to fund the project. And as a bonus, discover our two-player prototype:

No AI was harmed in the making of these images.

We are pleased to introduce the Recalbox Test Tools (RTT), a tool designed to turn your testing sessions into a true community-driven experience.

What is RTT?

Recalbox Test Tools is a platform dedicated to beta testers and Patrons. It allows you to list the hardware you own, then run a series of tests on that hardware—for example by testing an update or performing a fresh install of a new Recalbox version. Each submitted test earns XP points, contributing to a leaderboard of top testers.

List your hardware

A new benefit for Patrons

Patrons (especially those updating via the Patron Alpha channel) already take part in beta testing phases ahead of release and actively help us improve Recalbox before each launch. RTT formalizes this contribution and places you even closer to the heart of the project. It’s an additional benefit for Patrons who want to get more involved in the project’s development: testing, reporting feedback, and having their participation recognized.

I want to be the very best, Like no-one ever was...

The most dedicated Patrons will receive a new badge on our Discord to highlight their contributions to testing phases. These tests are sent directly to the Recalbox team, with whom Patrons can interact in real time on dedicated Discord channels.

As a reminder, Patrons also benefit from access to a dedicated Patron Stable version, and can choose to remain on the public version if they prefer. In short, Patrons have access to three versions of Recalbox: the Alpha version (for testing), the Patron Stable version, and the public version—with the ability to switch between them in one click. Finally, note that RTT is entirely optional: there is no obligation to participate, just another opportunity for those who wish to get involved.

Run tests at your own pace

What does it change for the project?

Developers can monitor tests in real time, quickly identify issues based on hardware configurations, and prioritize fixes. At each testing step, users can confirm or invalidate a test and leave comments that are sent directly to the team. The more testers there are—and the more active they are—the faster Recalbox improves.

How to access it?

You can log in using your Discord account. The tool is reserved for beta testers and Patron members. If you are a Patron, head to your dedicated Discord channel to find the link and log in.

A big thank you to Bounitos who, after developing the RecalCards Generator, tackled the challenge of creating a solution that centralizes testing in the clearest and most engaging way possible—for both users and developers.

Enjoying the work of the Recalbox team? Support the project by becoming a Patron!

The Nintendo Switch 2 is gearing up for a particularly busy 2026, according to information circulating over the past few days. Insider NateTheHate, whose reliability is well established within the Nintendo sphere, shared several major revelations during his March 27 podcast — corroborated by Video Games Chronicle’s own sources.

Star Fox returns, ten years later

The Star Fox franchise hasn’t seen a major new entry since Star Fox Zero, developed by PlatinumGames for the Wii U in 2016. According to NateTheHate, a new game is planned for summer 2026 on Switch 2. The title would adopt a “classic” format, staying true to the spirit of the original entries, while also featuring online multiplayer and visuals described as “very good, very satisfying.”

The timing is likely no coincidence: actor Glen Powell has confirmed he will voice Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, set to hit theaters on April 1, 2026. Nintendo rarely leaves this kind of synergy to chance.

Ocarina of Time: a remake for Zelda’s 40th anniversary

The other major announcement concerns The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. A remake is rumored for the second half of 2026, most likely around the holiday season, directly tied to the franchise’s 40th anniversary. According to some sources, the project could range from a faithful recreation of the original to a more ambitious reinterpretation of the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic.

Its release would also precede The Legend of Zelda movie, scheduled for theaters on May 5, 2027 — a momentum strategy Nintendo has long mastered.

Mario 3D delayed to 2027

The biggest surprise in these rumors is the absence of a new 3D Mario game in 2026. The successor to Super Mario Odyssey is reportedly pushed back to 2027, nearly ten years after the previous entry released in October 2017.

As for the broader schedule, summer 2026 is also expected to feature Splatoon Raiders, Rhythm Heaven Groove, and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, while Switch 2 Edition versions of Pikmin 4 and Xenoblade 2 are also anticipated.

Needless to say, these details remain rumors until officially confirmed by Nintendo. However, with two independent sources aligning, it’s hard not to take them seriously.

Sources: NateTheHate Podcast, Video Games Chronicle, Nintendo Life

Recalbox version 10.0.2 is released today. After being rolled out to Alpha Patrons and Patrons — whom we warmly thank for their feedback — this version is now available to everyone! This update includes several fixes, as well as some renamed and reorganized systems. Let’s go through everything in detail!

You can find the full release notes at the bottom of this article.

General fixes and improvements

The fixes in this version are quite broad and cover a wide range of areas. The team has notably worked on system performance to improve overall user comfort; display fixes and logo adjustments have also been made here and there to enhance readability and navigation.

Some cleanup has been done regarding update management (removal of an unnecessary error message, cleaning of the upgrade folder if a download failed to prevent the system from attempting to install an incomplete file…). Several of you reported an issue with the "last played games" system where the display was incorrect: this problem has now been resolved.

exFAT share performance

We have also fixed performance issues with dynamic shares formatted in exFAT. If you notice significant slowdowns at startup compared to version 9.2.3, you can enable the legacy exFAT driver in Advanced Options > Boot Settings > Use Fuse Driver. Of course, do not enable this option if everything is working properly!

Renamed systems

Where this update might surprise some users is in the renaming of certain systems:

• Atari 800 => Atari 8-bit (aligned with XL/XE compatibility)
• Neo-Geo => Neo-Geo AES (aligned with the new logo and policy)
• Amiga 600 => Amiga ECS/OCS (aligned with non-AGA compatibility)
• Amiga 1200 => Amiga AGA (aligned with AGA compatibility)

Neo-Geo: a change worth highlighting

Regarding Neo-Geo, this change is significant! There are now two distinct Neo-Geo environments:

• The console environment, called "Neo-Geo AES", with your ROMs located in the roms > neogeo folder.

• The arcade environment, with your Neo-Geo ROMs placed in the roms > fbneo folder. To see this virtual arcade system, you need to enable the virtual arcade system in "List Options", then enable Neo-Geo.

To be completely clear, "console" ROMs and "arcade" ROMs are exactly the same: it all depends on the folder where you place them.

You can find the full release notes via this link!

Enjoy!

Do you like the work of the Recalbox team? Support the project by becoming a Patron!

From May 7 to 10, 2026, Lyon will host Speedons, the major charity speedrunning marathon organized in support of Médecins du Monde — and the lineup promises plenty of surprises for retro gaming fans as well as more modern players.

What is speedrunning?

Speedrunning consists of finishing a game as quickly as possible, sometimes by exploiting bugs, glitches, or frame-perfect optimized sequences. It’s both a technical and spectacular discipline that has attracted a passionate community for years.

75 hours of live runs for a good cause

From May 7 to 10, 2026, Speedons will take place at the Lyon Convention Center over four non-stop days, with streams broadcast live on MisterMV’s Twitch. The goal: raise donations to fund the actions of Médecins du Monde, an international medical aid organization operating in around thirty countries. To follow the event, head over to speedons.fr and their Discord server.

A lineup tailored for retro lovers

The 2026 schedule is a true journey through time. Starting on Thursday, May 7, the tone is set with Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland on GBA and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Final Mix HD, followed by classics like Mr. Nutz and Alien: Isolation. Friday, May 8 raises the bar with Crash Team Racing, Ikaruga, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and the must-play Crypt of the Necrodancer. Saturday, May 9 continues with Metroid Fusion, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, F-Zero, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Sunday, May 10 closes the event with Paper Mario, Portal 2 Coop, Touhou 8: Imperishable Night, and Octopath Traveler 2.

Recent runs to complete the picture

Speedons isn’t limited to retro games: recent titles such as Astro Bot, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, and Silent Hill f are also part of the lineup, offering a complete overview of what speedrunning has to offer in 2026.

How to participate?

Whether you attend in Lyon with a 1-day or 4-day pass, or watch from home, Speedons is open to everyone. Find the full schedule, ticketing, and all information on speedons.fr.