Big news for the emulation community! Dolphin has just added full Triforce support to its stable branch (version 2512-395). This legendary arcade platform, the result of an unlikely alliance between Nintendo, Sega, and Namco in 2002, has remained in the shadows for over twenty years. Now, its gems like Mario Kart Arcade GP are finally becoming accessible.

When three rivals join forces

Imagine Nintendo and Sega, fierce rivals of the 90s, joining forces. That’s exactly what happened with the Triforce. The concept? Adapt the GameCube hardware for arcade use, enhanced with Sega’s networking expertise and Namco’s arcade cabinet know-how. The result: a boosted system with double the RAM and brand-new features, such as the ability to plug your GameCube memory card directly into the cabinet to transfer data between F-Zero GX and F-Zero AX.

A massive undertaking

The story of Triforce emulation has been a real saga. The first attempts date back to 2009, but the system’s complexity discouraged the Dolphin team, who abandoned the effort in 2016. For nearly a decade, a single developer, crediar, kept an alternative version alive almost single-handedly. In 2025, he reconnected with the Dolphin team to submit his fully reworked code. Today, nearly all games are playable, with the exception of The Key of Avalon, which requires a specific touchscreen setup.

Preservation first and foremost

Beyond the technical achievement, this is a major win for video game preservation. Triforce cabinets are rare and fragile, and many exclusive titles risked disappearing as the hardware aged. Thanks to Dolphin, games like Virtua Striker 4 and both Mario Kart Arcade GP titles are getting a second life. The icing on the cake: multi-cabinet network mode is now functional, making it possible to recreate the authentic arcade experience across multiple emulated machines.

On the Recalbox side, we are closely monitoring the project’s progress.

Sources: Dolphin Emulator, Time Extension, Android Authority