Surprise Xbox Update Brings GameCube Games Before Nintendo Switch
Pressure on Nintendo to actually do something with its NSO setup continues, and the gaming goliath continues to do little about it.
Thankfully, Nintendo made the classic GoldenEye 007 available through Nintendo Switch Online's expansion pack - an addition that players have wanted for a very long time indeed. It's (hopefully) set the precedent for more retro games making the leap.
Click to enlargeBecause Xbox owns Rare, it also got the game on Game Pass on the very same day. Way to take the wind out of Nintendo's sails. But now, Xbox has done it again by pilfering an idea that Nintendo has failed to capitalise on.
The Xbox Has A GameCube Emulator Before Nintendo
What do you mean, Nintendo are behind the times? Doesn't sound like it at all. Sarcasm aside, it's yet another sign that Nintendo needs to pull its fingers out.
Now, the popular GameCube emulator known as Dolphin has advanced so far, it has its own full UI on Xbox consoles, meaning that players can easily install its software on their consoles and play any of the GameCube's games with ease.
Click to enlargeThis is something that fans have been begging Nintendo to add for years now, and it looks like emulators have beaten them to it... once again. The GameCube might not had the best console reputation in the world, but some of us love that purple brick.
As pointed out by YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer, the emulator has removed the requirement for players to customise their settings on PC before copying over to their Xbox console (which now includes the Xbox Series X|S) as they have fixed a full settings menu on the console version of the emulator itself.
GameCube Emulator On Xbox Can Reach 5K
Click to enlargePatch notes from Dolphin reveal new additions to the emulator itself, and it has been confirmed that the resolutions of the games on the GameCube can now reach up to 5K definition.
The resolution of games can be increased to 5120x4224 quality, and many titles now offer the chance for players to use cheats to enhance the experience too.
The emulator is pretty impressive (if illegal, but we won't tell if you don't), and it's indicative of Nintendo's stance on legacy games that they haven't done anything similar yet.
Nintendo Switch Online Needs The GameCube
Click to enlargeNintendo has just given us something in the way of retro gaming, with the recent Nintendo Direct confirming the long-rumoured edition of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games. Although this means we'll be able to play Link's Awakening, we've no closer to playing Wind Waker on the Switch.
Alongside the Zelda contingent of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (which we still don't have ports on), we'd love to see Metroid Prime, Luigi's Mansion, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Then, Nintendo can finally rival Microsoft and Sony's nostalgic catalogues.
It's consistently strange that Nintendo refuses to engage with its past in any meaningful way - but at least some third-party emulators are.