Recalbox, the free and open source emulation solution is back with the release of its latest version, Recalbox 9, last Friday, February 24th. This version brings a lot of new features, which should delight fans of retro video games!

On the hardware side, Recalbox 9 is now compatible with the brand new GPi Case 2W from RetroFlag, which we had the opportunity to compare to the previous GPi Case 1 here, and to the Odroid Go Advance & Super here.

Among the most important new features, version 9 of Recalbox introduces an in-depth rewrite of Bluetooth, improving the pairing of audio devices. The pairing of controllers is now fully automatic at first startup (no need another controller), and the pairing has been drastically optimized!

In addition, retro shaders make a comeback, offering full immersion in the games of yesteryear on HDMI screens. Kodi compatibility has also been improved, with support for 4K resolution on Raspberry Pi 4/400 and enabling hardware video decoding on Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 and Pi zero 2.

Recalbox 9 brings a new feature that has been eagerly awaited by fans of retro games: emulation of the famous Windows 95 and Windows 98, thanks to DosBox Pure. This feature makes a large part of the game library of these systems compatible. Players can relive the classics of these operating systems, such as “Age of Empires”, “Command and Conquer”, “Duke Nukem 3D” and many others. This novelty considerably expands the catalog of Recalbox-compatible games, allowing to save from oblivion even more games from our childhood.

Recalbox RGB DUAL users also benefit from significant improvements, such as the addition of a multi-resolution calibration screen, HDMI priority to easily switch between Scart and HDMI, better compatibility thanks to the addition of ten or so extra emulation cores, as well as several PAL/NTSC modes, and 240p@120Hz resolution for 31kHz screens… among a dozen other optimizations!

A strong supporter of the indie/homebrew scene, Recalbox 9 also includes the demo of the upcoming HIT Mega Drive game “ASTEBROS”, the prequel to “DEMONS OF ASTEBORG” by the French Neofid Studios, as well as the GameBoy game “Pong Recalbox Edition”, developed by Studio 40A. Finally, Recalbox 9 also includes the addition of new emulation systems, such as the Philips VG5000, the ‘Z-Machine’ system, and the ‘Macintosh’ system, and the controller shortcuts are now operational on GameCube / Wii, offering a more ergonomic gaming experience than ever before.

PC users are not forgotten, for all those playing on a computer with an iGPU (Intel HD/Iris Graphics…) and a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, Recalbox will now prioritize the graphics card instead of the one integrated in the processor, without any action on your part, to enjoy the games in the best conditions.

Available in preview since November 2022 for people who support us on Patreon, Recalbox 9 is the result of a collective work, between suggestions of improvements/optimizations and addition of new features requested by our Patrons. As a reminder, our users can support us via our Patreon and enjoy many advantages (preview access to new versions, access to ultra-fast scrap servers, retrogaming playlists, discounts with our partners…).

With more than 60 new features, improvements and deep optimizations, the release of Recalbox 9 is great news for all retrogaming fans, who will now be able to enjoy an even more complete and enjoyable gaming experience, with enhanced features and expanded compatibility. And thanks to the legendary simplicity and accessibility of Raspberry Pi nano-computers, Recalbox is now easier and more affordable than ever.

REMINDER: despite supply difficulties, we would like to remind you that the Raspberry Pi are regularly in stock at the (only) official reseller in France/Europe, Kubii.fr, at cheaper prices than the prices charged on all MarketPlace currently.

Recalbox… what’s that?

Recalbox is a simple and free solution, allowing you to play the consoles and video games that rocked our childhood, on any modern television with HDMI, but now also with SCART or VGA on the CRT screens of the good old time, thanks to Recalbox RGB Dual (see below).

Thanks to its simplicity and the accessibility of “Raspberry Pi” nanocomputers, Recalbox makes emulation very accessible and inexpensive.

Today, Recalbox is able to emulate more than 120 systems, from handhelds to home consoles, including arcades and computosaurs (old computers), via a unique and ultra-simplified interface, entirely controllable with the joystick. It’s simple: Recalbox has become THE solution for retrogaming enthusiasts; for collectors as well as amateurs who don’t have the space or the means to acquire original equipment, which is now rare, expensive, and particularly fragile.

Little extra: Recalbox also embeds Kodi, the famous media player, for unrivalled versatility!

More information on our website: www.recalbox.com

FULL CHANGELOG:

News

• Add RetroFlag GPi2W case support with only Raspberry Pi Zero2 board
• Add Raspberry Pi Touch Display case support for Raspberry Pi 3 and 4
• Add support for 4k video in Kodi for Raspberry Pi 4
• New bluetooth system
  • Audio devices can be paired in sound settings
  • Joysticks and joypads will be automatically paired on first boot
  • New background pairing, letting new devices pair for 5 minutes
• Add ‘Z-Machine’ emulator with new core frotz
• Add ‘Philips VG5000’ emulator (RB5000, a new Recalbox’s emulator based on DCVG5K)
• Add ‘Macintosh’ emulator with new core libretro-MinivMac (RPi3/RPi4/XU4/OGS/PC)
• Add ‘C64’ Vice standalone emulator 3.6.1
• Add game Pong Recalbox Edition by Studio 40A on Gameboy
• Add demo Astebros (Neofid studio) on Megadrive
• Add 240p theme as default for GPiCase 1
• Add Playstation core libretro-pcsx-rearmed for OGA/OGS
• Add new category ‘Demoscene’ in tic80 games downloader.
• Add support for nVidia Prime Offloading (for computers with both iGPU and nVidia GPU)
• Recalbox RGB Dual:
  • Add multiple resolution calibration screen
  • Add HDMI priority option in recalbox rgb dual to switch between Scart and HDMI
  • Add neogeocd, picodrive and pcsx rearmed, cores for rrgbd
  • Add snes9x2002, 2005, 2010 and bsnes support for rrgbd
  • Add region selection for satellaview, sufami, amiga 600, amiga 1200
  • Add fceumm core support for nes and fds
  • Fix rtype resolution for 31kHz
  • Add new arcade game support for 15kHz.
  • Add mupen64plus glide64mk2 support
  • Add multiple PAL/NTSC modes
  • Add 240p@120Hz frontend resolution for 31kHz screens
  • Add kodi resolution menu selection and dynamic resolution for CRT
  • Add new Kodi theme for 240p/480i resolutions
• Add H/W video decoding for Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 & Pi zero 2

Improvements

• Add the possibility to sort games by release date.
• Enhance shader support by setting multi-threaded renderer when shader enabled
• Improve metadata storage, using far less memory for huge game collections
• Bump libretro pcsx-rearmed
• Bump libretro gong
• Bump libretro fuse & add new supported file extensions
• Bump libretro bluemsx
• Bump libretro neocd
• Bump libretro race
• Bump libretro uae4arm
• Bump bebeem
• Bump retro8
• Update of the theme for the X68000 system
• Add support for BCM20702, BCM20703, BCM43142 bluetooth chipsets
• Bump libretro gPSP
• Bump libretro genesisplusgxwide
• Bump libretro Beetle Lynx
• Bump libretro Opera
• Bump libretro fbneo
• Bump libretro uae
• Bump libretro dosbox-pure
• Improve AppleIIGS configurator & add eXoAppleIIGS config support
• Bump libretro-mesen

Fixes

• Fix resolution selection in frontend for Raspberry Pi 4/400/3/Zero2 (KMS)
• Fix crash libretro pcsx-rearmed for x64
• Add .wia file extension for Gamecube and Wii + .gcz for Wii.
• Fix pad 8bitdo Pro 2 mode D (Android)
• Fix bad overlay showing when save on exit is enabled on retroarch
• Fix support for Ultimarc IPAC 2
• Fix internal scraper saving path before actual media
• Fix resolution selection in frontend for Raspberry Pi 4/400/3/Zero2 (KMS)
• Controllers recognized as Xbox in Dolphin (GC/Wii) have their hotkeys working

Fix pause menu in the game for libretro pcsx_rearmed