Retro Gaming News Roundup (May 22–29, 2025)

The retro gaming news between 22 and 29 May 2025 stretched across fan translations, native ports, online restoration, software preservation, original-hardware development and new physical releases.

A previously Japan-only PlayStation adventure became fully playable in English, Sega Dreamcast shooter Outtrigger returned online nearly 22 years after its official server closed, and one of the rarest known Japanese CD-ROM games was finally preserved.

The week also brought a native modern port of the arcade version of San Francisco Rush 2049, new MiSTer FPGA cores, a Super Nintendo development competition and a substantial fifth-anniversary showcase from Evercade.

Preservation remained a major theme through to the final day, when the Video Game History Foundation announced plans to examine 125 unidentified development ROM chips believed to have originated from Taito Japan.

The Week At A Glance

Back To Menu

Wonder Trek Receives A Complete English Translation

On 22 May, a complete English translation was released for Wonder Trek, a PlayStation action-adventure game originally published only in Japan.

Developed by Zest Works and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 1998, the game follows Professor Favreau and his assistant Nick after an expedition ends with them stranded on a mysterious island.

The pair must search for the professor’s missing brother, investigate the island’s wildlife and prevent poachers from damaging its ecosystem.

More Than A Text Replacement

The version 1.0 patch translates all of the game’s written material rather than only its menus and dialogue.

The completed work includes:

• English dialogue and story text.
• Translated menu and interface graphics.
• English text embedded inside images.
• Translated and subtitled video sequences.
• Upscaled full-motion video.
• Testing and proofreading across the complete game.

The distributed patch uses the xdelta3 format with LZMA compression. It modifies a compatible copy of the original game rather than operating as a standalone release.

The Translation Team

• Chapu: programming and game hacking.
• PSXCraver: translation and proofreading.
• Vervalkon: image and video editing.
• MiniOmegaKing: playtesting.

Chapu also published the project’s source code, allowing other translators and PlayStation researchers to examine how the game’s text, graphics and files were modified.

The repository does not contain the large subtitled video files distributed with the finished patch, but it documents the underlying translation and patching work.

Why The Release Was Important

The original PlayStation has a substantial library of Japanese games that never received official English versions.

Translating a title such as Wonder Trek requires more than writing new dialogue. The team must identify text inside the original files, make English wording fit the available space, rebuild graphical text and ensure that edited data remains compatible with the console’s file structure.

Completing the videos and image-based text makes this a much more thorough localisation than a basic menu patch.

Sources: Wonder Trek English Translation and Project Source Code .

Back To Menu

San Francisco Rush 2049 Gets A Native PC Port

On 22 May, wider attention turned to ProjectR’s newly added support for the arcade version of San Francisco Rush 2049.

ProjectR is an unofficial native port of Atari Games’ San Francisco Rush: The Rock – Alcatraz Edition and San Francisco Rush 2049.

Version 0.7.0, which introduced Rush 2049, had been released on 18 May and was available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Native Port Rather Than General Emulation

ProjectR recreates the games as native applications for modern operating systems instead of asking the player to launch the original arcade hardware through a complete emulator such as MAME.

The project remains dependent on original arcade data. It does not include Atari or Midway’s game assets.

To configure Rush 2049, users must provide data from either:

• San Francisco Rush 2049: Special Edition.
• San Francisco Rush 2049: Tournament Edition.

Compatible arcade hard-drive data can be supplied as a CHD or raw drive image.

Original Profiles & Ghost Data

ProjectR can import player profiles, fastest times and recorded ghost data from compatible arcade files.

Players who previously used MAME can also provide the matching delta CHD file to carry across data written during emulation.

Modern Controls

The project supports:

• Modern Xbox, PlayStation and compatible gamepads.
• Steering wheels and pedal sets.
• Force feedback on supported hardware.
• Adjustable deadzones and steering sensitivity.
• Windows, Linux and macOS.
• Steam Deck through the Linux AppImage.

Keyboard and mouse control were not supported at the time, although the developer listed them as a possible future addition.

Still A Work In Progress

The developer described ProjectR as a free, unfinished passion project with no fixed completion date.

Version 0.7.0 added the arcade game’s handling and collision behaviour, cheat management, profile support and several improvements to ProjectR’s underlying Vulkan-based engine.

Sources: Official ProjectR Website and Contemporary 22 May Report .

Back To Menu

Outtrigger Returns To Dreamcast Online Play

Sega Dreamcast shooter Outtrigger returned to online play on 23 May, almost 22 years after its official service closed.

Developed by Sega AM2, the Dreamcast version launched in 2001 and combined fast arcade-style shooting with first-person and third-person viewpoints.

Its official online server was shut down on 9 September 2003.

Shuouma & Flyinghead Complete The Server

Community developer Shuouma had previously made substantial progress on recreating the server but had not completed the project.

Shuouma later shared the existing code with flyinghead, whose additional work brought the replacement service into a playable public state.

The revived server supports:

• Online multiplayer for up to six players.
• Text chat.
• Online leaderboards.
• Dreamcast modem connections.
• Dreamcast Broadband Adapter connections.

The server was hosted by flyinghead and could be reached using the Dreamcast Live connection configuration.

Modem & Broadband Adapter Support

Most Dreamcast online restoration projects are designed around the console’s original dial-up modem, normally connected through a line-voltage simulator such as DreamPi.

Outtrigger also supports Sega’s Broadband Adapter, allowing compatible players to connect through the console’s Ethernet accessory.

The Server Was Still Being Tested

Dreamcast Live warned that the newly completed service might still contain bugs and asked players to report problems through the Dreamcast-Talk development thread.

That qualification is important. Restoring an old online game requires developers to reproduce undocumented server requests, account functions, matchmaking and data responses expected by the original console software.

A Growing List Of Revived Dreamcast Games

Outtrigger followed other recent Dreamcast restorations involving Shuouma and flyinghead, including Speed Devils Online Racing and the online-capable Aero Dancing games.

Each restoration reduces the number of Dreamcast titles whose network modes can no longer be experienced on original hardware.

Sources: Dreamcast Live Revival Announcement and Outtrigger Server Information .

Back To Menu

Extremely Rare CD-ROM Game TRIPITAKA Is Preserved

On 22 May, an image of the rare Japanese Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM TRIPITAKA 玄奘三蔵求法の旅 was uploaded to the Internet Archive.

Developed by Soft Edge and published by PD Inc. in 1999, TRIPITAKA is closely connected to the studio’s earlier nonlinear adventure Cosmology of Kyoto.

The preserved disc identifies it as part of the wider Cosmology of Asia series.

Only One Physical Copy Is Known

For years, researchers were uncertain whether the CD-ROM had received any physical distribution.

A copy appeared through Yahoo Japan in 2023. It remains the only physical example currently documented publicly.

Video game researcher Bruno de Figueiredo spent years trying to persuade its owner to allow the disc to be preserved.

The owner eventually agreed to share the data, allowing de Figueiredo to upload the dual Macintosh and Windows ISO image and photographs of the packaging, disc and printed material.

An Unusually Obscure Release

Existing research suggests that TRIPITAKA may have been connected to museum exhibitions concerning the Silk Road and Journey to the West.

Documentation surrounding its original distribution remains incomplete, however, and the small number of surviving references makes definitive claims difficult.

The Internet Archive entry dates the software to 1999, while earlier production information associated with its creators refers to work during the mid-1990s.

What Was Preserved

The archive contains:

• A dual Macintosh and Windows ISO image.
• Front and rear packaging scans.
• Interior packaging photography.
• A photograph of the original CD-ROM.
• Japanese-language metadata.

Preserving the disc image protects the software data from depending entirely on one ageing physical copy.

It does not automatically document every aspect of the game’s production, intended audience or original sales route. Those questions still require historical research.

Sources: TRIPITAKA Internet Archive Entry and Preservation Background & Contemporary Reporting .

Back To Menu

SNESDEV 2025 Challenges Developers To Build For Real Hardware

On 26 May, attention turned to SNESDEV 2025, a development competition scheduled to begin on 31 May and run until 6 September.

Hosted by Kannagichan, Svambo and SNES-Testberichte, the event was created to encourage more original software development for the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom.

Strict Cartridge Limits

Entries had to operate within rules designed around a simple physical multicart.

The announced technical requirements included:

• A maximum ROM size of 256 KiB.
• LoROM memory mapping.
• No SA-1, Super FX or other expansion processors.
• No SRAM.
• Compatibility with real Super Nintendo hardware.
• NTSC operation.
• Original games and code rather than ports.

Teams were allowed, but each participant’s contribution had to be identified.

The competition did not impose a theme. Any genre was permitted as long as the game was playable and created during the jam.

Development Resources

The organisers pointed participants towards tools including:

• libSFX for assembly-language development.
• PVSnesLib for C development.
• SNDK for audio.
• Super Famicom technical documentation.
• The SNESdev development forum and Discord community.

Developers were also free to use their own engines and tools as long as the final ROM followed the competition rules.

How Games Would Be Judged

Entries were to be scored across four areas:

• Gameplay: controls, stability and overall playability.
• Hardware use: effective use of the SNES background, sprite, colour and display hardware.
• Sound: music and sound effects.
• Graphics: visual quality and use of backgrounds and sprites.

A Physical Multicart For Participants

The organisers planned to combine the submitted games onto multicarts and send them to participants as prizes.

A limited number of additional cartridges could also be sold to recover production costs.

This plan explains the strict LoROM, size and enhancement-chip restrictions: every game needed to operate from one predictable cartridge design.

Sources: Official SNESDEV 2025 Jam Page and Contemporary 26 May Report .

Back To Menu

MiSTer FPGA Gains New Computer & Arcade Cores

RetroRGB published a substantial MiSTer FPGA development roundup on 26 May, covering new computer cores, arcade releases, work-in-progress hardware recreations and interface updates.

The stories were at different stages of completion. Some cores had received public releases, while others were test, alpha or subscriber-only builds.

Luxor ABC80 Test Core

Developer JasonA ported a core for the Luxor ABC80, a Swedish home computer first released in the late 1970s.

The build was not yet an official MiSTer release. It was made available for testing so users could identify compatibility and accuracy problems.

Naughty Boy Arcade Core Released

Developer darfpga officially released a core for Jaleco’s 1982 arcade game Naughty Boy.

The game requires the player to move through vertically arranged levels while avoiding enemies and using projectiles to clear obstacles.

Taito F2 Alpha Development

Wickerwaka released alpha builds for Taito’s F2 arcade hardware.

The early cores could run titles including:

• Liquid Kids.
• Super Space Invaders.
• Gun Frontier.
• Growl, also known as Runark.
• Solitary Fighter.
• Cameltry.
• Drift Out.
• Mega Blast.
• Don Doko Don.

Alpha status meant that timing, sound, graphics and individual-game behaviour could still change considerably.

Sky Kid Deluxe Added To JTTHUNDR

Jotego added Namco’s 1985 horizontal shooter Sky Kid Deluxe to the JTTHUNDR core.

The core remained in beta and was available to Jotego’s Patreon supporters rather than through the standard public update system.

More Accurate Game Boy Advance Work

Robert Peip’s in-development Game Boy Advance core gained support for decorative display borders.

The new GBA implementation was still being distributed as a test build and had not replaced MiSTer’s established public core.

Dinierto Designs also published a repository of border artwork that could be installed through the Update All system.

Amstrad Plus & GX4000 Development

JasonA was also adapting the Amstrad 6128 core to support the Amstrad CPC 6128 Plus and GX4000.

The GX4000 shares much of its architecture with the Plus computer range, making it possible for related development work to support both systems.

Why Development Status Matters

Calling every build a finished “new MiSTer core” hides the substantial difference between an experimental test file and a core ready for normal installation.

Source: RetroRGB MiSTer FPGA Development Roundup .

Back To Menu

Wii U GamePad Battery Swelling Prompts A Preservation Warning

A social-media post shared on 25 May showed a visibly swollen battery removed from a Wii U GamePad after almost 13 years of use.

The report received wider coverage on 26 May and prompted other Wii U owners to inspect their own controllers.

One Failure Does Not Prove A Universal Fault

The story concerned an individual ageing battery. It did not demonstrate that every Wii U GamePad battery was defective or that swelling was inevitable across the complete hardware range.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries deteriorate through age, charge cycles, storage conditions and heat. Some lose capacity normally, while damaged or failing cells can expand.

The GamePad Battery Is Replaceable

Unlike many modern handheld devices, the Wii U GamePad has a dedicated battery compartment secured by two screws.

Nintendo designed the pack to be removed without opening the rest of the controller.

The owner involved in the May report also found that the GamePad would not operate from its AC adapter after the failed battery had been removed.

A working battery is therefore important even when the controller is normally used near its charger.

What Owners Should Check

Warning signs can include:

• A battery cover that no longer sits flat.
• A bulge appearing on the rear of the GamePad.
• The battery pack changing shape.
• Unusual heat.
• A sharp reduction in operating time.
• Difficulty charging normally.

Battery Maintenance Is Part Of Hardware Preservation

A console can be stored carefully while its battery continues to age internally.

Periodically inspecting rechargeable Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS, PSP, 3DS, Wii U, Switch and controller batteries can prevent a failing pack from pressing against the shell or damaging nearby components.

The Wii U GamePad’s removable design makes intervention easier than on devices whose batteries are glued or enclosed deep inside the casing.

Sources: Original May 2025 Report , Nintendo Wii U GamePad Battery Removal Guide and London Fire Brigade Battery Safety Guidance .

Back To Menu

Switch 2-Only N64 Features Draw Attention

On 28 May, reports drew renewed attention to features being added to the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics application on Nintendo Switch 2.

Nintendo had originally outlined the changes on 2 April, but the approach attracted more discussion immediately before the Switch 2 launch.

New Nintendo 64 Features

The Switch 2 version was confirmed to include:

• A CRT-style screen filter.
• A Rewind function.
• Per-game control remapping.

Rewind allows players to hold ZL and ZR to reverse a recent mistake or retry a section.

The CRT option applies a display effect intended to resemble presentation on an older television.

Which Features Require Switch 2?

Nintendo’s later software information clarifies that Rewind and the CRT filter are available when the application is used on Nintendo Switch 2.

Control layouts can be viewed and customised on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, with settings stored separately for each game.

Why The Decision Was Debated

Rewind can require additional processing and memory to preserve earlier game states continuously.

A basic visual filter and control remapping are less obviously dependent on more powerful hardware, however, leading some players to question why the full feature set was associated with the new console.

The debate was not about Nintendo 64 game access itself. Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members could continue using the Nintendo 64 application on the original Switch.

It concerned whether presentation and quality-of-life options should differ according to the console used to run the same subscription library.

Not The Same As Original CRT Output

A software CRT filter can add scanlines, soften pixels or alter brightness patterns, but it does not reproduce every characteristic of an analogue television.

Original Nintendo 64 output passed through analogue video hardware and was displayed on a screen with its own phosphor, scanning, scaling and signal characteristics.

The filter is therefore a presentation option rather than a technically exact replacement for original hardware connected to a CRT.

Sources: Nintendo’s Original Feature Announcement and Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics Feature Information .

Back To Menu

Evercade Marks Five Years With New Taito & Neo Geo Hardware

Evercade used its fifth-anniversary showcase on 29 May to reveal five cartridges and a new version of its Alpha bartop arcade system.

The original Evercade handheld had launched in May 2020, establishing a physical cartridge platform shared across handhelds, television consoles and later arcade-style hardware.

Five Newly Announced Cartridges

The showcase introduced:

• TAITO Arcade 1.
• TAITO Arcade 2.
• NEOGEO Arcade 2.
• NEOGEO Arcade 3.
• Roguecraft DX.

TAITO Arcade 1

The first Taito cartridge contains nine arcade games:

• Bubble Bobble.
• Chack’n Pop.
• Colony 7.
• Don Doko Don.
• Growl.
• The Legend of Kage.
• Pirate Pete.
• Raimais.
• Space Invaders.

TAITO Arcade 2

The second cartridge contains:

• Alpine Ski.
• Elevator Action.
• Kiki KaiKai.
• Liquid Kids.
• Operation Wolf.
• Rastan.
• The Electric Yo-Yo.
• The New Zealand Story.
• Volfied.

NEOGEO Arcade 2

• Art of Fighting 2.
• Crossed Swords.
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
• Metal Slug 2.
• Ninja Commando.
• Sengoku 2.

NEOGEO Arcade 3

• Ghost Pilots.
• Metal Slug 3.
• Samurai Shodown II.
• Super Sidekicks.
• The King of Fighters ’97.
• Twinkle Star Sprites.

Roguecraft DX

Roguecraft DX is an expanded Evercade edition of the modern Amiga game developed by Badger Punch Games.

Unlike the two Taito and two Neo Geo collections, it was announced as a single-game physical cartridge.

The Evercade version was scheduled for August 2025, with pre-orders opening on 30 May.

Evercade Alpha Taito Edition

The new Alpha model places ten built-in Taito arcade games inside Evercade’s compact bartop cabinet.

The built-in selection includes:

• Bubble Bobble.
• Cadash.
• Elevator Action.
• Growl.
• The Legend of Kage.
• Puzzle Bobble.
• Rastan.
• Space Invaders.
• The Fairyland Story.
• The New Zealand Story.

Like the existing Alpha cabinets, it was designed to accept Evercade cartridges in addition to its internal games.

Pre-orders were scheduled to begin on 30 May, with release targeted for November 2025.

Physical Collections Remained The Focus

The showcase demonstrated Evercade’s continuing emphasis on licensed physical cartridges with printed packaging and manuals.

The new collections also spread the same library across several types of hardware, allowing a cartridge to be used on compatible Evercade handhelds, television systems and Alpha arcade machines.

Sources: Official Evercade Anniversary Announcement , Evercade Fifth Anniversary Features Update and Complete Announced Game Lists .

Back To Menu

VGHF Acquires 125 Mystery Prototype ROM Chips

On 29 May, the Video Game History Foundation announced that it had acquired 125 unidentified development ROM chips believed to have originated from Taito Japan.

The chips were thought to contain data for Famicom, Nintendo Entertainment System and MSX2 projects.

VGHF founder Frank Cifaldi planned to dump and examine the material during a public livestream the following week.

The Contents Were Unknown

The announcement did not claim that the collection definitely contained complete unreleased games.

Most of the chips had little or no useful labelling. Even labelled chips could lack a title, build date or explanation of which board position they occupied.

A functioning game might require an exact matching set of three to eight ROM chips containing separate programme, graphics and audio data.

With 125 loose chips, it was possible that some sets were incomplete or that data from several unrelated builds had been mixed together.

Why Taito Made The Collection Interesting

Taito developed and published numerous Famicom, NES and MSX games and is known to have worked on projects that were cancelled or substantially altered before release.

Cifaldi therefore believed the lot could contain previously unseen data, but he was careful not to promise a specific lost game before the chips had been read.

What A ROM-Dumping Session Involves

The process can require researchers to:

• Identify the type and capacity of each memory chip.
• Read the contents with compatible programming hardware.
• Verify repeated reads and calculate checksums.
• Determine which chips belong together.
• Work out programme, graphics and audio order.
• Compare the data against known retail releases.
• Test reconstructed sets through emulation or compatible hardware.

A successful read is only the beginning. Researchers must still determine whether the data represents a final game, an earlier revision, a development tool, a corrupted chip or an incomplete fragment.

The Livestream Was Part Of The Preservation

Showing the work publicly allowed viewers to see the uncertainty involved rather than presenting only a polished discovery after the event.

It also created a record of how chips were grouped, tested and interpreted.

Sources: Original Prototype-ROM Announcement Report and Video Game History Foundation .

Back To Menu

What This Week Showed About Retro Gaming

The strongest stories between 22 and 29 May were not simply announcements of old games being resold. They involved rebuilding access to software and hardware that had become difficult, incomplete or dependent on discontinued services.

Localisation Can Be Preservation

The Wonder Trek project made a previously Japan-only game understandable to a much larger audience.

Translating its videos, images and interface also required the team to document how the original PlayStation files were assembled.

Native Ports Offer Another Route Beyond Emulation

ProjectR demonstrates how reverse-engineering work can turn arcade software into a native modern application while continuing to rely on original game data.

This approach can support modern operating systems, controllers, steering wheels and high-resolution displays without recreating every unrelated part of the original arcade platform.

Online Games Need Replacement Infrastructure

Outtrigger remained playable offline after Sega closed its server, but a large part of its original design disappeared with the network service.

Recreating the server restored multiplayer functionality that could not be recovered from the Dreamcast disc alone.

Rare Media Must Be Copied Before It Fails

TRIPITAKA showed the danger of allowing a game’s survival to depend on one known CD-ROM.

The VGHF prototype-chip collection showed the same problem at an earlier stage of development. Unlabelled ROMs can become meaningless when separated from the hardware, documents and people needed to explain them.

Original Hardware Development Remains Active

SNESDEV 2025 required games to run on real Super Nintendo hardware within strict cartridge limits.

MiSTer developers were simultaneously documenting and recreating computers and arcade boards ranging from the Luxor ABC80 to Taito F2.

Physical Retro Platforms Continue To Expand

Evercade continued building a shared physical-cartridge ecosystem across handheld, television and arcade-style hardware.

Its Taito and Neo Geo announcements demonstrated that new licensed collections could be distributed across several compatible Evercade systems without abandoning physical media.

Preserving Hardware Includes Its Batteries

The Wii U story was a reminder that a carefully stored console can still develop a fault through an ageing rechargeable battery.

Software archives, replacement servers and FPGA cores receive much of the attention, but physical preservation also depends on inspecting batteries, capacitors, optical drives, displays and storage media.

Back To Menu

Sources & Further Reading

This article prioritises developer pages, project repositories, manufacturer announcements and archival records. Contemporary reports are used to establish when each story became public and how unfinished projects were described during the week.

• Wonder Trek English Translation
  Complete patch information, release date, translated content and team credits.
• Wonder Trek Translation Source
  Public source code and patching information.
• ProjectR
  Official native-port information, original-data requirements, supported operating systems and version history.
• Outtrigger Is Back Online
  Original Dreamcast Live announcement crediting Shuouma and flyinghead.
• Outtrigger Server Details
  Server date, player limit, connection types and supported features.
• TRIPITAKA Disc Archive
  Dual Windows and Macintosh ISO image with packaging and disc photography.
• SNESDEV 2025
  Official competition dates, rules, development resources and judging criteria.
• MiSTer FPGA Development Roundup
  Status information for the ABC80, Naughty Boy, Taito F2, JTTHUNDR, GBA and Amstrad core developments.
• Nintendo Wii U GamePad Battery Removal
  Nintendo’s instructions for accessing the user-replaceable battery compartment.
• Nintendo Switch Online On Switch 2
  Nintendo’s original description of the Nintendo 64 CRT filter, Rewind and control options.
• Evercade Fifth Anniversary Showcase
  Official announcement covering the new cartridges and Taito Alpha bartop.
• VGHF Prototype-ROM Announcement
  Contemporary report describing the unidentified chips and planned live analysis.

Back To Menu

Final Thoughts

The final full week of May 2025 demonstrated how broad retro gaming preservation has become.

Wonder Trek became accessible through translation. San Francisco Rush 2049 gained a native route onto modern computers. Outtrigger recovered an online mode that had been unavailable since 2003.

TRIPITAKA was protected from depending on one known physical disc, while the Video Game History Foundation prepared to investigate prototype chips whose contents were not yet understood.

SNESDEV and MiSTer showed that technical work on old hardware remained active at both ends of the process. One community was creating completely new software within original SNES limits, while another was reconstructing computers, handhelds and arcade boards through FPGA logic.

Evercade represented a different part of the market: a modern commercial platform built around licensed physical cartridges shared across handheld, television and arcade-style hardware.

The swollen Wii U GamePad battery provided the week’s practical warning. Preserving games is not only about source code, disc images and servers. Original hardware also contains batteries and components that continue ageing while the system is sitting unused.

Taken together, the stories from 22–29 May showed a retro gaming scene focused on maintaining access: access to untranslated games, disconnected multiplayer, rare media, original cartridge hardware and the technical knowledge required to keep all of it working.

Back To Menu