Dolphin Emulator 2609 has brought its NetPlay online multiplayer system to Android, giving phones and tablets access to a feature that was previously centered on the desktop version of the open-source GameCube and Wii emulator.

Android joins Dolphin NetPlay

In the official Release 2609 progress report, the Dolphin team says Android NetPlay is now ready for users. NetPlay lets games originally designed around local multiplayer be played across a network by keeping multiple Dolphin instances synchronized and passing player inputs between them.

The Android interface was built with Jetpack Compose and expanded through multiple development passes. The mobile implementation includes features such as controller-port configuration for the host, moving Android closer to the desktop NetPlay experience.

Phones and PCs can play together

The biggest addition is cross-platform NetPlay. Dolphin says Android and desktop users can join the same session, meaning a phone or tablet can potentially play alongside a laptop or desktop PC.

There are technical limits. Most phones use ARM processors while most desktop PCs use x86-64 processors. Dolphin uses different just-in-time compilers for those architectures, and small differences can cause synchronization problems depending on the game. Different graphics drivers can also create desyncs in titles that rely on certain framebuffer operations.

Wi-Fi works now, Wi-Fi Direct is being explored

Android NetPlay currently requires a conventional network connection such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The developers say work has started on Wi-Fi Direct support, which could eventually allow nearby Android devices to connect without a normal network. Dolphin specifically advises against using mobile data because packet loss and latency are poor fits for lockstep multiplayer.

Why it matters

Dolphin has spent years turning GameCube and Wii preservation into a multi-platform open-source software project. Bringing one of its more advanced multiplayer features to Android narrows the gap between mobile and desktop builds and makes powerful handheld hardware more useful for multiplayer retro gaming.

Release 2609 also adds other Android improvements, including settings search, support for real Wii Balance Boards and improved rumble. The official Google Play listing has been updated to highlight the new Android features.

Sources: Dolphin Emulator Release 2609 progress report and Android Authority.