Kahris
@chrissotraidis • 2,700 subscribers
Product, automation and software delivery. I write Spatial Awareness and build developer tools and unofficial game adaptations.
Videos
Mario Kart Wii now works online natively on iPhone and iPad for the first time ever. Retro Rewind’s servers are back online, which means you can jump into matchmaking and race people around the world with the latest KartPad build. No streaming and no Dolphin. Mario Kart Wii is recompiled for Apple Silicon and runs through Metal. There’s an Apple TV build too, and Android launches tomorrow. The repo, downloads, and installation details are in the next post.
Kahris1,036,409 Aufrufe • vor 11 Tagen
Mario Kart Wii, running natively on iPhone and iPad for the first time. Not through Dolphin. Not streamed from a Mac. KartPad builds on WiiCompiled’s static-recompilation work, and I built the Apple app around that foundation. At 4× internal resolution, it looks absurdly good. Touch controls, motion steering, controller support, local multiplayer, online multiplayer, direct WBFS/ISO import from Files, and proper saves. It works beautifully on both iPhone and iPad. Mario Kart Wii in your hands, sharper than you remember it, and ready to race online starting tomorrow.
Kahris1,281,872 Aufrufe • vor 17 Tagen
Ocarina of Time, running natively on iOS and iPadOS for the first time. Not an emulator. Ship of Harkinian has run on Windows, Linux, macOS, Switch, Wii U, and Android. Never iOS. Now it runs on iPad, with iPhone in the build too. The game was decompiled to C and rebuilt as a native ARM64 app rendering through Metal. No N64 hardware being simulated, no ROM interpreted at runtime, no streaming from a Mac. It isn't stuck at the N64's 240p and 20fps. Widescreen, full resolution, 60fps. This game deserves a controller, so controller support is native. Pair a Bluetooth controller and play the whole thing. Touch, keyboard, and mouse work too. I used Codex 5.6 Sol to build the iOS layer. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris1,173,918 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
GoldenEye 007 N64 running natively on iOS and iPadOS for the first time. Not an emulator. The GoldenEye decompilation community spent years reconstructing the original game. GoldenEye64Recomp, N64Recomp, N64ModernRuntime, and RT64 provided the static recompilation, runtime, and rendering foundations. I built GoldenPad on top: the iPhone and iPad app, touch interface, native audio and saves, controller support, and the mobile lifecycle work needed to make it run on real devices. It runs great on iPhone. GoldenEye runs better through GoldenPad than it has in any N64 emulator I have tried on iOS. Native ARM64 code, high-resolution Metal rendering, and modern dual-stick controls make a huge difference. No JIT, no N64 code being interpreted at runtime, and no streaming from a Mac. This is the original 1997 N64 game, not the XBLA version, and it is not based on GoldenEye Metal. I am actively working on full local split-screen multiplayer for iPad. MacOS support soon. I built the iOS and iPadOS integration with 5.6 Sol. Open sourcing it all below. Happy Friday!
Kahris542,006 Aufrufe • vor 27 Tagen
Mario Kart Wii, running natively on Android with online play via Retro Rewind for the very first time. KartPad builds on patchzyy’s WiiCompiled and the Retro Rewind team’s work. WiiCompiled provides the static recompilation; I’m building the Android app and platform integration around it. Native ARM64, Vulkan rendering, customizable touch controls, tilt steering, and controller support. Original Mario Kart Wii and Retro Rewind, together in one app. Android joins iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Here it is running on my Pixel 9 Pro XL. Repo and more info below.
Kahris137,937 Aufrufe • vor 10 Tagen
Metroid Prime, running native and stable on iPhone and iPad for the first time. No emulator. No streaming from a Mac. This is EctoPad. Built on Metaforce, the native Metroid Prime engine developed by AxioDL and its contributors, it plays great on both devices and runs at full speed on iPhone 14 and newer. Touch controls, controller support, and 4x internal res. I am still working through a visual issue that causes some textures and lighting to render inaccurately, along with a smaller problem affecting the first tutorial door. Sol 5.6 was used to make this possible. Open sourcing it below.
Kahris450,369 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Super Mario Galaxy running natively on iOS for the first time. GalaxyPad builds on ExpansionPak’s recompilation work, with Dolphin providing the Wii runtime and Metal renderer. Galaxy’s PowerPC game code is compiled ahead of time into native ARM64. That lets it run on iPhone and iPad without a jailbreak or a separate step to enable JIT, the runtime compilation Apple normally restricts on iOS. Dolphin still handles the Wii hardware environment. It also runs on iPadOS and Apple silicon Macs. It’s been mostly stable on my iPad at 2× internal resolution, and it looks great. I’m still working on making the iPhone version more stable. Astra helped bring the GalaxyPad integration to this point. Repo and details below.
Kahris38,836 Aufrufe • vor 4 Tagen
Super Smash Bros. Melee, running natively on iOS and iPadOS for the first time. Instead of emulating the GameCube CPU while you play, Melee’s original code is converted ahead of time and compiled into native Apple code. MeleePad builds on ExpansionPak’s DolRecomp and ModernGekko, plus years of work from the Dolphin team. I used Codex 5.6 Sol to build the Melee-specific iPhone and iPad app on top, with touch controls, controller support, higher resolutions, saves, and settings. Preview 2 is focused on online play. Private rooms with simple shareable codes already work in development, and I’m building an in-app list of open games. Melee is one of the most legendary games ever made. People never really stopped playing it, and I certainly didn’t. I loved getting this working, and I’m excited for people to check it out. Preview IPA below.
Kahris115,011 Aufrufe • vor 14 Tagen
Mario Kart Wii running natively now on the AYN Thor with online play and modding via Retro Rewind. KartPad, Mario Kart Wii on Android via Wiicompiled, needs developer help! Interest has exploded, and I can’t keep up with the growing number of devices, requests, and issues. If you have experience building or testing Android apps and want to help improve compatibility, reach out.
Kahris36,253 Aufrufe • vor 5 Tagen
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, running natively on iOS and iPadOS. After Ocarina, everyone asked me to bring Majora’s Mask over next. So here it is. Not an emulator. MaskPad is built on Harbour Masters’ 2 Ship 2 Harkinian, itself built from the community Majora’s Mask decompilation. My work was adapting that existing source port into a native ARM64 iOS/iPadOS app rendering through Metal. No N64 hardware being simulated, no ROM interpreted at runtime, no streaming from a Mac. 2S2H isn’t stuck at the N64’s 240p and 20fps. Widescreen, full resolution, 60fps rendering. This game deserves a controller, so native game-controller support is built in. Touch, keyboard, and mouse work too. I used Codex 5.6 Sol to build MaskPad’s iOS layer. Source and guide below.
Kahris231,870 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
I used Codex 5.6 Sol to get RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 running natively on iPad. This is built on OpenRCT2, the open-source engine their team has poured years into. I compiled it to a native ARM64 iPad app and built the touch controls on top. No emulator, no x86, no streaming from a Mac. Coaster building, scenarios, and park management all work by touch. First time I've seen RCT2 run natively on iPad. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris298,559 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
Super Mario Sunshine, running natively on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS for the first time. This is static recompilation, not a GameCube emulator. Sunshine’s PowerPC code is recompiled ahead of time into native ARM64 code. It runs locally and renders through Metal. No streaming from a Mac. ExpansionPak built DolRecomp and ModernGekko. Dolphin provides the compatibility runtime and Metal backend. I built SunPad: the Apple integration that turns that work into a real iPhone, iPad, and Mac app. On iPhone and iPad, it has full touch controls, controller support, 1×–4× internal resolution, experimental widescreen, local game import, and saves. It runs great on M2 and above iPad Pro and Apple Silicon Mac. The iPhone build is here too. Sol, Fable, and Deepseek-V4-Flash were used. Source, IPA, and full build guide below.
Kahris136,834 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
I used Codex 5.6 Sol to make the original Diablo actually playable by touch on iPad. Diablo was always point-and-click. Now your finger is the mouse. Tap gold on the floor and your character walks over and grabs it. It's built on DevilutionX, the open-source Diablo engine a group of contributors has maintained for years. It already ran on iOS, with a virtual gamepad. What didn't exist was a version built around the touchscreen itself. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris146,521 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
KartPad, native Mario Kart Wii on iOS, now supports Retro Rewind! Retro Rewind massively expands Mario Kart Wii with online multiplayer through Retro WFC, more than 300 tracks, over 100 custom characters, 30 custom battle arenas, a rebuilt ranking system, leaderboards, and extra modes including Item Rain, Lap KO, and Elimination Battle. That includes every retro track from Super Mario Kart through Mario Kart 7, plus tracks from Mario Kart 8, Tour, World, Arcade GP, and more than 100 original custom tracks. When KartPad opens, you can choose exactly how you want to play: Original Mario Kart Wii or Retro Rewind. You can switch between them whenever you launch, so the original game remains available as its own mode. Retro WFC is temporarily offline for maintenance, but the team is working to bring it back online soon. Retro Rewind can still be installed and played offline through KartPad in the meantime. 🏁
Kahris37,191 Aufrufe • vor 16 Tagen
Inspired by Ammaar Reshi getting C&C Generals running natively on iPad, I did the same for Warcraft II using Codex 5.6 Sol. It's the open-source Stratagus/Wargus engine compiled for ARM64, rendering through Metal via SDL2. No emulator, no x86, no streaming from a Mac. Campaigns, skirmish, and save/load all work, with touch controls. First time I've seen Warcraft II run natively on iPad. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris121,307 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
Caesar III, running natively on iPad and iOS. Caesar III has never had a public iPad build. As far as I can find, nobody has even posted video of it running on one before. Not an emulator. CaesarPad runs Augustus as a native ARM64 iPadOS app. No Windows machine being simulated, no game being streamed from a Mac. The game was built for a mouse in 1998. Apple Pencil might be better. Place buildings, draw roads, open advisors and run the city by touching it directly. Fingers move and zoom the map while Pencil handles precision. Classic Age of Empires will have to wait. This Saturday, we build Rome. I used Codex 5.6 Sol to build the iPad layer. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris84,502 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Mario Kart 64, running natively on iOS and iPad, with touch controls designed for racing. The Mario Kart 64 decompilation community spent years reconstructing the original game code in C. Harbour Masters turned that into SpaghettiKart, the source port. I built the iOS layer on top. Not an emulator. The game code is compiled for ARM64 and renders through Metal. Your ROM is only used to generate the asset archive, on device. No N64 hardware being simulated, no streaming from a Mac. It isn't limited to the N64's original output resolution, and MK64 Reloaded's HD pack replaces the original artwork on top of that. That's the pack running in the video. Steering is genuinely analog, not left and right taps. Separate layouts for iPad and iPhone, and optional tilt steering. Pair a Bluetooth controller and it takes over. Four-player selection works and two-player split screen runs. Two other public SpaghettiKart iOS builds exist, Sunset-Dawn's and rebelancap's. Both install on an iPad. Neither was built around one. SpaghettiPad is. I built the iOS integration with Codex 5.6 Sol. Repo, guide, and IPA below.
Kahris53,743 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Pokémon Stadium, running natively on iOS and iPadOS for the first time. Pokémon has been all over X this week because of Gen1Recomp. That made me want to bring the original Pokémon Stadium to iPhone and iPad. Not an emulator. The game has been statically recompiled and rebuilt as a native ARM64 app rendering directly through Metal. No N64 hardware being simulated, no ROM interpreted at runtime, no streaming from a Mac. And it is more than a new way to play it. AnnePad fixes several of the crackle and audio-timing problems that crop up when Pokémon Stadium is emulated. I genuinely think it is the best way to play the original game today. Pair a Bluetooth controller and play the whole thing. Touch works too, and multiplayer. I used Codex 5.6 Sol to build the Apple layer. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris46,167 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Paper Mario, running natively on iPhone and iPad for the very first time. Not a general Nintendo 64 emulator. PaperPad runs statically recompiled arm64 game code directly on the device. No JIT, no downloaded executable code, and no streaming from a Mac. The pmret community tons of time decompiling Paper Mario. SMCGames built Paper Mario ReCut around N64Recomp, N64ModernRuntime, and RT64. I built the iPhone and iPad app around that existing work. It runs great on both iPad and iPhone. I added touch controls and separate layouts for phone and tablet with controller support. There are still a couple of bugs being worked out, but the game is playable. I used 5.6 Sol for the PaperPad specific Apple integration. Open sourcing it all below.
Kahris24,411 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Star Fox 64, running natively on iPhone and iPad. Native ARM64 app. Metal rendering. 2x internal resolution and MSAA in settings. Touch controls. Controller support. Running on real hardware. Not an emulator, and not streaming from a Mac. HarbourMasters built Starship, the native source port. I built StarshipPad on top: the iOS/iPadOS layer, Files import, on-device setup, and mobile lifecycle. The surprise is iPhone: it doesn’t feel like a compromise. It feels like a real way to play. I used Codex 5.6 Sol to do the iOS integration work. Source, build guide, and ROM-free IPA below.
Kahris27,687 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat