

Lockstep is essentially the simplest way to implement online play, and that makes it ripe for issues. Throw in a single dodgy wifi connection, and, well. Programmer OatmealDome, who also contributes to Dolphin, has datamined the Switch Online's emulator and learned a few things about it, including its "lockstep" netcode that requires every player be in perfect sync at all times. And while it technically has, its implementation really just highlights how much better its emulator should be.

It's not simple to set up, so Nintendo had an opportunity for an easy win-this is absolutely an area where it can improve upon fan-made emulators. With popular emulator Project 64, for example, many players use a plugin called AQZ and game-specific hacks to get netplay working. On PC, multiple Nintendo 64 emulators have supported netplay for many years-heck, some of the earliest emulation software built for online play dates back to 2001. It's just disappointing that it's so bad at launch." It does matter that something like this exists. It opens up N64 netplay to a lot more people. Anyone who owns the service can invite a friend to play online. For Nintendo Switch Online, no one has to be familiar with emulation. I know every little thing that I need to do and every little thing that I need to avoid. "But, to get to that point, I've been using the emulator for nearly a decade.

"For someone like me, setting up Dolphin netplay is easy," he said.
