Epilogue Playback 1.10.0 Adds RTC Emulation
Epilogue has released Playback 1.10.0, a major software update for its GB Operator and SN Operator cartridge readers. For retro fans in the UK and beyond, the headline change is real-time clock, or RTC, emulation for Game Boy and Game Boy Advance cartridges with dead internal batteries.
That means time-based features can keep working even when a cartridge battery has failed. In games such as Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, plus other RTC-enabled carts, Playback can now use the computer’s clock when it detects a dead coin cell battery. It also fixes some corrupted or out-of-range timestamp issues that could make in-game years display incorrectly.
The update also changes how audio is handled. Epilogue has moved away from a community-maintained fork of mGBA and now uses the official mGBA project directly, which means audio arrives at its native sample rate before Playback converts it for the output device. The result should be a cleaner signal, especially for users with DACs or higher-end audio setups.
Playback 1.10.0 also brings in a newer mGBA core, with a year or more of accuracy work folded in. That includes proper Game Boy Advance clock support at emulator level, fixes for Game Boy rumble, and a range of smaller timing and audio corrections. It should help games that rely on precise timing feel closer to original hardware.
There are also improvements for lightgun play and multi-operator use. Mouse capture has been rebuilt across Windows, X11, and Wayland, and the software now reports off-screen aim correctly even when the cursor is captured. A new Tab shortcut releases the cursor, which should make it easier to get back to the desktop after playing titles like Super Scope 6.
If you are running more than one Epilogue device at once, the update should help there too. Playback now keeps each window’s device ownership separate, so a GB Operator and SN Operator can be used side by side without the same conflicts seen in earlier versions. For more RetroShell coverage, see our news tag.
Epilogue has also expanded its test coverage and made further kiosk mode changes, including OpenGL ES 3.0 support, frame size fixes, unified core options handling, and a mock mode for development. You can read more on the official Epilogue site at epilogue.co and check the mGBA project at mgba.io.
