Compatibility & roadmap
What works in v0.1.8 today, known visual quirks, why v1.0.0 is required, and how the team is cutting frame times toward 60 fps.
- Build: v0.1.8
- Game dump: v1.0.0 only
- Ultrawide: 21:9 / 32:9
- Online: Offline only
Subsystem compatibility matrix (v0.1.8)
Checked against README.md, CHANGELOG.md and docs/roadmap.md on November 12, 2026:
| Feature / Subsystem | Status | Upstream Engineering Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boot, intro movies & title screen | Working | Boots cleanly on Windows 10/11 and Linux; startup window focus crash fixed in v0.1.8 (#83, #89, #92). |
| Grand Prix, races & Free Roam | Playable | Full 3D race rendering on NVIDIA, AMD (RADV & Windows Adrenalin in v0.1.7–0.1.8) and Intel/Adreno (#26, #64); Free Roam offline socket hang fixed in v0.1.8 (#63). |
| Local split-screen (2–4 players) | Working | Added in v0.1.5 (#23) with per-player rumble; use 16:9 aspect ratio for aligned HUD counters. |
| Frame generation (2x / 3x / 4x) | Added in v0.1.8 | Optical-flow interpolated frames (Settings > Screen > Frame generation); smooths 30 fps races to 60+ Hz. |
| Ultrawide (21:9 & 32:9) | First pass (v0.1.8) | 3D races expand horizontally while HUD stays 16:9; cup movie Skip prompt and split-screen counters still being tuned (#77). |
| Menus (mode, character, vehicle) | In progress | Playable through to races, with remaining layout/visual checks against console hardware on the roadmap. |
| Audio & movie cutscenes | Minor cuts | In-race audio works; movie audio can briefly cut out (two SDK splitter/voice bugs tracked on roadmap). |
| Native 60 fps on mid-range APUs | In optimization | Currently ~30 fps on Radeon 660M at 720p due to ~19 ms serial Vulkan recording; active top priority. |
| Game updates (v1.8.0+) | Not yet | Only base dump v1.0.0 works today; later updates tracked in GitHub issue #19. |
| Online multiplayer | Offline only | Sockets intentionally respond as an offline console; no online servers or LAN netplay. |
Why only Mario Kart World 1.0.0 is accepted right now
Static recompilation translates a specific binary’s AArch64 function addresses, jump tables and SDK imports into C. Every game patch (such as version 1.8.0, tracked in Issue #19) shifts every address in exefs/main. Supporting later versions is planned once 1.0.0 reaches console parity.
Roadmap priorities (in upstream order)
- Zero GPU hangs & lower VRAM pressure: GPU breadcrumbs around
vkQueuePresentandVK_EXT_device_faultdiagnostics (#43, #50). - Console-accurate rendering: resolving the remaining 3 shader translator diffs, kart shadows missing a frame now and then, constant bank 24 push constants, and the last 25 Vulkan validation warnings.
- 60 fps race throughput: cutting the ~19 ms CPU command-buffer recording stage via dirty state tracking,
MKW_DRAW_CACHE, split texture locks for parallel recording, and profile-guided optimization. - Eliminating race-start stutter: moving block-linear texture deswizzling onto the GPU.
Common questions
Can I play full races from start to finish right now?
Yes. On v0.1.8, MKW Recomp boots, navigates menus, and completes races and Free Roam on both Linux and Windows.
Does Frame Generation reduce input lag?
No. As upstream notes emphasize, optical-flow frame generation makes motion look smoother (e.g., 30 fps displayed at 60 Hz) while adding up to one frame of display latency; internal simulation speed stays unchanged.