ArcadeDuck 0.5.x
9/19/2026Initial public release
The first official ArcadeDuck release establishes the initial supported hardware baseline and moves the project from private development into public testing.
Development Roadmap
Where ArcadeDuck goes next
ArcadeDuck development is milestone-driven rather than tied to a rigid release calendar. New hardware families are implemented in stages, with dedicated time between major milestones for bug reports, fixes, testing, and community feedback.
Current Milestone
September 19, 2026 — First official release
Release Cadence
Build. Stabilize. Repeat.
Each major hardware implementation is followed by a stabilization period before development moves on to the next platform.
Implement hardware
Bring the next arcade platform into ArcadeDuck with enough hardware, controls, audio, media, protection, and peripheral support to make meaningful testing possible.
Release and test
Put the implementation in front of real users, real cabinets, and whatever hardware combinations they manage to throw at it.
Stabilize
Spend roughly two weeks working through bug reports, regressions, control issues, compatibility problems, and useful suggestions.
Move forward
Once the current milestone is stable enough, development shifts to the next PlayStation-derived arcade hardware family.
Tentative Roadmap
Major hardware milestones
Everything after the initial release is intentionally flexible. Hardware research, reverse engineering, regressions, and community feedback can all change the order or timing.
Initial Release
Konami GV, Konami GQ, Namco System 11, and all currently implemented Sony ZN-1-based arcade hardware.
Two weeks away from major implementation work
A short break after the initial release so my brain can cool off after staring at emulator code for six-plus hours a day and pretending that qualifies as a normal hobby.
Initial release fixes
Roughly two weeks dedicated to bug reports, compatibility problems, control issues, suggestions, and whatever entirely new ways people discover to break ArcadeDuck.
Capcom ZN-2
Implement the second-generation Capcom ZN hardware family, followed by another stabilization and community-testing period.
Taito G-Net
Bring Taito G-Net into the main ArcadeDuck hardware lineup, including its removable media, protection, and platform-specific behavior, followed by another bug-fix cycle.
Namco System 12
Continue the Namco hardware path with System 12, followed by another dedicated stabilization period before moving to the next platform.
System 10, System 573, Twinkle, and beyond
Continue working through the remaining PlayStation-derived arcade hardware families as research, implementation quality, and available brain cells permit.
Roadmap Policy
The order matters more than the dates.
September 19 is the first public release target. Everything after that is intentionally tentative. Arcade hardware has a habit of turning one apparently simple subsystem into three weeks of reverse engineering, so ArcadeDuck will move forward when the current milestone is stable enough rather than chasing arbitrary deadlines.
The Long-Term Plan
Keep going until there is nothing left to implement.
Implement hardware, release it, fix what breaks, then move on to the next platform. Repeat until I either run out of PlayStation-based arcade hardware or remaining brain cells.