F-Zero X Ported to Nintendo 3DS with 60 FPS Support

The first phase of the F-Zero X port ran from August 11 to September 3, 2026, achieving 60 fps on a New 3DS. This phase utilized 147 subagents to build the version. The second phase ran from September 7 to October 19, 2026, adding support for the Old 3DS and the 64DD Expansion Kit. This phase was not originally planned and lasted 43 calendar days.

The port includes three released console builds for Old 3DS/2DS, New 3DS/New 2DS XL, and New 3DS with the 64DD Expansion Kit. All builds read prebaked asset archives from the SD card and do not ship with a ROM or disk image. The port plays the whole game, including Grand Prix, Time Trial, Practice, Death Race, and machine editor screens. At version 1.0.0, both builds default to the native renderer with no ini file required.

The New 3DS build maintains native-60 frame pacing. The Old 3DS build achieves a comparable result via a different route using a native renderer. Hardware performance counters revealed that instruction-cache misses were the real limit on the Old 3DS. The native renderer was rebuilt around the cache and reached a median frame time of 16.5 ms on a 2D Grand Prix race. The port achieved 59–60 fps in 3D on most Grand Prix courses for the Old 3DS, though heavy courses can drop to 30 fps. The 64DD Expansion Kit was verified tick-for-tick identical under the native renderer but proved too slow to release on the Old 3DS.