2023-03-20 9:56pm, Denys Pavlov me@denys.me
There are a couple different ways to get this done. The "best" way depends on your technical skills.
An absolute requirement is a reliable and fast internet connection. Unreliable Wi-Fi and distance introduces delays and a degraded experience. Hardwired ethernet and geographic proximity makes a better experience.
First things first, the Xbox controllers have to be connected to the Mac.
- If the Macs are pre-M1, most Xbox controllers can be connected over USB. This requires installing community drivers. https://www.howtogeek.com/393335/how-to-connect-an-xbox-one-controller-to-your-mac/
- If the Macs are M1, or if the controllers are newer and have Bluetooth, they can be connected wirelessly. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211232
- Otherwise you can either play using the keyboard, or purchase a Bluetooth controller. ($50+ on Amazon)
Now we need both players to set up an emulator.
If everyone is comfortable running Steam, has/can get a Steam account, and are ok with fiddling with settings, we can install Retroarch through Steam and configure it to play NHL94
If Steam is an issue, but everyone is comfortable dragging files around, follow the instructions to download and set up a specific version of Retroarch: http://www.nhl94online.com/html/getting-started.php
- If getting errors when starting the game about not being able to start the netplay server, try to turn on Use Relay Server like in #10.1 above
If you are comfortable with having your match recorded for everyone to see later, both people can install Fightcade, configure it to auto-download the games, make accounts, and challenge each other to a match. https://fightcade.guide/
- NHL94: Rewind is out on the Xbox/PS4, but it's local-coop only, no remote over-the-internet coop
- Parsec can be used to share your screen with low latency, but it only supports passing through wired controllers, we might end up using a Bluetooth one.
- Nvidia Geforce Now is hard to get two people to use one account/machine.