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GUIDE: RETROGAMING THROUGH EMULATION (PART 2: EMULATOR SOFTWARE)BY NILS 2. NOVEMBER 2014

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GUIDE: RETROGAMING THROUGH EMULATION (PART 2: EMULATOR SOFTWARE)2 NOV, 2014EMULATION / FEATURED / GUIDEGUIDE: RETROGAMING THROUGH EMULATION (PART 1: ORGANIZING)10 AUG, 2014FEATURED / PROJECTSPROJECT: UI AND DESIGN OF EMULATIONSTATION V2.0 EMULATOR FRONT-END13 JUL, 2014GENERALREPORTS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED20 JUN, 2014

In my last post I have described the basics of emulation and how to organizeyourROM collection. This post is part 2 of my guide Retrogaming through emulation. This time its all about the emulator software you will need.Emulation software (called emulator) exist for nearly every operating system you can imagine. Of course, you will find the most variety for the Windows operating system. Because of this its hard to pick the best one. But guess what? This article aims to be the best guide on which emulator you should choose! It covers the most important computers, video game consoles, arcade machines and handhelds of the past.But wait, what does best mean? Emulators are developed with mainly two goals: To emulate the given system as accurate as possible and to emulate it as efficient as possible, meaning that it even runs smooth on older systems with low performance. Someemulators have additional features which the original platform didnt have. For example changing the graphics processing, adding cheats or making it possible to play two player games over the Internet.For this article I searched for the most recent, compatible and feature-rich emulators for Windows. I separated them in four different types of platforms:

EMULATION / FEATURED / GUIDEGUIDE: RETROGAMING THROUGH EMULATION (PART 2: EMULATOR SOFTWARE)2 NOV, 2014

EMULATION / FEATURED / GUIDEGUIDE: RETROGAMING THROUGH EMULATION (PART 1: ORGANIZING)10 AUG, 2014

COMPUTERSAmstrad/Schneider CPCAppleApple IIAtari 400/600XL/800/800XL /65XE/130XE/1200XLAtari STBBC MicroCommodore VIC-20

Commodore 64Commodore Plus/4Commodore AmigaIBM PC (MS-DOS)MSXZX Spectrum

FEATURED / PROJECTSPROJECT: UI AND DESIGN OF EMULATIONSTATION V2.0 EMULATOR FRONT-END13 JUL, 2014

GENERALREPORTS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED20 JUN, 2014

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Emulation (2)

VIDEO GAME CONSOLES

ARCADE MACHINES

Panasonic 3DOAtari 2600Atari 5200Atari 7800Atari JaguarColecoVisionFairchild Channel-FMagnavox OdysseyMattel IntellivisionNintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Virtual BoySuper Nintendo Entertainm. SystemNintendo 64Nintendo GameCubeNintendo Wii

Philips CD-iSony PlayStationSony PlayStation 2Sega SG-1000Sega Master SystemSega Genesis/Mega Drive & 32X/CDSega SaturnSega DreamcastSNK NeoGeo CDNEC TurboGrafx 16/PC EngineGCE Vectrex

MAME (Multi Arcade Machine Emulator)

Featured (3) General (1) Guide (2) Projects (1)

ARCHIVES

November 2014August 2014July 2014June 2014

HANDHELDSAtari LynxNintendo Game Boy/Game Boy ColorNintendo Game Boy AdvanceNintendo DSGamepark GP32Sony PlayStation PortableSega Game GearSNK Neo Geo Pocket/Neo Geo Pocket ColorBandai Wonderswan

COMPUTERS

AMSTRAD/SCHNEIDER CPC

WINAPE

http://winape.net/WindowsIt says APE in its name, it has an ape in his logo but whats really meant here is Amstrad Plus Emulator. It emulates the entire CPC computer range very accurate and loads disk, tape and cartridge image files. You can record movies, audio or take screenshots of what you are doing in the emulator. It also provides a function totake snapshots of the current state of the emulation. If you are familiar with the operating system the CPC computers use, you can dive directly into the command line. A nice feature for that is that you can create text macros to input bigger amounts of text automated. WinAPE features a debugger as well as a Z80 Assembler for the more advanced users. You can configure the display emulation to your liking, complete with color sets, interlacing and blur, as well as sound and specific hardware related settings. WinAPE can read all sorts of uncompressed image formats and zipped data.

APPLE

POM1

http://pom1.sourceforge.net/Windows|Mac|Linux|AndroidPom1 emulates the first computer created by Apple. It only accepts commands in form of HEX values. There is not much to say here. The readme file contains some shortcuts for accessing functions in the emulator. There is no menubar or context menu to reach settings. Youll have to obtain programs in form of ASCII or binary files or as HEX codes. I never tried it, because its a whole different world.

APPLE II

APPLEWIN

https://github.com/AppleWin/AppleWinWindowsAppleWin emulates the Apple II series of computers including sound. It can load uncompressed as well as zipped disk images. Like the original Apple II you have two disk drive slots to load with disk images. You can choose the Apple II model to emulate from the settings menu. There are also settings for sound emulation (emulate sound card or speaker/beeper), floppy and hard drive settings as well asinput configuration which lets you use a mouse, too. The emulator also features save states and a debugger.

ATARI 400/600XL/800/800XL/65XE/130XE/1200XL

ALTIRRA

http://www.virtualdub.org/altirra.htmlWindowsAltirra emulates the Atari 400, 600XL, 800, 800XL, 65XE, 130XEand 1200XL computers as well asthe Atari XEGS and 5200 video game consoles. Its focussed on emulation quality and has many features. The emulator can loadvarious disk image formats uncompressed or as zipped archives. Altirra comes with substitute BIOS ROMs to run programs and games, if you want to improve compatibility you need to use BIOS ROMs oftheoriginal Atari machines. The controller input mapping is a real pain as you have to map each key manually by selecting the right button from a drop down menu. Apart from that, the emulator has the usual features like save states, audio and video recording, a screenshot function, a debugger, a cheat module and a load

of system/hardware options that would go beyond the scope of this guide.

ATARI ST

STEEM SSE

http://ataristeven.t15.org/Steem.htmWindows|LinuxSteem SSE is an advancement of the original Steem with emulation improvements, partly based on the other Atari ST emulator Hatari. The emulator reads various disk image formats but if you have Atari ST disk images in the .IPF format you need an additional support library available for download at the website of the Software Preservation

Society. You have to download the 32-bit version 5.1. In any case the disk images have to be uncompressed, zipped ROMs are not supported. Features of Steam SSE are snapshots, a screenshot function, text paste into emulator, a patcher module, a shortcut editor, a macro recorder, settings profiles (you can create your own) and several graphics and sound/MIDI options. You will need original Atari TOS ROMs to use Steem SSE.

BBC MICRO

BEEBEM

http://www.mkw.me.uk/beebem/Windows|Mac|Linux

BeebEm emulates the BBC Micro Model B, B+ and Master 128. It has a ton of options for emulating the hardware. Features include save states, a screenshot function, video capture and a debugger. For the extra bit realism you can define motion blur to mimic the old CRT and TV screens from the past. The emulator also simulates disk drive and beep noises. Unfortunately BeebEm cant read zipped disk images, you will have to unpack them before. A nice feature of BeebEm is that it can run disks automatically without the need to tinker with the command line.

COMMODORE VIC-20, COMMODORE 64, COMMODORE PLUS/4

VICE

http://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/Windows|Mac|Linux|DOS|other

VICE, the versatile Commodore emulator doesnt have his name just by accident. In fact, it emulatesthe Commodore 64, the Commodore 64 DTV, the Commodore 128, the VIC-20, almost all PET models, the Plus/4 and the CBM-II (aka C610). VICE has beentranslated in to numerous languages, you can switch it directly in the main menu. The emulator has an autostart feature to execute disk or tape image contents automatically, but if you know what to do, you can also use the console.VICE emulates drive sounds and CRT look for more realism and it has an experimental netplay function. There is also an extended snapshot function to save and later load the complete state of an emulation session. VICE reads various disk, tape and datasette image formats as uncompressed or zipped files. Describing all the settings would blow this article, but its for sure that this is the best Commodore emulator you can get.

COMMODORE AMIGA

FS-UAE

http://fs-uae.net/Windows|Mac|Linux|FreeBSD|OpenBSDAs this guide is about retrogaming in emulation, the recommendation for the best Commodore Amiga isFS-UAE because itsfocussed onvideo games. The emulator derives from the original WinUAE which is the best general-purpose Amiga emulator. FS-UAE has a nice intuitive interface with a list of available games and disk images on the right and everything hardware related to the left. A very nice feature is the database connection to OAGD.net (free signup required)which enriches the UI with meta data and screenshots/boxart and configures the emulator to run the game perfectly. To add disk images, simply use the scan function to search for disk images in the selected folders. FS-UAE reads various Amiga disk image formats, even in zipped form. Notice that you will need the original Amiga Kickstart ROMs for the various Amiga models. The emulator lets you know which ones it needs. You can get them by purchasing an Amiga Forever DVD. Input configuration is very intuitive and should be no problem.

IBM PC (MS-DOS)

DOSBOX + D-FEND RELOADED

http://www.dosbox.com/Windows|Mac|Linux|FreeBSD|OS/2|RISC OS|Solaris|BeOSIf you are a child of the 80s and 90s like me, you will know MS-DOS and how to use it. DOSBox is just the right emulator for this and its really good. The emulator is configured using a config file. You have to read the documentation to be able to do that butthankfully there are some really good front-ends for DOSBox. The most powerfulof them is D-Fend

Reloaded which comes with DOSBox out-of-the-box. With D-Fend Reloaded you can create profiles with individualsettings for each game and organize them in categories. A nice feature is the profile wizard which helps you at installing or copying games into the DOSBox environment. As said before, this tool is really powerful and has some really useful additional features you wouldnt expect from a front-end for instance an ISO image file creator or a floppy disk image file writer. D-Fend Reloaded is multi-language, you can change the language directly from the welcome screen or the settings menu.

MSX

BLUEMSX

http://www.bluemsx.com/WindowsMSX is more a standard for a series of home computers than a single device. There were dozens of MSX computers back in the time. Nonetheless there exist emulators for these systems and the most advanced of them is blueMSX. The emulator lets you choose the model to emulate, for instance the MSX or MSX 2. You can also edit these machine profiles to suit your needs. It has the usual features like save states, cpu save states (snapshots), video and audio recording and a screenshot function. Input configuration is straight-forward and easy to use. In the video settings you can choose a monitor emulation to add more nostalgia feeling to your game. Other features are a built-in debugger and a trace logger, as well as a nice sound mixer panel. blueMSX reads various uncompressed disk image and cartridge formats as well as zipped ones.

ZX SPECTRUM

SPECTACULATOR

http://www.spectaculator.com/WindowsBecause this guide focusses onemulators with the most features and the highest emulation quality, sometimes the recommendation goes to a commercial product. So in this case, Spectaculator sells for 15.99 USD and emulates the ZX Spectrum 16K, 48K, 128, +2, +2A, +3, Pentagon 128 and Scorpion ZS 256. Spectaculator has a ton of options for the different

ZX Spectrum models and its hardware. For instance youcanmimic a TV screen withdifferent settings to achieve a more realistic look. Input configuration is simple. You can also open a virtual ZX Spectrum keyboard on-screen. Features of the emulator include audio and video recording, a screenshot function, action replay (gameplay recordings in different formats), a cheat/pokes module and a debugger. Spectaculator can read various zipped and uncompressed disk image formats including the .IPF format introduced by the Software Preservation Society. The free alternative for this emulator is ZXSpinwith similar features but without support for .IPF files.

VIDEO GAME CONSOLES

PANASONIC 3DO

4DO

http://www.fourdo.com/Windows4DO is the better one of the two available programs for emulating and running 4DO disks or disk images. Its available in numerous languages. Besides the usual features like save slots and graphics processing it has also a Disc Browser which lets you explore the contents of a disk or disk image and extract files from it. You will need a 4DO BIOS file in order to run games.

ATARI 2600

STELLA

http://stella.sourceforge.net/Windows|Mac|LinuxStella isthe best Atari 2600 emulator andavailable for Windows, Mac and Linux. It has its own GUI which can be a bit odd. The emulator has some nice features. Besides the usual like input, video and sound configuration or taking snapshots you can simulate a TV screen with various effects to get the real retro feeling. It also has a built-in debugger and you can audit your collection of Atari 2600 ROMs with it. It reads zip compressed ROMs as well as uncompressed ones.

ATARI 5200

ATARI800WIN-PLUS

https://github.com/Jaskier/Atari800Win-PLus/downloadsWindowsAtari800Win-PLus is an enhanced version of the emulator Atari800 with many video and audio options. You can config a mouse, joystick or keyboard to act as your controller. It also supports playing games over network with another person running the emulator. Atari800Win-PLus as the name suggests is also an Atari 800 emulator, but it also emulates the 5200 as well as Atari XL/XE. Unfortunately it doesnt open zipped ROMs, you will have to unzip every ROM to load it.

ATARI 7800

EMU7800

http://emu7800.sourceforge.net/WindowsEMU7800 is a simple but the most compatible emulator for Atari 7800 and in active development. Key binding is pretty simple and restricted to predefined keys and there are only basic graphics options. Everything before starting the game takes place in one window. You can search for games with different criteria, for instance games which use a certain controller or by the machine they run on. It reads zipped files which is good for your collection.

ATARI JAGUAR

VIRTUAL JAGUAR

http://www.icculus.org/virtualjaguar/Windows|Mac|Linux| BeOSVirtual Jaguar is under active development and available for all major desktopoperating systems. Unfortunately CD support is not yet implemented. Apart from this its a very compatible emulator. Its not as fast as Project Tempest the first Jaguar emulator ever created, but with nowadays computers it should be no problem. You can open zipped ROMs as well as uncompressed ones. Dont get confused by the filename extensions. The emulator also loads ROMs named with .j64. In order to play games, you either have to place all ROMsin a path you can define in the settings or you just drag and drop your zipped or uncompressed ROM onto the executable.

COLECOVISION

BLUEMSX

http://www.bluemsx.com/WindowsblueMSX is actually a MSX emulator but it also supports other hardware like the ColecoVision. A central feature of the emulator is the simulation of different TV screens (effects). It can also capture audio and/or video or take screenshots of the game. There is also an embedded debugger. Creating save states is of course a base functionality. You can open zipped ROMs directly.

FAIRCHILD CHANNEL-F

MESS

http://www.mess.org/Windows|Platform independent (source code)MESS is a multi-system emulator and I really wanted to avoid them because emulation quality is mostly worse than with emulators specifically made for a platform. However, in the case of the Fairchild Channel-F the MESS emulator is the only choice. Please read the MESS wiki to know how to set up everything.

MAGNAVOX ODYSSEY

O2EM

http://o2em.sourceforge.net/Windows

O2EM is the only emulator for the Odyssey. Its GUI comes as a separate download. The GUI is fairly simple. You have to define a path where your unzipped ROMs are, then you can choose the game you want to play from the list. It also shows a screenshot of the selected game. Unfortunately input configuration cant be changed. You can take screenshots and there is a built-in debugger.

MATTEL INTELLIVISION

NOSTALGIA

http://www.intellivision.us/intvgames/nostalgia/nostalgia.phpWindowsNostalgia is a Intellivision emulatorwhich displays your ROMs in a list along with a box shot of the selected game. You will have to unzip your ROMs in to a folder and set the path to it in the settings of Nostalgia. The emulator doesnt have that much options but you can configure your

input device as you want. A nice feature is the built-in Kaillera client which allows to play 2-player games with people over the internet. Other features include audio and video capture, screenshots and support for Intellivoice, the voice synthesizer of the Intellivision.The alternative to Nostalgia is Bliss which has a more clean GUI.

NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

NESTOPIA

http://nestopia.sourceforge.net/Windows|Mac|LinuxNestopia is compatible with nearly all NES games and has a good feature set which include save states, video and audio recording, screenshots, support for different NES input devices, Netplay over Kaillera, input configuration and cheat system. The emulator supports ROMs compressed as 7Z, ZIP and RAR. A nice feature is the built-in game

launcher which displays detailed information for every ROMand lets youlaunch gamesfrom there. The alternative to Nestopia is FCEUX which has similar features and some really advanced debugging/hacking functionalities.

NINTENDO VIRTUAL BOY

VBJIN

https://code.google.com/p/vbjin/WindowsVBjin can open zipped as well as uncompressed Virtual Boy ROMs. Features include gameplay, video and audio recording and a memory watcher. As the original Virtual Boy was a console with stereoscopic view, you can alter this in the emulator, for instance to display only one side to get rid of the stereoscopic effect. There is also a hotkey configuration which lets you define the keys used to control emulation.

Input configuration is straight forward and should be no problem. The emulator also supports Lua scripting.

SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

SNES9X

https://github.com/snes9xgit/snes9x/releases/WindowsSnes9x is the most popular SNES emulator. It has the standard features such as multiple save game slots, video recording and a cheat system and also has netplay built-in. You can emulate every input device that was released for the SNES and you can of course configure up to five different joypads which you can enable or disable as you like. This is handy if you want different configurations for different games. Beside these features you will find the usual audio and video settings such as sample rate window size and bilinear filtering. Snes9x can open your

ROMs in zipped form. The alternative would be Higan but be advised that it uses its own organization structure which can be annoyingfor some people.

NINTENDO 64

PROJECT64

http://www.pj64-emu.com/WindowsNintendo 64 emulators are working with pluginsfor each component of the system. This means you have a sound plugin, a video pluginand a input plugin. This gives the user incredible freedom of choice. My recommendation for a emulator is based on which one is able to work properly out of the box with the included plugins. Project64 includes the popular pluginsfrom Jabo for audio, video and input. The video plugin allows some enhancements like higher resolution, anti-aliasing and

anisotropic filtering which increases the graphics quality dramatically. The main window of Project64 acts as a games list, you have to choose afolder where your ROMs (uncompressed or zipped) are located, then the emulator scans it and displays the titles in a list along with compatibility info and more. The emulator is available in various languages, changeable from the File menu. For netplay, you will need an additional plugin called AQZ Netplay. It replaces the input plugin but you can plug your actual used input plugin on top of it. Be sure to place the plugin DLL file inside the Plugin/1.6 Plugins folder.There are two alternatives for Project64:1964has the Kaillera netplay client built-in and a similar feature set as Project64 and a better video plugin called 1964Video (you can use the DLL in Project64).Mupen64++also has two versions of theKaillera netplay client built-in and also similar features as Project64. It has the popular Rice Video video plugin included.

NINTENDO GAMECUBE

DOLPHIN

https://dolphin-emu.org/Windows|Mac|LinuxDolphin isaNintendo GameCube emulator available for Windows, Mac and Linux. After setting a folder where your disc images of GameCube games are located, Dolphin displays them in a list in the main window. You can also run games from burned discs, original discs are not supported. Be advised that you need to own the original disc to be allowed to own a copy. A defining feature of Dolphin is its Netplay functionalitywhichbuilt into the emulator, you can either host or join game. Besides that, Dolphon hasthe usual features like a screenshot function and multiple save slots. You can also record movies ofyour gameplay. The graphics settings allow some nice enhancements like higher resolutions, anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering or special post-processing effects. You can configure up to four input devices.

NINTENDO WII

DOLPHIN

https://dolphin-emu.org/Windows|Mac|LinuxBesides the Nintendo GameCube, Dolphincan also emulate the NintendoWii. Its recommended to own a real Nintendo Wii Remote (with or without Motion Plus) together with a sensor bar(like the DolphinBar) for gameplay how its meant to be. You can also use an emulated Wii Remote and use your keyboard, mouse or gamepad to play, but its more complex than the originalhardware. Read the paragraph above for more information on the emulator itsef.

PHILIPS CD-I

CD-I EMULATOR

http://www.cdiemu.org/WindowsApart from MESS which is a multi-system emulator and ignored in this guide, there is only one dedicated Philips CD-i Emulator named exactly the same. It needs a BIOS ROM file of the CD-i to work. You can load various disc image formats with the emulator. There is no input configuration. You can set the video mode to PAL or NTSC and the emulator has a simple debugger. Unfortunately the beta version only runs for three minutes. You will have to pay 35 USD for the Unlimited edition.

SONY PLAYSTATION

EPSXE

http://www.epsxe.com/Windows|Linux|AndroidSony PlayStation emulators are workingwith pluginsfor each component of the system, like the Nintendo 64 emulators. This means you have a sound plugin, a video pluginand a input plugin. This gives the user incredible freedom of choice.Unlike the Nintendo 64 emulator Project64 ePSXe doesnt come with plugins. You will have to pick your own plugins for video, audio and netplay functionality. Controller config and CD-ROM functionality is built-in so you dont need a plugin here. I will recommend the best PlayStation emulator plugins for the other stuff later. As the feature set highly depends on them, the emulator itself has not so much to offer. It can load games from real PlayStation discs, various disc image formats, PlayStation executables (.EXE dont confuse with Windows executables) and run the BIOS alone. Speaking of, you need a BIOS ROM file to use ePSXe. The emulator also allows to use two virtual Memory Cards to save your progress in game. You can manage their contents when booting in to the plain BIOS. As an alternative you can save your game using save slots which saves the complete state of the current game. The alternative to ePSXe is PCSX-

Reloaded which may run some more games and comes with a netplay plugin.Recommended PlayStation emulator Plugins:Video:Petes OpenGL2 PSX GPU 2.9Audio: Eternal SPU 1.5b2(1.41), P.E.Op.S. DSound PSX SPU 1.10b(1.9)Controller: SSSPSX Pad 1.7CD-ROM:P.E.Op.S. PSX CDR 1.4Netplay: CyberPad Kaillera 1.4

SONY PLAYSTATION 2

PCSX2

http://pcsx2.net/Windows|Mac|Linux

Like for the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation emulators, PCSX2 works based on plugins for each component of the console. There are plugins for graphics, sound, controls, disc drive, usb and more. You have freedom of choice on which plugin to use. PCSX2 comes with plugins out of the box. They work pretty well so I dont give recommendations forother plugins here. PCSX2 can read various disc image formats and of course load original PlayStation 2 discs. Its also possible to run PlayStation 2 executable files (.ELF). For this you need to switch to Plugin in the CDVD menu and select the cdvdGigaherz plugin in the Plugin config window. To actually run a game you need a BIOS ROM file of the PlayStation 2.The emulator also allows to use two virtual Memory Cards to save your progress in game.As an alternative you can save your game using save slots which saves the complete state of the current game.

SEGA SG-1000

KEGA FUSION

http://www.carpeludum.com/kega-fusion/Windows|Mac|LinuxThe Sega SG-1000 was the first video game console by Sega and was released on the same day as the Nintendo Famicom.Kega Fusion is the emulator of choice for this system. Read the paragraph on Sega Master System below for more information on Kega Fusion.

SEGA MASTER SYSTEM

KEGA FUSION

http://www.carpeludum.com/kega-fusion/Windows|Mac|Linux

Kega Fusion can not only emulate the Sega Master System but alsoGame Gear, Genesis/Megadrive, SVP, Pico, SegaCD/MegaCD and 32X! It has a lot of features including a own built-in netplay functionality, multiple save states, screenshot functionality, scanlines and tv-mode simulation in the graphics settings. If you use MSN Messenger, it even sets your status message while you are playing games. The emulator also offers a Game Genie menu where you can entercheat codes. Kega Fusion loads uncompressed ROMs as well as zipped ones. The alternative to Kega Fusion is Gens Plus! which has the Kaillera client for netplay built-in. Apart from that, its similar to Kega Fusion except it lacks some graphics effects like the scanlines and tv-modes.

SEGA GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE & 32X/CD

KEGA FUSION

http://www.carpeludum.com/kega-fusion/Windows|Mac|LinuxKega Fusionis also the reference forSega Genesis/Mega Drive & 32X/CD. You can define BIOS ROMs for each supported system but except for Sega CD, Kega Fusion runs without them. Read the paragraph above for more information on the emulator.The alternative to Kega Fusion is Gens Plus! which has the Kaillera client for netplay built-in. Apart from that, its similar to Kega Fusion except it lacks some graphics effects like the scanlines and tv-modes.

SEGA SATURN

YABAUSE

http://yabause.org/Windows|Mac|Linux |FreeBSD |Dreamcast |PSP |Wii

Yabause is the most advanced emulator for Sega Saturn. Its available for different platforms, including some video game devices. You can load disc image files as well as original Sega Saturn discs with it, but you will need an original Sega Saturn BIOS ROM to play any games. Yabausehas the usual features like save states, a screenshot function, a cheating module and a debugger. You can also use a simulated memory cartridge to save your progress in games. Input configuration is very good as you can simulate the different perpherials for the Sega Saturn and use your gamepad, mouse or keyboard for it.

SEGA DREAMCAST

NULLDC

http://www.emucr.com/2013/03/nulldc-svn-r150.htmlWindowsnullDC is the most compatible Dreamcast emulator. It has a plugin structure like emulators for Nintendo 64 or Sony PlayStation 2. Graphics, GD-ROM, sound, input (Maple) and external devices (e.g. Modems) are controlled by these plugins. You also need the original Sega Dreamcast BIOS files to play games with nullDC. There is a region free BIOS out there which eliminates the need to switch betweenBIOS versions of different regions all the time. If you want to use your gamepad or joystick with nullDC, be sure to select PuruPuru Dreamcast Controller in the first dropdown menu in the plugins settings. In the seconddropdown you have to select Puru-Puru Pak [XInput]. After that you can configure your controller from the menu Options > Maple > Port A > Config keys for player 1. If you want to play with another person, you have to do the same with Port B in the plugins settings window.

SNK NEO GEO CD

RAINE

http://rainemu.swishparty.co.uk/Windows|MacRaine can emulate the Neo Geo MVS as well as the Neo Geo CD. It loads zipped and uncompressed Neo Geo MVS ROM files and for Neo Geo CDvarious disc image formats as well as original discs. The GUI is similar to MAME. You can configure your gamepad or joystick to use with Raine. The emulator has the basic features like save states, audio recording and a screenshot function. There are also some video filtering options.There are a few other emulators for Neo Geo CD (like NeoGeo CDZ or Nebula) but none of them is able to read disc images, you will have to use a tool like Daemon Tools Lite or Virtual CloneDrive to mount the disc images.

NEC TURBOGRAFX 16/PC ENGINE

MAGICENGINE

http://www.magicengine.com/Windows|MacMagicEngine is a commercial program andcosts 20USD, but its by far the best emulator for NECs TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine console. There is a demo version available for download but its limited to five minutes of play time. There is a monthly contest on the website with a chance to win a registered version of the emulator. MagicEngines comes with its own GUI which is pretty nice. It also features save states, movie recording and a screenshot function. You can add video filters to improve image quality and configure your gamepad/joystick or keyboard

as input device. The emulator loads uncompressed as well as zipped ROM files and original PC Engine CD-ROMs. The free alternative to MagicEngine is Turbo Engine which has a lot of features and loads ROMs and CD-ROMs. I noticed a weird scaling bug in windowed mode,the image is jagged in a grid-like pattern. I think the bigger the program window, the less this effect is visible.

GCE VECTREX

PARAJVE

http://www.vectrex.fr/ParaJVE/Windows|Mac|Linux

This Java-based emulator is just awesome. It includes all the games made for the GCE Vectrex. It even displays a canvas of the game around the game window. If thats not enough, it also emulates the blur of the vector screen in the original hardware. ParaJVE featues save states and a screenshot function. You can also tweak the graphics settings to your liking. The emulator allows you to use your mouse as analog stick, but you can configure your gamepad/joystick, too. I had some problems quitting the emulator. The emulation still continues after closing the main window. The only way to really quit it is to kill the javaw.exe process with the Windows Task Manager.

ARCADE MACHINES

MAME (MULTI ARCADE MACHINE EMULATOR)http://mamedev.org/Windows|Platformindependent(source code)MAME is actually no platform but an emulator for every arcade machine that ever existed. Because of this, its the first choice for playing arcade games. To use MAME, you need to have the correct ROM files (usually as zipped archives), equal to the version of MAME you are using. Lets say you have MAME 0.155, you will need ROMs that are authored in a way this version of MAME recognizes. You can use authoring tools likeclrmameprowhich I have described inthe first part of this guide. Once you have these ROMs, you have to add the folder where they are to the mame.ini file. You can also add paths to extras like game art in mame.ini. Once you did that, you can run MAME. Its interface is very unusual and simple. To search for a game, just type its name, otherwise MAME displays a bunch of games randomly. I recommend using a front-end with MAME. There are dozens of them,some graphical and some as Windows UI. I cant give a perfect recommendation here as I dont like any of them but the following front-ends seem to be

popular:HyperSpin,Maximus Arcade,mGalaxy,GameEx.There is a nice overview of different front-ends at theArcadecontrols Wiki.

HANDHELDS

ATARI LYNX

HANDY

http://handy.sourceforge.net/WindowsHandy can not run all commercial games but its the only dedicated Atari Lynx emulator out there. The emulator can open uncompressed as well as zipped ROMs. It can save snapshots and has a screenshot function. Apart from some graphics options and a non-functional netplay function there is not much more to discover here.

NINTENDO GAME BOY/GAME BOY COLOR

BGB

http://bgb.bircd.org/WindowsBGB emulates the Nintendo Game Boy as well as Nintendo Game Boy Color. It uses a context menu for all operations. You can open uncompressed as well as zipped ROMs with it. BGB supports Super Game Boy, a module for the Nintendo Super Nintendo system which lets you play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games with it. When playing certain games, they are surrounded by a graphical border with game art. The emulator has many graphics and sound settings, a debugger, a VRAM viewer, a screenshot function, audio recording and a cheat module. You can change the LCD color scheme on non-color games, which is nice. A featureonly BGB has is the link support which enables you to play two player games over LAN or internet.

NINTENDO GAME BOY ADVANCE

VISUALBOYADVANCE-M

http://vba-m.com/Windows|LinuxBesides the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, VisualBoyAdvance-M also supports the Game Boy and Game Boy Color including the Super Game Boy module. The emulator has settings for audio and video, input configuration is easy.Featuresinclude a cheat module, a screenshot function, save states and a bunch of expert debugging and hacking tools

like a disassembler and a tile viewer. You can record audio and/or video, too. It has link functionalitybut its incomplete so you only can play two player games on one computer. VisualBoyAdvance-M can open zipped as well as uncompressed ROMs.

NINTENDO DS

DESMUME

http://desmume.org/Windows|MacThe Nintendo DS handheld was the first one with two screens and DeSmuME emulates them both. You can change the layout in which the screens are displayed and you even can rotate them. The emulator has some unusual graphics enhancement settings for scaling, too. The original Nintendo DS has a microphone, with DeSmuME you can either emulate one or use your physical microphone if present. You can also

define your DS avatars details. Like VisualBoyAdvance-M, DeSmuME has a bunch of advanced debugging and hacking features like a disassembler and various viewers, for instance memory, tiles, palettes. Input configuration is easy. DeSmuME can open zipped as well as uncompressed ROMs. If you want you can also define original BIOS ROMs which should enhance compatibility.

GAMEPARK GP32

GEEPEE32

http://users.skynet.be/firefly/gp32/WindowsGeePee32 is a basic emulator for Gameparks GP32 handheld. It can openSmartMedia card images or GP32 binaries, but only uncompressed, zipped files are not supported. Unfortunately GeePee32 does not support sound. It has a built-in disassembler, a memory editor, a cheat module and a screenshot function. Configuration options are limited and the input configuration is limited to predefined keys or buttons.

SONY PLAYSTATION PORTABLE

PPSSPP

http://www.ppsspp.org/Windows|Mac|Linux|Android|Symbian|Blackberry|iOSPPSSPP has a very nice GUI that acts as a file browser to find your disk image files which can be zipped or uncompressed. There are save states and a screenshot function, advanced graphics and audio settings and some expert tools likea debugger, a disassembler and a memory viewer. Settings, including input configuration are accessed using the GUI which is nice. It reminds me of the Android OS. PPSSPP features a few post processing shaders to alter the visual appearance of the emulated games. You can also change the internal rendering resolution to improve graphics quality. There is also PPSSPP Gold, a paid version with exactly the same features as the free version. Its more a donation for the developers than a real product-wise benefit.

SEGA GAME GEAR

KEGA FUSION

http://www.carpeludum.com/kega-fusion/Windows|Mac|LinuxIf you have read this guide from the top, you already know KegaFusion. Its the reference for Sega Master System and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive & 32X/CDand its also the reference forSega Game Gear. Please read the description of these two systems for more information on Kega Fusion. There is an alternative for Kega Fusion named Meka but I personally dont like it because of its strange GUI.

SNK NEO GEO POCKET/NEO GEO POCKET COLOR

NEOPOP

http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/misc/neopop.htmlWindowsNeoPop is not being developed further but its nonetheless the best available emulator for SNK Neo Geo Pocket / Neo Geo Pocket Color. It supports zipped as well as uncompressed ROM files. The emulator features save states and a link function for two player games. Input configuration is limited to predefined keys and it seems that the d-pad can only be mapped to keyboard keys. You should use a tool like GlovePie to remap the keys. Except for some graphics options, NeoPop does not offer much more.

BANDAI WONDERSWAN

OSWAN

http://sourceforge.jp/projects/oswan/WindowsOswan supports the Bandai Wonderswan as well the color version. It features save states, a screenshot function and some graphics options for scaling and a few filters to improve image quality. Input configuration works fine, the only problem is that some glyphs are not displayed due to the japanese origin of this emulator. The predefined keys will help you map the right new keys.

Tags: emulation emulator emulator software gaming guide retroretrogaming rom

COMING SOON: PART 3 USER INTERFACES AND FRONT ENDSThis was part 2 of my guide Retrogaming through emulation with focus on emulator software. I hope you found this information useful because most of the listings of emulators dont rate them. If you find any errors or mistakes or missing things in my guide, please let me know. Feel free to comment, I am happy about your feedback. Thanks for reading!The next part of this guide will give you an overview of different general front-ends for use with any emulator. The best one I know is of course EmulationStation but lets see

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10 AUG, 2014

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Toby 15. November 2014 at 19:51I am researching a HTPC/emulation build at the moment. I have the hardware picked out and this guide is one of the best I have come across in many hours of surfing. Many ThanksReply

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