Articles tagged with: xroar

News Roundup: March 9 - May 10

mossy_11 on Saturday, 10 May 2014. Posted in News

(I had this one half-done three weeks ago, and only just now got a chance to wrap it up. Hopefully we'll be back to a monthly schedule on these from here on out.)


Arcade emulator MAME has been updated to version 0.153. This release brings big changes under the hood, with major revisions made to modernise the core, user interface, OSD layers, drivers, and devices. Be sure to read through the What’s New document for a detailed rundown if you’re at all interested in the project and/or its goals. As always, you can get more general information and source code from the MAMEDev website, and there’s a Mac-specific binary on the SDLMAME site.


Multiple system emulator MESS has also been bumped up to version 0.153, with the most notable additions being support for 1979 console Bandai Super Vision 8000, the UK Apple IIe models, Serbian computer Pecom 32, and two systems I’ve never heard of: the Samsung Gam*Boy I and AIWA MegaCD CSD-GIM. See here for the full list of changes, and here for 32-bit and 64-bit SDLMESS binaries.


Macintosh II A/UX emulator Shoebill is making great progress. Developer Peter Rutenbar is reporting that A/UX 3.0.0 now runs, although there are still some issues. 0.0.2 boasts modest speed improvements and bug fixes, and it removes the need to supply your own kernel. You can download it or grab the latest source code at GitHub. Keep an eye on the E-Maculation Shoebill thread if you're interested in the project. Next up will be A/UX 3.0.1 support (maybe).


Recommended reading this month comes in the form of an article on the challenges of pixel-perfect Gamecube and Wii emulation, with specific examples of how Dolphin has tackled these in the past and present.


Continue reading for more emulator updates, including 8086tiny, PPSSPP, QEMU, openMSX, FS-UAE, and more, plus a helpful app for opening OS X archives in Mini vMac.

News Roundup: November 2 - December 27

mossy_11 on Monday, 30 December 2013. Posted in News

After years of development, OpenEmu, the frontend to rule them all, is finally out in an official capacity. Combining Apple-like skeuomorphic design and polish with iTunes-style ROM organisation, support for a plethora of gamepads, and a plugin system that integrates individual emulator engines as “cores”, OpenEmu mostly (it has its flaws, I’d argue) lives up to expectations as the emulator for the rest of us. The official release (available here) comes in two flavours: a 1.0 build with around a dozen 8-bit and 16-bit consoles supported, and an experimental build that adds a bunch more systems and cores (including PSP, Saturn, and N64) that aren’t quite stable enough for the prime time. Congrats to Mucx and company on the overwhelmingly positive reception it’s had so far.


Nintendo 64 emulator Sixtyforce has been updated to version 0.9.8. This release brings Retina support, PAL video timing, a new full screen mode, loads of bug fixes, and “several” major optimisations. Download it from the official Sixtyforce website, and remember to register to encourage Gerrit to take more time out of his acting career to work on it.


After yet another lengthy delay, Sega Saturn emulator Yabause is back with a big release obscured by an incremental version number. Yabause 0.9.13 adds support for mdf/mds dumps, CD+G, and the Saturn mouse and 3D control pad. It also improves the user interface and emulation, gets Netlink up and running, adds SH2 debugging features, and fixes CD audio emulation. The devs are actively recruiting translators and technical writers to help out, too. Learn about all this, and more, at the Yabause website.

Continue reading for Mac floppy emulator hardware and more updates, including new PPSSPP, Sweet16, Mednafen, Mini vMac, and more.

News Roundup: August 13 - September 22

mossy_11 on Monday, 23 September 2013. Posted in News

The two big guns in Windows or Linux on Mac virtualisation released their yearly upgrades in the previous month. Parallels Desktop 9 includes support for Thunderbolt and FireWire devices, OS X’s PowerNap feature, the Mountain Lion Dictionary gesture, Windows 8.1, and more, all while boasting 40% better disk performance, 25% faster shutdowns, 20% faster suspending, and 3D graphics that’s 15% faster than in Parallels 8. You can buy/trial it and learn more at Parallels’ Desktop product site.


VMware Fusion 6, meanwhile, adds Dictation in Windows; support for up to 16 vCPUs, 8TB disks, and 64GB of RAM; a new user interface; improved Boot Camp support; multiple display support (in OS X Mavericks); Windows 8.1 support; and the usual host of performance improvements and minor feature additions. You can check out all its new features, and try it out, by visiting the VMware Fusion product page.


Nintendo Wii and Gamecube emulator Dolphin version 4.0 came out today. It’s the first stable release in nine months, bringing 2500 changes from Dolphin 3.5 — including a new look (and swanky new icon), beta support for the Wii official online multiplayer, Wii Balance Board and Gamecube Steering Wheel support, new audio emulation code, Fastmem support on OS X, an OpenGL video backend rewrite, and much more. You can get it from the Dolphin download page, while the announcement post is here.


After a long period (three years) without an official release, Sony PlayStation emulator PCSX-Reloaded has been updated to version 1.9.93 beta. People who’ve been using SpeedofMac/ConsoleEmu’s unofficial builds won’t notice much of a difference, but it’s a huge improvement over 1.9.92. See the release notes here for details.

Continue reading for additional updates, including new versions of Mednafen, Q-emuLator, zxsp, PPSSPP, and more.

News Roundup: March 22 - May 7

mossy_11 on Tuesday, 07 May 2013. Posted in News

Mac gaming classic Pathways into Darkness, a precursor to Bungie's more famous first-person series Marathon and Halo, has been ported to OS X. This is a faithful, loving, free port with full blessings from Bungie. Go get it to revisit a slice of Mac gaming history. (If you're so inclined, I wrote up my thoughts on this OS X release here.)


There’s a new MSX emulator on the scene. CocoaMSX is based on blueMSX, and offers what looks to be a pretty robust feature set. You can follow its development on Google+ or track (and download) it on the CocoaMSX Google Code page. Be sure to let us know how it stacks up to openMSX (which has now moved from svn to Git repository, I might add).


Just over a year since the last release, Nintendo DS emulator DeSmuME has hit version 0.9.9. This build introduces a new JIT CPU core, which the devs say “yields some impressive speedups,” and specifically improves the OS X port with a ton of new options and enhancements. There’s also a bunch of bug fixes across the entire emulator. Get it from the official DeSmuME website.


Gaming-focused Amiga emulator FS-UAE has moved to fs-uae.net, and it’s been updated to version 2.2.2. Changes since March are mostly bugfixes and improvements to existing features. You can see lists here (2.2.1) and here (2.2.2). As always, head over to the FS-UAE website for more information and a download link.

Continue reading for more emulator updates, including new versions of two PSP emulators, long-overdue updates to ARAnyM and Bochs, and more.

News Roundup: Jaunary 20 - March 21

mossy_11 on Friday, 22 March 2013. Posted in News

Apologies for the break in service. We should be back to roundups every 4-5 weeks from here on out. We could always do with volunteers to help carry the weight, though.


Atari 2600 emulator Stella hit version 3.8 in February, with major changes to the sound system and ZIP archive handling. 3.8.1 followed at the beginning of March, with a few bugfixes and support for TIA RSYNC writes. See the Stella news page for more details. As always, you can get a download link here.


After taking more than nine years to reach its first stable release, ResidualVM has already popped out another one. Version 0.1.1 fixes around 20 bugs in the engine code and a dozen in Grim Fandango’s game data. Get it from the ResidualVM downloads page.


Sega Saturn emulator Yabause got its first update in 14 months near the end of January. Version 0.9.12 (link to announcement post) includes major updates to both the software and OpenGL renderers, adds ISO support to the OS X port, and adds the debug interface to the Qt port. Grab it from the Yabause download page.


Four years to the day after its last release, Sega Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000, ColecoVision, and NES (those last two are newly-added) emulator CrabEmu has been updated to version 0.2.0. You’ll have to download it for the full (and lengthy) changelog, but there’s been extensive work done on the GUI and Master System core.


Continue reading for more emulator updates from the past two months, including new versions of FS-UAE, XRoar, DBGL, VirtualBox (of course), and more.

News Roundup: December 9 - January 19

mossy_11 on Sunday, 20 January 2013. Posted in News

Codeweavers released CrossOver 12 in mid-December. This version introduces an experimental new “Mac Driver” that removes the requirement for the X Window System (thereby making installation friendlier to casual users). CrossOver 12 also includes improvements to Wine and improved support for many applications. See here for the announcement post.


It’s been a long time coming, but ResidualVM finally has a stable release. ResidualVM is ScummVM’s sister project, focused on the handful of 3D LucasArts adventures—Grim Fandango and Escape From Monkey Island—plus Myst 3 Exile. This release supports Grim Fandango, making the game playable on modern computers. Head over to the ResidualVM website for a download and more information.


Nintendo Wii and Gamecube emulator Dolphin officially ticked over from 3.0 to 3.5 in December. This milestone rounds up work done over nearly 18 months, resulting in hundreds of nightly builds, and brings the “stable” codebase mostly up to date. You can get version 3.5 or the latest nightly builds from the Dolphin download page.

Continue reading for more emulator updates, including new versions of PPSSPP, QMC2, Mednafen, Stella, PCSX-Reloaded, and more.

News Roundup: June 7 - July 7

mossy_11 on Saturday, 07 July 2012. Posted in News

After nearly a year without updates, PlayStation 2 emulator PCSX2 has received two new versions in a week. Version 0.9.6 was updated to perform better in OS X Lion. Then 0.9.7 Alpha was released a few days later. Zedr0n included side-by-side screenshot comparisons to showcase the visual improvements between 0.9.6 and 0.9.7. You can get it, and check out the screenshots, at the PCSX2 for Mac website. As with all alpha software, proceed with caution.


MacScene regular seanstar has released new software for the NES Power Glove—more than 20 years since the ill-fated contraption was mercilessly retired. NESGlovPhone lets you perform music in real-time, on an actual NES, using the Mattel Power Glove to interact with the NES sound chip. It offers a "reasonably intuitive musical interface" and multiple modes of interaction. So it turns out it wasn't an April Fools joke. If you have a working Power Glove, NES, and devcart, get your copy at the Psych Software website.


Apple II emulator Virtual ][ has hit version 7.0. The new update provides full OS X Mountain Lion compatibility, improves accuracy of high-resolution colors, modernises the appearance of the main window, added the Bulgarian character set, and added the option to save a memory dump of the virtual machine to a file. Get it from the Virtual ][ website.


Continue reading for more updates, including new versions of Micro64 (plus a video), SheepShaver, CrossOver Mac, Boxer, Stella, and more.

News Roundup: May 9 - June 6

mossy_11 on Wednesday, 06 June 2012. Posted in News

Boxer, a DOSBox-powered DOS emulator, has been updated to version 1.3. The release notes list taking screenshots and fast-forwarding games among the new features, with heaps of bugfixes and improvements to input handling and gameboxes. Get it from the official Boxer website.


Multi-system emulator Mednafen has been updated to version 0.9.22-WIP, while Jazzin's launcher app NekoLauncher Mednafen received an update (0.9.22 Build 21) to fix a crash bug. Mednafen's new version includes improvements to and L3 and R3 button simulation in the PlayStation emulation, improved Sega Genesis/Mega Drive YM2612 emulation, and broken compatibility with 0.9.21-WIP Genesis/Mega Drive save states. See the NekoLauncher site for more details, and download it at the Mednafen forums.


Amiga emulator FS-UAE has been updated to version 1.2.1, fixing a crash that occurred when saving states with mounted directories. See the FS-UAE website to learn more about this games-focused emulator.


Continue reading for updates to JPCSP, Mini vMac, XRoar, Stella, VirtualBox, and more.