What Emulators Are You Using - 2018?

[Tanooki]

Why do you think higan blows?

I decided to find the point at which the emulator went into the crapper and grabbed the release before that point (and it's still the accuracy core) and it's fine. Then I noticed other people were hating on it and angry over the same issues that cropped up and since the source was out there, someone put their money where their mouth is so to speak and created their own build called bsnes-classic ver. 0.73u1 (https://github.com/awjackson/bsnes-classic) and started to use that instead.

Wait, was it higan or bsnes that went bad?

Edit: My 360 controller isn't working with it (higan) so I'll check it out later.

bsnes turned into higan, then higan progressed a bit more and I don't know what he did or some bug crept in but the thing got stupid and started to run worse on superior hardware so I went to an offshoot github build still calling itself bsnes-classic and kept that. It held much of the higan improvement without the harassment and issues.

[Jagosaurus]

Thanks for confirming Bones. If my modded oXbox died, I'd have a serious debate to mod another one or just pick up a RF.

[Jagosaurus]

As an update on my 5th Gen emu tinkering today:

3DO - FreeDO
I was actually wrong on a previous post in response to Bone. I'm using FreeDO not 4DO. Not sure what I did different but it immediately recognized my Buffalo SNES controller with no third party app this round. The GUI seems a bit laggy but games were running fine. I'm loading virtual images only as I don't own any games. You don't have to use Dameon Tools, etc. You can load iso file directly. I do see the option to load real games (or burns) from CD tray.

PS1 - ePSXe
Well apparently I had this running on my previous emu PC (which was an ancient XP box). I re-installed it today and it took me about 20 minutes of tinkering, but I got it running actual PS1 games from the CDROM tray. Pretty cool feeling to pop in my hard copies and see them boot. They ran well and looked great.

I actually don't have any PS1 isos on this machine. Will fix that tonight and test boot a digital game. I don't expect any issues but will report back if it's troublesome.

[Edit/Add - Got a digital copy of SotN running no issues. It boots directly from program. No virtual mourning tool needed.]

N64 - Project 64
Went back to confirm this is what I was using about 6 months back. I did have much better luck with this emu than 1964. I really only play about six N64 titles, and they've all run just fine in P64 so far. For those interested I've tested: OoT, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Wave Race, Star Fox, Doom 64

Those C buttons are killing me . What joy pad options are you guys using for USB N64 these days?

-- Getting my SS & DC game right --

Saturn - TBD
I understand this is fairly cycle heavy so I don't expect great results on my modest PC. Will eventually get to this. Looks like Yabause & SSF are the main go-tos. IIRC, both require virtual disc mounting for digital files versus native iso loading.

Dreamcast Question
If I can get SS running, is DC emu a big leap in juice needed? Yes, I realize this is 6th Gen . Looks like NullDC is our weapon of choice?

[BoneSnapDeez]

For N64 I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/MAYFLASH-N64-Con ... B002B9FIUU

[Jagosaurus]

For N64 I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/MAYFLASH-N64-Con ... B002B9FIUU

Funny, I was just looking into their Genesis adapter past night.

I'm tempted to try that adapter mixed with of the new N64 controllers coming out.
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=51872

For $12 though I might test the iNext USB controller
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0744DW55H#Ask

[Tanooki]

4DO is a sourceforge project that took off from using the disused dead FreeDO project so aren't they kind of one in the same. Looking at the compatibility list of 4DO basically all legit games work, maybe 5% of them have bugs but nothing that breaks anything to ruin the experience.

I never followed the stuff before since I never had a 3DO so I started digging a bit. It seems to me using the newest project of the 2 using the same base emulator code would have the better results wouldn't it?

[chuckster]

This is timely since I just got a Pi3 for Christmas and have been checking out emulation on there, with the eventual goal of making it a cheap 240p emulation box.

As much as I've been pursuing original hardware these last couple of years, when I did emulate I used a modded Wii. I used standalone emulators (SNES9x GX and Gens Plus GX, etc.) for NES, TG16, SNES and Genesis and it has worked wonderfully for those systems. For N64, I used the virtual console for very good versions of most of the first-party games I cared about. This also has the advantage of perfect (or near-perfect) Gamecube and Wii playback, with the ability to play backups through Homebrew.

The reason I wanted a Pi is for PS1. Wii just isn't up to it and through Lakka, PCSX RE-Armed provides a very playable experience for most mainstream titles (all I've tried with it).

That brings me to the basis of Lakka, Retroarch.

Retroarch may not be the best in all areas, but it provides a great solution for most consoles. The PC version is really great, with cores for dozens of machines that range from decent options to some of the best, (mostly the latter for major systems like SNES and Genesis). The interface is basically the XMB from PSP and PS3, and for the last few years it has become more and more user friendly. I'm currently having trouble out of the Pi release with a few less well-known systems (PCE-CD, PC98, and X68k), but I've not had any issues on the desktop. It's not the flashiest, but it is a great all-in-one solution for mainstream systems ranging from the 2600 to the N64/Saturn that doesn't require much in the way of setup.

I usually emulate on a 240p CRT, but if you are using a flat-panel, the shader support in RA and the ease of use it offers is really a game changer as well, if that's your bag.

[Jagosaurus]

@Tanooki, I've never got anything working outside of FreeDO. I think 4DO gave me DirectX errors and/or not loading isos. I didn't know there was some newer options. On FreeDO I've tried 3 or 4 games, and they've all ran fine.

Regarding the Pi setups, have you guys seen the Odroid? I'm not expert on this scene but looks like a similar device with 2GHz processor versus 1.2GHz (pi3), and 2GB RAM versus 1 GB RAM (pi3). A decent jump for an extra $28.

Some guys on another forum I frequent (a college football forum mainly believe it on not) are using these now. They made the jump from the pi3 to better run N64 & PS1. I have no experience with either device so not sure how the loading of GUI/OS would differ for emulators, if any.

[isiolia]

Regarding the Pi setups, have you guys seen the Odroid? I'm not expert on this scene but looks like a similar device with 2GHz processor versus 1.2GHz (pi3), and 2GB RAM versus 1 GB RAM (pi3). A decent jump for an extra $28.

Some guys on another forum I frequent (a college football forum mainly believe it on not) are using these now. They made the jump from the pi3 to better run N64 & PS1. I have no experience with either device so not sure how the loading of GUI/OS would differ for emulators, if any.

I hadn't looked at those, though it seems like the company has had offerings on the market for a while (not surprising, as there a variety of similar computers out there). Looking around, it does seem like software support may be a little lacking, which is half of the appeal (I think) of a Pi setup.
Outside of form factor considerations, a used PC is pretty well going to win the performance per dollar angle.

[Jagosaurus]

Yeah, my emu PC is a Dell workstation I saved from work. I've actually thought about what I'll do when it bites the dust or when Windows 7 isn't cutting it.

The form factor is the appeal of the Pi to me. It's even smaller than the size of a Roku box, Fire TV, etc. My current Dell Optiplex is 17"x17"x6" . I wouldn't mind the free space.

I also use the Dell to watch movies off my HDD in my gameroom and should set it up as a Plex server. So at least it's dual purpose.

A newer, but middle of the road PC, used with Windows would run ~$150 from PC Liquidations so there's cost as well (compared to ~$40 for Pi).

So, I get the Pi appeal. Just hasn't been the right timing for me personally with multiple existing options I own. Even then, I'll be tempted to go with another dedicated emu PC once mine dies.

Personally, I'd likely just repurpose an Adroid phone (HDMI to TV) or Android TV to run RetroArch vs the Pi. Buttttt.... part of me wouldn't mind tinkering with a Pi for fun . The cost of entry is low for a cool toy