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OS X Console Emulator 'OpenEmu 1.0' Launches
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When I tried this last summer the input lag was pretty bad. Graphics drivers might be to blame for that though, I'm not sure if it's the same now? Super Mario is quite unplayable if he jumps half second after you press jump. Ok it wasn't as bad as a half second but still very noticeable. Is the situation still the same?
Also, might be worth to mention that the cores are ports of the libretro cores. I'm guessing there is more to come (mame, n64, psx, ++++).
Also, might be worth to mention that the cores are ports of the libretro cores. I'm guessing there is more to come (mame, n64, psx, ++++).
They say that you should use this with legally acquired ROMs of your favorite games. How do you even get ROMs legally?
Not bad but
Glad to see this but it still can't beat having the real controls. I built this a few years ago and can play all the classics. Everyone loves it at parties
Glad to see this but it still can't beat having the real controls. I built this a few years ago and can play all the classics. Everyone loves it at parties
I know ROMs have been around for a while... But how do people get the data from the cartridges on to a computer? Are cartridges simply "old-style" thumb drives with different shapes? I feel so elementary asking this question this way but I'm not familiar with the tech and I don't know how to word what I'm saying.
IF this emulator plays as well as I think it will, it may be the first real donation I've made in over a decade. These other emulators work and I'm glad they exist, but they feel like a bad port or an afterthought. In fact, Stella (Atari 2600) went from being a Mac-like application back in the day to feeling like a Windows 3.1 application now. It's terrible (interface-wise).
PS3/4 controller button layout is similar to old school Nintendo. Do you have one of those you can use?
Apparently you haven't since "For the first time, the ‘It just works’ philosophy now extends to open source video game emulation on the Mac".
Versus the typical emulator author, this team seems to have exchanged hostility towards users for egomania.
Video game cartridges vary a little.
Most games on most consoles are just read-only memory chips. So there'll be some pins that act to communicate a memory address to them and some pins that act to return a value back to the device. If you were to cycle through every address and assemble every value you'd get an image of the game.
Most consoles explicitly allow the cartridge to be a bit more complicated by extending a few more signals onto the connector. In the Mega Drive there's a signal you can send to switch it into Master System mode. On the Game Gear you can take direct control of the LCD. But such cartridges tend to be the exception rather than the rule.
Some cartridges for simpler systems, like certain titles for the Atari 2600, incorporate a little memory management unit that can remap different parts of the source ROM into different parts of the visible memory space depending on which value you write to a certain location.
Some systems, like the NES, are more or less built around the assumption that cartridges will be smart, with the various types of memory management unit, additional sound chip, etc, bundled together as a purchasable configuration.
Then there's stuff like Virtua Racing and Star Fox that is almost a complete separate console that happens to communicate with the original via the cartridge slot — the base console doesn't enforce that the value at a particular location will always be the same so a cartridge is technically safe to stream whatever data it wants from any source whatsoever to the host.
You can use something like the Retrode directly to image original cartridges, avoiding the illegality and general miasma of online emulation resources. It also lets you plug in your original joypads.
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Guys, sorry to ask here (I am a huge Apple fan, I promise!), but do any of you know of a Windows equivalent?
This emulator is a textbook example of good UI. I really enjoy using it.
Sucks that they 'dropped' MAME support for now - there haven't been any commits for that plugin for months. We don't have a real up-to-date MAME emulator on OS X which is just crazy.
Sucks that they 'dropped' MAME support for now - there haven't been any commits for that plugin for months. We don't have a real up-to-date MAME emulator on OS X which is just crazy.
No, there are special pieces of hardware you buy and connect to your computer to dump the ROM. Google Super Wildcard DX if you want to know what one looks like.
The game cartridges have memory (ROM) in them, soldered to a printed circuit board. The contents of the memory are electrically connected to the connector pins that you plug into the game console itself. The game console uses that connection to read the contents of the memory, which is all of the code and data (graphics, etc) that make up the game. It works much like a USB flash drive, but the specs are completely different. It's not simply a matter of hard-wiring the pins on the game into a USB port.
Basically, hobbyists build a device that accepts the game on one side, then reads the contents of the game's ROM and outputs binary data that a modern computer can read via USB (or some other spec) on the other side. The device needs to have a small computer to be able to parse the contents of the game's ROM and to drive the conversion to a more modern format.
tl;dr: magic
You can try the experimental cores that are on their website. N64 is included and does work, just not very well.
Tried just now. I'm on OS 10.9 macbook pro. Keyboard delay playing mario was terrible. With such significant input lag, the gaming experience is so bad it's practically worthless. Does everyone else notice this issue, or is there some sort of configuration to improve the lag?
Do you happen to know if the retro NES and SNES USB controllers work fine with this?
For example, this one from ThinkGeek http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f08d/?srp=12
Thanks.
Terrific little emulator! It works great with my old Gravis USB GamePad Pro! And the games look terrific upscaled on my 27" iMac!
I'm in game emulator heaven! Time for a donation!
Mark
I'm in game emulator heaven! Time for a donation!
Mark
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I've locked my office door and put headphones on, and am halfway through Super Mario 3. Fantastic! Love the SABR filter.
No discernable lag here, but I unplugged my other USB devices to keep the bus clear so the controller signal wouldn't have to compete with anything.
I use a Retropad controller, bought a decade ago for about $15. http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=32
tis all manner of awesome.
Man do I wish this emulator was available on the iPad.
No discernable lag here, but I unplugged my other USB devices to keep the bus clear so the controller signal wouldn't have to compete with anything.
I use a Retropad controller, bought a decade ago for about $15. http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=32
tis all manner of awesome.
Man do I wish this emulator was available on the iPad.
