Mupen64Plus
Developer(s) | bsmiles32, Francisco Zurita, Milan Nikolic, Gilles Siberlin, littleguy77, Logan, Dorian Fevrier, Richard Goedeken |
---|---|
Latest version | 2.6.0 [+] |
Active | Yes |
Platform(s) | Multi-platform |
Emulates | Nintendo 64 |
Website | Mupen64Plus.org |
License | GPLv2 |
Source code | GitHub |
Mupen64Plus is an open-source, multi-platform, plugin-based Nintendo 64 emulator that forks from and updates Mupen64. Its developers elected to move away from Zilmar's plugin spec and developed their own set, meaning plugins from other N64 emulators won't work with it. It also has a forked libretro core under active development.
Contents
Download[edit]
Latest Stable/Beta releases | ||
Windows Dev builds i686-w64 for x86, x86_64-w64 for x64 | ||
Mupen64Plus FZ Beta port of Mupen64Plus to Android | ||
2.2 Port of Mupen64Plus to Pandora | ||
0.1 Port of Mupen64Plus to DragonBox Pyra | ||
RMG A GUI for mupen64plus including ParaLLEl and Angrylion plugins | ||
simple64 Hard fork of mupen64plus, providing a GUI and ParaLLEl RSP |
Review[edit]
Mupen64Plus, as released by the core development team, lacks a GUI. It is run either directly from the command line with arguments or by dragging and dropping ROM files onto the executable. Emulator and plugin settings are changed by editing the included mupen64plus.cfg file. If a GUI is desired and/or you don't want to bother with command lines or config files, there are several third party frontends and forks available that provide a more streamlined experience. See the Frontends section below for more.
Mupen64Plus uses its own plugin spec, so it is not compatible with plugins targeting the older zilmar plugin spec used by emulators such as Project64 unless they have been specifically ported to the new spec. However, just about every plugin worth using has now been ported or simultaneously targets both.
By default, Mupen64Plus applies a ton of audio buffering, causing extremely delayed audio, more so than most other emulators. This can be mitigated by lowering the buffer settings in the mupen64plus.cfg file, though lowering it too much will cause audio crackling. For improved audio latency and sync, consider using Mupen64Plus-Next through RetroArch.
Front-ends[edit]
This section will only covers frontends and packages that build on top of the regular mainline Mupen64Plus core and plugins. Multi-emulator frontends such as BizHawk, OpenEmu and RetroArch also use a version of Mupen64Plus for their N64 emulation, though they do so by turning the emulator into a core that interfaces with the frontend through an API such as RetroArch's libretro. As such, their versions of Mupen64Plus are considered forks.
- simple64-gui is a simple to use QT GUI frontend. simple64 is a package which combines recent builds of Mupen64Plus with the ParaLLEl-RDP and RSP plugins and simple64-gui. This is arguably the easiest works-out-of-the-box package for beginners, as there's nothing necessary to configure except controls, though this comes at the expense of not being able to use other plugins.
- Rosalie's Mupen GUI is the newest up-and-coming GUI, and aims to provide both ease of use and a complete emulation package. Each release comes with a recent build of Mupen64Plus, RMG itself, and up-to-date builds of GLideN64, ParaLLEl-RDP, Angrylion Plus, Mupen64Plus HLE RSP, ParaLLEl-RSP and CXD4 RSP, with the option of using other plugins as well. Almost all configuration is done through the UI, with little need to dive into the command line or config files. Highly recommended if you desire more options than those afforded by simple64.
- mupen64plus-qt is a modern QT GUI similar to those you would see in other console emulators like Duckstation and PCSX2.
- M64Py is no more updated Mupen64Plus frontend, and developed by Mupen64Plus author. It come with everything set up, but it also comes with every plugin maintained by the Mupen64Plus development team plus GLideN64. Sadly, it's not perfect, since the input config utility doesn't work with many modern gamepads.
- Old google code site front-ends list
Using Mupen64Plus[edit]
Windows
- First create this directory:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Mupen64Plus
- Copy all the .ini and .cfg files into this folder, then create a folder in there called "save".
- To play games, you can do the following:
- Drag and drop your ROM onto mupen64plus.exe.
- Alternatively, associate .n64/.z64/.v64 files to mupen64plus.exe via Default Apps, then double-click the ROMs to play them.
- You can change plugins and settings by editing the mupen64plus.cfg file.
Recommended plugin setups[edit]
- Main article: Recommended N64 plugins
External links[edit]
- Original Mupen64 site and downloads (Obsolete but possibly of historical interest)
- Emulation64 Spotlight Interview with original Mupen64 developer Hacktarux