Difference between revisions of "Apple IIGS emulators"

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> emulators}}
 
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> emulators}}
 
{{Infobox console
 
{{Infobox console
|title=Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span>
+
|title = Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span>
|image=AppleIIGSPC.png
+
|image = AppleIIGSPC.png
|imagecaption=An Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> PC.
+
|imagecaption = An Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> PC.
|developer=Apple Computer, Inc.
+
|developer = [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer, Inc.]]
|type=[[:Category:Computers|Computers]]
+
|type = [[:Category:Computers|Computers]]
|release=September 1986
+
|release = September 1986
|discontinued=December 1992
+
|introductory price = {{Inflation|USD|999|1986}}
|predecessor = [[Apple II Line|Apple II]]
+
|discontinued = December 1992
|emulated={{✓}}
+
|predecessor = [[Apple II line|Apple II]]
 +
|emulated = {{✓}}
 
}}
 
}}
{{stub}}
 
  
The [[Apple II Line|Apple II]]<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> is a 16-bit PC produced by Apple Computer Inc. It was created to compete with the [[Amiga Line|Amiga]] and the [[Atari ST Line|Atari ST]] lines of PCs.
+
The '''[[Apple II line|Apple II]]<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span>''' is a 16-bit PC produced by Apple Computer, Inc. It was created to compete with the [[Amiga line|Amiga]] and the [[Atari ST line|Atari ST]] lines of PCs.
  
Despite the Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> name, it is a completely different architecture. The system has a chip called the “Mega II” which is an [[Apple II Line|Apple //e]] on a chip, making it fully backwards compatible with Apple ][ software.
+
Despite the Apple II<span style="font-size:75%">GS</span> name, it is a completely different architecture. The system has a chip called the “Mega II” which is an [[Apple II line|Apple //e]] on a chip, making it fully backwards compatible with Apple ][ software.
  
 
It was the first machine from Apple to use the Apple Desktop Bus and the first to provide a colour version of QuickDraw since the first colour Macintosh was not available until 1987. However it does not provide a high-resolution square pixel mode.
 
It was the first machine from Apple to use the Apple Desktop Bus and the first to provide a colour version of QuickDraw since the first colour Macintosh was not available until 1987. However it does not provide a high-resolution square pixel mode.
 +
 +
==Emulators==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! scope="col"|Name
 +
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 +
! scope="col"|Latest version
 +
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
 +
! scope="col"|Active
 +
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7"|PC / x86
 +
|-
 +
| [[KEGS]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
| [http://kegs.sourceforge.net/ {{KEGSVer}}]
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[GSplus]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
| [https://github.com/digarok/gsplus/releases {{GSplusVer}}]
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✗}}
 +
| {{~}}
 +
|-
 +
| [https://david-schmidt.github.io/gsport GSport]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
| [https://github.com/david-schmidt/gsport/releases {{GSportVer}}]
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✗}}
 +
| {{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [https://www.sheppyware.net/software-mac/sweet16/ Sweet16]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|macOS}}
 +
| [https://www.sheppyware.net/software-mac/sweet16/ {{Sweet16Ver}}]
 +
| {{?}}
 +
| {{✗}}
 +
| {{?}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[MAME]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
| [http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [https://www.crossrunner.gs/ Crossrunner]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
| [https://www.crossrunner.gs/ {{CrossrunnerVer}}]
 +
| {{?}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{?}}
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Processor==
 +
The central processor is a 65816, a backwards-compatible 16-bit update to the 6502 that was also used in the Super Nintendo. It runs natively at 2.8Mhz but will slow down to ~1Mhz when in classic Apple II emulation mode or when writing to video memory.
  
 
==Graphics Capabilities==
 
==Graphics Capabilities==
 
+
In addition to RGB emulations of the existing Apple II artefact composite video modes, the IIgs adds 320x200 and 640x200 RGB colour modes; the former in various combinations of 16 colours per line and the latter at 4 colours per line (including a hardware dithering mode that acts a little like 16 colours per line). Each line may use any of 16 palettes, making a total of 256 colours on screen without raster-linked palette changes.
In addition to RGB emulations of the existing Apple II artefact composite video modes, the IIgs adds 320x200 and 640x200 RGB colour modes; the former in various combinations of 16 colours per line and the latter at 4 colours per line (including a hardware dithering mode that acts a little like 16 colours per line). Hardware support is provided for changing palettes between lines.
 
  
 
There is also some support for 'fill mode', in which colour 0 means "repeat the last non-zero colour", designed to aid in fast single-colour fills.
 
There is also some support for 'fill mode', in which colour 0 means "repeat the last non-zero colour", designed to aid in fast single-colour fills.
  
==Audio Capabilities==
+
Colours are selected from a 12-bit RGB 4,096 colour palette; the IIGS therefore has the same total colour range as its contemporaries the Commodore Amiga, the Atari STE and the Acorn Archimedes.
  
The IIGS comes with a 32-channel wavetable Ensoniq sound chip, which uses 64kb for samples.
+
However it is subject to a number of deficiencies: there is a single buffer for video only — double buffering is not supported — and it supports neither hardware scrolling nor hardware sprites; and as all writes into video memory clock the CPU down to 1Mhz these are expensive to perform in software.
  
==Emulators==
+
==Audio Capabilities==
 +
The IIGS provides a 32-channel wavetable Ensoniq sound chip, which uses 64kb for samples.
  
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
+
The OS by default configures this as 15 stereo channels and uses the remaining two channels as interrupt counters; the IIGS is therefore often described as a 15-channel machine.
!scope="col"|Name
 
!scope="col"|Operating system(s)
 
!scope="col"|Latest version
 
!scope="col"|Active
 
!scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|[[KEGS]]
 
|Multi-platform
 
|0.91
 
|{{✗}}
 
|{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|[[GSplus]]
 
|Multi-platform
 
|0.14
 
|{{✓}}
 
|{{~}}
 
|-
 
|[[GSport]]
 
|Multi-platform
 
|0.31
 
|{{✗}}
 
|{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|[[MAME]]
 
|Multi-platform
 
|{{MAMEVer}}
 
|{{✓}}
 
|{{✗}}
 
|}
 
  
  
 
{{Apple}}
 
{{Apple}}
 +
 +
[[Category:Computers]]
 +
[[Category:Apple computers]]

Latest revision as of 08:02, 12 March 2024

Apple IIGS
AppleIIGSPC.png
An Apple IIGS PC.
Developer Apple Computer, Inc.
Type Computers
Release date September 1986
Discontinued December 1992
Introductory price $999
Predecessor Apple II
Emulated

The Apple IIGS is a 16-bit PC produced by Apple Computer, Inc. It was created to compete with the Amiga and the Atari ST lines of PCs.

Despite the Apple IIGS name, it is a completely different architecture. The system has a chip called the “Mega II” which is an Apple //e on a chip, making it fully backwards compatible with Apple ][ software.

It was the first machine from Apple to use the Apple Desktop Bus and the first to provide a colour version of QuickDraw since the first colour Macintosh was not available until 1987. However it does not provide a high-resolution square pixel mode.

Emulators[edit]

Name Platform(s) Latest version FLOSS Active Recommended
PC / x86
KEGS Windows Linux macOS 1.34
GSplus Windows Linux macOS 0.14 ~
GSport Windows Linux macOS 0.31
Sweet16 macOS 3.0.3 ? ?
MAME Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 0.264
Crossrunner Windows 1.02 ? ?

Processor[edit]

The central processor is a 65816, a backwards-compatible 16-bit update to the 6502 that was also used in the Super Nintendo. It runs natively at 2.8Mhz but will slow down to ~1Mhz when in classic Apple II emulation mode or when writing to video memory.

Graphics Capabilities[edit]

In addition to RGB emulations of the existing Apple II artefact composite video modes, the IIgs adds 320x200 and 640x200 RGB colour modes; the former in various combinations of 16 colours per line and the latter at 4 colours per line (including a hardware dithering mode that acts a little like 16 colours per line). Each line may use any of 16 palettes, making a total of 256 colours on screen without raster-linked palette changes.

There is also some support for 'fill mode', in which colour 0 means "repeat the last non-zero colour", designed to aid in fast single-colour fills.

Colours are selected from a 12-bit RGB 4,096 colour palette; the IIGS therefore has the same total colour range as its contemporaries the Commodore Amiga, the Atari STE and the Acorn Archimedes.

However it is subject to a number of deficiencies: there is a single buffer for video only — double buffering is not supported — and it supports neither hardware scrolling nor hardware sprites; and as all writes into video memory clock the CPU down to 1Mhz these are expensive to perform in software.

Audio Capabilities[edit]

The IIGS provides a 32-channel wavetable Ensoniq sound chip, which uses 64kb for samples.

The OS by default configures this as 15 stereo channels and uses the remaining two channels as interrupt counters; the IIGS is therefore often described as a 15-channel machine.


Apple Inc.
Apple Computer (1998).jpg
Desktop: Apple IApple II Line (Apple IIGS) • Apple III lineLisaMacintosh lineMacOS
Mobile: iPodiOS
Consoles: Pippin