Difference between pages "GameCube emulators" and "Sega Genesis emulators"

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{{Infobox console
 
{{Infobox console
−
|title = Nintendo GameCube
+
|title = Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
−
|logo = GameCube-logo.png
+
|logo = RS39200_Megadrive.png
−
|image = GameCube-Console-Set.png
+
|image = Sega-Genesis-Mk2-6button.jpg
−
|developer = [[:Nintendo]]
+
|image2 = Sega-Nomad-Front.jpg
 +
|imagecaption = '''Top:''' PAL Sega Mega Drive.<br/>'''Middle:''' Sega Genesis Model 2 with 6-button controller.<br/>'''Bottom:''' Sega Genesis Nomad, portable variation.
 +
|developer = [[:Sega]]
 
|type = [[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]]
 
|type = [[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]]
−
|generation = [[:Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles|Sixth generation]]
+
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
−
|release = 2001
+
|release = 1988
−
|discontinued = 2007
+
|discontinued = 1997
−
|predecessor = [[Nintendo 64 emulators|Nintendo 64]]
+
|predecessor = [[Master System emulators|Master System]]
−
|successor = [[Wii emulators|Wii]]
+
|successor = [[Sega Saturn emulators|Saturn]]
 
|emulated = {{✓}}
 
|emulated = {{✓}}
 
}}
 
}}
−
The '''[[gametech:Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]]''' ('''GCN'''/'''NGC''') is a 32-bit sixth-generation console released by [[wikipedia:Nintendo|Nintendo]] on November 18, 2001 for {{inflation|USD|199|2001}}. It has a IBM PowerPC Gekko CPU at 486 MHz with a ATI Flipper GPU. Nintendo, Namco, and Sega later designed the '''[https://segaretro.org/Triforce Triforce]''' arcade board based on the GameCube, releasing titles for it the next year. The Triforce had a IBM PowerPC "Gekko" at 486 MHz with 24MB of RAM. The GPU was a Custom ATI/Nintendo "Flipper".
+
The '''[[gametech:Sega_Genesis|Sega Genesis]]''' is a 16-bit, fourth-generation console released by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega Sega] in Japan on October 29, 1988 and in the US on August 14, 1989. It had a Motorola 68000 CPU at 7.6 MHz and a Zilog Z80 at 3.58 MHz. In other regions, it was known as the '''Mega Drive'''. It had several add-ons, including the Sega CD (a CD add-on, called Mega CD outside America) and the 32X (a 32-bit, cartridge-based add-on).
  
−
Nintendo released the successor, the [[Wii emulators|Wii]], in 2006 where it was revealed to have very similar (albeit more powerful) hardware and compatible interfaces. This meant that the Wii could handle GameCube games natively rather than use emulation. In contrast, when the [[Wii U emulators|Wii U]] was released in 2012 it contained a Wii mode that could use Wii remotes, but didn't have ports for GameCube controllers or supported GameCube games; the controller issue was later resolved with the Super Smash Bros. adapter, but this still didn't allow GameCube titles to be run.
+
The Sega CD was released on October 15, 1992 and retailed for {{Inflation|USD|299.99|1992}} and had a Motorola 68000 CPU at 12.5 MHz and 64 kbit of RAM. The Sega 32X was released on November 21, 1994 for {{Inflation|USD|159.99|1994}}. It had 2 SH-2 RISC CPUs at 23 MHz with 256KB of RAM and 256KB of VRAM.
 +
 
 +
Genesis emulation is very good, with a high degree of game compatibility (many of them claiming nearly 100% compatibility with commercial games, including Virtua Racing). They are available on many platforms. Many Genesis emulators also feature compatibility with the [[Master System emulators|Sega Master System]] (SMS), and the [[Master System emulators|Game Gear]] (GG) as well as earlier Sega consoles. Genesis-based arcade boards and the [[Sega Pico]] are still sketchy, however.
  
 
==Emulators==
 
==Emulators==
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! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
−
! scope="col"|GCN
+
! scope="col"|CD
−
! scope="col"|Wii
+
! scope="col"|32X
−
! scope="col"|Triforce
+
! scope="col"|[[Sega Pico|Pico]]
−
! scope="col"|[[libretro|Libretro Core]]
+
! scope="col"|[[Libretro|Libretro Core]]
 
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
 
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
!colspan="10"|PC / x86
+
!colspan="10"|PC
 +
|-
 +
|[[BlastEm]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
|[https://www.retrodev.com/blastem/changes.html {{BlastEmVer}}]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[Exodus]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
|[http://www.exodusemulator.com/index.php/downloads/current-release {{ExodusVer}}]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[Genesis Plus GX]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|{{GenPlusGXVer}}
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}* ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[BizHawk]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
|[http://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[Kega Fusion]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
|[http://www.carpeludum.com/kega-fusion/ 3.64]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[PicoDrive]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|[http://notaz.gp2x.de/pico.php {{PicoDriveVer}}]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<ref group=N name=PicoDrive>Only for the 32X as a cross-platform alternative to Kega Fusion.</ref>
 +
|-
 +
|[[FinalBurn Neo]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
|[https://github.com/finalburnneo/FBNeo/releases/latest stable] [https://ci.appveyor.com/project/tmaul/fbneo-kbhgd/branch/master WIP builds]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[MAME]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|[http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Dolphin]]
+
|[http://segaretro.org/Gens/GS Gens/GS]
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
−
|[https://dolphin-emu.org/download/ Dev]
+
|[http://www.dusers.drexel.edu/gitweb/gitweb.cgi/~korth/gens.git r7]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=triforce>Requires the [https://dolphin-emu.org/download/list/Triforce/1/ Triforce branch] to work. It is very old and unsupported.</ref> ||{{✓}}<ref group=N>Currently at Alpha release and has bugs that are not present on standalone Dolphin.</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Ishiiruka-Dolphin
+
|[http://dgen.sourceforge.net/ DGen]
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
−
|[https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-unofficial-ishiiruka-dolphin-custom-version Dev]
+
|[http://sourceforge.net/projects/dgen/files/dgen/ 1.33]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[Genecyst]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|DOS}}
 +
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20070205202050/http://www.zophar.net/genecyst/gcystxxx.zip x.xx]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[https://github.com/ogamespec/dolwin/ Dolwin]
+
|[[GENS]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|BeOS}}
 +
|[http://gens.me/downloads.shtml 2.14]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[higan]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|[https://github.com/higan-emu/higan/releases {{higanVer}}]
 +
|{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}<small>(bsnes)</small> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|Megado
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
−
|[https://github.com/ogamespec/dolwin/releases {{DolwinVer}}]
+
|[https://github.com/merwaaan/megado Git]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Dolphin (Nintendo)|Dolphin <small>(Nintendo)</small>]]
+
|Regen
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 +
|[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/regen.html 0.972]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|AloneMD
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
−
|[http://www.emuparadise.me/sdk/Installers/Nintendo/GameCube/NINTENDO%20GameCube%20PC%20Dolphin%20Emulator%20e2.8%20(Installer).7z e2.8]
+
|[https://up1.xwikisas.com/#650YS5cXMSc7sGflY1dqeg 1.0.0]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||?
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Gekko
+
!colspan="10"|Mobile / ARM
−
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 
−
|[https://code.google.com/p/gekko-gc-emu/ {{GekkoVer}}]
 
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
!colspan="10"|Mobile / ARM
+
|[[Genesis Plus GX]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS|Linux|Pandora}}
 +
|{{GenPlusGXVer}}
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Dolphin]]
+
|[[PicoDrive]]
−
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|Linux}}
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS|Linux|Pandora}}
−
|[https://dolphin-emu.org/download/list/master Dev]
+
|[http://notaz.gp2x.de/pico.php {{PicoDriveVer}}]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=triforce /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}<ref group=N name=PicoDrive />
 
|-
 
|-
 
!colspan="10"|Consoles
 
!colspan="10"|Consoles
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Nintendont]]
+
|NeoGenesis
−
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii|WiiU}}
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Xbox}}
−
|[https://github.com/FIX94/Nintendont 2021-07-12]
+
|[https://digiex.net/threads/neogenesis-v25-download-sega-genesis-megadrive-32x-segacd-megacd-emulator.13698 NeoGenesis v25]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||N/A ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|Sega Genesis Plus
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Xbox360}}
 +
|[https://digiex.net/threads/sega-genesis-plus-libexnon-genesis-megadrive-emulator-for-xbox-360-download.9936 Libxenon]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[Genesis Plus GX]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|GCN|Xbox360|Wii|3DS}}
 +
|[https://bitbucket.org/eke/genesis-plus-gx/downloads {{GenPlusGXVer}}]<br/>[https://digiex.net/threads/retroarch-360-0-9-8-3-download-sega-sens-gameboy-finalburn-emulator-for-xbox-360.12395 RetroArch 360 0.9.8.3]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[PicoDrive]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|PS2|PSP|3DS}}
 +
|[http://notaz.gp2x.de/pico.php {{PicoDriveVer}}]<br/>[https://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=1710 PicoDrive 1.51b]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
 +
|[[Virtual Console]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii}}
 +
|N/A
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|}
 
|}
 +
<references group=N />
  
−
<references group=N />
+
<nowiki>* Available exclusively as a libretro core</nowiki>
  
 
===Comparisons===
 
===Comparisons===
−
;[[Dolphin]]: is the emulator of choice for the GameCube and the first and only emulator for the Wii. It's updated on a near daily basis and has very good emulation of almost every game, though some games have known bugs on their issue trackers. It is the first emulator to [https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2016/09/06/booting-the-final-gc-game/ boot the full game catalog of a sixth generation home console] (Before any emulator for the same generation rivals like the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and Xbox) and did so on September 2016. The developers maintain a wiki containing known bugs, tips, user-provided tests, and much more for every game. System requirements are high, more so for Wii games than GameCube. As of May 2021, Dolphin's compatibility is at 96% of the games being playable or perfect.
+
;[[Genesis Plus GX]]:A solid emulator for the Sega Genesis / Sega Master System / Sega CD / Game Gear. The only things it lacks are 32X and Pico support, and a native desktop port. The only way to get this emulator on the desktop is to use the libretro core, which allows for all the benefits of RetroArch like shaders, dynamic sync, and other enhancements. The version used in [[BizHawk]] adds features for speedrunners.
−
 
+
:;[https://github.com/libretro/Genesis-Plus-GX-Wide Genesis Plus GX Wide]: Custom fork of Genesis Plus GX available as a libretro core, it includes experimental widescreen options. Sega CD/Mega CD games are currently unsupported.
−
;[http://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-unofficial-ishiiruka-dolphin-custom-version Ishiiruka-Dolphin]: is a fork of Dolphin optimized towards performance at the cost of accuracy and stability in the process. Its most important features are:
+
;[[Kega Fusion]]:The project of an employee with previous experience at Sega. Kega Fusion has high compatibility, is easy to use and has plugin-based filter support but it has some issues on newer versions of Windows which can be solved with compatibility settings.
−
:* Async shader compilation (Avoiding shader compilation time)
+
;[[PicoDrive]]:Strongly prioritizes performance over accuracy. Compatibility and accuracy isn't as good as Genesis Plus GX but it's useful on very underpowered systems like the Raspberry Pi Zero. Currently the first and only cross-platform option for 32X and Pico games.
−
:*Galop's DX11 Texture Encoder/Decoder (Improve Texture decoding specially EFB TO RAM)
+
;[[Exodus]]:Think bsnes but for the Genesis. Even though higan is also getting into the Genesis game, Exodus has already achieved cycle-accuracy at the familiar cost of high system requirements. It is the newest Genesis emulator and is far from complete.
−
:*Pre compiled Vertex loader & Optimized vertex decoding using SSSE3 and SSE4
+
;[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/regen.html Regen]:A focus on accuracy has earned it high compatibility with games, but it does not emulate the Sega CD and 32X. It also allows [[overclocking]].
−
:*Dolby Pro Logic II support for XAudio and OpenAL
+
;[[BlastEm]]:Aims for cycle-accuracy but unlike Exodus, aims for lower system requirements. It has substantially higher compatibility than Exodus, but it should be noted that the last and current official release has inaccurate color emulation.
−
:*Custom Texture improvements to allow directly compressed texture loading including mipmaps
+
;[[GENS]]:Close to Kega Fusion in features and compatibility, but has largely been surpassed by better emulators. There are many different forks and iterations of Gens, so your experience will differ quite a lot depending on which version you use.
−
:*DSP - Time Stretching Option (Improve sound output to avoid sound skipping on slow machines)
+
;[[higan]]:Also developing cycle-accurate Genesis emulation, akin to its very own [[Super Nintendo emulators|SNES emulator]] bsnes. It's promising but incomplete. However, it can be used in the latest builds.
−
:*DX9 support for old machines
+
;[[MAME]]:Has the parent drivers <code style="color:green">genesis</code>, <code style="color:green">sms</code>, <code style="color:green">gamegear</code>, <code style="color:darkred">segacd</code>, and <code style="color:darkred">32x</code>. Green drivers are reported as OK, where red ones are reported as not working as of version 0.200.
−
:*Modified Post Processing interface to support:
 
−
::*Multiple Stages allowing more complex effects.
 
−
::*Depth and native gamma as inputs.
 
−
::*Custom version of DolphinFX that work under dx11 and ogl
 
−
::*SSAO and DOF.
 
−
::*Texture Scaling Support
 
−
::*Bump Mapping with advanced material properties
 
−
::*Phong Specular reflection to improve lighting quality
 
−
::*Tessellation and Displacement Mapping
 
−
::*Rim Lighting
 
−
::*Bump auto-generation to improve lighting
 
−
 
 
−
;Dolwin: an open-source Nintendo GameCube emulator which initially started development in 2004. It went into hiatus but is now active. With that in mind, it's not the most advanced but has interesting features and is able to boot and run some commercial games and demos...
 
−
 
 
−
;[[Dolphin (Nintendo)]]: Nintendo made an emulator for Windows that was also called Dolphin. This official program does not run commercial games and has no connection to the open-source project.
 
−
 
 
−
;[[Nintendont]]: loads Gamecube ISOs for Wii and Wii U. It was a Wii homebrew app, but Wii U with Homebrew Channel on Wii Mode can run it too! For Wii U, there is Memory Card Emulation. Playable with Gamecube Controller, Classic Controller, USB HID controllers and Wiimote + Nunchuk
 
−
<!--
 
−
==Emulation issues==
 
−
-->
 
−
 
 
−
==Running BIOS==
 
−
To boot the GameCube's original BIOS, you need a dump from real hardware. Dolphin does not require it to load games but can be set to use it if desired. Current development builds have introduced a feature allowing users to load the BIOS directly from the interface in the Tools list without needing to load a game, as well as hybrid XFB. If you're on the stable release, use XFB Virtual and disable "Skip BIOS" in the GameCube options; you will have to load a GameCube title so that the startup animation begins and like on the original console, you hold the first controller's A button down and the system will send you into the main menu instead of booting the game. You can then switch to another game with Change Disc, or you can explore the BIOS.
 
−
 
 
−
==Peripherals==
 
−
 
 
−
===GC/GBA Cable===
 
−
Nintendo produced a [[Wikipedia:Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable|special cable]] (<code>DOL-011</code>) that allowed connectivity with the [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]] in specific games. Up to four ports could be taken up for the game. While the third-generation Pokémon games are the prime example of it being used in conjunction with Colosseum, XD, or Pokémon Box, they aren't the only games to do so.
 
−
 
 
−
The GC/GBA Link feature is partially emulated; the Dolphin team collaborated with [[VisualBoy Advance#VBA-M|VBA-M]] developers to get the feature supported in the emulators. Since VBA-M has fallen out of favor, being replaced by [[mGBA]], the Dolphin team has since been developing a way for other emulators to use the feature. Some GameCube games make use of the GBA's [[GBA e-Reader emulators|e-Reader]]; this is not supported at the moment.
 
−
 
 
−
To get it working, you need a recent copy of Dolphin and VBA-M, and DSP-LLE enabled.
 
−
 
 
−
===Game Boy Player===
 
−
This add-on plugged into the bottom of the GameCube and allowed it to play Game Boy / Game Boy Advance games on a standard television; it had provisions against [[Wikipedia:Game Boy Advance Video|Game Boy Advance Video]] cartridges by returning an error after booting them. The launcher even had support for the GBA-GCN link cable where the Game Boy Advance would serve as the controller. Some GBA games like ''Super Mario Advance 4'' and ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' took advantage of the add-on by adding rumble support. The hardware is essentially a peripheral containing Game Boy Advance hardware.
 
−
 
 
−
No emulator currently supports the Game Boy Player hardware and its features. The author of [[mGBA]] has expressed interest in getting the feature working with the Dolphin team.{{cite}}
 
−
 
 
−
===Broadband Adapter===
 
−
This shouldn't be confused with [[netplay]], which synchronizes emulation over an internet connection.
 
−
 
 
−
This was an add-on that allowed the console to use LAN technology over [[Wikipedia:Ethernet|ethernet]]. ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' used it to play on a local network with up to eight other GameCubes while ''Phantasy Star Online'' took it a step further to allow an internet connection for Sega's now-offline official game servers. ''Kirby Air Ride'' and ''1080° Avalanche'' also support this adapter. This feature was unavailable on the [[Wii emulators|Wii]] despite having 802.11 b/g connectivity built-in and an official USB LAN adaptor.
 
−
 
 
−
It's possible to hook up zero or more of each of these configurations on one networked game:
 
−
*A GameCube with the broadband adapter (of course)
 
−
*A soft modded Wii with [https://gbatemp.net/threads/330554 Devolution]
 
−
*A recent version of Dolphin with OpenVPN
 
−
 
 
−
[[Dolphin]] has support for the Broadband Adapter on Windows and Linux. Go to <code>Config</code> > <code>GameCube</code>. A drop-down for <code>SP1</code> will have the <code>Broadband Adaptor</code> or <code>BBA</code>, depending on the version of Dolphin you're running. [https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Broadband_Adapter#How_to_use_the_BroadBand_Adapter Their wiki contains up to date instructions on setting up a VPN.]
 
−
 
 
−
[[Nintendont]] has the easiest method. There is an option named BBA Emulation to emulate the Broadband Adapter.
 
  
−
===Bongos===
+
==Lock-On Emulation==
−
This is a special controller used with ''Donkey Konga'' and other ''Donkey Kong'' games released for the GameCube. Dolphin supports this controller.
+
Lock-On Technology is a unique feature found on Sonic & Knuckles cartridges for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis that allowed a player to connect an older game to the cartridge's pass-through port for extended or altered gameplay.
  
−
===Microphone===
+
* With Sonic 3: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 3 with more levels.
−
This was an accessory bundled with ''Mario Party 6 & Mario Party 7'' that allowed the GameCube to receive audio from the memory card slot. There were also other games known to support it.
+
* With Sonic 2: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 2 with playable Knuckles.
 +
* With Sonic 1: Unlocks the Blue Sphere minigame with a level select to all possible levels.
  
−
In Dolphin, set slot B in the emulator settings to the microphone. In the operating system, you then make your default recording device available.
+
The Sonic & Knuckles cartridge can lock on to other cartridges:
  
−
==Triforce==
+
* Smaller than 2MB: Will play a single random level from the Blue Sphere minigame generated from data in the header.
−
The [[wikipedia:List_of_Sega_arcade_system_boards#Triforce|Triforce]] is an [[:Category:Arcade|arcade system board]] developed jointly by [[wikipedia:Namco|Namco]], [[wikipedia:Sega|Sega]], and Nintendo, with the first games appearing in 2002. The system hardware is based on the Nintendo GameCube with several differences, such as provisions for add-ons such as Sega's GD-ROM system and upgradeable RAM modules. [[Wii emulators]] can also play Triforce games.
+
* Bigger than 2MB: Will boot to Sonic & Knuckles.
 +
* Has Battery Pack: All save data will be wiped out.
  
−
Dolphin used to have Triforce support in the stable builds, which was quickly deprecated and [https://dolphin-emu.org/download/list/Triforce/ a branch] remained. This branch is no longer updated, but can still be used.<ref>https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2016/09/01/dolphin-progress-report-august-2016</ref> The developers plan to bring it back, but only if there is interest and work is done to clean up the code.
+
Most emulators don't support Lock-On save for Genesis Plus GX, but there are pre-combined ROMs for the Sonic trilogy available online that can be played as a regular Megadrive ROM on any emulator and still work. The Sonic 3 Complete romhack also achieves the same purpose.
  
−
Compatibility is abysmal, and there are lots of unemulated features preventing the games from even booting without patches like both Mario Kart GP games. Check the Dolphin Wiki for more information. Various features including the NamCam camera, the save transfer functionality, and the multiple Triforce board networking, are simply not emulated.
+
Genesis Plus GX's [[RetroArch]] core includes true Lock-On emulation. From the Core Options menu, you can enable the Lock-On feature for either Sonic & Knuckles, Game Genie, or the Action Replay (Pro) -- the latter two using a different technology but with similar effects. Setting this option to anything other than "Off" will enable Lock-on to the cartridge you're currently playing as. After resetting, the game will boot in Lock-On mode.
  
−
For the games that do emulate with Dolphin Triforce (that is, the Mario Kart GP games and little else):
+
The following files need to be under the directory for BIOS files (usually "system"):
−
* Under "Config/GameCube" (or more recently "Controllers"), "SP1" and "Port 1" need to be assigned to "AM-Baseboard".
+
* sk.bin (Sonic & Knuckles (2 MiB) ROM)
−
* "Enable Cheats" must be activated. Mario Kart GP1 and GP2 have patch codes that need to be added to their gameini file to fix the showstopping emulation bugs and to change the coins value to something else than 0, to play it at all.
+
* sk2chip.bin (Sonic & Knuckles UPMEM (256 KiB) ROM): If you can't find it online, extract it with a hex editor from a pre-combined Sonic 2 & Knuckles ROM from offset 00300000 to the end of the ROM.
−
* The keys used are the same as the GameCube controls in Dolphin. The Z button supposedly emulates "Insert Coin", but it doesn't seem to work.
 
  
−
There is a Nintendont option to activate Triforce. Moving the C-stick anywhere will insert a coin.
+
For GG/AR, the files needed are areplay.bin and ggenie.bin, but most emulators support cheat codes from these natively.
  
−
==Panasonic Q==
+
==Mega Drive Plus / Genesis Plus==
−
[[File:Panasonic Q.png|210px|thumb|left|The Panasonic Q GameCube console.]]
 
−
The Panasonic Q  (sometimes refered to as GameQ by Gamecube fans) is a hybrid version of the GameCube with a DVD player manufactured by Panasonic in cooperation with Nintendo. The system was officially released only in Japan. A feature of its main competitors Xbox and PlayStation 2, the GameCube lacked commercial DVD movie playback functionality due to the use of the Nintendo optical discs format for games and the correspondingly small disc tray.
 
−
Initially, the Panasonic Q was only able to play games and DVDs from Japan; however, a modified version, which could play American games and DVDs, began to be sold from Import shops, making it a popular console to import from Japan. The unit was priced at around ¥41,000 JPY and the modified version was priced at ¥46,000 JPY.
 
−
The Panasonic Q is capable of using almost all of the GameCube hardware upgrades. A special version of the Game Boy Player was designed for the Q because the Player was designed to fit onto the bottom of the GameCube, and the Q's different bottom form factor kept the Player from being installed. Other features of the Panasonic Q include a backlit information LCD, a front-loading slot disc tray, an optical sound output supporting Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS, a separate subwoofer jack, and a stainless steel chassis. These high-end features, as well as the aforementioned multimedia playback capabilites, have made the Panasonic Q a popular console to collect.
 
  
−
The Q system was licensed by Nintendo, released on December 13, 2001, and was discontinued on December 18, 2003 due to low sales.
+
The Mega Drive Plus / Genesis Plus (sometimes abbreviated as MD+) is a special mode for certain Genesis games that use enhanced CDDA tracks with a Sega CD. This was not used in any official games, however, the mode itself was first used in the first batch of Pier Solar releases. This feature was been [https://downloads.terraonion.com/public/MegaSD_DEV_Manual.pdf documented] to be used on Terraonion's Mega SD flash cartridge, to give similar effects for Genesis games in a way how MSU-1 does in patched SNES games.
  
−
==Resources==
+
Currently, no Genesis + Sega CD emulators feature this function, although there is [https://github.com/ekeeke/Genesis-Plus-GX/issues/297 plans to be added] in Genesis Plus GX.
−
*[https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Main_Page Dolphin Wiki] - The most comprehensive wiki for the Dolphin emulator and games. Good for any fixes/tweaks/settings you should know beforehand.
 
  
−
==References==
+
==External links==
−
<references/>
+
* [http://wiki.megadrive.org/index.php?title=Main_Page MegaDrive Development Wiki] - A Wiki about every technical aspect of the SEGA MegaDrive hardware and software. Its aim is to provide the most detailed, accurate and up to date information, to help homebrew development and repairs.
 +
* [http://segaretro.org/Category:Mega_Drive_emulators Mega Drive emulators] on Sega Retro
 +
* [https://archive.org/details/sega_genesis_library ARCHIVE.ORG Console Library: Sega Genesis]
  
−
{{Nintendo}}
+
{{Sega}}
  
 
[[Category:Consoles]]
 
[[Category:Consoles]]
 
[[Category:Home consoles]]
 
[[Category:Home consoles]]
−
[[Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles]]
+
[[Category:Sega consoles]]
−
[[Category:Nintendo consoles]]
+
[[Category:Sega Genesis emulators|*]]
−
[[Category:GameCube emulators|*]]
+
[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]

Revision as of 01:00, 13 July 2021

Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
RS39200 Megadrive.png
Sega-Genesis-Mk2-6button.jpg
Sega-Nomad-Front.jpg
Top: PAL Sega Mega Drive.
Middle: Sega Genesis Model 2 with 6-button controller.
Bottom: Sega Genesis Nomad, portable variation.
Developer Sega
Type Home video game console
Generation Fourth generation
Release date 1988
Discontinued 1997
Predecessor Master System
Successor Saturn
Emulated ✓

The Sega Genesis is a 16-bit, fourth-generation console released by Sega in Japan on October 29, 1988 and in the US on August 14, 1989. It had a Motorola 68000 CPU at 7.6 MHz and a Zilog Z80 at 3.58 MHz. In other regions, it was known as the Mega Drive. It had several add-ons, including the Sega CD (a CD add-on, called Mega CD outside America) and the 32X (a 32-bit, cartridge-based add-on).

The Sega CD was released on October 15, 1992 and retailed for $299.99 and had a Motorola 68000 CPU at 12.5 MHz and 64 kbit of RAM. The Sega 32X was released on November 21, 1994 for $159.99. It had 2 SH-2 RISC CPUs at 23 MHz with 256KB of RAM and 256KB of VRAM.

Genesis emulation is very good, with a high degree of game compatibility (many of them claiming nearly 100% compatibility with commercial games, including Virtua Racing). They are available on many platforms. Many Genesis emulators also feature compatibility with the Sega Master System (SMS), and the Game Gear (GG) as well as earlier Sega consoles. Genesis-based arcade boards and the Sega Pico are still sketchy, however.

Emulators

Name Platform(s) Latest Version CD 32X Pico Libretro Core FLOSS Active Recommended
PC
BlastEm Windows Linux macOS 0.6.2 ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Exodus Windows 2.1 ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓
Genesis Plus GX Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 1.7.5 RC1 ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓* ✗ ✓ ✓
BizHawk Windows 2.9.1 ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ ? ✓ ✓
Kega Fusion Windows Linux macOS 3.64 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✗ ~
PicoDrive Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 1.93 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✗[N 1]
FinalBurn Neo Windows Linux macOS stable WIP builds ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✗
MAME Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 0.264 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗
Gens/GS Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD r7 ✓ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗
DGen Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 1.33 ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗
Genecyst MS-DOS x.xx ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗
GENS Windows Linux BeOS 2.14 ✓ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗
higan Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD v110 ~ ✗ ✗ ✓(bsnes) ✓ ✓ ✗
Megado Windows Linux Git ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ? ✓ ✗
Regen Windows Linux 0.972 ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ? ✗ ✗
AloneMD Windows 1.0.0 ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ ?
Mobile / ARM
Genesis Plus GX Android iOS Linux Pandora 1.7.5 RC1 ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓
PicoDrive Android iOS Linux Pandora 1.93 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓[N 1]
Consoles
NeoGenesis Xbox NeoGenesis v25 ✓ ✓ ✗ ✗ ? ✗ ✓
Sega Genesis Plus Xbox 360 Libxenon ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ? ✗ ✗
Genesis Plus GX GameCube Xbox 360 Wii Nintendo 3DS 1.7.5 RC1
RetroArch 360 0.9.8.3 		✓ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓
PicoDrive PlayStation 2 PSP Nintendo 3DS 1.93
PicoDrive 1.51b 		✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓
Virtual Console Wii N/A ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✓
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Only for the 32X as a cross-platform alternative to Kega Fusion.

* Available exclusively as a libretro core

Comparisons

Genesis Plus GX
A solid emulator for the Sega Genesis / Sega Master System / Sega CD / Game Gear. The only things it lacks are 32X and Pico support, and a native desktop port. The only way to get this emulator on the desktop is to use the libretro core, which allows for all the benefits of RetroArch like shaders, dynamic sync, and other enhancements. The version used in BizHawk adds features for speedrunners.
Genesis Plus GX Wide
Custom fork of Genesis Plus GX available as a libretro core, it includes experimental widescreen options. Sega CD/Mega CD games are currently unsupported.
Kega Fusion
The project of an employee with previous experience at Sega. Kega Fusion has high compatibility, is easy to use and has plugin-based filter support but it has some issues on newer versions of Windows which can be solved with compatibility settings.
PicoDrive
Strongly prioritizes performance over accuracy. Compatibility and accuracy isn't as good as Genesis Plus GX but it's useful on very underpowered systems like the Raspberry Pi Zero. Currently the first and only cross-platform option for 32X and Pico games.
Exodus
Think bsnes but for the Genesis. Even though higan is also getting into the Genesis game, Exodus has already achieved cycle-accuracy at the familiar cost of high system requirements. It is the newest Genesis emulator and is far from complete.
Regen
A focus on accuracy has earned it high compatibility with games, but it does not emulate the Sega CD and 32X. It also allows overclocking.
BlastEm
Aims for cycle-accuracy but unlike Exodus, aims for lower system requirements. It has substantially higher compatibility than Exodus, but it should be noted that the last and current official release has inaccurate color emulation.
GENS
Close to Kega Fusion in features and compatibility, but has largely been surpassed by better emulators. There are many different forks and iterations of Gens, so your experience will differ quite a lot depending on which version you use.
higan
Also developing cycle-accurate Genesis emulation, akin to its very own SNES emulator bsnes. It's promising but incomplete. However, it can be used in the latest builds.
MAME
Has the parent drivers genesis, sms, gamegear, segacd, and 32x. Green drivers are reported as OK, where red ones are reported as not working as of version 0.200.

Lock-On Emulation

Lock-On Technology is a unique feature found on Sonic & Knuckles cartridges for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis that allowed a player to connect an older game to the cartridge's pass-through port for extended or altered gameplay.

  • With Sonic 3: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 3 with more levels.
  • With Sonic 2: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 2 with playable Knuckles.
  • With Sonic 1: Unlocks the Blue Sphere minigame with a level select to all possible levels.

The Sonic & Knuckles cartridge can lock on to other cartridges:

  • Smaller than 2MB: Will play a single random level from the Blue Sphere minigame generated from data in the header.
  • Bigger than 2MB: Will boot to Sonic & Knuckles.
  • Has Battery Pack: All save data will be wiped out.

Most emulators don't support Lock-On save for Genesis Plus GX, but there are pre-combined ROMs for the Sonic trilogy available online that can be played as a regular Megadrive ROM on any emulator and still work. The Sonic 3 Complete romhack also achieves the same purpose.

Genesis Plus GX's RetroArch core includes true Lock-On emulation. From the Core Options menu, you can enable the Lock-On feature for either Sonic & Knuckles, Game Genie, or the Action Replay (Pro) -- the latter two using a different technology but with similar effects. Setting this option to anything other than "Off" will enable Lock-on to the cartridge you're currently playing as. After resetting, the game will boot in Lock-On mode.

The following files need to be under the directory for BIOS files (usually "system"):

  • sk.bin (Sonic & Knuckles (2 MiB) ROM)
  • sk2chip.bin (Sonic & Knuckles UPMEM (256 KiB) ROM): If you can't find it online, extract it with a hex editor from a pre-combined Sonic 2 & Knuckles ROM from offset 00300000 to the end of the ROM.

For GG/AR, the files needed are areplay.bin and ggenie.bin, but most emulators support cheat codes from these natively.

Mega Drive Plus / Genesis Plus

The Mega Drive Plus / Genesis Plus (sometimes abbreviated as MD+) is a special mode for certain Genesis games that use enhanced CDDA tracks with a Sega CD. This was not used in any official games, however, the mode itself was first used in the first batch of Pier Solar releases. This feature was been documented to be used on Terraonion's Mega SD flash cartridge, to give similar effects for Genesis games in a way how MSU-1 does in patched SNES games.

Currently, no Genesis + Sega CD emulators feature this function, although there is plans to be added in Genesis Plus GX.

External links

Dreamcast logo.png
 Consoles: SG-1000 • Master System • Genesis / Mega Drive • CD • 32X • Pico • Saturn • Dreamcast
Handhelds: Game Gear • VMU / VMS
Arcade: System series • Model 1 • Model 2 • Model 3 • NAOMI
Retrieved from "https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php?title=GameCube_emulators&oldid=37847"