Pioneer LaserActive
| |
| Developer | Pioneer Corporation |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Fourth generation |
| Release date | 1993 |
| Discontinued | 1996 |
| Emulated | ✗ |
The Pioneer LaserActive is a converged, fourth-generation device capable of playing LaserDiscs, compact discs, console games, and LD-G karaoke discs. It was released by Pioneer Corporation in 1993. In addition to LaserActive games, separately sold add-on modules (called "PACs" by Pioneer) accept Mega Drive and PC Engine ROM cartridges and CD-ROMs.
Pioneer released the LaserActive model CLD-A100 in Japan on August 20, 1993, at a cost of ¥89,800 and in the United States on September 13, 1993, at a cost of $970. NEC later released a cloned version of the system, the NEC PDE-LD1, which also accepted Pioneer's PAC modules. The LaserActive was a commercial failure.
Contents
Emulators[edit]
THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO EMULATORS FOR THIS DEVICE THAT CAN RUN COMMERCIAL GAMES AND/OR SOFTWARE.
| Name | Platform(s) | Latest version | Enhancements | Hardware features and accessories |
License | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC / x86 | |||||||
| MAME |    
|
git artifacts[N 1] 0.272 libretro core[N 2] |
~ | ✗ | GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause |
✓ | ✗* |
- ↑ CI-Windows CI-Linux CI-Macos
- ↑ As 0.251, 0.139 (2010), 0.78 (2003), 0.37b5 (2000)
Enhancements[edit]
| Name | MAME | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics | Resizable Internal Resolution | For emulation of 2D systems, the resolution can only be upscaled, making the pixels more apparent. | |||||||||
| Widescreen hack | ? | ||||||||||
| Sprite Replacement | ? | ||||||||||
| Performance | Overclock | ? | |||||||||
| Internal Framerate Hack | ? | ||||||||||
| Preload optical disc image to RAM Useful enhancement feature for users with slow mechanical HDD seeking performance. However you need reasonable amount of RAM capacity. |
? | ||||||||||
| Post-Processing | Post-rendering AA (FXAA, TXAA and MLAA/SMAA) |
? | |||||||||
| Post-rendering scaling (Sharp bilinear, Lanczos and FSR 1) |
✓ | ||||||||||
| Filters | ✓ | ||||||||||
| AI-powered filter compatible (Freestyle) |
? | ||||||||||
| Shader Chain | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Inverse tone mapping compatible | ? | ||||||||||
| TAS features | Macros/Scripts/Lua | ? | |||||||||
| Rewind | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Fast-Forward/Turbo Speed | ? | ||||||||||
| Savestates | ? | ||||||||||
| Movie recording/playback | ? | ||||||||||
| Controls | Input lag-mitigating technique | ? | |||||||||
| Quality of life | Pause/Resume Emulation | ? | |||||||||
| Per-Game Profiles | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Command Line Options | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Streamable compression format | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Built-in mod editor and manager | ? | ||||||||||
| Built-in Cheat Manager | ? | ||||||||||
| Built-in Patch Manager | ? | ||||||||||
| Big Picture Mode | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Built-in Custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes For using this on Windows OS you need CRT Emudriver. Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility". |
Exclusive to libretro cores and GroovyMAME at the moment. Also there is a project for achieving software emulators like libretro cores and GroovyMAME send the raw RGB data over a network to a core running on MiSTer, it basically turns the MiSTer into a GPU for the emulator allowing for easy setup and use with CRT TVs/Arcade monitors. | ||||||||||
| Misc | Netplay | ? | |||||||||
| EmuVR support | Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment. | ||||||||||
| AI Service With the help of OCR and other techniques, the AI service can provide a live translation of a game, or text-to-speech capabilities for the visually impaired among other things, either on demand or automatically. |
Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment. | ||||||||||
| RetroAchievements | ✗ | ||||||||||
| Debug Features | ? | ||||||||||
Hardware features and accessories[edit]
| Name | MAME | |
|---|---|---|
| DTS and RSS (it lacks the popular Dolby AC-3 surround) |
✗ | |
| LD Player | Pioneer LaserActive supports LD-ROM, LD-G and LaserDisc movies. Unlike most optical-disc standards, LaserDisc is not fully digital, and instead requires the use of analog video signals. Use this guide for LD media. | |
| PACs | Karaoke PAC | |
| Sega PAC | ✗* | |
| NEC PAC | ✗* | |
| Computer Interface PAC | ✗ | |
PACs[edit]
- SegaRetro - LaserActive PACs
- Sega PAC (PAC-S10/PAC-S1)
- Mega LD games for the Pioneer LaserActive's Sega PAC expansion module
The Sega PAC allows the system to play Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, and also Sega Mega LD games, in addition to CD-G media. Like it's counterpart, the NEC PAC, it also expands the LaserDisc functionality of the system by adding advanced playback features like frame-by-frame view and multi-speed jogging.
- NEC PAC (PAC-N10/PAC-N1)
- consolemods: NEC LD-ROM² games for the Pioneer LaserActive's NEC PAC expansion module
The NEC PAC allows the system to play NEC PC Engine, NEC PC Engine CD-ROM², and also NEC LD-ROM² games, in addition to CD-G media. Like it's counterpart, the Sega PAC, it also expands the LaserDisc functionality of the system by adding advanced playback features like frame-by-frame view and multi-speed jogging.
- Karaoke PAC (PAC-K10/PAC-K1)
The Karaoke PAC allows the system to play LD-G media, and features karaoke-oriented inputs and controls.
- Computer Interface PAC (PAC-PC1)
The Computer Interface PAC allows the system to be controlled by an NEC PC-98, IBM PC DOS, or Apple Macintosh personal computer, by way of a custom program authored to communicate via the PAC's 25-pin serial port.
- See this dedicated page for more information about home media playback support for emulation softwares.
Emulation issues[edit]
The LaserActive Project wishes to document all LaserActive media. On their FAQ page, they have this to say about the possibility of creating a LaserActive emulator:
Emulation of the LaserActive, if attempted at all, would be an incredibly difficult task – due to the hybrid nature of the system's hardware (utilizing Sega/NEC hardware in synchronization with the unique LD player hardware) and the analog-digital composite image (analog video background, digital in-game graphics generated by said Sega/NEC hardware).[1]
Emulator developer Nemesis has made an effort to dump the games for the system (except for porn games).[2] Copies of the games sent to him were supposed to be dumped and then returned.[2]
