Disc Drive emulation: Difference between revisions

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==Comparison==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"

|+ Only emulators that are recommended in the EmuGen Wiki are listed here. For the low-level archival capabilities of specific disc image formats, see the [[Ripping games#Comparison|Ripping comparison]] section. For compressed or scrubbed disc image formats and emulator compatibility, see [[Save disk space for ISOs]]. For ~~arcade hardware utilizing analog video discs~~, see [[~~Arcade_LaserDisc_emulators~~#~~Games~~|~~Arcade LaserDisc~~]]. If an emulator's virtual disc drive lacks the full structural architecture to handle a format's native [[Copy protection]] mechanisms such as loading the image but ignoring subchannels or skipping physical topology checks (whether due to technical limitations or copyright compliance concerns), mark the capability as <nowiki>{{~}}</nowiki> instead of <nowiki>{{✓}}</nowiki>.

|+ Only emulators that are recommended in the EmuGen Wiki are listed here. For the low-level archival capabilities of specific disc image formats, see the [[Ripping games#Comparison|Ripping comparison]] section. For compressed or scrubbed disc image formats and emulator compatibility, see [[Save disk space for ISOs]]. For home media playback capabilities, see the [[Home media players#Emulators that support multimedia capabilities of the system|emulators that support multimedia capabilities of the system]] section. If an emulator's virtual disc drive lacks the full structural architecture to handle a format's native [[Copy protection]] mechanisms such as loading the image but ignoring subchannels or skipping physical topology checks (whether due to technical limitations or copyright compliance concerns), mark the capability as <nowiki>{{~}}</nowiki> instead of <nowiki>{{✓}}</nowiki>.

|-

! rowspan=2 scope="col" style="vertical-align:middle; width:15%;" | Emulator Name

! colspan=5 scope="colgroup" | [[#CD|CDs]]

! colspan=4 scope="colgroup" | [[#DVD|DVDs]], UMDs, HD-DVDs and BDs

! colspan=6 scope="colgroup" | [[#~~System-Specific~~|System-Specific]]

! colspan=7 scope="colgroup" | [[#System_Specific|System-Specific]]

|-

! scope="col" | CDRWin BIN/[[Cue_sheet_(.cue)|CUE]]

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! scope="col" | .bin or .gdi / .raw

! scope="col" | .dmg

! scope="col" | .mmi

! scope="col" | Disc Passthrough

|-

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| colspan="3" {{✗}}

| {{✓}}

| colspan="5" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Dolphin_Drive">Dolphin supports raw GameCube and Wii disc image dumps. However, standard PC optical drives cannot read these proprietary formats natively, and Dolphin lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical discs or homebrew DVD-Video playback.</ref>

| colspan="6" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Dolphin_Drive">Dolphin supports raw GameCube and Wii disc image dumps. However, standard PC optical drives cannot read these proprietary formats natively, and Dolphin lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical discs or homebrew DVD-Video playback.</ref>

|-

! scope="row" | [[86Box]]

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| colspan="2" {{Unknown}}

| {{✓}}

| colspan="6" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="86Box_Mac">Macintosh .dmg images are not directly supported by 86Box. They must first be converted to a raw hard disk image or to a standard optical disc image (such as ISO, BIN/CUE, or similar), depending on the contents of the DMG, before they can be attached to the emulated hardware.</ref>

| colspan="7" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="86Box_Mac">Macintosh .dmg images are not directly supported by 86Box. They must first be converted to a raw hard disk image or to a standard optical disc image (such as ISO, BIN/CUE, or similar), depending on the contents of the DMG, before they can be attached to the emulated hardware.</ref>

|-

! scope="row" | [[DuckStation]]

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| {{✗}}

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="DuckStation_PT">Supports direct execution of physical Audio CD and CD-ROM titles via system drive passthrough, though it lacks [[Home_media_players#Emulators|Video CD (VCD) playback]] support of PlayStation SCPH-5903 model.</ref>

| colspan="10" {{✗}}

| colspan="11" {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | [[BigPEmu]]

| {{✓}}

| colspan="15" {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | [[Ymir]]

| colspan="3" {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Ymir_Formats">Ymir features comprehensive sector-level image support for Sega Saturn architecture, handling standard BIN/CUE, CloneCD (CCD/IMG/SUB), and Alcohol 120% (MDF/MDS) layouts natively. [[Ymir]] ([https://github.com/StrikerX3/Ymir/releases/tag/v0.2.0 v0.2.0] and later) introduces [[High_and_low-level_emulation|low-level]] CD Block emulation, which requires a valid [[Emulator_files#Saturn|CD Block ROM]] and enhances accuracy for CD drive operations and game commands.</ref>

| colspan="12" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Ymir_Passthrough">Ymir does not include drive passthrough command structures for physical PC optical drives. Games must be loaded as digital disc images.</ref>

| colspan="13" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Ymir_Passthrough">Ymir does not include drive passthrough command structures for physical PC optical drives. Games must be loaded as digital disc images.</ref>

|-

! scope="row" | [[Xenia Edge]]

| colspan="10" {{✗}}

| {{✓}}

| colspan="4" {{✗}}

| colspan="5" {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | [[Xemu]]

| colspan="10" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Xemu_CDVD">xemu does not support standard CD images or Audio CDs. There is an open [https://github.com/xemu-project/xemu/issues/435 feature request] to add support for loading Audio CD discs and images. Standard UDF ISO and "Redump" format ISOs are explicitly unsupported because xemu does not yet correctly emulate the full Xbox DVD drive hardware architecture or its unique dual-partition topology (DVD video partition + game partition). See [http://wiki.redump.info/index.php?title=Microsoft_Xbox_and_Xbox_360_Dumping_Guide Redump Dumping Guide]. Redump files must be repacked into a standard game-only format before loading, though there is a [https://github.com/xemu-project/xemu/pull/1659 pull request] aimed at loading un-modified retail Redump images with a retail BIOS.</ref>

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="xemu_XISO">[[Xemu]] strictly relies on game data packed into the proprietary Xbox filesystem structure formatted as a `.xiso` disc image. See [https://xemu.app/docs/disc-images/ xemu: disc images]. Legacy tools like "extract-xiso" can be used to pack standard game files or unpack Redump source images into compatible filesystems.</ref>

| colspan="4" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Xemu_NoPassthrough">Xemu doesn't support low-level hardware command structures for direct disc passthrough of physical Original Xbox game discs or DVD media, even if using compatible PC optical drive hardware and unlocked firmware.</ref>

| colspan="5" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Xemu_NoPassthrough">Xemu doesn't support low-level hardware command structures for direct disc passthrough of physical Original Xbox game discs or DVD media, even if using compatible PC optical drive hardware and unlocked firmware.</ref>

|-

! scope="row" | [[PCSX2]]

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| colspan="2" {{✗}}

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_Passthrough" />

| colspan="5" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_DVDV">Mainline PCSX2 lacks native DVD-Video playback, [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|DVDi]], and [[Modding_consoles/flashcarts#PS2|FreeDVDBoot]] macrovision capabilities due to absent MagicGate hardware emulation, tracked via an open [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/issues/1981 DVD-Video compatibility issue]. Complete playback capability, including [[PlayStation_2_emulators#Emulation issues|MechaCon functionality]], requires full 8MB BIOS dumps (via tools like [https://github.com/F0bes/biosdrain biosdrain]) paired with dedicated MagicGate cryptographic key structures (`civ.bin`, `cks.bin`, etc.) utilized in specialized hardware research forks such as [https://github.com/MechaResearch/MechaPwn MechaPwn] or custom multimedia builds like [https://github.com/DiscoStarslayer/pcsx2-reliquary PCSX2-reliquary].</ref>

| colspan="6" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_DVDV">Mainline PCSX2 lacks native DVD-Video playback, [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|DVDi]], and [[Modding_consoles/flashcarts#PS2|FreeDVDBoot]] macrovision capabilities due to absent MagicGate hardware emulation, tracked via an open [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/issues/1981 DVD-Video compatibility issue]. Complete playback capability, including [[PlayStation_2_emulators#Emulation issues|MechaCon functionality]], requires full 8MB BIOS dumps (via tools like [https://github.com/F0bes/biosdrain biosdrain]) paired with dedicated MagicGate cryptographic key structures (`civ.bin`, `cks.bin`, etc.) utilized in specialized hardware research forks such as [https://github.com/MechaResearch/MechaPwn MechaPwn] or custom multimedia builds like [https://github.com/DiscoStarslayer/pcsx2-reliquary PCSX2-reliquary].</ref>

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_Passthrough" />

|-

! scope="row" | [[PPSSPP]]

| colspan="5" {{✗}}

| {{✓}}

| colspan="10" {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | [[RPCS3]]

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| colspan="2" {{✗}}

| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name="RPCS3_Passthrough">RPCS3 currently has no native [https://rpcs3.net/faq disc support] or home media playback support, and a [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/issues/8579 feature request] remains open for adding DVD capabilities. However, a proof-of-concept implementation submitted on April 27, 2026, via [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/pull/18648 Pull Request #18648] introduced initial support for loading a PS3 game directly from a physical Blu-ray Disc drive. This implementation features raw optical device detection, updates the ISO loader, and decrypts discs on the fly by scanning the `rpcs3/data/redump` folder for matching Redump keys.</ref>

| colspan="5" {{✗}}

| colspan="6" {{✗}}

| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name="RPCS3_Passthrough" />

|-

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| colspan="11" {{✗}}

| {{✓}}

| colspan="3" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Cemu_Drive">Cemu supports uncompressed `.wud` disc images for proper preservation. However, standard PC optical drives are physically incapable of reading the proprietary density and file structure of physical Wii U retail discs. Consequently, Cemu completely lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical Wii U media.</ref>

| colspan="4" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Cemu_Drive">Cemu supports uncompressed `.wud` disc images for proper preservation. However, standard PC optical drives are physically incapable of reading the proprietary density and file structure of physical Wii U retail discs. Consequently, Cemu completely lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical Wii U media.</ref>

|-

! scope="row" | [[Flycast]]

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| colspan="11" {{✗}}

| {{✓}}

| colspan="2" {{✗}}

| colspan="3" {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | [[Snow]]

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Snow_CD_Formats">Snow natively handles digital CD-ROM images to emulate vintage Macintosh SCSI CD-ROM configurations. It supports standard BIN/CUE, alongside legacy Apple `.toast` images, which includes full support for CD digital audio (CD-DA) playback.</ref>

| colspan="14" {{✗}}

| colspan="15" {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | [[Ares]]

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Ares_Formats">[[Ares]] natively supports standard BIN/CUE configurations for its CD-based systems (such as Sega CD, PC-Engine CD and PlayStation). For the [[Pioneer LaserActive]], it relies on its custom `.mmi` (Mixed Media Image) format to aggregate analog audio/video and digital data streams into a single container. For more information, see the [[LaserDisc]] and [[Ripping games#Analog]] sections.</ref>

| colspan="3" {{Unknown}}

| {{✗}}

| colspan="4" {{Unknown}}

| colspan="3" {{✗}}

| {{Unknown}}

| {{✗}}

| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Ares_Formats" />

| {{✗}}

|-

! scope="row" | Emulator Name

| colspan="15" {{Unknown}}

| colspan="16" {{Unknown}}

|}

=CD=

==TurboGrafx-CD and CD-ROM²==

:''[[Wikipedia:TurboGrafx-16#Add-ons|TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM² and Super CD-ROM²]]''

The System Card 1.0 was included with the launch shipments of the CD-ROM² Interface Unit in 1988 (which did not include the actual CD drive, by the way; that had to be bought separately. ''Altered Beast'' requires it as it hangs with the newer BIOS versions, and someone reported an unspecified problem with ''Populous'' as well.

The System Card 2.0 was included in later shipments of the CD-ROM² System sometime in 1989 (around the time they started selling the Interface Unit and CD drive as a set). It served as the basis for the TurboGrafx-CD BIOS, which features a different title screen to go along with the different naming of the platform and its add-on in the US. Unlike HuCards, CD-ROM² discs are all region-free.

The System Card 2.1, released in 1990 exclusively in Japan, was the first System Card that was sold as a standalone, intended to be a replacement for users who had their original System Cards lost or damaged. Its only new feature was its ability to auto-detect disc changes.

The System Card 3.0 was launched in Japan in 1991. It was initially available built-in with the PC Engine Duo, a model of the console with an integrated CD drive, but was quickly offered as an upgrade to owners of the original CD-ROM² System in the form of the Super System Card, and later as an updated model of the add-on itself known as the Super CD-ROM² unit. The later models of the Duo (Duo-R and Duo-RX) also have this BIOS built-in. Version 3.0 increases the amount of buffer RAM from 64KB to 256KB, hence the addition of the word Super. Games that required this BIOS, which are labelled Super CD-ROM² discs, will display an incompatibility notice when loaded on a prior System Card.

This BIOS was released in the US in 1992 and was similarly offered built-in with the Turbo Duo (the US version of the PC Engine Duo) or as an upgrade for the TurboGrafx-16/CD in the form of the Super System Card (which was available primarily as a mail order).

==Sega CD and Sega CD 32X==

:Sega Retro: [https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega-CD Mega CD], [https://segaretro.org/Sega_32X 32X], [https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega-CD_32X CD 32X].

The Sega Mega CD and Sega CD 32X were add-ons for the Sega Genesis that expanded its capabilities with Mega CD-ROM playback (It can also play Audio CDs and CD+G discs), enhanced processing power, and a limited library of CD-based games with 32X functionality.

*[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/1ay6fm1/ares_v136_released/krslaki/ Ares supports CD+G images].

==Philips CD-i Player==

Using CD-i player, you are able to watch movies, concerts and music videos from a Video-CD using the [[CD-i_emulators#Digital Video Cartridge]] extension (DVC), watch your favourite photos on a Photo-CD, listen your best album from an Audio-CD, play and learn using a large list of CD-i titles including games, educational software and multimedia titles. You are also able to sing karaoke songs mostly through CD+Graphics. CD-BGM, CD-i Ready, CD-Text, CD-Midi and CD-i Bridge are some of the other formats supported by the system.[https://www.theworldofcdi.com/what-is-the-cd-i/]

==3DO CD Drive==

The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer features a proprietary double-speed CD-ROM drive capable of reading standard 3DO game discs, audio CDs, and CD+G discs. It also supports Video CDs via an [[3DO_emulators#Home_media_accessories|optional MPEG hardware module]]. Because the system lacks copy protection or regional lockout, it can read CD-Rs, though aging lasers can struggle with burned media.

==Atari Jaguar CD==

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Jaguar_CD Atari Jaguar CD] peripheral has a double-speed (2×) drive and built-in VLM (Virtual Light Machine) software by Jeff Minter, using a spectrum analyzer for a sophisticated video light show for audio CDs.

*BigPEmu supports both Atari Jaguar CD images and Audio CDs, although for Audio CDs you need to use bios image.

==Saturn's CD Player==

Sega Saturn supports CD-ROM discs. Also supports Audio CD, CD+G and Photo CDs. You need [[Sega Saturn emulators#Video CD Card]] for VCDs. On top of that, later revisions of the Video CD Card negate the need for "[https://segaretro.org/Photo_CD_Operating_System Photo CD Operating System]" disc software by giving the Saturn native Photo CD support.

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For a long time, the PS3's Blu-ray player was a versatile and powerful feature and considered the best of all time, and many people still use it for this purpose today. Featuring a slot-loading [[wikipedia:Blu-ray_Disc_recordable#Speed|2 × speed]] ([https://hexus.net/gaming/news/ps3/7715-developer-duplicates-data-due-slow-ps3-load-times/ 9 MB/second]) Blu-ray Disc drive for BD-ROM, PlayStation 2 format DVD-ROM, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 format CD-ROM, BD-Video, DVD-Video and Audio CDs. Keep in mind that, [[wikipedia:PlayStation_3_models#Original_model|original models]] also supports SACD but this functionality was removed with [[wikipedia:PlayStation_3_models#Slim_model|Slim]] and [[wikipedia:PlayStation_3_models#Super_Slim_model|Superslim models]]. There is no support for VCDs or SVCDs [[PlayStation_2_emulators#DVD_player|just like prior generation]]. DVDi, DVDPG, BDPG and Blu-ray Interactive HD like [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|interactive film/movie]] formats are supported.

Crucial to remember that disc images are only suitable for disc-based titles. '''PSN digital titles (PKG)''' are '''not compatible''' with disc image mounting, because they try to write data to read-only virtual directories → this will cause errors (see explanation [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/issues/4021#issuecomment-1904000715 here]).

Crucial to remember that disc images are only suitable for disc-based titles. '''PSN digital titles (PKG)''' are '''not compatible''' with disc image mounting, because they try to write data to read-only virtual directories → this will cause errors (see explanation [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/issues/4021#issuecomment-1904000715 here]). For PSN digital titles, you should:

:For PSN digital titles, you should:

* Launch them '''directly from their extracted folder''' using [[RPCS3]], or

* Use '''.VHDX virtual disk images''' instead.

=System Specific=

=System-Specific=

==LaserActive's LD Player==

Pioneer LaserActive supports [[Home media players|Audio CD]], [[Home media players|Video CD]], [[Home media players|CD-G]], [[wikipedia:LV-ROM#LD-ROM|LD-ROM²]], [[Wikipedia:LaserDisc#LD-G|LD-G]] and [[Home media players|Laser Videodisc]]. Advanced features like frame-by-frame playback or enhanced karaoke modes (e.g., for CD+G, a related but distinct format) may require inserting a Sega PAC (S-10) or NEC PAC (N-10) for improved functionality during VCD viewing. Without the Sega PAC, the LaserActive can still play the audio portion of a CD+G disc as a standard audio CD, but it won't display the graphical content. The NEC PAC (N-10) doesn't add CD+G support in the same way, as its focus is on TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine compatibility. Unlike most optical-disc standards, LaserDisc is not fully digital, and instead requires the use of analog video signals. Use [[Ripping games#Analog|this section]] for more infomation about LD capture.

*[https://techdocs.exodusemulator.com/Console/PioneerLaserActive/Software.html#emulation LD-ROM² disc image support added to Ares].

==Dreamcast's GD-ROM Drive==

[https://segaretro.org/Sega_Dreamcast/Technical_specifications#Memory All VA0, VA1, VA2 Dreamcasts universally support GD‑ROM, and all VA0, VA1 and some VA2 Dreamcasts (early VA2s, later VA2s had their BIOS having dropped CD support in an effort to combat piracy) support CD‑ROM, Audio CDs and CD‑DA.] [https://www.angelfire.com/games2/dctech/vcds.html However CD+G?, Photo CDs? and Video CDs are not officially supported, though it's compatible with workarounds.]

==PlayStation Portable's UMD Drive==

The physical UMD Drive utilizes a 660nm red laser mechanism to read dual-layer optical discs with a maximum capacity of 1.83 GB and a data transfer rate of up to 11 Mbps (1.375 MB/s). Aside from reading standard game data, the drive's firmware and hardware layers handle region coding and copyright protection, which dictates how the PSP separates game executables from multimedia content layers.

While "UMD Movie" was initially common, "UMD Video" evolved as a broader term for various video content (TV, documentaries), while UMD Music saw limited use. UMD-PG refers to interactive media specific to the PSP.

During the era of the PlayStation Portable (PSP), "UMD Movie" was more common as it represented the main function of the format but as UMD adoption expanded beyond movies and included other types of video content such as TV shows, music videos, and documentaries, "UMD Video" became a more generic term to encompass the full range of applications. While UMD primarily focused on movies and video content, there was also some limited use of the format for UMD Music. However, it wasn't nearly as widespread as movie or other UMD Video content. UMD-PG on the other hand stands for UMD-Players Game, and it was used for a unique type of [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|interactive media]] released on UMDs for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

*PPSSPP has no UMD Video or UMD-PG support at the moment: [https://github.com/hrydgard/ppsspp/issues/4902 UMD Movie request] and [https://github.com/hrydgard/ppsspp/issues/11662 UMD Video and UMD-PG request] for PPSSPP. According to hrydgard (PPSSPP dev): "If someone contributes support for UMD Video to PPSSPP, it will be accepted and merged. [https://discord.com/channels/293316141479362560/293316141479362560/1178765683304181909 However, it's unlikely to ever be my personal priority, for example, "I'm focused on the game-playing part. There are better ways to watch video".] See [https://www.ppsspp.org/docs/faq/ PPSSPP FAQ: Can PPSSPP play UMD video discs?] section.

*JPCSP has [https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20umd%20video%20 partial UMD Video support] ([https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/issues/388#issuecomment-1300530907 demonstration]). Also see [https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/blob/master/src/jpcsp/GUI/UmdVideoPlayer.java UmdVideoPlayer.java] and [https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/tree/master/src/jpcsp/media src/jpcsp/media] for how it is implemented.

*Adrenaline [https://old.reddit.com/r/VitaPiracy/comments/unb0r1/heres_how_to_watch_your_umd_movies_on_your_vita/ never had UMD Video support].

:See [[Home media players|this dedicated page]] for more information about interactive media and home media playback support for emulation software.

==Wii U Proprietary Optical Disc Drive==

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 ==Comparison==
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
-|+ Only emulators that are recommended in the EmuGen Wiki are listed here.<br>For the low-level archival capabilities of specific disc image formats, see the [[Ripping games#Comparison|Ripping comparison]] section. For compressed or scrubbed disc image formats and emulator compatibility, see [[Save disk space for ISOs]]. For arcade hardware utilizing analog video discs, see [[Arcade_LaserDisc_emulators#Games|Arcade LaserDisc]].<br>If an emulator's virtual disc drive lacks the full structural architecture to handle a format's native [[Copy protection]] mechanisms such as loading the image but ignoring subchannels or skipping physical topology checks (whether due to technical limitations or copyright compliance concerns), mark the capability as <nowiki>{{~}}</nowiki> instead of <nowiki>{{✓}}</nowiki>.
+|+ Only emulators that are recommended in the EmuGen Wiki are listed here.<br>For the low-level archival capabilities of specific disc image formats, see the [[Ripping games#Comparison|Ripping comparison]] section.<br>For compressed or scrubbed disc image formats and emulator compatibility, see [[Save disk space for ISOs]].<br>For home media playback capabilities, see the [[Home media players#Emulators that support multimedia capabilities of the system|emulators that support multimedia capabilities of the system]] section.<br>If an emulator's virtual disc drive lacks the full structural architecture to handle a format's native [[Copy protection]] mechanisms such as loading the image but ignoring subchannels or skipping physical topology checks (whether due to technical limitations or copyright compliance concerns), mark the capability as <nowiki>{{~}}</nowiki> instead of <nowiki>{{✓}}</nowiki>.
 |-
 ! rowspan=2 scope="col" style="vertical-align:middle; width:15%;" | Emulator Name
 ! colspan=5 scope="colgroup" | [[#CD|CDs]]
-! colspan=4 scope="colgroup" | [[#DVD|DVDs]], UMDs, HD-DVDs and BDs
+! colspan=4 scope="colgroup" | [[#DVD|DVDs]], [[#System_Specific|UMDs]], [[Xbox_360_emulators#HD_DVD_Player|HD-DVDs]] and [[#BD|BDs]]
-! colspan=6 scope="colgroup" | [[#System-Specific|System-Specific]]
+! colspan=7 scope="colgroup" | [[#System_Specific|System-Specific]]
 |-
 ! scope="col" | CDRWin BIN/[[Cue_sheet_(.cue)|CUE]]
@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 ! scope="col" | .bin or .gdi / .raw
 ! scope="col" | .dmg
+! scope="col" | .mmi
 ! scope="col" | Disc Passthrough
 |-
@@ Line 72: / Line 73: @@
 | colspan="3" {{✗}}
 | {{✓}}
-| colspan="5" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Dolphin_Drive">Dolphin supports raw GameCube and Wii disc image dumps. However, standard PC optical drives cannot read these proprietary formats natively, and Dolphin lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical discs or homebrew DVD-Video playback.</ref>
+| colspan="6" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Dolphin_Drive">Dolphin supports raw GameCube and Wii disc image dumps. However, standard PC optical drives cannot read these proprietary formats natively, and Dolphin lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical discs or homebrew DVD-Video playback.</ref>
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[86Box]]
@@ Line 83: / Line 84: @@
 | colspan="2" {{Unknown}}
 | {{✓}}
-| colspan="6" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="86Box_Mac">Macintosh .dmg images are not directly supported by 86Box. They must first be converted to a raw hard disk image or to a standard optical disc image (such as ISO, BIN/CUE, or similar), depending on the contents of the DMG, before they can be attached to the emulated hardware.</ref>
+| colspan="7" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="86Box_Mac">Macintosh .dmg images are not directly supported by 86Box. They must first be converted to a raw hard disk image or to a standard optical disc image (such as ISO, BIN/CUE, or similar), depending on the contents of the DMG, before they can be attached to the emulated hardware.</ref>
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[DuckStation]]
@@ Line 89: / Line 90: @@
 | {{✗}}
 | {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="DuckStation_PT">Supports direct execution of physical Audio CD and CD-ROM titles via system drive passthrough, though it lacks [[Home_media_players#Emulators|Video CD (VCD) playback]] support of PlayStation SCPH-5903 model.</ref>
-| colspan="10" {{✗}}
+| colspan="11" {{✗}}
+|-
+! scope="row" | [[BigPEmu]]
+| {{✓}}
+| colspan="15" {{✗}}
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[Ymir]]
 | colspan="3" {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Ymir_Formats">Ymir features comprehensive sector-level image support for Sega Saturn architecture, handling standard BIN/CUE, CloneCD (CCD/IMG/SUB), and Alcohol 120% (MDF/MDS) layouts natively. [[Ymir]] ([https://github.com/StrikerX3/Ymir/releases/tag/v0.2.0 v0.2.0] and later) introduces [[High_and_low-level_emulation|low-level]] CD Block emulation, which requires a valid [[Emulator_files#Saturn|CD Block ROM]] and enhances accuracy for CD drive operations and game commands.</ref>
-| colspan="12" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Ymir_Passthrough">Ymir does not include drive passthrough command structures for physical PC optical drives. Games must be loaded as digital disc images.</ref>
+| colspan="13" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Ymir_Passthrough">Ymir does not include drive passthrough command structures for physical PC optical drives. Games must be loaded as digital disc images.</ref>
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[Xenia Edge]]
 | colspan="10" {{✗}}
 | {{✓}}
-| colspan="4" {{✗}}
+| colspan="5" {{✗}}
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[Xemu]]
 | colspan="10" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Xemu_CDVD">xemu does not support standard CD images or Audio CDs. There is an open [https://github.com/xemu-project/xemu/issues/435 feature request] to add support for loading Audio CD discs and images. Standard UDF ISO and "Redump" format ISOs are explicitly unsupported because xemu does not yet correctly emulate the full Xbox DVD drive hardware architecture or its unique dual-partition topology (DVD video partition + game partition). See [http://wiki.redump.info/index.php?title=Microsoft_Xbox_and_Xbox_360_Dumping_Guide Redump Dumping Guide]. Redump files must be repacked into a standard game-only format before loading, though there is a [https://github.com/xemu-project/xemu/pull/1659 pull request] aimed at loading un-modified retail Redump images with a retail BIOS.</ref>
 | {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="xemu_XISO">[[Xemu]] strictly relies on game data packed into the proprietary Xbox filesystem structure formatted as a `.xiso` disc image. See [https://xemu.app/docs/disc-images/ xemu: disc images]. Legacy tools like "extract-xiso" can be used to pack standard game files or unpack Redump source images into compatible filesystems.</ref>
-| colspan="4" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Xemu_NoPassthrough">Xemu doesn't support low-level hardware command structures for direct disc passthrough of physical Original Xbox game discs or DVD media, even if using compatible PC optical drive hardware and unlocked firmware.</ref>
+| colspan="5" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Xemu_NoPassthrough">Xemu doesn't support low-level hardware command structures for direct disc passthrough of physical Original Xbox game discs or DVD media, even if using compatible PC optical drive hardware and unlocked firmware.</ref>
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[PCSX2]]
@@ Line 111: / Line 116: @@
 | colspan="2" {{✗}}
 | {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_Passthrough" />
-| colspan="5" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_DVDV">Mainline PCSX2 lacks native DVD-Video playback, [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|DVDi]], and [[Modding_consoles/flashcarts#PS2|FreeDVDBoot]] macrovision capabilities due to absent MagicGate hardware emulation, tracked via an open [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/issues/1981 DVD-Video compatibility issue]. Complete playback capability, including [[PlayStation_2_emulators#Emulation issues|MechaCon functionality]], requires full 8MB BIOS dumps (via tools like [https://github.com/F0bes/biosdrain biosdrain]) paired with dedicated MagicGate cryptographic key structures (`civ.bin`, `cks.bin`, etc.) utilized in specialized hardware research forks such as [https://github.com/MechaResearch/MechaPwn MechaPwn] or custom multimedia builds like [https://github.com/DiscoStarslayer/pcsx2-reliquary PCSX2-reliquary].</ref>
+| colspan="6" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_DVDV">Mainline PCSX2 lacks native DVD-Video playback, [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|DVDi]], and [[Modding_consoles/flashcarts#PS2|FreeDVDBoot]] macrovision capabilities due to absent MagicGate hardware emulation, tracked via an open [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/issues/1981 DVD-Video compatibility issue]. Complete playback capability, including [[PlayStation_2_emulators#Emulation issues|MechaCon functionality]], requires full 8MB BIOS dumps (via tools like [https://github.com/F0bes/biosdrain biosdrain]) paired with dedicated MagicGate cryptographic key structures (`civ.bin`, `cks.bin`, etc.) utilized in specialized hardware research forks such as [https://github.com/MechaResearch/MechaPwn MechaPwn] or custom multimedia builds like [https://github.com/DiscoStarslayer/pcsx2-reliquary PCSX2-reliquary].</ref>
 | {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="PCSX2_Passthrough" />
+|-
+! scope="row" | [[PPSSPP]]
+| colspan="5" {{✗}}
+| {{✓}}
+| colspan="10" {{✗}}
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[RPCS3]]
@@ Line 127: / Line 137: @@
 | colspan="2" {{✗}}
 | {{~}}<ref group=N2 name="RPCS3_Passthrough">RPCS3 currently has no native [https://rpcs3.net/faq disc support] or home media playback support, and a [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/issues/8579 feature request] remains open for adding DVD capabilities. However, a proof-of-concept implementation submitted on April 27, 2026, via [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/pull/18648 Pull Request #18648] introduced initial support for loading a PS3 game directly from a physical Blu-ray Disc drive. This implementation features raw optical device detection, updates the ISO loader, and decrypts discs on the fly by scanning the `rpcs3/data/redump` folder for matching Redump keys.</ref>
-| colspan="5" {{✗}}
+| colspan="6" {{✗}}
 | {{~}}<ref group=N2 name="RPCS3_Passthrough" />
 |-
@@ Line 133: / Line 143: @@
 | colspan="11" {{✗}}
 | {{✓}}
-| colspan="3" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Cemu_Drive">Cemu supports uncompressed `.wud` disc images for proper preservation. However, standard PC optical drives are physically incapable of reading the proprietary density and file structure of physical Wii U retail discs. Consequently, Cemu completely lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical Wii U media.</ref>
+| colspan="4" {{✗}}<ref group=N2 name="Cemu_Drive">Cemu supports uncompressed `.wud` disc images for proper preservation. However, standard PC optical drives are physically incapable of reading the proprietary density and file structure of physical Wii U retail discs. Consequently, Cemu completely lacks low-level drive passthrough command structures for physical Wii U media.</ref>
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[Flycast]]
@@ Line 139: / Line 149: @@
 | colspan="11" {{✗}}
 | {{✓}}
-| colspan="2" {{✗}}
+| colspan="3" {{✗}}
 |-
 ! scope="row" | [[Snow]]
 | {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Snow_CD_Formats">Snow natively handles digital CD-ROM images to emulate vintage Macintosh SCSI CD-ROM configurations. It supports standard BIN/CUE, alongside legacy Apple `.toast` images, which includes full support for CD digital audio (CD-DA) playback.</ref>
-| colspan="14" {{✗}}
+| colspan="15" {{✗}}
+|-
+! scope="row" | [[Ares]]
+| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Ares_Formats">[[Ares]] natively supports standard BIN/CUE configurations for its CD-based systems (such as Sega CD, PC-Engine CD and PlayStation). For the [[Pioneer LaserActive]], it relies on its custom `.mmi` (Mixed Media Image) format to aggregate analog audio/video and digital data streams into a single container. For more information, see the [[LaserDisc]] and [[Ripping games#Analog]] sections.</ref>
+| colspan="3" {{Unknown}}
+| {{✗}}
+| colspan="4" {{Unknown}}
+| colspan="3" {{✗}}
+| {{Unknown}}
+| {{✗}}
+| {{✓}}<ref group=N2 name="Ares_Formats" />
+| {{✗}}
 |-
 ! scope="row" | Emulator Name
-| colspan="15" {{Unknown}}
+| colspan="16" {{Unknown}}
 |}
 <references group=N2/>
 =CD=
+==TurboGrafx-CD and CD-ROM²==
+:''[[Wikipedia:TurboGrafx-16#Add-ons|TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM² and Super CD-ROM²]]''
+The System Card 1.0 was included with the launch shipments of the CD-ROM² Interface Unit in 1988 (which did not include the actual CD drive, by the way; that had to be bought separately. ''Altered Beast'' requires it as it hangs with the newer BIOS versions, and someone reported an unspecified problem with ''Populous'' as well.
+The System Card 2.0 was included in later shipments of the CD-ROM² System sometime in 1989 (around the time they started selling the Interface Unit and CD drive as a set). It served as the basis for the TurboGrafx-CD BIOS, which features a different title screen to go along with the different naming of the platform and its add-on in the US. Unlike HuCards, CD-ROM² discs are all region-free.
+The System Card 2.1, released in 1990 exclusively in Japan, was the first System Card that was sold as a standalone, intended to be a replacement for users who had their original System Cards lost or damaged. Its only new feature was its ability to auto-detect disc changes.
+The System Card 3.0 was launched in Japan in 1991. It was initially available built-in with the PC Engine Duo, a model of the console with an integrated CD drive, but was quickly offered as an upgrade to owners of the original CD-ROM² System in the form of the Super System Card, and later as an updated model of the add-on itself known as the Super CD-ROM² unit. The later models of the Duo (Duo-R and Duo-RX) also have this BIOS built-in. Version 3.0 increases the amount of buffer RAM from 64KB to 256KB, hence the addition of the word Super. Games that required this BIOS, which are labelled Super CD-ROM² discs, will display an incompatibility notice when loaded on a prior System Card.
+This BIOS was released in the US in 1992 and was similarly offered built-in with the Turbo Duo (the US version of the PC Engine Duo) or as an upgrade for the TurboGrafx-16/CD in the form of the Super System Card (which was available primarily as a mail order).
+==Sega CD and Sega CD 32X==
+:Sega Retro: [https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega-CD Mega CD], [https://segaretro.org/Sega_32X 32X], [https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega-CD_32X CD 32X].
+The Sega Mega CD and Sega CD 32X were add-ons for the Sega Genesis that expanded its capabilities with Mega CD-ROM playback (It can also play Audio CDs and CD+G discs), enhanced processing power, and a limited library of CD-based games with 32X functionality.
+*[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/1ay6fm1/ares_v136_released/krslaki/ Ares supports CD+G images].
+==Philips CD-i Player==
+Using CD-i player, you are able to watch movies, concerts and music videos from a Video-CD using the [[CD-i_emulators#Digital Video Cartridge]] extension (DVC), watch your favourite photos on a Photo-CD, listen your best album from an Audio-CD, play and learn using a large list of CD-i titles including games, educational software and multimedia titles. You are also able to sing karaoke songs mostly through CD+Graphics. CD-BGM, CD-i Ready, CD-Text, CD-Midi and CD-i Bridge are some of the other formats supported by the system.[https://www.theworldofcdi.com/what-is-the-cd-i/]
+==3DO CD Drive==
+The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer features a proprietary double-speed CD-ROM drive capable of reading standard 3DO game discs, audio CDs, and CD+G discs. It also supports Video CDs via an [[3DO_emulators#Home_media_accessories|optional MPEG hardware module]]. Because the system lacks copy protection or regional lockout, it can read CD-Rs, though aging lasers can struggle with burned media.
+==Atari Jaguar CD==
+The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Jaguar_CD Atari Jaguar CD] peripheral has a double-speed (2×) drive and built-in VLM (Virtual Light Machine) software by Jeff Minter, using a spectrum analyzer for a sophisticated video light show for audio CDs.
+*BigPEmu supports both Atari Jaguar CD images and Audio CDs, although for Audio CDs you need to use bios image.
 ==Saturn's CD Player==
 Sega Saturn supports CD-ROM discs. Also supports Audio CD, CD+G and Photo CDs. You need [[Sega Saturn emulators#Video CD Card]] for VCDs. On top of that, later revisions of the Video CD Card negate the need for "[https://segaretro.org/Photo_CD_Operating_System Photo CD Operating System]" disc software by giving the Saturn native Photo CD support.
@@ Line 244: / Line 294: @@
 For a long time, the PS3's Blu-ray player was a versatile and powerful feature and considered the best of all time, and many people still use it for this purpose today. Featuring a slot-loading [[wikipedia:Blu-ray_Disc_recordable#Speed|2 × speed]] ([https://hexus.net/gaming/news/ps3/7715-developer-duplicates-data-due-slow-ps3-load-times/ 9 MB/second]) Blu-ray Disc drive for BD-ROM, PlayStation 2 format DVD-ROM, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 format CD-ROM, BD-Video, DVD-Video and Audio CDs. Keep in mind that, [[wikipedia:PlayStation_3_models#Original_model|original models]] also supports SACD but this functionality was removed with [[wikipedia:PlayStation_3_models#Slim_model|Slim]] and [[wikipedia:PlayStation_3_models#Super_Slim_model|Superslim models]]. There is no support for VCDs or SVCDs [[PlayStation_2_emulators#DVD_player|just like prior generation]]. DVDi, DVDPG, BDPG and Blu-ray Interactive HD like [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|interactive film/movie]] formats are supported.
-Crucial to remember that disc images are only suitable for disc-based titles. '''PSN digital titles (PKG)''' are '''not compatible''' with disc image mounting, because they try to write data to read-only virtual directories → this will cause errors (see explanation [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/issues/4021#issuecomment-1904000715 here]).
+Crucial to remember that disc images are only suitable for disc-based titles. '''PSN digital titles (PKG)''' are '''not compatible''' with disc image mounting, because they try to write data to read-only virtual directories → this will cause errors (see explanation [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/issues/4021#issuecomment-1904000715 here]). For PSN digital titles, you should:
-:For PSN digital titles, you should:
 * Launch them '''directly from their extracted folder''' using [[RPCS3]], or
 * Use '''.VHDX virtual dis<u>k</u> images''' instead.
-=System Specific=
+=System-Specific=
+==LaserActive's LD Player==
+Pioneer LaserActive supports [[Home media players|Audio CD]], [[Home media players|Video CD]], [[Home media players|CD-G]], [[wikipedia:LV-ROM#LD-ROM|LD-ROM²]], [[Wikipedia:LaserDisc#LD-G|LD-G]] and [[Home media players|Laser Videodisc]]. Advanced features like frame-by-frame playback or enhanced karaoke modes (e.g., for CD+G, a related but distinct format) may require inserting a Sega PAC (S-10) or NEC PAC (N-10) for improved functionality during VCD viewing. Without the Sega PAC, the LaserActive can still play the audio portion of a CD+G disc as a standard audio CD, but it won't display the graphical content. The NEC PAC (N-10) doesn't add CD+G support in the same way, as its focus is on TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine compatibility. Unlike most optical-disc standards, LaserDisc is not fully digital, and instead requires the use of analog video signals. Use [[Ripping games#Analog|this section]] for more infomation about LD capture.
+*[https://techdocs.exodusemulator.com/Console/PioneerLaserActive/Software.html#emulation LD-ROM² disc image support added to Ares].
 ==Dreamcast's GD-ROM Drive==
 [https://segaretro.org/Sega_Dreamcast/Technical_specifications#Memory All VA0, VA1, VA2 Dreamcasts universally support GD‑ROM, and all VA0, VA1 and some VA2 Dreamcasts (early VA2s, later VA2s had their BIOS having dropped CD support in an effort to combat piracy) support CD‑ROM, Audio CDs and CD‑DA.] [https://www.angelfire.com/games2/dctech/vcds.html However CD+G?, Photo CDs? and Video CDs are not officially supported, though it's compatible with workarounds.]
+==PlayStation Portable's UMD Drive==
+The physical UMD Drive utilizes a 660nm red laser mechanism to read dual-layer optical discs with a maximum capacity of 1.83 GB and a data transfer rate of up to 11 Mbps (1.375 MB/s). Aside from reading standard game data, the drive's firmware and hardware layers handle region coding and copyright protection, which dictates how the PSP separates game executables from multimedia content layers.
+While "UMD Movie" was initially common, "UMD Video" evolved as a broader term for various video content (TV, documentaries), while UMD Music saw limited use. UMD-PG refers to interactive media specific to the PSP.
+During the era of the PlayStation Portable (PSP), "UMD Movie" was more common as it represented the main function of the format but as UMD adoption expanded beyond movies and included other types of video content such as TV shows, music videos, and documentaries, "UMD Video" became a more generic term to encompass the full range of applications. While UMD primarily focused on movies and video content, there was also some limited use of the format for UMD Music. However, it wasn't nearly as widespread as movie or other UMD Video content. UMD-PG on the other hand stands for UMD-Players Game, and it was used for a unique type of [[Home_media_players#Interactive_media|interactive media]] released on UMDs for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
+*PPSSPP has no UMD Video or UMD-PG support at the moment: [https://github.com/hrydgard/ppsspp/issues/4902 UMD Movie request] and [https://github.com/hrydgard/ppsspp/issues/11662 UMD Video and UMD-PG request] for PPSSPP. According to hrydgard (PPSSPP dev): "If someone contributes support for UMD Video to PPSSPP, it will be accepted and merged. [https://discord.com/channels/293316141479362560/293316141479362560/1178765683304181909 However, it's unlikely to ever be my personal priority, for example, "I'm focused on the game-playing part. There are better ways to watch video".] See [https://www.ppsspp.org/docs/faq/ PPSSPP FAQ: Can PPSSPP play UMD video discs?] section.
+*JPCSP has [https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20umd%20video%20 partial UMD Video support] ([https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/issues/388#issuecomment-1300530907 demonstration]). Also see [https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/blob/master/src/jpcsp/GUI/UmdVideoPlayer.java UmdVideoPlayer.java] and [https://github.com/jpcsp/jpcsp/tree/master/src/jpcsp/media src/jpcsp/media] for how it is implemented.
+*Adrenaline [https://old.reddit.com/r/VitaPiracy/comments/unb0r1/heres_how_to_watch_your_umd_movies_on_your_vita/ never had UMD Video support].
+:See [[Home media players|this dedicated page]] for more information about interactive media and home media playback support for emulation software.
 ==Wii U Proprietary Optical Disc Drive==