Difference between revisions of "Sega Dreamcast emulators"
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! scope="col"|Atomiswave | ! scope="col"|Atomiswave | ||
! scope="col"|Windows CE | ! scope="col"|Windows CE | ||
− | |||
! scope="col"|Active | ! scope="col"|Active | ||
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]] | ! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]] | ||
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|Windows | |Windows | ||
|[http://forum.emu-russia.net/viewtopic.php?p=26178&sid=9d186ca9c444883bceeed6f185ed3fa9#p26178 0.7 Build 180428] | |[http://forum.emu-russia.net/viewtopic.php?p=26178&sid=9d186ca9c444883bceeed6f185ed3fa9#p26178 0.7 Build 180428] | ||
− | |{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓ | + | |{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[[redream]] | |[[redream]] | ||
|Windows, Linux, macOS | |Windows, Linux, macOS | ||
|[https://redream.io/download {{RedreamVer}}] | |[https://redream.io/download {{RedreamVer}}] | ||
− | |{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗ | + | |{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} |
|- | |- | ||
− | |[[reicast#Libretro_core| | + | |[[reicast#Libretro_core|Flycast (libretro)]] |
|Multi-platform | |Multi-platform | ||
− | |[https://github.com/libretro/ | + | |[https://github.com/libretro/flycast Git] |
− | |{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[[reicast]] | |[[reicast]] | ||
|Windows, Linux | |Windows, Linux | ||
|[http://builds.reicast.com/ Dev Builds] | |[http://builds.reicast.com/ Dev Builds] | ||
− | |{{✓ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[[nullDC]] | |[[nullDC]] | ||
|Windows | |Windows | ||
|[http://www.emucr.com/2013/03/nulldc-svn-r150.html 1.0.4 r150] | |[http://www.emucr.com/2013/03/nulldc-svn-r150.html 1.0.4 r150] | ||
− | |{{✓}} ||{{✓ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[[Makaron]] | |[[Makaron]] | ||
|Windows | |Windows | ||
|[https://www.zophar.net/dreamcast/makaron.html T12/5] | |[https://www.zophar.net/dreamcast/makaron.html T12/5] | ||
− | |{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓ | + | |{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} |
|- | |- | ||
|WashingtonDC | |WashingtonDC | ||
|Linux | |Linux | ||
|[https://github.com/washingtondc-emu/washingtondc Git] | |[https://github.com/washingtondc-emu/washingtondc Git] | ||
− | |{{✓ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} |
|- | |- | ||
|Lxdream | |Lxdream | ||
|Linux, macOS | |Linux, macOS | ||
|[http://www.lxdream.org/download.php 0.9.1] | |[http://www.lxdream.org/download.php 0.9.1] | ||
− | |{{✓ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[https://segaretro.org/Chankast Chankast] | |[https://segaretro.org/Chankast Chankast] | ||
|Windows | |Windows | ||
|[http://chanka.emulatronia.com/FrameSetDC_Down.htm 0.25] | |[http://chanka.emulatronia.com/FrameSetDC_Down.htm 0.25] | ||
− | + | |{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} | |
|- | |- | ||
|[[MAME]] | |[[MAME]] | ||
|Multi-platform | |Multi-platform | ||
|[http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}] | |[http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}] | ||
− | |{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} |
|- | |- | ||
!colspan="10"|Mobile | !colspan="10"|Mobile | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |[[reicast#Libretro_core| | + | |[[reicast#Libretro_core|Flycast (libretro)]] |
|[[Android emulators|Android]], mobile | |[[Android emulators|Android]], mobile | ||
− | |[https://github.com/libretro/ | + | |[https://github.com/libretro/flycast Git] |
− | |{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[[reicast]] | |[[reicast]] | ||
|[[Android emulators|Android]] | |[[Android emulators|Android]] | ||
|[http://builds.reicast.com/ Dev Builds] | |[http://builds.reicast.com/ Dev Builds] | ||
− | |{{✓ | + | |{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} |
|- | |- | ||
|[[redream]] | |[[redream]] | ||
|[[Android emulators|Android]] | |[[Android emulators|Android]] | ||
|[https://redream.io/download {?}] | |[https://redream.io/download {?}] | ||
− | + | |{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} | |
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} |
Revision as of 19:27, 14 June 2019
Developer | Sega |
---|---|
Type | Home video game console |
Generation | Sixth generation |
Release date | 1998 |
Discontinued | 2001 |
Predecessor | Sega Saturn |
Emulated | ✓ |
The Dreamcast is a sixth-generation console released by Sega on November 27, 1998 in Japan and later on September 9, 1999 in NA. It retailed for $199.99. It had a Hitachi SH-4 RISC CPU at 200 MHz with 16 MB of RAM and 8 MB of VRAM. It had a PowerVR2 GPU at 100 MHz, which theoretically was capable of pushing 3 million polygons/second on-screen. There is a 2 MB audio RAM, which complemented a powerful 67 MHz Yamaha AICA sound processor, with a 32-bit ARM7 RISC CPU core. The audio chip could generate 64 voices with PCM or ADPCM codec and provided ten times the performance of the Saturn's sound system.. Sega also released the Naomi, an arcade system board with similar components to the Dreamcast. Sammy's Atomiswave arcade board was also based on the Dreamcast and Naomi.
Sega collaborated with Microsoft on the Dreamcast's development, and this partnership would continue later with the Xbox. What came out of this was the possibility for games to be developed for an optimized version of Windows CE (with DirectX) on each disc. However, Windows CE wasn't mandatory to use and most developers opted for Sega's development tools instead out of convenience. Even in major emulators, this aspect isn't implemented (or implemented well).
Contents
Emulators
Name | Operating System(s) | Latest Version | Open-Source | Naomi | Atomiswave | Windows CE | Active | Recommended | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PC | |||||||||
DEmul | Windows | 0.7 Build 180428 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
redream | Windows, Linux, macOS | 1.5.0 (Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi) 1.2.07 (Android) |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Flycast (libretro) | Multi-platform | Git | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
reicast | Windows, Linux | Dev Builds | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
nullDC | Windows | 1.0.4 r150 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ~ | |
Makaron | Windows | T12/5 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | |
WashingtonDC | Linux | Git | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | |
Lxdream | Linux, macOS | 0.9.1 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
Chankast | Windows | 0.25 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
MAME | Multi-platform | 0.265 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | |
Mobile | |||||||||
Flycast (libretro) | Android, mobile | Git | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
reicast | Android | Dev Builds | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
redream | Android | {?} | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Comparisons
- DEmul
- Has the highest compatibility and accuracy, but is Windows-only. It supports Windows CE games, but in general, they run worse than standard Dreamcast titles. It's also more resource-intensive than other emulators.
- redream
- Runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux and Android. Compatible with 80+% of the Dreamcast library (no Windows CE support), has a good user interface, is easy to set up and can run without a BIOS. Runs on low-end machines provided that they support OpenGL 3.1.
- reicast
- Made by the creator of NullDC. Runs on Android, Windows, and Linux.
- Beetle DC
- libretro fork similar to Mednafen's PCE-fast and PCE-accuracy cores that backport changes from flyinghead's fork of reicast. It aims to be compliant with OpenGL 2 and OpenGL ES 2 so that it can continue to run on mobile devices and mid-tier PCs. This fork partially supports Naomi and Atomiswave hardware.
- nullDC
- Can run a lot of games at great speed on mid-end PC but is no longer developed.
- Makaron
- One of the only two closed-source Dreamcast emulators that can properly play Windows CE games.
Emulation issues
For the emulators that are either mature or maturing, a very large percentage of games work well, but some games still have problems and glitches.
Windows CE games emulation is still poor and slow.
Poor VMU emulation
While current Dreamcast emulators can leverage the screen of the VMU while the game is running, none of them allow you to play the minigames developed for it so playing those minigames would require another emulator. The problem is there aren't any complete lists of VMU emulators, and the emulators that can be found are poorly documented.
Downloads
VMU emulators
Emulating the Dreamcast VMU is possible via use of this emulator: Dropbox link of ElysianVMU
Link to the forum thread about it
References
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 |