Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
|active = Yes
|platform = Multi-platform
|target = [[Atari Lynx emulators|Atari Lynx]], [[WonderSwan emulators|Bandai WonderSwan/Color]], [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Nintendo Game Boy Advance]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Super Nintendo emulators|Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Virtual Boy emulators|Virtual Boy]], [[PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|NEC PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)]], [[PC-FX emulators|PC-FX]], [[Neo Geo Pocket emulators|SNK Neo Geo Pocket/Color]], [[PlayStation emulators|Sony PlayStation]], [[Master System emulators|Sega Master System]], [[Master System emulators|Game Gear]], [[Sega Genesis emulators|Genesis (Mega Drive (Genesis)]], [[Sega Saturn emulators|Saturn]]
|developer = Ryphecha, Mednafen Team
|website = [https://mednafen.github.io/ mednafen.github.io]
|source = [http://sourceforge.net/projects/mednafen/files/latest/download?source=files SourceForge]
}}
'''Mednafen''' (an acronym for '''My Emulator Doesn't Need A Frickin' Excellent Name''') is an open-source , [[Multi-system emulators|multi-system emulator]], driven from the command-line. Many of its cores are ports of other emulators, but many of them are also original. Its [[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation]], [[Sega Saturn emulators|Sega Saturn]], [[Virtual Boy emulators|Virtual Boy]], and [[PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)]] original cores are notable for their high quality, compatibility and accuracy.
==Downloads==
|[[VisualBoy Advance|VisualBoyAdvance]]
|-
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System (FamicomFamily Computer)]]
|[http://freecode.com/projects/fceultra FCE Ultra]
|-
|[[Super Nintendo emulators|Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super FamicomFamily Computer)]]
|[[higan|bsnes]]
|-
|-
|[[PlayStation emulators|Sony PlayStation]]
|Original.
|-
|[[Master System emulators|Sega Master System]] and [[Master System emulators|Game Gear]]
Mednafen only has a command line interface, so its interface might be hard to use to new users.
The best cores in Mednafen are those that are original - which are the Sony PlayStation, NEC PC Engine, PC-FX, Sega Saturn and Nintendo Virtual Boy cores. The PC Engine core is one of the best emulators for that system, with a Fast and Accurate version. The PS1 PlayStation core is native resolution only and features a high degree of accuracy and compatibility.<ref>[http://forum.fobby.net/index.php?t=msg&th=1114 Mednafen PSX bugs reports]</ref> The Nintendo Virtual Boy core is one of the best for the system.
Other cores improve upon emulators that have been long abandoned and rarely updated. These include the SNK Neo Geo Pocket/Color, Bandai WonderSwan/Color, and Atari Lynx cores.
Other cores are less useful, as there are better options in stand-alone emulators (Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Master System , and Super Nintendo Entertainment System). These cores might even be based on out-dated versions. For instance, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System core is based on an old outdated version of bsnes. This is before the performance/accuracy/balanced cores — 0.50x territory — with a couple of changes by Ryphecha.
It is unknown at this time whether Mednafen's Nintendo Game Boy Advance core is better than [[VisualBoy Advance#VBA-M|VBA-M]].
[[RetroArch]] uses the Sony PlayStation, NEC PC Engine, SNK Neo Geo Pocket/Color, Nintendo Virtual Boy, Sega Saturn and Bandai WonderSwan/Color cores of Mednafen, so it might make sense to use that instead.
===BIOS===
Most cores do not require any BIOS except for the Sony PlayStation, NEC PC Engine CD, PC-FX , and Sega Saturn cores. [[Emulator_Files#Multi-System|BIOS files]] need to be placed into a folder called "firmware" in your Mednafen directory. Mednafen is very picky about which BIOS to use. The ones that you might need are:
'''Sony PlayStation'''
For this method to work, shared memory cards (see below) must be used for the games in the playlist.
===Dual analog controllers with PS1PlayStation===
To enable analog sticks and rumble on DualShock controllers, open the mednafen-09x.cfg file, search for "psx.input.port1" and change gamepad to DualShock. Do this for port2 if you wish to play multiplayer games with the features of DualShock controllers.
* '''Infinite Lives:''' It's game over when the internal variable for "Lives" is 0. So in some cases, when it shows "REST/LEFT=1" in-game and you lose a life then it becomes 0 but you're still allowed to play on your last life, that means the internal counter for lives has actually changed from 2 to 1 and not from 1 to 0, but in other games (where if you die on "LIVESx1" it's game over) it's not the case. In the case of lives, you actually know the exact value: reset search initially, then (if you have 2 lives on a game that allows you to play on "LEFT=0") search for variables with values equal to 3. Lose a life, search for variables equal 2, and so on.
* '''Character Modifier / Level Modifier / Having an Item:''' reset search, play without changing whatever you're searching for (let's say the stage), do lots of searches for new value equals old value. In-game, change it, then do a new value doesn't equal old value. And so on.
* '''Walk Though Through Walls / Invincibility / In-game Cheats & Features:''' you need to find the value that tells the character if he can move or not (he can't really move when walking against a wall) / if he's blinking or being invincible right now after getting hurt. Same methods as before, but there are hints that could be useful here -- both states could be 0/1, or something else... for example, one could assume 0 is not enabled and 1 is enabled.
* '''Debug Modes:''' stuff that stays 0 no matter what, extra off-screen inaccessible options in menus, extra dialogue... you name it. Have fun experimenting.
To transfer memory cards, follow this guide. Also, in games with multiple discs with saves that carry over, you have to follow the same procedure.
Mednafen creates memory card files for each individual game, in contrast to [[PCSX-RReloaded]]/[[ePSXe ]] where all game saves are stored into 2 memory card files. To transfer memory card files from PCSX-RReloaded/ePSXe to [[RetroArch]]:
* Start the game in RetroArch.
