Difference between pages "PlayStation 3 emulators" and "Sega Genesis emulators"

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{{Infobox console
 
{{Infobox console
|title = PlayStation 3
+
|title = Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
|logo = PlayStation 2006.png
+
|logo = RS39200_Megadrive.png
|image = PS3_Original.png
+
|image = Sega-Genesis-Mk2-6button.jpg
|image2 = Sony-playstation-3-slim-1.jpg
+
|image2 = Sega-Nomad-Front.jpg
|imagecaption = '''Top''': Original (2006)<br/>'''Bottom''': Slim (2009)
+
|imagecaption = '''Top:''' PAL Sega Mega Drive.<br/>'''Middle:''' Sega Genesis Model 2 with 6-button controller.<br/>'''Bottom:''' Sega Genesis Nomad, portable variation.
|developer = [[:Sony]]
+
|developer = [[:Sega]]
|type = [[:Category:Consoles|Home video game console]]
+
|type = [[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]]
|generation = [[:Category:Seventh-generation video game consoles|Seventh generation]]
+
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
|release = 2006
+
|release = 1988
|discontinued = 2017
+
|discontinued = 1997
|predecessor = [[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2]]
+
|predecessor = [[Master System emulators|Master System]]
|successor = [[PlayStation 4 emulators|PlayStation 4]]
+
|successor = [[Sega Saturn emulators|Saturn]]
|emulated = {{~}}
+
|emulated = {{}}
 
}}
 
}}
 +
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). 
  
The '''PlayStation 3''' (known shorthand as '''PS3''') is a seventh-generation console released by [[wikipedia:Sony|Sony]] in late 2006. The successor to the [[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2]], it began development in 2001 when Sony partnered with Toshiba and IBM to create the [[wikipedia:Cell_%28microprocessor%29|Cell Broadband Engine]]. The console was launched a year after the [[Xbox 360 emulators|Xbox 360]], and around the same time as the [[Wii emulators|Wii]]. While it was debatably the most powerful console of the seventh generation, it was also difficult to program for, as its architecture was even more complex than its competitors. It retailed for {{Inflation|USD|599|2006}}.
+
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.
  
The Cell Broadband Engine consists of a 3.2 GHz Power Processing Element (PPE) and seven Synergistic Processing Elements (SPE),<ref group=N>You might see listings of eight SPEs, but that's because there are eight on the die; one of them is disabled to prevent the manufacturer from yielding too many bad units. Another SPE is reserved for the console's operating system.</ref> and the system contains 256 MB of XDR DRAM main memory at 3.2 GHz and 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory at 650 MHz for the Nvidia/SCEI RSX Reality Synthesizer GPU. The GPU ran at 500 MHz and has to communicate forth and back with both RAMs. The complexity of the SPEs bogged down the PlayStation 3 in multi-platform titles, as it required developers to either learn it enough to use it, or don't use it at all. As a result, many multi-platform games ran with lower framerates or worse graphics.
+
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.
 
 
The number of units sold worldwide were about the same as the Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 initially included a feature called OtherOS,<ref group=N>Which allowed the console to run many distributions of Linux and BSD in a separate partition as long as they supported PowerPC.</ref> but once it was removed shortly after the PS3 Slim model was released citing "security concerns", fail0verflow had a jailbreak detailed in 2010, giving way for [[PS3 Modding|modders to downgrade firmware on a specific version]] and install a custom firmware, something Sony would patch in newer updates until an exploit was released for 4.82. Emulation only started gaining traction in the late 2010s, as [[RPCS3]] had made strides in improving its largely HLE-based emulation. It has since become the emulator of choice.
 
  
 
==Emulators==
 
==Emulators==
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
 
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
! scope="col"|Latest Release Version
+
! scope="col"|Latest Version
! scope="col"|Open-Source
+
! scope="col"|CD
 +
! scope="col"|32X
 +
! scope="col"|[[Sega Pico|Pico]]
 +
! scope="col"|[[Libretro|Libretro Core]]
 +
! 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="6"|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}}
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}* ||{{{✗}} <ref group=N name=noncomm>While the source is available, its software license explicitly forbids commercial usage of any kind. Thus, it does not qualiy as Free (see the Free Software Foundation [https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html#selling definition]), nor as Open source (see the Open Source Initiative [https://opensource.org/osd definition]).</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[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=noncomm /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<ref group=N name=PicoDrive>Only recommended for running 32X software as a cross-platform alternative to Kega Fusion.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
|[[RPCS3]]
+
|[[FinalBurn Neo]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|FreeBSD}}
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
|[https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/releases/ v0.0.11]<ref group=N>The developers are currently treating version increments as milestones, not as stables.</ref>
+
|[https://github.com/finalburnneo/FBNeo/releases/latest Stable] [https://ci.appveyor.com/project/tmaul/fbneo-kbhgd/branch/master WIP builds]
|{{✓}}
+
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <ref group=N name=noncomm /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|{{✓}}
+
|-
|{{✓}}
+
|[[MAME]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|[http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[http://segaretro.org/Gens/GS Gens/GS]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|[http://www.dusers.drexel.edu/gitweb/gitweb.cgi/~korth/gens.git r7]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[http://dgen.sourceforge.net/ DGen]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
|[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]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[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}}
 +
|[https://github.com/merwaaan/megado git]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Nucleus]]
+
|Regen
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
|[https://github.com/AlexAltea/nucleus/releases 0.1.0]
+
|[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/regen.html 0.972]
|{{}}
+
|{{}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|{{✗}}
 
|{{✗}}
 
 
|-
 
|-
|Short Waves
+
|AloneMD
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[http://wololo.net/downloads/index.php/download/8128 0.0.2]
+
|[https://up1.xwikisas.com/#650YS5cXMSc7sGflY1dqeg 1.0.0]
|{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||?
|{{✗}}
+
|-
|{{✗}}
+
!colspan="10"|Mobile / ARM
 +
|-
 +
|[[Genesis Plus GX]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS|Linux|Pandora}}
 +
|{{GenPlusGXVer}}
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <ref group=N name=noncomm /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|MD emu
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|Pyra}}
 +
|[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/77 1.5.46.01 Pyra]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[PicoDrive]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS|Linux|Symbian}}
 +
{{Icon|Pandora|Gizmondo|GP2X|Wiz}}
 +
|[http://notaz.gp2x.de/pico.php {{PicoDriveVer}}]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <ref group=N name=noncomm /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}<ref group=N name=PicoDrive />
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="10"|Consoles
 +
|-
 +
|NeoGenesis
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Xbox}}
 +
|[https://digiex.net/threads/neogenesis-v25-download-sega-genesis-megadrive-32x-segacd-megacd-emulator.13698 V25]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[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]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <ref group=N name=noncomm /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[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]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} <ref group=N name=noncomm /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[[Virtual Console]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii}}
 +
|N/A
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
|PS3F
+
|Sega Genesis Plus
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Xbox360}}
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20161029044210/http://www.geocities.jp/mj3kj8o5/ps3f/index.html 0.0.0]
+
|[https://digiex.net/threads/sega-genesis-plus-libexnon-genesis-megadrive-emulator-for-xbox-360-download.9936 Libxenon]
|{{✗}}
+
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|{{✗}}
 
|{{✗}}
 
 
|}
 
|}
 +
<references group=N />
 +
 +
<nowiki>* Available exclusively as a libretro core</nowiki>
  
 
===Comparisons===
 
===Comparisons===
;[[RPCS3]]:An open-source emulator for 64-bit Windows, Linux and BSD. While it isn't anywhere near as compatible as [[Dolphin]] is for [[GameCube emulators|GameCube]] or Wii, it has still made immense progress compared to its early days where development was slow and seemed like it wasn't really going anywhere. Over 1,000 titles are now playable, with many more that go in-game and others that are at least loadable.<ref name="Compatibility Page">https://rpcs3.net/compatibility</ref>
+
;[[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.
;[[Nucleus]]:A one-man project aiming for LLE, some AOT emulation, and portability. Made by AlexAltea, lead coder of PlayStation 4 emulator, [[Orbital]].
+
:;[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.
;Short Waves:Made by InoriRus. It could run a few complex tests that RPCS3 couldn't at the time it released, but it hasn't been updated since.
+
;[[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.
;PS3F:Made by Shima, the creator of [[SSF]]. More information can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20161029044210/http://www.geocities.jp/mj3kj8o5/ps3f/index.html here].
+
;[[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.
 +
;[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]].
 +
;[[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 [[Super Nintendo emulators|SNES emulator]] bsnes. It's promising but incomplete. However, it can be used in the latest builds.
 +
;[[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.
  
==Emulation issues==
+
==Lock-On Emulation==
PlayStation consoles have always been notorious for system complexity. Sony's gamble of their technology being emulator-unfriendly makes them developer-unfriendly as well, and the system's weaker performance in cross-platform games proves it. Even if done properly, an LLE approach would be performance suicide as some things just have to be abstracted enough to get high framerates in games. The situation is so bad that Sony seems to be incredibly hesitant to introduce an emulator on the PlayStation 4, simply because they wouldn't be able to justify the potentially high cost of development to investors.<ref>[https://youtu.be/6WkpaJkB2M8 Why PS4 Doesn't Have Backwards Compatibility and Xbox One Does] (Mystic. Aug 21, 2018.)</ref>
+
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.
  
There are two major bottlenecks at play:
+
* With Sonic 3: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 3 with more levels.
* '''Cell.''' It consists of two architectures that developers have to program for; PowerPC, and... whatever the SPEs really are. Add to that the fact that there are SIX that could be in use by a game, and you have a great formula for high system requirements. The RPCS3 developers technically cheat by using ahead-of-time recompilation using LLVM, but because the emulator constantly improves, that can be easily excused.
+
* With Sonic 2: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 2 with playable Knuckles.
* '''[[wikipedia:RSX_Reality_Synthesizer|RSX Reality Synthesizer]].''' The [[Xbox emulators|Xbox]] also went unemulated for a long time, simply because of how many components were just undocumented. The same thing applies here; the graphics card is Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX-based, which means it's not well-documented and developers have to figure out how it displays graphics and graphical effects. Without access to Nvidia's resources, which would normally be included with an SDK, this would be very difficult.
+
* With Sonic 1: Unlocks the Blue Sphere minigame with a level select to all possible levels.
:Something of note is that this GPU was also managed by two different memory units with very disparate frequency speeds; 1) 256 MB of GDDR3 RAM clocked at 650 MHz with an effective transmission rate of 1.4 GHz, and 2) up to 224 MB of the 3.2 GHz XDR main memory via the CPU (480 MB max).
 
  
In short: expect game-breaking issues of one kind or another in the vast majority of titles at this point in time.
+
The Sonic & Knuckles cartridge can lock on to other cartridges:
  
==PlayStation Move==
+
* 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.
  
The [[wikipedia:PlayStation_Move|PlayStation Move]] is a controller similar to a Wiimote, shaped to be held into hand and play with motion detection. It is detected by the [[wikipedia:PlayStation_Eye|PSEye]], the successor of the PS2's [[PlayStation_2_emulators#EyeToy|EyeToy]].
+
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.
The PSEye is usable on PC as it benefits from [https://github.com/cboulay/PSMoveService/wiki/PSEye-Software-Setup-(Windows) unofficial drivers] made by the community. It is not yet implemented in a PS3 emulator.
 
[[RPCS3]] had some [https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3/commit/504e3112ddc440f1d4eb4f236d4d39ab0f016513 first steps implemented] for PSMove use but the controllers aren't working yet.  
 
  
The author of this preliminary implementation, [https://github.com/VelocityRa velocityra], is a dedicated developer for [[RPCS3]] and [[Vita3K]].
+
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.
His own branch of the PSMove has advanced further, as the PSEye and PSMove controllers are already physically supported using the PSMoveAPI.
 
A pretty old compatibility list can be found [https://workflowy.com/s/move-compatibility/6TV4dP3JcvHwhyUC here]. Some YouTube videos are also showing the work-in-progress functionality working.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrmb_2ULbKo RPCS3 - PSMove WIP VK] (April 03, 2018)</ref> The author unfortunately stopped working on this implementation a few months ago.
 
  
==Notes==
+
The following files need to be under the directory for BIOS files (usually "system"):
<references group=N />
+
* 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 [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.
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
* [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]
  
==References==
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{{Sega}}
<references />
 
  
 
[[Category:Consoles]]
 
[[Category:Consoles]]
[[Category:Sony consoles]]
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[[Category:Home consoles]]
[[Category:Seventh-generation video game consoles]]
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[[Category:Sega consoles]]
[[Category:PlayStation 3 emulators]]
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[[Category:Sega Genesis emulators|*]]
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[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]

Revision as of 07:10, 3 September 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 ✓* [N 1]
BizHawk Windows 2.9.1 ?
Kega Fusion Windows Linux macOS 3.64
PicoDrive Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 1.93 [N 1] [N 2]
FinalBurn Neo Windows Linux macOS Stable WIP builds [N 1]
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 [N 1]
MD emu Android Dragonbox Pyra 1.5.46.01 Pyra
PicoDrive Android iOS Linux Symbian

Pandora Gizmondo GP2X GP2X Wiz

1.93 [N 1] [N 2]
Consoles
NeoGenesis Xbox V25 ?
Genesis Plus GX GameCube Xbox 360 Wii Nintendo 3DS 1.7.5 RC1
RetroArch 360 0.9.8.3
[N 1]
PicoDrive PlayStation 2 PSP Nintendo 3DS 1.93
PicoDrive 1.51b
[N 1]
Virtual Console Wii N/A
Sega Genesis Plus Xbox 360 Libxenon ?
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 While the source is available, its software license explicitly forbids commercial usage of any kind. Thus, it does not qualiy as Free (see the Free Software Foundation definition), nor as Open source (see the Open Source Initiative definition).
  2. 2.0 2.1 Only recommended for running 32X software 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-1000Master SystemGenesis / Mega DriveCD32XPicoSaturnDreamcast
Handhelds: Game GearVMU / VMS
Arcade: System seriesModel 1Model 2Model 3NAOMI