Difference between pages "PCSX2" and "Sega Genesis emulators"

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{{Infobox emulator
+
{{Infobox console
−
|logo = PCSX2-Logo.png
+
|title = Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
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|logowidth = 265
+
|logo = RS39200_Megadrive.png
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|version = 1.6.0
+
|image = Sega-Genesis-Mk2-6button.jpg
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|active = Yes
+
|image2 = Sega-Nomad-Front.jpg
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|platform = Windows, Linux, macOS
+
|imagecaption = '''Top:''' PAL Sega Mega Drive.<br/>'''Middle:''' Sega Genesis Model 2 with 6-button controller.<br/>'''Bottom:''' Sega Genesis Nomad, portable variation.
−
|target = [[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2]]
+
|developer = [[:Sega]]
−
|developer = [http://pcsx2.net/meet-the-team.html PCSX2 Team]
+
|type = [[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]]
−
|website = [http://pcsx2.net/ PCSX2.net]
+
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
−
|source = [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2 GitHub]
+
|release = 1988
−
|license = GNU GPLv2
+
|discontinued = 1997
−
|compatibility = [https://pcsx2.net/compatibility-list.html Compatibility list]
+
|predecessor = [[Master System emulators|Master System]]
−
|bios = [[Emulator_Files#PlayStation_2|Required]]
+
|successor = [[Sega Saturn emulators|Saturn]]
 +
|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). 
  
−
'''PCSX2''' is an open-source, plugin-based [[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2 emulator]]. Its purpose is to mimic the PS2 hardware using a combination of MIPS CPU [[wikipedia:Interpreter_%28computing%29|interpreters]], [[wikipedia:Dynamic_recompilation|recompilers]] and a [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|virtual machine]] which manages hardware states and PS2 system memory. In 2016, preliminary work was started on [[PlayStation emulators|PS1]] support<ref>https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/pull/1571</ref>.
+
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.
  
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==Download==
+
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.
−
{| cellpadding="4"
+
 
 +
==Emulators==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 +
! scope="col"|Name
 +
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 +
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 +
! 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"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 +
|-
 +
!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>
 +
|-
 +
|[[FinalBurn Neo]]
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
|[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]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|Regen
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 +
|[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/regen.html 0.972]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
|AloneMD
 +
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
|[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 /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|align=center|{{Icon|Win|Lin|Mac}}
+
|[[PicoDrive]]
−
|'''[https://pcsx2.net/download.html Stable builds]'''<br><small>Mac builds are severely outdated</small>
+
|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 /> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
+
|[[Virtual Console]]
−
|'''[http://buildbot.orphis.net/pcsx2/ Dev builds]'''
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii}}
 +
|N/A
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|align=center|{{Icon|Mac-big}}
+
|Sega Genesis Plus
−
|'''[https://github.com/tellowkrinkle/pcsx2/releases Dev macOS builds]
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Xbox360}}
 +
|[https://digiex.net/threads/sega-genesis-plus-libexnon-genesis-megadrive-emulator-for-xbox-360-download.9936 Libxenon]
 +
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|}
 
|}
 +
<references group=N />
  
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==System requirements==
+
<nowiki>* Available exclusively as a libretro core</nowiki>
−
===Minimum===
 
−
* OS: Windows 8.1 or newer (32 or 64 bit), Ubuntu 18.04/Debian, Arch Linux, or other distro (32 or 64 bit)
 
−
* CPU: Supports SSE2 instruction, two physical cores with hyperthreading, [https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html PassMark Single Thread Performance rating near or greater than 1600] (Intel Core i3-3210)
 
−
* GPU: Support Direct3D10 and OpenGL 3.x, 2 GB Video Memory, [https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html PassMark G3D Mark rating around 3000] (GeForce GTX 750)
 
−
* RAM: 4 GB
 
−
===Recommended===
 
−
* OS: Windows 10 (64 bit), Ubuntu 19.04/Debian, Arch Linux, or other distro (64 bit)
 
−
* CPU: Supports AVX2 instruction, four physical cores with or without hyperthreading, [https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html PassMark Single Thread Performance rating near or greater than 2100] (Intel Core i7-4770)
 
−
* GPU: Support Direct3D11 and OpenGL 4.5, 4 GB Video Memory, [https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html PassMark G3D Mark rating around 6000] (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti)
 
−
* RAM: 8 GB
 
  
−
These are recommended specs for using PCSX2<ref>https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2#system-requirements</ref>, but depending on the game you want to play, your mileage may vary. Some games need [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-LIST-The-Most-CPU-Intensive-Games high-end, possibly overclocked CPUs] or [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-LIST-The-Most-GPU-Intensive-Games powerful GPUs], whereas some games run even on [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-LIST-Games-that-don-t-need-a-strong-CPU-to-emulate weak processors].
+
===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.
 +
:;[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.
 +
;[[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.
 +
;[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.
  
−
For those with [[DualShock 3]] controllers, use [[SCP Driver Package]].
+
==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.
  
−
==Setup==
+
* With Sonic 3: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 3 with more levels.
−
===Gamepad===
+
* With Sonic 2: Unlocks an alternate version of Sonic 2 with playable Knuckles.
−
[[File:New_God_Hand_Config.jpg|thumb|Get God Hand running on a laptop]][http://www.mediafire.com/view/115130h5rc6qe6b/LilyPad-SCP.lily Native DS3 controls with LilyPad-SCP] - Import this with the 'Load Bindings' button in LilyPad's config.
+
* With Sonic 1: Unlocks the Blue Sphere minigame with a level select to all possible levels.
  
−
Either that, or you can use [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Pokopom-KrossX-s-Pad-Plugin the Pokopom XInput Plugin.] If you use a DualShock controller running under a XInput wrapper such as SCP Server, then this plugin is a no-brainer. It's very customizable, and you don't have to configure it beforehand. All of the buttons are bound at startup.
+
The Sonic & Knuckles cartridge can lock on to other cartridges:
  
−
Also, you can easily (and quite effortlessly) set up and use a DualShock 4 pad if you connect it wirelessly via an official PlayStation DualShock 4 Bluetooth USB dongle PC adapter from Sony. A generic bluetooth adapter (integrated or external) should work too with combination ryochan7/DS4Windows or via steam as a wrapper for wired or wireless.
+
* 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.
  
−
===Video===
+
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.
−
Most of the video options should be straightforward, with the possible exception of interlacing modes. Many games will run fine with 'None', while others may experience artifacting or jitter.
 
  
−
* "Sawtooth" is not recommended at all. Artifacting is far too heavy to be usable.
+
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.
−
* "Bob" has reduced artifacts, but jitter can still occur.
 
−
* "Blend" has the least amount of jitter. However, it can cause blurriness. The Blend interlacer does frame-blending. This is also known as motion blur. This means that if there is heavy jitter, the video output will be extremely blurry since the two jittering frames will blend together. Only use this interlacing method as a last resort.
 
  
−
Another method to get around this is by running GSdx in hardware rendering, doubling the vertical resolution (if a game displays 640x480 on the emulator window, set vertical res to 960) and selecting bob-tff for interlacing. This can eliminate interlacing artifacts in most cases, although issues with upscaling, as well as using hardware emulation over software, can arise.
+
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.
  
−
==Overview==
+
For GG/AR, the files needed are areplay.bin and ggenie.bin, but most emulators support cheat codes from these natively.
−
Code for 64-bit support for all major PC versions of PCSX2 including Windows, Linux and macOS was in development from [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/pull/3451 June 07, 2020]; and both 32-bit & 64-bit builds for all three desktop PC systems started being available on [https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/pull/3451#issuecomment-653720205 July 04, 2020].<ref name="Reddit_1">{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/hkzzv2/pcsx2_now_has_a_64_bit_version/ |title=PCSX2 now has a 64 bit version |publisher=Reddit|accessdate=2020-07-06|date=2020 Jul 04}}</ref> Eventually, this has the potential to reduce the so-called 'technical debt' (Consisting of hacks built in for some games) that still cause issues in 32-bit builds; and broaden the emulator's support for more platforms and devices such as support for ARM64 chips (Also for Mac too).
 
  
−
PCSX2 is a plugin-based emulator in name only. All plugins are developed in tandem with the emulator in the same source tree. With the exception of some specialized input plugins discussed below, there has not been a reason to add additional plugins such as the older ZeroGS/ZeroSPU2 for many years. Similar to current versions of Dolphin, the PCSX2 developers intend to eventually have all the plugins statically linked/"baked-in". To facilitate this, PSX emulator support was dropped from LilyPad and GSdx (does not affect playing PSX games in PCSX2). Currently, all plugins except the graphics plugin (GSdx) have been integrated into the core.
+
==Mega Drive Plus / Genesis Plus==
  
−
==Issues==
+
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.
−
{{main|https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Sticky-PCSX2-General-Troubleshooting-FAQ PCSX2 General Troubleshooting FAQ}}
 
  
−
===Automatic game fixes===
+
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.
−
Whenever you encounter any kind of bug that isn't graphical in nature, objects going through other objects, untargetable objects that should be targetable or A.I. freezing, for example, make sure that the automatic game fixes option from the system menu is activated.
 
  
−
===Major graphical glitches===
+
==External links==
−
Whenever a game has graphical problems such as garbage texture, missing effects, light sources visible through a wall, burn-in or transparent objects being opaque, the easiest fix is generally to switch to software mode either by pressing F9 in-game or via the configuration panel of the GSdx plugin. If using the DX11 renderer another option is to try the OGL one which is generally more up to date and more accurate. If you're using stable version of the emulator, try using the most recent development build. Newer development builds of the emulator have fixes in the hardware rendering which may remove graphical errors such as red or green bars appearing on the screen. The newest development build can be found at https://pcsx2.net/download/development/dev-windows.html, click the download link of the revision closest to the top of the page.
+
* [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
−
===Poor performance in software mode===
+
* [https://archive.org/details/sega_genesis_library ARCHIVE.ORG Console Library: Sega Genesis]
−
Many games will require you to switch to software mode to fix various issues, albeit at the cost of a significant performance loss. However, an easily overlooked setting in the graphical plugin configuration panel, extra rendering threads, might help lessen the performance loss if you have a quad-core or higher CPU. It is recommended to set it to the number of cores in your CPU minus one if you aren't using the MTVU speed-hack, or minus two if you are (ex: if you are using a quad core CPU you should set this number to 3 without MTVU and 2 with MTVU).
 
−
The process described above is partially automated in recent development versions of PCSX2 but you might still need to tweak it to get optimal performance levels
 
−
 
 
−
===Multi-threaded microVU===
 
−
Multi-threaded microVU (MTVU), while generally a very useful speed-hack, might sometime cause minor problems like hanging and absence of performance gain or more severe ones like massive performance hits, save-states corruption (PCSX2 keeps a backup you can load with Shift+F3 in case any issues arise) and crashes to desktop.
 
−
 
 
−
===Crashes===
 
−
Crashes could be the results of several things.
 
−
Switching between hardware and software rendering rapidly is likely to cause the emulator to lock up. This can be easily avoided by waiting a few seconds after switching between hardware and software rendering before switching again.
 
−
If your GPU drivers also crash simultaneously (or you get massive graphical corruption on your desktop and/or a BSOD while trying to run a game) this means you're either using outdated drivers or you're trying to use an AMD card with the OGL renderer and Blending Accuracy set to none, in which case either set it to basic or higher or use the DX11 renderer instead.
 
−
If the log warns you about TLB miss you are either:
 
−
 
 
−
* Using a bad dump of a game, in which case you'll need to [[Ripping Games|re-rip your disc]] or re-download the game you are trying to play.
 
−
* Playing the game directly from your DVD drive, in which case you should [[Ripping Games|rip the game]] and play using the .iso instead (it's not advised to play directly from your DVD drive).
 
−
* Trying to play a game that isn't supported by the emulator, in which case you cannot do anything except trying another version of the game (PAL or NTSC-J for example).
 
−
* Trying to play a game with a massive or in some cases any EE overclock applied, in which case turn it back down the speedhack menu.
 
−
* You need to check the Wiki to see if the game requires any specific settings regarding the Clamping Mode of the EE/VU.
 
−
* Ccheats used in the game's .pnach file are invalid.
 
−
 
 
−
If PCSX2 still crashes after doing all of the above, check that you aren't using any speed-hacks and that your system is stable and not overheating especially if you are overclocking.
 
−
 
 
−
===Extreme fluctuation emulation speed===
 
−
The large fluctuation in emulation generally are caused by the games themselves and cannot be avoided but there is a handful of cases where this is caused by specific configuration issues
 
−
 
 
−
* Using large internal resolution multiplier on a lower end GPU, even if the game runs mostly fine some effect can cause the emulator to suddenly have to do a lot of very heavy operation on the VRAM, lower GPU tend to have much lower VRAM bandwidth and will get absolutely crushed by what PCSX2 tries to do, especially true when using Large framebuffer and even more so when using the OGL renderer, obviously the only real fix is turning the resolution down and disabling Large Framebuffer if possible
 
−
* Playing the game directly from the original DVD using a disc drive, in which case you should [[Ripping Games|rip the game]] and play using the .iso instead
 
−
* Having the Blending accuracy set too high in the OGL renderer (Full and Ultra mostly)
 
−
* Using EE overclock in some games
 
−
 
 
−
===Intermittent warped audio===
 
−
Due to how the synchronizing function of the audio plugin works, even when running games on a computer that is capable of going way above 100% speed in a stable fashion, random bits of time-stretched audio can be heard occasionally or even frequently, there are however a few ways to work around that issue.
 
−
* Set the audio syncing method to Async Mix (can cause A/V sync issue, not recommended with rhythm games), do not set it to None as it basically does the same thing as Async Mix but has more issues
 
−
* Unlock the PCSX2 framerate limiter and use an external one such as MSI Afterburner
 
−
 
 
−
===Blurry===
 
−
It's either interlacing or a filter in the game itself. For the former, switching the de-interlacing mode with F5 may help, and may cause flicker or screen shaking. For the latter, hacks are required. Either Aggressive-CRC if the game is listed there, or skipdraw (toy with the number, 1-100) might work otherwise.
 
−
 
 
−
===Black lines===
 
−
Black lines are caused by scaling to a non-integer internal resolution (anything other than Yx Native), texture filtering (Try anything that isn't bilinear (Forced), improperly offset textures (TC Offset, Wild Arms Offset hacks, Half-Pixel Offset), or improperly handled texture edges (Merge Sprite hack, Sprite/Round Sprite combobox). Native resolution, for the most part, fixes these issues, however, software rendering may be required as well.
 
−
 
 
−
==Special hardware==
 
−
===Pressure-sensitive buttons===
 
−
The DualShock 2 joypad bundled with the PS2 has all buttons and sticks with variable pressure states.
 
−
 
 
−
While most PS2 games don't require this feature, instead preferring variable trigger/stick pressure (e.g. sneaking past the sleeping dog in Chulip), a select few do. Some examples include:
 
−
 
 
−
* All three attack buttons in the Bouncer do different attacks based on whether the press was light, medium or strong. Same goes for the musical game Mad Maestro.
 
−
* Star Ocean 3 has a musical item that plays different melodies depending on pressure and they're required for progressing.
 
−
 
 
−
Games requiring variable trigger pressure need physical controllers with analog sticks, but rare are third-party controllers which support variable pressure buttons. To know if your controller supports it, open the LilyPad plugin settings by going to the PCSX2 menu and selecting "Config", "Controllers (PAD)", and "Plugin Settings". At the LilyPad plugin popup, select your gamepad from the list of detected controllers in the "Device Diagnostics" box in the lower left then click the "Test Device" button.
 
−
 
 
−
A small popup window will appear, showing a list of all the gamepad's buttons as well as their current state. 0.000 = indicates unpressed, 1.000 = indicates fully depressed. Roll either analog stick around. See how the values change from 0.000 to 0.xyz, with the .xyz values shifting incrementally. These changing .xyz values show how the plugin detects different changes in angle as you move the analog stick around.
 
−
 
 
−
Now press any of the buttons normally used by games, i.e. the triangle/square/cross/circle buttons. See how the values immediately shift from 0.000 = unpressed, directly to 1.000 = pressed. If your gamepad truly has pressure sensitive buttons you will see gradual 0.xyz changes as you slowly press each button, just like the different changes in angle as you move the analog sticks around.
 
−
If the buttons change from 0.000 directly to 1.000 this proves that your gamepad buttons are not pressure sensitive and are merely tracking the pressed/unpressed state.
 
−
 
 
−
The solution would be to either buy an official DualShock 3 controller and use an appropriate 3rd party driver such as [[SCP Driver Package]], or mapping the button to a rarely used trigger/stick in LilyPad this way:
 
−
 
 
−
An additional button needs to be mapped to circle as well but configured to deliver "light" pressure. This is done by opening the gamepad plugin configuration and choosing a rarely used key - for example, the lower shoulder button L2 - and remapping it to the circle button, and setting the sensitivity to 0.500 or thereabouts. In the game, merely use the remapped L2@circle button to deliver "light" tap/hold tunes while the regular circle button can be used normally to deliver "hard" tap/hold tunes.
 
−
 
 
−
==Lightgun support==
 
−
Lightgun support is available in the pcxs2 emulator via a third party plugin called nuvee. His allows you to use and mouse or mouse compatible device (such as a lightgun) to play the large ps2 library of lightgun games<ref>https://lightgungamer.com/pcsx2</ref>.
 
−
 
 
−
==See also==
 
−
* [[How To Play PCSX2 Online]]
 
−
* [[Online PS2 games]]
 
  
−
==References==
+
{{Sega}}
−
{{reflist}}
 
−
 
 
−
==External links==
 
−
* [https://pcsx2.net/compatibility-list.html Official compatibility list]
 
−
* [http://pcsx2.net/247-official-pcsx2-configuration-guide-video.html Official PCSX2 setup guide]
 
−
* [http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=427321 NeoGAF guide]
 
−
* [http://wiki.pcsx2.net/index.php/Main_Page PCSX2 wiki]
 
−
* [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-PCSX2-Widescreen-Game-Patches?pid=271674#pid271674 PCSX2 widescreen game patches] and [http://ps2wide.net/ widescreen hacks]
 
−
* [https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-60-fps-codes 60 fps codes]
 
  
−
[[Category:Emulators]]
+
[[Category:Consoles]]
−
[[Category:Consoles' emulators]]
+
[[Category:Home consoles]]
−
[[Category:Home consoles' emulators]]
+
[[Category:Sega consoles]]
−
[[Category:PlayStation 2 emulators]]
+
[[Category:Sega Genesis emulators|*]]
−
[[Category:Windows emulation software]]
+
[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]
−
[[Category:Linux emulation software]]
 
−
[[Category:macOS emulation software]]
 
−
[[Category:Netplay]]
 

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-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
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