Difference between pages "EKA2L1" and "Sega Dreamcast emulators"

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{{Infobox emulator
+
{{Infobox console
|title = EKA2L1
+
|title = Sega Dreamcast
|logo = EKA2L1.png
+
|logo = DreamcastConsole.png
|logowidth = 130
+
|developer = [[:Sega]]
|version = [https://github.com/EKA2L1/EKA2L1/releases GitHub]<br/>[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.eka2l1 Play Store]
+
|type = [[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]]
|active = Yes
+
|generation = [[:Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles|Sixth generation]]
|platform = [[Emulators on PC|Windows]]<br/>[[Emulators on macOS|macOS]]<br/>Linux<br/>[[Emulators on Android OS|Android]]
+
|release = 1998
|target = [[Cellphone emulators#Symbian and N-Gage (Nokia)|Symbian and N-Gage]]
+
|discontinued = 2001
|developer = [https://github.com/pent0 pent0]<br/>[https://github.com/nikita36078 nikita36078]
+
|predecessor = [[Sega_Saturn_emulators|Sega Saturn]]
|prog-lang = C++ (17)
+
|emulated = {{✓}}
|website = [https://12z1.com 12z1.com]
 
|support = [https://www.paypal.me/ccjkz11 PayPal]<br/>[https://www.paypal.me/nikita36078 PayPal]<small> (nikita36078)</small>
 
|license = GNU GPLv3
 
|source = [https://github.com/EKA2L1/EKA2L1 GitHub]
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''EKA2L1''' (EPOC Kernel Architecture 2 Level 1) is free and an open-source, [[High/Low level emulation|high-level]], [[Cellphone emulators#N-Gage (Nokia)|Symbian and N-Gage emulator]], written in C++17 and support Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
+
The '''[[wikipedia:Sega Dreamcast|Dreamcast]]''' is a sixth-generation console released by [[wikipedia:Sega|Sega]] on November 27, 1998 in Japan and later on September 9, 1999 in NA. It retailed for {{Inflation|USD|199.99|1999}}. 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 [[Sega Saturn emulators|Saturn's]] sound system.. Sega also released the '''[[Sega NAOMI and variants|Naomi]]''', an arcade system board with similar components to the Dreamcast. Sammy's '''[https://segaretro.org/Atomiswave Atomiswave]''' arcade board was also based on the Dreamcast and Naomi.
  
==Overview==
+
Sega collaborated with Microsoft on the Dreamcast's development, and this partnership would continue later with the [[Xbox emulators|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).
The original author of EKA2L1, formerly nicknamed "bentokun", had briefly worked on the [[Vita3K]] emulator before starting his new N-Gage emulator around 2017 or 2018. He presented progress reports on his Patreon account and on the r/emulation at Reddit in 2018. He had changed his online nick to 'pent0' perhaps in late 2018 or January 2019.
 
  
pent0 had cancelled his Patreon account on February 2019 with the reason being that he wanted to focus on more reverse-engineering of the Symbian operating system (Series 60 platform on Symbian OS v6.1) that was baked into the N-Gage device, and to reorganize the central repository of EKA2L1 at GitHub. Additionally, the publicly available source code (presumably for the Symbian OS that was also on legacy Nokia phones and other brands' phones) was different from the binary code from the N-Gage itself. He continued with newer progress reports at his [https://12z1.com/ new site].  
+
==Emulators==
 
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
- You can watch the progress on his active [https://discordapp.com/invite/5Bm5SJ9 Discord server].
+
! scope="col"|Name
 
+
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
==Download==
+
! scope="col"|Latest Version
{| cellpadding="4"
+
! scope="col"|[[libretro|Libretro Core]]
 +
! scope="col"|Naomi
 +
! scope="col"|Atomiswave
 +
! scope="col"|Windows CE
 +
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
 +
! scope="col"|Active
 +
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="10"|PC / x86
 +
|-
 +
| [[DEmul]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
| [http://demul.emulation64.com/downloads/ {{DEmulVer}}]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[redream]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
| [https://redream.io/download {{RedreamVer}}]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[Flycast]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
 +
| [https://flyinghead.github.io/flycast-builds/ CI Builds]<br/>[https://flathub.org/apps/details/org.flycast.Flycast nightly]<small> (Flathub)</small>
 +
| {{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [http://flycast.dojo.ooo/ Flycast Dojo]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Fightcade}}
 +
| [https://github.com/blueminder/flycast-dojo/ git]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[reicast]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 +
| [http://builds.reicast.com/ CI Builds]<small> (Not Working)</small><br/>[https://snapcraft.io/reicast r8.1]<small> (Snap Store)</small>
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[nullDC]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
| [http://www.emucr.com/2013/03/nulldc-svn-r150.html 1.0.4 r150]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[Makaron]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
| [https://www.zophar.net/dreamcast/makaron.html T12/5]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [http://washemu.org/ WashingtonDC]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Linux}}
 +
| [https://github.com/washingtondc-emu/washingtondc git]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [http://www.lxdream.org Lxdream]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Linux|macOS}}
 +
| [http://www.lxdream.org/download.php 0.9.1]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [https://segaretro.org/Chankast Chankast]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 +
| [http://chanka.emulatronia.com/FrameSetDC_Down.htm 0.25]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[MAME]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
 +
| [http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]
 +
| {{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="10"|Mobile / ARM
 +
|-
 +
| [[redream]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Android|LinuxARM}}
 +
| [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.recompiled.redream 1.1.98]<small> (Android)</small><br/>[https://redream.io/download 1.5.0]<small> (Raspberry Pi)</small>
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[Flycast]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS}}
 +
| [https://flyinghead.github.io/flycast-builds CI Builds]
 +
| {{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[reicast]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Android|Pyra}}
 +
| [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reicast.emulator r20.04]<small> (Android)</small></br>[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/122 Pyra Build]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="10"|Console
 +
|-
 +
| [[Flycast]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Switch}}
 +
| [https://flyinghead.github.io/flycast-builds CI Builds]
 +
| {{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|APK|Win|macOS|Linux}}
+
| [[nullDC PSP]]
|'''[https://github.com/EKA2L1/EKA2L1/releases Automatic CI builds]'''
+
| align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}
 +
| [https://github.com/PSP-Archive/nulldce-psp git] [https://archive.org/details/nullDC-PSP 1.2.1]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
 
|-
 
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|APK}}
+
| nulldc-360
|'''[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.eka2l1 Play Store]'''
+
| align=left|{{Icon|Xbox360}}
 +
| [https://github.com/gligli/nulldc-360 git]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}}
 
|}
 
|}
  
==Emulator==
+
===Comparisons===
The emulator emulates Symbian OS's EKA1 and EKA2 behavior, and re-implements most of its critical app servers, which are like the services that Windows OSes run in the background for basic essentials, communication needs and other elements such as a file system and graphical display rendering). The emulator is still in very early development and as such most games and apps either crash outright or display little to no output, but a handful of games do work such as ''Bounce Touch'' or ''Snakes 3D'' with little to no issues.
+
;[[DEmul]]: Has the highest compatibility and accuracy, but it's Windows-only and closed-source. 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]]: Multi-platform and easy to use, but it's closed-source. Compatible with [https://redream.io/compatibility 90+% of the Dreamcast library] (Windows CE now supported), has a good user interface, is easy to set up, and can run without a BIOS. Runs on [https://youtu.be/rywLHa1i9yk?t=529 low-end machines] provided that they support OpenGL 3.1. There's a payware premium version that provides high-definition rendering and additional slots for save states.
 +
;[[nullDC]]:  Can run a lot of games at great speed on mid-end PC and it's open-source, however, it's no longer developed and the more recent forks have improved upon it.
 +
:;[[reicast]]: Eventually, nullDC's author forked his own project into reicast, with the main objective to widen platform availability to smartphones and tablets. While wider availability is generally a good thing, this resulted in cutting accuracy corners from the nullDC codebase to achieve the speed goals necessary to run on these platforms. Advancements in mobile hardware should have led to the removal of such "hacks"; however lack of developer resources and interest led to long delays in Reicast development, and the codebase remained virtually untouched for years before the RetroArch team began working with it as part of a "Reicast core", later named Flycast.
 +
:;[[flycast]]: Fork of reicast available as a standalone emulator and as a [[libretro]] core. Libretro collaborators, primarily [https://github.com/flyinghead/reicast-emulator flyinghead], dramatically improved Reicast in areas such as graphics, input, system clock, and Dreamcast VMU. Atomiswave and NAOMI SH-4-based arcade systems have also been added to great fanfare<ref name="flycastnaomi">https://github.com/libretro/flycast/issues/136</ref>, along with support for MAME's popular CHD format. Even full MMU support, which is needed to run WinCE-based games such as "Armada", "Half-Life" and "SEGA Rally Championship 2", has recently been tackled through an experimental branch (anyone following Dreamcast emulation over the years understands what a tough nut this is to crack). Aside from some audio stuttering issues in games such as "Looney Toons Space Race" and "Resident Evil: Code Veronica", this is a highly compatible and accurate emulator.
 +
 
 +
;[[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.
 +
 
 +
==VMU emulators==
 +
While some 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. See the main page on VMU emulation [[Sega VMU emulators|here]].
  
==Compatibility List==
+
==Downloads==
<B>
+
* [[Emulator_Files#Dreamcast|BIOS]]
* [https://eka2l1.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page  EKA2L1 Wiki]</B>
 
  
==External links==
+
==References==
* [https://github.com/EKA2L1/EKA2L1 Official git repository]
+
<references />
* [https://discordapp.com/invite/5Bm5SJ9 Discord server]
 
* [https://ci.appveyor.com/project/bentokun/eka2l1-mjiuq AppVeyor page]
 
* [https://crowdin.com/project/eka2l1 The Official EKA2L1 Translation Project]
 
* [https://mega.nz/folder/JosSEZjD#isLNm8y0irCvodRGkV2dqg Symbian OS ROMs (Required)]
 
* [https://eka2l1.miraheze.org/wiki/How_To_Use_The_Preconfigured_Pack Preconfigured Pack Tutorial (Easiest way of Setting up EKA2L1)]
 
  
'''Obsolete'''
+
{{Sega}}
* [https://github.com/pent0/EKA2L1 bentokun's old Git fork of EKA2L1] (Recommended to go to the official Git repository)
 
* [https://www.patreon.com/fewdspuck Patreon] (Cancelled on February 2019)
 
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20190213024230/https://bentokun.xyz bentokun.xyz] (archived)
 
  
[[Category:Emulators]]
+
[[Category:Consoles]]
[[Category:Mobiles emulators]]
+
[[Category:Home consoles]]
[[Category:Cellphone emulators]]
+
[[Category:Sega consoles]]
[[Category:Windows emulation software]]
+
[[Category:Sega Dreamcast emulators|*]]
[[Category:Linux emulation software]]
+
[[Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles]]
[[Category:macOS emulation software]]
 
[[Category:Android emulation software]]
 

Revision as of 19:55, 15 November 2021

Sega Dreamcast
DreamcastConsole.png
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).

Emulators

Name Platform(s) Latest Version Libretro Core Naomi Atomiswave Windows CE FLOSS Active Recommended
PC / x86
DEmul Windows 0.7 Build 280418
redream Windows Linux macOS 1.5.0 (Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi)
1.2.07 (Android)
Flycast Windows Linux macOS CI Builds
nightly (Flathub)
Flycast Dojo Windows Linux git
reicast Windows Linux CI Builds (Not Working)
r8.1 (Snap Store)
nullDC Windows 1.0.4 r150 ~
Makaron Windows T12/5 ~
WashingtonDC Linux git
Lxdream Linux macOS 0.9.1
Chankast Windows 0.25
MAME Windows Linux macOS FreeBSD 0.264 ~ ~
Mobile / ARM
redream Android Linux ARM 1.1.98 (Android)
1.5.0 (Raspberry Pi)
Flycast Android iOS CI Builds ~ ~
reicast Android Dragonbox Pyra r20.04 (Android)
Pyra Build
Console
Flycast Switch CI Builds
nullDC PSP PSP git 1.2.1 ~
nulldc-360 Xbox 360 git ~ ~

Comparisons

DEmul
Has the highest compatibility and accuracy, but it's Windows-only and closed-source. 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
Multi-platform and easy to use, but it's closed-source. Compatible with 90+% of the Dreamcast library (Windows CE now supported), 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. There's a payware premium version that provides high-definition rendering and additional slots for save states.
nullDC
Can run a lot of games at great speed on mid-end PC and it's open-source, however, it's no longer developed and the more recent forks have improved upon it.
reicast
Eventually, nullDC's author forked his own project into reicast, with the main objective to widen platform availability to smartphones and tablets. While wider availability is generally a good thing, this resulted in cutting accuracy corners from the nullDC codebase to achieve the speed goals necessary to run on these platforms. Advancements in mobile hardware should have led to the removal of such "hacks"; however lack of developer resources and interest led to long delays in Reicast development, and the codebase remained virtually untouched for years before the RetroArch team began working with it as part of a "Reicast core", later named Flycast.
flycast
Fork of reicast available as a standalone emulator and as a libretro core. Libretro collaborators, primarily flyinghead, dramatically improved Reicast in areas such as graphics, input, system clock, and Dreamcast VMU. Atomiswave and NAOMI SH-4-based arcade systems have also been added to great fanfare[1], along with support for MAME's popular CHD format. Even full MMU support, which is needed to run WinCE-based games such as "Armada", "Half-Life" and "SEGA Rally Championship 2", has recently been tackled through an experimental branch (anyone following Dreamcast emulation over the years understands what a tough nut this is to crack). Aside from some audio stuttering issues in games such as "Looney Toons Space Race" and "Resident Evil: Code Veronica", this is a highly compatible and accurate emulator.
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.

VMU emulators

While some 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. See the main page on VMU emulation here.

Downloads

References

Dreamcast logo.png
Consoles: SG-1000Master SystemGenesis / Mega DriveCD32XPicoSaturnDreamcast
Handhelds: Game GearVMU / VMS
Arcade: System seriesModel 1Model 2Model 3NAOMI