Difference between pages "Talk:Nintendo Entertainment System emulators" and "Sega Dreamcast emulators"

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Why are Nintendulator, Nestopia and FCEUX recommended?
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{{Infobox console
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I just tried out all the recommended emulators and Mesen and PuNES seem a lot better. Nintendulator doesn't load zip-files, has to be configurated to even start. All of them (Nintendulator, Nestopia, FCEUX) have complicated menu systems and configurations. Mesen is super easy to use, has better compatibility, auto updating, netplay and it even loads goodmerged-files. PuNES is not as good but supports rewinding so that I might get by.
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|title = Sega Dreamcast
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:Nestopia is still recommended primarily because of its availability as a Libretro core.  Standalone is okay but puNES and Mesen are much better these days.  If either of those two were to become Libretro cores then I couldn't see recommending Nestopia at all.  As for FCEUX and Nintendulator, I have no idea.  -- [[User:Random Encounter|Random Encounter]] ([[User talk:Random Encounter|talk]]) 14:17, 3 September 2016 (UTC)
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|logo = DreamcastConsole.png
 +
|developer = [[:Sega]]
 +
|type = [[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]]
 +
|generation = [[:Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles|Sixth generation]]
 +
|release = 1998
 +
|discontinued = 2001
 +
|predecessor = [[Sega_Saturn_emulators|Sega Saturn]]
 +
|emulated = {{✓}}
 +
}}
  
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FCEUX still gets recc'ed based on debugging features. These things matter for homebrew. As for Nintendulator, not a damn clue. [[User:Goi~Yaas~Dinn|Goi~Yaas~Dinn]] ([[User talk:Goi~Yaas~Dinn|talk]])
+
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.
  
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Note that Mesen, while it works on GNU/Linux, it's pretty awful due to a ton of stuttering and lag during gameplay, even with VSync turned on. puNES should be recommended over it for GNU/Linux users (and NEStopia UE for its libretro core). [[User:Syboxez|Syboxez]] ([[User talk:Syboxez|talk]])
+
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).
  
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== Some Issues ==
+
==Emulators==
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+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
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1. Can we cut the description of the FDS down to a line and keep all the talkative bits about it under its peripheral subheader? I realize I'm guilty of nearly doubling its number of lines, but that's before I read the whole page and discovered it already had a home.
 
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2. There appears to be a dick-measuring contest going on in a footnote between proponents of mesen and puNES re the number of mappers each supports. Can I just say each supports mappers the other doesn't or would that be untrue?
 
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3. The assertion that VC NES emulation is somehow accurate in any way (simply because Nintendo did it) I find highly suspect (considering what is known about their approach to other consoles such as the SNES and N64). Can anyone back that up?
 
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I plan to do some other minor edits to polish, but first I wanted to clear this up. [[User:Goi~Yaas~Dinn|Goi~Yaas~Dinn]] ([[User talk:Goi~Yaas~Dinn|talk]])
 
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Pretty much no VC emulator is accurate, barring GBA on the 3DS since it uses hardware, and GBA on the Wii U is decent as well, due to being coded by a third party. Also would be nice if the FDS info was still on the page, just somewhere else. The FDS versions of many games were superior to the American cart releases, and it would be good for people to know that. [[User:Syboxez|Syboxez]] ([[User talk:Syboxez|talk]])
 
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I went ahead and finished editing and polishing. Thank you for your (somewhat belated) response. [[User:Goi~Yaas~Dinn|Goi~Yaas~Dinn]] ([[User talk:Goi~Yaas~Dinn|talk]]) 03:56, 25 July 2017 (EDT)
 
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== Adding ares ==
 
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I've been adding ares entries to all the relevant emulator pages, but this one is protected. ares gives itself a 2/4 star ratings (in terms of how many titles are playable, not actual accuracy), so it certainly would not be a recommended emulator, but I think it's still worth adding. I recommend something like this gets added:
 
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
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! scope="col"|[[Wikipedia:Family Computer Disk System|FDS]]
 
 
! scope="col"|[[libretro|Libretro Core]]
 
! scope="col"|[[libretro|Libretro Core]]
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! scope="col"|[[Emulation Accuracy|Accuracy]]
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! scope="col"|Naomi
 +
! scope="col"|Atomiswave
 +
! scope="col"|Windows CE
 
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
 
! 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]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[ares]]
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! colspan="10"|PC / x86
−
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
+
|-
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|[https://github.com/higan-emu/ares/releases/ {{aresVer}}]
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| [[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]
 +
| {{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[nullDC PSP]]
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}
 +
| [https://github.com/PSP-Archive/nulldce-psp git] [https://archive.org/details/nullDC-PSP 1.2.1]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
 +
|-
 +
| nulldc-360
 +
| align=left|{{Icon|Xbox360}}
 +
| [https://github.com/gligli/nulldc-360 git]
 +
| {{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}}
 
|}
 
|}
  
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Note: it does handle FDS but I don't know the quality of the support.
+
===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 [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]].
 +
 
 +
==Downloads==
 +
* [[Emulator_Files#Dreamcast|BIOS]]
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
<references />
  
−
[[User:BlaBlaCra|BlaBlaCra]] ([[User talk:BlaBlaCra|talk]]) 21:07, 11 October 2021 (UTC)
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{{Sega}}
  
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:Thank you. Could someone update the url to "https://github.com/ares-emulator/ares/releases" to avoid using a redirect link? Cheers. [[User:BlaBlaCra|BlaBlaCra]] ([[User talk:BlaBlaCra|talk]]) 00:14, 30 October 2021 (UTC)
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[[Category:Consoles]]
 +
[[Category:Home consoles]]
 +
[[Category:Sega consoles]]
 +
[[Category:Sega Dreamcast emulators|*]]
 +
[[Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles]]

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

  1. ↑ https://github.com/libretro/flycast/issues/136
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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