19
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
fixed some spelling and removed redundancies
[[File:SNES-and-controller.jpg|thumb||250px|The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)]]The '''[[gametechhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]''' (SNES) is a 16-bit, 4th generation console released on 1990 in North America. In Japan, it was known as the Super Famicom. The '''Satellaview''' was a subscription based add-on released only in Japan that streamed content to the Super Famicom. The '''Super Game Boy''' was a peripheral designed to play Game Boy and black Game Boy Color cartridges on the Super Nintendo. Both the Satellaview and the Super Game Boy are supported by [[higan]].
Emulation for the SNES is robust, with several high quality emulators for various systems, with some even being [[cycle accurate]].
| style="text-align: center;"|[[Higan]] (formerly bsnes)
| style="text-align: center;"|Windows, Linux
| style="text-align: center;"|[http://byuu.org/emulation/higan/ {{HiganVerhiganVer}}]
| style="text-align: center;"|✓
| style="text-align: center;"|Cycle
| style="text-align: center;"|[[ZSNES]]
| style="text-align: center;"|Multi-platform
| style="text-align: center;"|[http://zsnes.com 1.51]
| style="text-align: center;"|✗
| style="text-align: center;"|Low
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>This emulator is in beta stages at the moment, but it does run quite a few games. It doesn't support any cart-chips (SuperFX, DSP-1, Cx4, etc.and so on), but for the Old 3DS, it's the best option so far. If using a New 3DS, use CATSFC with RetroArch.
A compatibility list is available [http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/BlargSnes_Compatibility_List here].
===Comparisons===
1. [[Higan]] (formerly bsnes)
* The most [[accurate]] of the bunch. Should play any and all commercially released games without trouble, assuming you have the power.
* ROM hacks designed around emulator quirks will most likely not work. Same as with real hardware.
* LLE audio sounds amazing.
** At any fullscreen resolution and refresh rate
** Vast [[Shaders_and_Filters|shader]] support
* Dynamic rate control kills off most any and all audio distortion, such as crackling.
* Does not require Game Folders or anything like higan standalone.
* Has a fork of Snes9x known as Snes9x Next that is based on a WIP of Snes9x between 1.52 and 1.53 with some extra speedhacks so it runs full speed on a Wii, as well as a SuperFX overclock option.
* The SNES core is based on bsnes v059 which is rather old from 2010. It pre-dates the performance/balanced/accuracy builds. This version is much faster than the current version.
* Missing many of the LLE audio improvements that newer versions of Snes9x and higan use currently.
* The version of bsnes that Mednafen is using is missing out on many accuracy updates that particularly impacts a few edge case games such as Air Strike Patrol. The signifigance significance of this game is it was one of two games known to manipulate the PPU mid-scanline and is notoriously difficult to emulate. Some of the problems Mednafen has versus newer cores is poorly rendered text, flickering lines near the bottom of the screen, and missing shadow during flight.
* While acceptable for many games its recommended to use Snes9x, higan, or RetroArch instead.
* Many bugs and lacked functions for many games, see [[ZSNES#Review|ZSNES review]]
* Polarizing graphical user interface (loved by some, hated by others)
* Much like older versions of Snes9XSnes9x, relies on external pre-decompressed graphical packs to emulate some games with elaborate chips. Assuming you get the (now really hard to find) graphical packs for the SPC7110 (like from [http://other.ipherswipsite.com/gpacks/ here]) and Star Ocean (todo), and you put them in folders you then set under "Paths" in ZSNES, they can be playable without missing graphics. Same for older versions of Snes9X Snes9x (like 1.43). '''NOTE:''' ZSNES has a '''serious vulnerability''' allowing for '''executing arbitrary code''' (potentially malware), if made to load '''a ROM tampered with''' to allow so. Using ZSNES with SNES ROMs gotten from unknown sources is thus not recommended. Viable alternatives are BZSNES (if you want to load ZSNES-compatible hacks), ZMS (if you want the UI), NO$SNS or older versions of Snes9x (for speed on old computers) or any of the other emulators like bsnes/higan and Snes9x (for better compatibility).
==Satellaview Emulation==
==Data Pack Emulation==
Also known as DLC for the Super Famicom - not only the old Megadrive Mega Drive could do its lock-on thing! (incredible, isn't it?)
Data Packs are Satellaview 8M Memory Packs which have data meant to be used as expansion for a Data Pack-compatible game. Data Pack-compatible game cartridges look like the BS-X Cartridge. For most of these games, Data was distributed via St.GIGA’s Satellaview streaming services. Same Game and SD Gundam G-Next had some Data Packs sold in physical retail form in stores. RPG Tsukuru 2, Sound Novel Tsukuru and Ongaku Tsukuru Kanaderu could save user-created data to 8M Memory Packs.
Two emulators support this feature:
* '''Snes9XSnes9x:''' Under "File/Load Multi Cart...", choose the base game for "Slot A" and the expansion pack for "Slot B", and then the BS-X BIOS file. The combined game variant should open. Most Memory Pack games should work this way but some are unemulated for various reasons - it's one of the last overlooked areas in SNES emulation after all.
* '''bsnes-sx2:''' Under "File/Load Slotted BS-X Cartridge". However, due to how the emulator doesn't have a "Show files from all extensions" option, and an oversight during development, the expansion pack file can't be selected. Due to this, current versions can't go in-game.
Lately, an actual Sony SNES-CD prototype has been uncovered and repaired. It had various weird hardware restrictions (number of saves, CD size limit, no coprocessors) with much of it likely having to do with its unfinished nature (for example, it had a planned Audio CD support that doesn't actually work), which means the MSU-1 is a much more attractive alternative for hacks aiming to restore what SNES-CD should have been like.
No$SNS 1.6 supports the Sony SNES-CD add-on. This was made possible after some reverse engineering and analysis of the leaked BIOS file. Get the leaked SuperDisc Super Disc BIOS, circulating on the net as "SDBR_v0.95.sfc". Under the same directory as the no$sns executable, make a "BIOS" folder, put the BIOS file there and rename it to "SFX-100.bin".
The available SNES-CD games online right now are a BIOS for one of the discovered prototypes, and homebrew games (Magic Floor, Super Boss Gaiden - both have alternate versions as regular SNES roms) which come as BIN+CUE files. NO$SNS 1.6 supports only one CD mode, so it doesn't actually read the CUE but just the BIN file.
