Difference between pages "VisualBoyAdvance" and "BGB"

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(What problems? Surely the devs wouldn't release more versions without fixing the bugs?)
 
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'''VisualBoyAdvance''' is an open-source [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Color]] and [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]] emulator.
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{{Infobox emulator
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|title = BGB
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|logo =
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|logowidth = 0
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|version = {{BGBVer}}
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|active = Yes
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|platform = Windows
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|target = [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Color]]
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|developer = beware
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|website = [http://bgb.bircd.org/ BGB]
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|support = [https://www.blockchain.com/btc/address/1GKtGirdpJbY7BgKttJ4LCGzyUVzBJoL4W Bitcoin]
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}}
  
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<strong>BGB</strong> is a freeware, closed-source [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulator]] developed by beware. It is one of the recommended and first Game Boy/Color emulators, owing to its excellent Game Boy and Game Boy Color accuracy, along with its great link support. It also has a wealth of options for color palettes and even enabling Super Game Boy colors and borders, though it doesn't emulate all of its functions. It comes with a built-in debugger that resembles [[No$|No$GMB]]'s debugger, with slightly more features.
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 +
There is currently no official support for macOS, Linux, or BSS. Therefore, it is recommended to use [[Wine]] if there is a need to run BGB on a non-Windows system.
 
==Downloads==
 
==Downloads==
 
{| cellpadding="4"
 
{| cellpadding="4"
|-
 
|align=center|{{Icon|Win|Mac}}
 
|'''[https://github.com/visualboyadvance-m/visualboyadvance-m/releases VisualBoyAdvance-M Official releases]'''
 
|-
 
|colspan="3"|<hr/>
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
 
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
|[http://www.emucr.com/search/label/VisualBoyAdvance-M/ VisualBoyAdvance-M Dev Builds]<br><small>Compiled by emucr</small>
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|'''[http://bgb.bircd.org/#downloads Latest release]'''
|-
 
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
 
|[http://projectpokemon.org/forums/showthread.php?42433-RELEASE-VBA-LINK-E-READER VBA Link e-Reader]
 
|-
 
|align=center|{{Icon|GCN|Wii}}
 
|[https://github.com/dborth/vbagx VisualBoyAdvance GX]
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
==Versions==
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==Features==
===VBA===
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*Emulates the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and the Super Game Boy
{{Infobox emulator
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*Accurate emulation of the hardware, based on research with a lot of test ROMs, useful for debugging or ROM development. Here are some highlights:
|title = VisualBoyAdvance
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**High-accurate timing for the LCD behavior/state changes
|last-version = 1.8.0-beta3
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**Realistic initial RAM values - random but with specific bit patterns, and simulated values left by bootroms (for example 'nibbler (pd)' depends on this)
|active = No
+
**Accurate emulation of the LCD register writes during scanline (prehistoric man, demotronic demo)
|platform = Windows
+
**Emulation of inaccessible VRAM and OAM, as similar to real hardware
|target = [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]]<br/>[[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Color]]
+
**High-accurate emulation of sprites, which causes mode 3 to take longer periods to render
|developer = Forgotten, VBA Team
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**Correct memory access timing (memory accesses happening at the last second to the last clock of an opcode)
|website = [http://vba.ngemu.com/ Official site] (now redirects to forums), [http://www.vbalink.info/ VBA Link]
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**Accurate emulation for the differences between a DMG and a GBC, including timing differences, and differences in hardware behavior, initial state, etc
|license = GNU GPLv2
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**Optionally emulates how an actual DMG would run a GBC ROM, and how an actual GBC would run a DMG ROM
|source = [[sourceforge:projects/vba/files/VisualBoyAdvance/|SourceForge]]
 
}}
 
The original VBA emulator is ancient and ceased development in 2004. VBA-M begun as a multiplayer branch of it to become ever since a continuation of VBA, as it is regularly updated.
 
 
 
VisualBoyAdvance 1.8.0 is the latest version of the original emulator. While still very useful and functional, and including emulation for tilt controls in Kirby Tilt'n Tumble (GBC), it doesn't emulate some features of special cartridges with solar or gyroscopic controls (those need ROM patches to function for that version), and doesn't include Link cable emulation (VBA-M originally was a multiplayer branch) or e-Reader emulation (earlier mods for 1.7 and 1.6 versions tried to, but only covered standalone e-Card emulation, not linked e-Card/GBA game or linked e-Card/GC game).
 
 
 
Be sure you have "vba-over.ini" in the same folder as VBA to avoid save type issues. Current VBA-M builds come with this by default. libretro versions of VBA have this baked into the binary, but also output a different save format that needs to be converted with a tool to be used with standalone VBA.
 
 
 
===VBA Link e-Reader===
 
Project Pokémon made a version of VBA 1.73 that adds both e-Reader and Link Cable support. While they were once available separately, this version permits the use of battle e-cards.
 
 
 
Using the e-Reader functionality requires a ROM of the Nintendo e-Reader. Load the ROM, then navigate to "Scan Dot Code." The emulator will ask for a dump of the e-Reader card barcode. Choose one that you had previously downloaded from your computer. (You can download the raw dumps as No-Intro's e-Reader set)
 
 
 
<!-- Previous link, dead now, for reference: http://www.get-your-rom.com/ner-nintendo-e-reader-roms -->
 
===VBA-M===
 
{{Infobox emulator
 
|title = VisualBoyAdvance-M
 
|version = {{VBAMVer}}
 
|active = Yes
 
|platform = Multi-platform
 
|target = [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]]<br/>[[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Color]]
 
|developer = ZachBacon, rkitover, VBA-M Team
 
|website = [http://vba-m.com/ VBA-M.com]
 
|license = GNU GPLv2
 
|source = [https://github.com/visualboyadvance-m/visualboyadvance-m GitHub]
 
}}
 
The newer open-source active GBA emulator. Includes Link cable emulation between two GBA gamepacks, and as of v0956, Joylink GCN/GBA emulation, which saw a huge compatibility overhaul in early 2015 (fixing notably Navi Trackers and Wind Waker). e-Reader emulation is being slowly added too (none of the emulators so far emulate all three types of e-Reader connectivity - e-Reader only, e-Reader/GBA cartridge, and e-Reader/GameCube). Still doesn't emulate gyroscopic sensor. VBA-M is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, BeOS, [[GameCube emulators|GameCube]] and [[Wii emulators|Wii]].
 
 
 
===VBA-Next===
 
VBA-Next is an optimized version of an older revision of VBA-M with speedhacks and is available as a [[libretro]] core for [[RetroArch]], making it recommended for Wii (over VBA-GX, from a speed perspective) and [[Android emulators|Android]]. There is also a libretro version of the latest VBA-M, which is slower but has fewer compatibility issues and regressions.
 
  
===VBA-GX===
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*Powerful debugger:
Wii-exclusive VBA-M optimized port (though less optimized than the VBA-Next core of RetroArch). Supports various Wii controllers and also offers [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Visual_Boy_Advance_GX/Match_Wii_Controls special Wii controls].
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**Disassembler with selectable syntaxes from [[No$|No$GMB]], rgbds, and wla
 +
**Assembler - modify code and the ability to save it as a modified ROM
 +
**Symbols - .sym file support
 +
**'Inline' editing in code, data, and stack viewer
 +
**Breakpoints
 +
**Break on access
 +
**Conditional breakpoints
 +
**'on jump' access breakpoints for breaking before a jump into a range is taken
 +
**Source code breakpoints - ld, b, and b
 +
**Debug messages - ld, d, and d
 +
**Singlestepping/tracing/animating/step out/step over
 +
**VRAM viewer - background map, tiles, OAM, and palette
 +
**IO registers viewer
 +
**Real-time display of data during emulation and freezing of RAM values
 +
**Break on exceptions - accessing inaccessible VRAM, read uninitialized RAM, echo RAM access, access locked external RAM, disable LCD outside vblank
 +
**Ability to modify all registers and state at any given time
 +
**Joypad window - allows simulating button presses at any given time while debugging
  
It is the only version of the emulator to support solar sensor emulation (Boktai series) and gyroscopic sensors (WarioWare Twisted, Yoshi's Universal Gravitation) as well as the tilt sensors for Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, but requires clean ROMs of these as their emulation ROM patches break their proper functionality here. They are controlled using the Wiimote. As for the solar sensor games, pointing the Wiimote skyward charges the Gun deSol while pointing it to the ground blocks sunlight. Has other optional motion-based Wiimote controls for other notable games.
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*SGB multiplayer - up to 4 gamepads
 +
*Graphics output - GDI or DirectDraw or Direct3D or OpenGL or null output
 +
*Graphics doubler - HQ2X or Scale2x or scanlines filter or blocky
 +
*Sound output - waveout or DirectSound or null or disk writer. Supports writing the 4 channels to separate .wav files
 +
*.avi recording with installed codec of choice that is synchronized with a recorded .wav file, and then can be combined into a single video afterward
 +
*Runs almost every ROM in existence perfectly, and the compatibility is comparable with the best GB/C emulators
 +
*Accurate and high-quality sound emulation, bandlimited synthesis
 +
*Accurate video emulation including 'high color' graphics, correct sprite, and background priorities, 10 sprites per line limit, and mid-scanline register changes
 +
*Joystick and gamepad support - any key can be mapped to any joystick or gamepad button
 +
*Some user interface keys are configurable and can be mapped to a joystick/gamepad button(s)
 +
*MBC3 Real-time clock emulation - the real-time clock data is saved or loaded in the .sav file, also compatible with [[VisualBoy Advance|VisualBoyAdvance]]
 +
*Auto delay/frameskip - emulation runs at real Game Boy/Color speeds at 60 FPS
 +
*GameGenie and GameShark cheat support - load or save cheats (auto and manual), a 'cheat searcher', and the ability to create cheat codes
 +
*Save/load state with quick ([[ZSNES]] style, and mappable) keys
 +
*Forward and backward compatibility of .sav files and save states, this is to ensure that your saved progress is not lost. BGB can also load all save files from previous versions
 +
*Load ROMs from .7z and .zip archives
 +
*Support for an optional border bitmap image, with fake or real fullscreen modes
 +
*Game link cable support through TCP/IP
  
===VBA-M JS===
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==External links==
Javascript port for playing on computer web browsers. Used to be available [http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20328726/vbamjs/index.html here], but the link is now 404 Not Found.
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* [http://bgb.bircd.org BGB Website]
 +
* [http://bgb.bircd.org/history.html BGB Changelogs]
  
{{Game Boy Advance emulators}}
 
 
[[Category:Emulators]]
 
[[Category:Emulators]]
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[[Category:Consoles' emulators]]
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[[Category:Handheld consoles' emulators]]
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[[Category:Windows emulation software‏‎]]
 
[[Category:Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators]]
 
[[Category:Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators]]
[[Category:Game Boy Advance emulators]]
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[[Category:Closed-source emulators]]
[[Category:Windows emulation software]]
 
[[Category:Linux emulation software]]
 
[[Category:macOS emulation software]]
 
[[Category:IOS emulation software]]
 

Revision as of 19:45, 4 September 2021

BGB
Developer(s) beware
Latest version 1.6.2
Active Yes
Platform(s) Windows
Emulates Game Boy/Color
Website BGB
Support ($) Bitcoin

BGB is a freeware, closed-source Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulator developed by beware. It is one of the recommended and first Game Boy/Color emulators, owing to its excellent Game Boy and Game Boy Color accuracy, along with its great link support. It also has a wealth of options for color palettes and even enabling Super Game Boy colors and borders, though it doesn't emulate all of its functions. It comes with a built-in debugger that resembles No$GMB's debugger, with slightly more features.

There is currently no official support for macOS, Linux, or BSS. Therefore, it is recommended to use Wine if there is a need to run BGB on a non-Windows system.

Downloads

Windows Latest release

Features

  • Emulates the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and the Super Game Boy
  • Accurate emulation of the hardware, based on research with a lot of test ROMs, useful for debugging or ROM development. Here are some highlights:
    • High-accurate timing for the LCD behavior/state changes
    • Realistic initial RAM values - random but with specific bit patterns, and simulated values left by bootroms (for example 'nibbler (pd)' depends on this)
    • Accurate emulation of the LCD register writes during scanline (prehistoric man, demotronic demo)
    • Emulation of inaccessible VRAM and OAM, as similar to real hardware
    • High-accurate emulation of sprites, which causes mode 3 to take longer periods to render
    • Correct memory access timing (memory accesses happening at the last second to the last clock of an opcode)
    • Accurate emulation for the differences between a DMG and a GBC, including timing differences, and differences in hardware behavior, initial state, etc
    • Optionally emulates how an actual DMG would run a GBC ROM, and how an actual GBC would run a DMG ROM
  • Powerful debugger:
    • Disassembler with selectable syntaxes from No$GMB, rgbds, and wla
    • Assembler - modify code and the ability to save it as a modified ROM
    • Symbols - .sym file support
    • 'Inline' editing in code, data, and stack viewer
    • Breakpoints
    • Break on access
    • Conditional breakpoints
    • 'on jump' access breakpoints for breaking before a jump into a range is taken
    • Source code breakpoints - ld, b, and b
    • Debug messages - ld, d, and d
    • Singlestepping/tracing/animating/step out/step over
    • VRAM viewer - background map, tiles, OAM, and palette
    • IO registers viewer
    • Real-time display of data during emulation and freezing of RAM values
    • Break on exceptions - accessing inaccessible VRAM, read uninitialized RAM, echo RAM access, access locked external RAM, disable LCD outside vblank
    • Ability to modify all registers and state at any given time
    • Joypad window - allows simulating button presses at any given time while debugging
  • SGB multiplayer - up to 4 gamepads
  • Graphics output - GDI or DirectDraw or Direct3D or OpenGL or null output
  • Graphics doubler - HQ2X or Scale2x or scanlines filter or blocky
  • Sound output - waveout or DirectSound or null or disk writer. Supports writing the 4 channels to separate .wav files
  • .avi recording with installed codec of choice that is synchronized with a recorded .wav file, and then can be combined into a single video afterward
  • Runs almost every ROM in existence perfectly, and the compatibility is comparable with the best GB/C emulators
  • Accurate and high-quality sound emulation, bandlimited synthesis
  • Accurate video emulation including 'high color' graphics, correct sprite, and background priorities, 10 sprites per line limit, and mid-scanline register changes
  • Joystick and gamepad support - any key can be mapped to any joystick or gamepad button
  • Some user interface keys are configurable and can be mapped to a joystick/gamepad button(s)
  • MBC3 Real-time clock emulation - the real-time clock data is saved or loaded in the .sav file, also compatible with VisualBoyAdvance
  • Auto delay/frameskip - emulation runs at real Game Boy/Color speeds at 60 FPS
  • GameGenie and GameShark cheat support - load or save cheats (auto and manual), a 'cheat searcher', and the ability to create cheat codes
  • Save/load state with quick (ZSNES style, and mappable) keys
  • Forward and backward compatibility of .sav files and save states, this is to ensure that your saved progress is not lost. BGB can also load all save files from previous versions
  • Load ROMs from .7z and .zip archives
  • Support for an optional border bitmap image, with fake or real fullscreen modes
  • Game link cable support through TCP/IP

External links