Emulation websites

[stigzler]

What good emulation sites do people know of in terms of:

• General development + news
• System Specific (e.g. Playstation emulation sites)
• Add-ons such as GPU + SPU plugins

The main two I know of are NGEmu (not updated very often and seems to miss any next-gen emu dev like xbox360) and emuCR (seems to be an update log)

[nullPointer]

NonMAME is a pretty decent reference, and I've also found some informative entries in this Emulation General Wiki. The EmuTalk.net forums aren't too bad either. FantasyAnime has some of the most informative tutorials that I'm aware of. I'm sure there are a bunch of others that I'm forgetting, and they're all blocked by network filter at my current location (apologies in advance if I've supplied any broken links! )

[stigzler]

Some good steers there thanks null. Come across some randomly in my travels. Non-mame especially is a good list - although some of its recommendations as best emu could be debated (e.g. Reicast for dreamcast).

Wish I'd had that list when I was starting out!

[tthurman]

I've been watching some of this guy's video's recently, as they presented themselves from some google searching, for those of you who that know what that is

Anyway, alongside his personal experiences and opinions, he seems to give a decent review, well at least to me. This is uncharted territory to me, but he seems genuine enough with his descriptions/comparisons.

Not a site, but "perhaps" a channel to keep an eye on. You know how these things go, long enough without a lot of response = not a lot of new material.

[stigzler]

Interesting vid and again - would be great for new-starters.

tbh - I do find google searching a little messy and i think you can often miss little gems - that's why I like the old fashioned method of asking the guys down the pub which is the best ale, rather than have Kelkoo tell me!

[tthurman]

Yep, I'm with you 100% on checking in with the boys first, nearly always, it's the most dependable resource

I take it from your smiley that you know my reference to googling had nothing to do with this thread

[stigzler]

I didn't but I do now! It would have surprised me if it was. Thanks for clarifying.

That guy can put together a video, for sure. I was hoping he was specializing in upgrading old system graphics (e.g. the HD texture packs for N64) - something I know's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm quite interested in. I'd love for someone to get to grips with HD textures for the Playstation....

[ClassicGMR]

I realize I'm late to this party but I have found that some of my best emulation information came from console-specific sites. I used to belong to a PSP community (can't mention it as they have ISO posted) that always had these discussions for all platforms not just the PSP. Found out in a lot of instances I was using the wrong emulator. NEStor vs Nestopia vs FCEUX as an example.

[stigzler]

That's exactly what I'm on about, Classic - it's that knowledge - people who have tried out all the emulators for each system and the pros and cons of each.

So which one would you recommend for NES and why? (I haven't looked at the NES very much)

[ClassicGMR]

I used to be a huge fan of FCEUX. Technically I still am however I've been sold on Mednafen for a while now. One emulator that works across multiple platforms makes it an easy choice for me. I haven't seen a bad emulation out of it so far.

FCEUX has accurate emulation, debugging options, rom hacking, LUA scripting and so many tools that will keep the nuts n' bolts emulation fan happy. It's also easy enough to use that the casual "I just wanna play" type person can plug it in and go.

NEStopia used to be the king of NES emulation as it was the only emulator that ran cycle exact emulation at the time - great for timing-specific moves in games - but it hasn't been updated in about 6-7 years. It still works well but there are better programs with more options available now.

I tried RockNES a long time ago but it had slowdowns in the emulation. Wasn't a bad program. I haven't tried it in a long time though. Seems it is current and being updated again.

[stigzler]

So - looks like Mednafen for the good all-rounder and FCEUX for the esotric-nuts and bolts. Thanks - that's helpful for when I review my emu installations.

Quite like the FCEUX - (a) because it sounds like a French swear word and ( b ) because of this screenshot:

Whoa - now that's some major tweaking/ game teardowns right there!

[tthurman]

Never even head of Mednafen, guess it's one of those hidden gems that a thread like this exposes to a novice like me.

I'll be sure and give it a go when I finally decide to try some of these.

[Adultery]

Well for me it's RetroArch which I believe uses the Nestopia core. It's good enough for me and plays the games I want to run as well as I can expect.

One emulator to rule them all I say.

Between RetroArch and MESS features already smoothly integrated with MAME, I keep my emulator list as small as I can. Easier to maintain that way IMHO.

[stigzler]

Had a brief dabble with Retroarch - I got lost at the Cores bit - couldn't find them! Didn't persist with it really. Emulator choice is getting quite a convoluted business, really.

I had a go with Mednafen when looking into all the PSX emulators - i'ts quite good, as long as you get a good gui for it. Best for 2D games on the PSX + also lots of other systems included.

[ClassicGMR]

I had a go with Mednafen when looking into all the PSX emulators - i'ts quite good, as long as you get a good gui for it. Best for 2D games on the PSX + also lots of other systems included.

Yeah but with GameEx you don't need a GUI.

[stigzler]

I'm meaning a middle-end (!!??) that helps you alter all the settings - I'm sure I remember Mednafen needing this - Mednaffe?

Why on earth do you think I would be recommending using a different front end!?

[ClassicGMR]

Why on earth do you think I would be recommending using a different front end!?

Blaspheme!! Cast out the infidel!

No I get it. It IS a command only emulator so if you're using it outside of a front end you need a GUI.

MedGUI seems to be the frontrunner these days though I've never tried it personally.

MedNaffe is still out there though if that's what you're used to. Again I don't use a GUI for it so I have no opinion on these.