Questions tagged [emulation]
For questions about processes and software for emulating retro computer and console hardware (e.g. MAME, QEMU).
140
questions
4
votes
2answers
110 views
Running WarpCopy64 on an emulator
I'm interested in IP networking capabilities of the Commodore 64. I learned there is a tool called WarpCopy64 that can be used to run a simple file server on the Commodore. The server can be accessed ...
19
votes
3answers
5k views
How to detect a real Commodore 64, THEC64, or VICE emulator in software?
Some programs notice if they are run on a real Commodore 64 or an emulator. For example, this demo from 2007 stops on VICE emulator 3.2 with the message "No VIC inside". How is this done?
I ...
4
votes
5answers
561 views
Are there any good resources on emulating/simulating early computing input/output?
Note: I hope this question is on topic. I'm not sure where else to put it.
There are several tutorials available online for writing emulators/simulators. Unfortunately they all seem to focus on ...
1
vote
2answers
412 views
How do I slow down the emulation in VMware and make it go “proper fullscreen” for Windows 3.11?
I have just managed to find and install my native language versions of MS-DOS 6 and Windows 3.11 in a virtual machine, just as I had on my first computer: an IBM 486 DX2 66 MHz.
VM software: VMware ...
8
votes
1answer
253 views
ZX Spectrum fuse-emulator - how to use loader/multi-file program?
I'm using fuse-emulator on Ubuntu. In a book of type-in programs, some are spread across multiple files. There is a "loader" (usually setting up graphics or some machine code parts) which ...
3
votes
1answer
175 views
PC Task performance
What sort of performance I can expect from PC Task 4.4 on Amiga 500 + 030 50MHz MMU, 64MB RAM? Would it be possible to run Windows 3.11 / 95 and have any real use from it?
4
votes
3answers
971 views
How was it possible to run IBM mainframe software in emulation on HP?
... At least, without getting sued into the ground?
According to one of the answers to What was the most critical supporting software for COBOL on IBM mainframes?
We installed a new HP replacing an ...
5
votes
1answer
163 views
Menu in Octapolis
I have been retrogaming with Octapolis on an emulated Commodore 64. Starting up the game presents a menu offering a choice between one or two players, and between music and sound effects. But I don't ...
8
votes
1answer
865 views
Is there a seamless, Wine-like AmigaOS emulator for Linux, specifically for text-based programs?
After trying out FS-UAE on my Fedora Linux system, which worked quite nicely, I got to thinking. Even though when the Amiga was originally released in the middle 1980s, it was revolutionary in its ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
VICE loads files slowly on Fedora 32 Linux [closed]
I lately wanted to try some of the Commodore 64 games I have kept as D64 files on my Fedora Linux system using VICE. I have lately upgraded the system from Fedora 26 to Fedora 32.
After I started up ...
-4
votes
1answer
226 views
Is the Raspberry Pi Model B (2014) technically inferior to an original Xbox (2001) in compute power/specifically for emulators? [closed]
(I first asked this in the Raspberry Pi section, but it received no responses. I think this, Retrocomputing, might be a better fit.)
I the year 2003, I had my Xbox chipped in order to be able to run ...
3
votes
3answers
518 views
How is it possible that this “Polymega™” console will “not support” Everdrives?
I'm reading here: https://polymega.com/faq/
WILL EVERDRIVES, GAME GENIES AND MULTI-GAME CARTS WORK WITH POLYMEGA™?
Polymega™ does not support Game Genies or Everdrives.
How is that possible? What's ...
2
votes
1answer
228 views
How likely is it that a ROM could be “corrupted” resulting in visual artifacts during gameplay? [closed]
I watch a lot of retro game streams. Frequently, whether they are running on a software emulator, hardware emulator (Retron 5 or whatever), or an Everdrive, whenever there is some weird glitch in the ...
2
votes
0answers
158 views
Does RetroArch have a PAL filter like the NTSC one?
RetroArch the emulator "wrapper" has an option to enable an NTSC filter over the image, simulating the visual look of a composite NTSC signal/TV. Here is a comparison between the "raw&...
-1
votes
1answer
314 views
Why are there no actual complete and 100% verified/vetted ROM collections still? [closed]
Recently, I've been searching far and wide to collect, in digital form, the exact games that I owned as a child, or had temporarily, or rented/borrowed/played at somebody else's house, or never really ...
7
votes
2answers
997 views
Why exactly does MAME (apparently) require different ROMs for different versions of MAME?
I've never heard of any emulator which requires different ROMs based on which version the emulator is.
I thought that ROMs were fixed files that were dumped from hardware cartridges or PCBs, and then ...
-5
votes
3answers
245 views
Given unlimited funding, would it be possible to make a PERFECT Nintendo 64 emulator within two years? [closed]
Let's say that the richest man alive decides to pour unlimited funding into making a perfect Nintendo 64 emulator.
This emulator can require 100 data centers full of ultra-expensive servers for ...
6
votes
1answer
255 views
Reconstructing uncompressed program from compressed tape image
I have a C64 program in a .t64 file. If I load it into an emulator, what I see is that it loads into a cracktro, which then proceeds to uncompress (taking several seconds at 100% speed) the original ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
How does the Everdrive handle all the special chips and stuff that were put in cartridges?
The "Everdrive" is very intriguing to me. Having been continuously disappointed -- not to say appalled -- by every single emulator I have ever tried, for every single console, I've given up ...
1
vote
0answers
73 views
Is there something like “libretro-thumbnails” but with high-resolution, good scans of classic video game box art?
https://github.com/libretro-thumbnails/libretro-thumbnails
This contains cover art for "most" games. Sadly, they are very low-res, often have bad contrast/color, and are frequently ugly/...
3
votes
2answers
465 views
Every single ROM in my collection has the wrong SHA1 hash according to No-Intros
I have a collection of ROM files for the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and others. These ROMs match exactly those games that I own or owned growing up.
Recently, I found out about the "No-Intros" ...
28
votes
6answers
5k views
Is there still no “digital version of PCBs and ICs” software that all future emulators can use?
It strikes me that, in theory, it would be possible to skip the classic approach of emulation and instead literally build a NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 or any console with digital "components", ...
14
votes
2answers
977 views
Emulate a text-mode DOS program using a Unix terminal
Is it possible to run a text-mode DOS program in an emulator under a Unix-like operating system (Linux/*BSD/macOS) such that DOS text-mode input and output is done on a Unix terminal instead of a ...
-4
votes
1answer
453 views
What's the deal with “higan”? [closed]
https://byuu.org/higan/
https://byuu.org/bsnes/
The domain is called "byuu.org".
The emulator is said to be called "higan" or "bsnes".
The download link for "higan&...
4
votes
2answers
441 views
Why does the “Mesen-S” SNES emulator require a separate DSP ROM for Super Mario Kart, but *not* for Stunt Race FX?
If I start vanilla "Mesen-S" and load in Super Mario Kart, it says:
This game requires a firmware file for the DSP1B chip.
If I feed the emulator that "DSP ROM" file, it then ...
-1
votes
2answers
223 views
What does “cycle-accurate emulation” mean? [duplicate]
Note: I've attempted to ask this question several times in the "Arqade" category. Just like with the "History" category, anything I ask there is deleted by their broken bots soon ...
3
votes
1answer
217 views
Does anyone have information about the nj32disk.sys driver?
I'm currently trying to use the nj32disk.sys driver to use my USB stick as a virtual hard drive. The problem is that the driver acts like a floppy disk. My question is: Is there a documentation about ...
4
votes
0answers
309 views
What is it with DS emulation being so slow?
I have a fairly decent computer, and I have been messing around with DS Emulation recently. I have found that if a game is running on the emulator, and if I have anything else running, the performance ...
4
votes
1answer
564 views
How can I get MAME to run modified ROMs whose checksums don't match the originals?
In the aftermath of the question about running the arcade Pac-Man ROM on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum I discovered that about the same time that was done, somebody else did the reverse, porting a classic ...
3
votes
1answer
149 views
`DRAW` instruction timing
I asked a question here about CHIP-8 instruction timing, and this answer mentions that DRAW waits for vblank:
For Chip-8 code that draws anything, the limiting factor will be the wait-for-vblank that ...
3
votes
3answers
506 views
Effective speed of original COSMAC VIP CHIP-8 interpreter
The original CHIP-8 interpreter ran on RCA 1802-based kit computers and home computers, most notably on the COSMAC VIP. Some of the CHIP-8 opcodes are complicated and involve many memory round-trips, ...
3
votes
1answer
176 views
How does the GameBoy's Memory Controller MBC1 Work in Mode 1?
In short, are banks 20h/40h/60h accessible in mode 1?
The Pan Docs state that when in mode 1, those banks become accessible.
"...on large carts (using the secondary banking register to specify ...
1
vote
1answer
138 views
Can I run a network game (Empire Deluxe) that uses NETBIOS? [closed]
I use D-Fend to run the video game Empire Deluxe in full screen mode (1366x768) on a Dell Vostro Core i3 laptop running Windows 10. It works fine.
I want to run the game on a second identical laptop ...
0
votes
6answers
892 views
What are the advantages/disadvantages of using retro hardware vs. FPGA emulation vs. software emulation? [closed]
As someone who recently become interested in retro home computers of 80's and early 90's I'm wandering what are the differences between using a real hardware, FPGA based hardware emulators like MiSTer ...
1
vote
0answers
109 views
Do the Tandy CoCo and the Dragon 32 & 64 use all the same disk image file formats?
Tandy's TRS-80 Color Computer "CoCo" and the Dragon 32 & 64 were very similar but not clones and not the same. Floppy disk versions used totally different DOSes and disk layouts.
Both ...
4
votes
1answer
105 views
Are there any CHIP-8 games that break if `SAVE` / `RESTORE` *doesn't* change the pointer register?
The CHIP-8 instructions SAVE Vx (Fx55) and RESTORE Vx (Fx65) are originally specified to increment the pointer register I as each register is saved/loaded, so by the end of the instruction, the value ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views
Which Apple II emulators were the first ones each to use the .do and .po “dsk” floppy disk image file formats?
Apple II emulation must have started around 25 years ago but I can't seem to find a history of emulation of the platform.
There are several disk image file formats but for now I'm interested in the ...
11
votes
1answer
248 views
Understanding the DMK disk image file format used by TRS-80 emulators
DMK is a low-level disk image file format used by TRS-80 Model I & Model III, Tandy Color Computer, Dragon 32 & 64, and MSX emulators. It's capable of representing copy-protected disks and all ...
16
votes
2answers
2k views
Is there a Commodore 64 emulator that can profile running code?
I am developing some software for the Commodore 64, and I am concerned about its runspeed.
Is there an emulator that can report, after running my code, where exactly it spent most of its time? I'm ...
5
votes
1answer
173 views
How to get GOTEK to work with CDTV?
I'm trying to connect Gotek drive to my CDTV using external caddy (amitek).
The drive has 3 digit LED display, after boot i can see F-F. When I insert Flash drive it detects images on it, I can ...
4
votes
2answers
914 views
How does the RST operation of GameBoy (SHARP LR35902) work?
The GameBoy CPU Manual talks about restart operations on page 116. Each of these operations push the current address onto the stack, and then jumps to a specific address (0x00, 0x08, 0x10, etc, ...
2
votes
1answer
206 views
What is the file that VICE refers to as dos1541?
VICE needs a file called dos1541 if you want hardware emulation of the 1541 disk drive. What does that file contain, exactly? The 1541 seems to have two ROMs: a DOS and a KERNAL. But if I take the ...
4
votes
4answers
401 views
Would having the console's CPU help in emulation hypothetically?
If I had a hypothetical computer just like nowaday's computers, but it had an NMOS 6502, would it provide me with a better emulation experience than if I were to emulate the 6502 inside software? Also,...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
Are there open source Java libraries for reading DSK and EDSK disk image files as used by Amstrad and Spectrum +3 emulators?
I've been working on some modules for the Ghidra reverse engineering tool.
Ghidra is written in Java, which I'd always avoided when I was more actively programming so this is an opportunity to learn ...
8
votes
1answer
544 views
Was there ever a functional EGA emulator for the Hercules graphics card?
I used to use a CGA emulator (don't remember which one it was), that could show some gfx even in EGA/VGA-only games (when I selected EGA mode). I remember my frustration seeing some garbled graphics ...
3
votes
1answer
724 views
How to emulate Pocket PC (PPC) 2003?
The OS is at least 17-18 years ago. Yet there is a lot of scattered information and dead ends, and no clarity on how to emulate Pocket PC 2003, the early precedent to Windows Mobile.
How to emulate ...
0
votes
1answer
174 views
Do any of the open source Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulators support both TR-DOS and 3DOS?
The number of Spectrum emulators has been growing for decades now so there's quite a lot for different platforms and written in different languages.
I'm interesting in learning about two of the disk ...
3
votes
2answers
188 views
How do I navigate the boot menu in later model Spectrum emulators?
35 years ago I had an original 48K Sinclair ZX Spectrum. I never had any of the Plus or 128K models and practically never even touched one as I moved onto the Amiga quite early.
I'm now playing with ...
7
votes
2answers
645 views
Why does the .z80 emulator-snapshot format have separate fields for the 8-bit refresh register and bit 7 of R?
I've been looking at the .z80 file format for Sinclair ZX Spectrum games.
Most docs discussing the format include pretty much this wording:
Offset Length Description
-----------------------...
6
votes
2answers
470 views
Are there standalone emulators of Applesoft Basic?
My only retrocomputing desire is to program in Applesoft Basic and relive the Apple II days from the 1980's. Playing games is of no particular interest to me. I just want to use a keyboard, not a ...
