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EMULATORS (2)
Amiga
At the moment there is just ONE working amiga emulator (that I know of), it's called UAE.
It is written by Bernd Schmidt, it
used to be called Unusable Amiga Emulator (it deserved it's name,
I've had all versions in due time...). But now it's called Unix Amiga Emulator, although there
are ports done to various other computers/OS's. Rumor has it that there is another project ongoing, but
than again, how should I know.
I just love this one, Bernd (and the others) are doing a great job. It's not really all that
useable yet (I got a P100 with a Stealth 64 VRAM...), but I am really impressed what
can be done by means of emulation. A day will come when our computers are fast
enough (just do some thinking and look at the speed computers are developing)(By the way
Bernd also wrote a very good CPC emulator). The homepage of the UAE is at
www-users.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/~crux/uae.html, a
very busy place nowadays, but it really deserves the attention it gets.
Many people have problems even starting uae, 'cause they are lacking the rom-image files
that are needed for emulation. I didn't have any problems with that (since I have a real
amiga right here at home). Rumor has it that following some links at Bernds page, one might
get lucky... (but as this is highly illegal it probably isn't true ;-> ).
By the way the inferior (naturally) disk controller of most (if not all) pc's is NOT
capable of handling amiga (formatted) disks. There is NO way that any software will ever make
it possible to read amiga (formatted) disks (same goes for c64 (formatted) disks).
So if you plan to transfer programs to your pc, better dust off that old amiga, or
connect to some well sorted BBS's (or sites).
Another interesting UAE page (mirrors...) is at
http://www.htw.uni-sb.de/people/mgietzen/uae/uae.html.
For a change, I won't put any links here for the emulator, it's just changing to fast, an up to date copy
can be obtained on Bernd's page.
A hompage for the DOS version of the emulator is now available at:
http://tinos.pucrs.br/~ggoedert/dosuae.html
There is a small WIN95 program which helps transfering disks via serial link. If interested, look at:
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Macintosh
There is just one emulator available (that I know of)...
Executor
(Executor is a Macintosh emulator for various OS's)
I really am impressed by this one, it was arround long before people started thinking about
writting atari st or amiga emulators (both are 16 bit computers as the mac, and both 680x0 based),
this emulator is really fast and in fact useable!
I don't know much about how to write an emulator (so correct me if I say something totaly stupid), but
as far as I get it, this emulator is different to other emulators in the way it 'runs' programms.
Mac programms are partially translated 'at runtime' to native PC code, and not 'interpreted'.
This technique makes it efficient enough to be equally fast (faster! if you got a fast pc) as a
real Mac.
They are reluctant to release an offical version 2.0, (small bugs keep popping up, System 7 wants to implemented
correctly, sound support...), but I think in a short time there will be an actual 2.0
release. Go, get it, if you are at all interested in Macs (and haven't got one allready).
(The version number story somehow reminds me of Linux 0.99???, as with linux they are at
1.99 they got 'pre beta' relases which are alphabetically ordered (a-q) which in turn have
each a minor version number, the last release I know of is 1.99q12!).
Try contacting Ardi's, you can allways get the newest
(10 minutes limited) fully working version there (at http://www.ardi.com/).
Executor FAQ
There is an online Faq available its home:
Executor Online FAQ.
There is (at least one, I didn't get too envolved with Mac's yet) a 'real' Mac Faq:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/macintosh/top.html
NEW:
Version 2.0 (beta) is out...
NEW:
Virtual Macintosh
Taken from the announcement:
ANNOUNCING THE BEGINNING OF THE VIRTUAL MACINTOSH PROJECT
What is vMac?
vMac at this point is mostly vaporware. The goal is to create a FREE
portable hardware emulator that will emulate a 68k based Macintosh. vMac
will only require the ROM image file from your Macintosh and a copy of
your
MacOS.
...
For more info check out the vMac Project home page at
http://www.clearlight.com/~jagtech/vmac/index.htm
Oh, did I say it will be FREE. Come contribute.
-Richard Rice
NEW:
Eduard corrected some of the stuff I said above, rather than correcting it I thought it
might be worth putting the concerning part of his letter on this page. It's not that I'm lazy (which I am too),
but I think he summarized my 'mistakes' rather well:
Hi,
I found an error in you FAQ page (under Macintosh). Please do
not get mad I am not critizing, I just thought that this pages
are good enough to be corrected.
>writting atari st or amiga emulators (both are 16 bit computers
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is NOT true, they WERE 16 bit instructions 24 bit addressing,
(as oppose to DOS which was 16 bit instructions, 16 bit addressing)
at the very beginning (pre-1988) as a matter of fact both the Atari
and the Amiga had 32 bit OS before the Windows or OS/2 (DOS is still
16 bit with extended addressing EMS/XMS). Now all run (Amiga, Atari,
and Mac) exclusively 32 bit OS (the Amiga was always 32 bit OS it ran
in 16 bit because the CPU was a 16 bit CPU (with 32 bit instructions)
but the OS was always 32 bit. That is why the old Amiga Dos
can have 64 Megs of memory (as oppose to <16 Megs the 16 bit max).
The Mac used to be 16 bit also but like the Atari and the Amiga
it only runs in 32 bit mode now (there is no 16 bit Power PC)
Also the Mac now also runs in Power PC and that code can not be
emulated (yet) with this emulator. All CPUs were 32 bit instruction
set capable so the manufacturer (except Apple) wrote their OS with
this in mind.
To summarize all of them ARE 32 bit computers (for more than 7 years
now)
>as the mac, and both 68??? based),
^^^^^
should be Motorola 680x0 based
The CPUs that all of them
used were:
Motorola 68000 which was equivalent to the 80286
Motorola 68010 which was better than 80286 less than 80386
Motorola 68EC020 which was compared with 80386SX
Motorola 68020 which was compared with 80386 but had no MMU
Motorola 68EC030 which was also compared with 80386SX
Motorola 68030 which was also compared with 80386
Motorola 68EC040 which was compared to 80486SX
Motorola 68040 which was compared to 80486
Motorola 68060 which is compared with Pentiums
as far as comparisons at the beginning (68000 vs 80286) it was OK
since the differences from each other was not huge (big but not huge)
by the time it was (80386 vs 68020) they were so different the
comparison was as stupid as a dirt bike vs a jet ski (?!?!).
Anyways, emulations will never be perfect as long as what they are
emulating is still evolving. To give you an idea, the new Macs
which run in Power PC do not run ALL Mac code as fast as the older
Macs that ran in 68040. 8-o :-)
Eduard
Ooops, perhaps I should open some discussion forum... here is a
reaction on the above email:
Heya!
I just wanted to let you know, (and correct eduard who tried to
xplain a few things about the Motorolas)
If you like computer techhie knowledge read on..
The Mac (GEM), Amiga (WB), And Atari ST (TOS), run on a MC680X0 family
processor which are 32 bit fully 32bit, with a little exception of the
68000 it got 24bit adressing, because address pins were left out but
the address registers are 32bit, but the 68000&68010 have 16 bit
external databuss (same idea as the 8088/8086) when the cpu has to get 32
bits it does a double fetch (fetches twice then executes) which is
totally transparent, the 68008 is exactly the same idea just it's
external data bus is 8 bits (4 fetches to mae 32bits).
so if you program for a 68000 it will run untouched on any other 680X0
Processor Breakdown:
comparing Moto's and Intel is like apples and pears, Moto's are more
powerful, that's why the mac amiga and atari can emulate and intel much
easier then the pc can emulate them.. but here we go
A motorola 68040 running at 25Mhz outperfoms a 486 at 50Mhz by 20%
a moto 68060 blows the socks off the pentium pro.. etc..etc..
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TI 99/4A
I never had one, but I allways liked this computer. It was one of the first
and it was never that successfull. It had been around long before
the C 64, I think it was available even before the VIC 20
but I'm not sure about that. For his time it had really good technical properties,
would you believe that there was a some speech synthesies available for it?
(in the beginning of '80ies!). Poor thing, even the emulator-writers seem to have
abondened it. I've got no clue where you would get any software for it, but
two emulators (both DOS versions) are available. Do you remember that strange BASIC dialect of it
(CALL CALL CALL...)?
One of these emulators was just recently
abondened (well, last year), since february the source code for that emulator is
made publically available too.
A very good source of information is the emulator faq.
Both emulators are available with source code, try the following site ftp://ftp.clark.net/systems/ti99,
there you will find some stuff related to it. Amongst (a few) other things one
of the emulators: ti99emu.zip, and its source code
ti99emusrc.zip.
The other emulator can be found at the (one of?) homesite of it's author, Edward Swartz:
ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/usr/edswartz/v9t9, where
it is available as v9t9src.zip.
Some other stuff, including some demos (playable with v9t9src.zip) may be found at
ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/pc/msdos/emulators/ti994a/.
NOTICE! TI doesn't allow distribution of there ROM's, however the first mentioned emulator
includes a working (crippled) ROM, how to use it with the other emulator can be read in the emulator faq.
If you are lucky you might find an older version of the second emulator, which also has the ROMs included (obvioulsly illegally...).
I actually found an older copy on a NIGHT OWL (that's a shareware collection) CD, if
you want to get more information about NIGHT OWL CD's (or even a particular one :-)) try contacting me... .
NEW
Just got some information about a third commercial emulator:
PC99
Another is PC99 by CaDD Electronics. Contact them at:
CaDD Electronics
45 Centerville Drive
Salem, NH 03079-2674
(603) 895-0119
E-mail at:mjmw@xyvision.com
They have some well maintained homepage, look at it and follow its links to learn more
about that one...:
They also made a FAQ for TI99/4A...:
Some files about/for it can be found at:
Another TI99/4A fans page:
Some files concerning TI99/4A can be found at:
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Atari VCS 2600
There is an atari 2600 emulation project ongoing. So far there are no results seen in the public,
but I'm sure they are doing a nice job. Have a look at their hompage:
http://www.why.net/home/adam/2600/.
There you can get much information about that console (mostly technical stuff though).
A sort of overall pool of information is collected at the following site:
http://www.sponsor.net/~gchance/.
They have manuals of various games, instruction on how to build a copy machine and so on.
Where to find Emulators
Activision Action Packs (Windows (95))
There are some Activision Action Packs
for windows. Check out the above link for further information.
X2600 (Linux)
Written by Alex Hornby.
There is actually a beta version of an emulator available, it can be found at the
X2600 Homepage.
Or try a download via link:
X2600 (SHIFT, is a binary file...).
I don't know if the next still holds true, so there is an OLD bracket...
OLD-ON
(This one's really strange, I tried downloading it via netscape (SHIFT CLICK), I didn't get
a working copy, I was really frustrated. Than (I don't know why) I checked my
CACHE directory, all files usually are stored there too. The *.tgz files actually had
a different length... and I could unpack them... does someone know why?)
The emulator is supposed to work under Linux, but I for one am not able to let it run
(I can't even unpack it for some reason) but there are screenshots available (at the above site) and people are
talking about it (that it works) and I do believe them, a pitty it doesn't work for me!
(Well it does work, silly me, had problems downloading it with Netscape (look in the cache directory...))
(Actually that might be a trap for all the stupid AOL users and the like, who don't know a 'sh**' about ftp
and using it... since you gotta transfer it it binary mode, and Netscape is pretty stupid about that...)
OLD-OFF
There is now a new version available as well (though it's perhaps not as stable, as it is
still a beta version).
Better look at the above homepage, or try downloading via link:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ahornby/files/x2600-svga-test.tar.gz (SVGA test version)
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ahornby/files/x2600src-b2snap3.tar.gz (latest version (beta))
Virtual 2600 (Linux)
This emulator is by the same author as the above mentioned. I think it is just a name
change or something. Anyway this is more recent than the X2600.
Have a look at it att the homepage:
Or (as usuall) try a download via link:
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ahornby/files/v2600src-0.70.tar.gz Source
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ahornby/files/v2600svga-0.70.tar.gz (SVGA)
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ahornby/files/v2600x11-0.70.tar.gz (X-Windows)
Virtual VCS (DOS)
There is now a DOS version available of that emulator, it still is pretty slow, but that might change in due time...
Virtual VCS v0.60 copyright 1996 by
Daniel Boris,
ported from X2600 by Alex Hornbey copyright 1996 GNU Public Licence.
Actually I think it a pitty that as soon as someone does a DOS port, the sourcecode
seems to vanish. Why are all the DOS porters (or very many at least) so concerned about their
sources? In fact Daniel is violating the GNU Public Licence, which states
that all deriving source code must also be made available. It is not my problem nor am I really that much concerned
about it, but I think it sort...
OOoops
The might of the page :-)! The source is there now, thanks mate!
There is now a homepage for it:
(and has a link to my page, thanks! ;-)).
Try downloading it via link to the above page:
binary.
or the source.
Stella (multi)
Stella, another very good looking VCS emulator (sound support is supposed to be
worked on...
This one is another MULTI PLATFORM emulator, I really like those...
Have a look at its homepage for further info. If you haven't looked at it for quite some
time... be sure to check it out again... they are getting better and better...
Distribution Site
=================
The Stella 96 distribution can be obtained from the Stella 96 home page at:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~bwmott/www/2600
Contacts
========
If you have any questions regarding Stella 96 send mail to:
bwmott@eos.ncsu.edu
NEWER
A Stella release, for different platforms, try the follwing links:
A verified working emulator is the following one:
Under Windows 95 Activision Action Pack
VCS2600 (DOS)
Another emulator is under its way...
Written by Thomas Djafari, check out the following page for more
information:
http://www.micronet.fr/~frogger
(He asked for BETA testers once, but didn't answer his mail, bad guy :-))
He also has an own homepage by now:
You need to register (sort of free, sort of because... read for yourself at his homepage).
Actually that emulator looks very good. It is completely written in assembler
and it is very fast! It comes with configuration files for nearly all games.
Not all of them work yet, but I guess it does a good job on more games than any other
emulator. It has sound and joystick support (though keyboard support is still missing).
Since the current release is still a beta, the author disabled sprite collisions
but many games still work out just fine.
There are various updates available so far... some run better than others
(at one time there were for example 'exotic' games like Jr Pacman and the
Water/Fire/Sword quest, Realsports and others working--- no, not pitfall II, and I guess it never will...).
He implemented some small/funny thinks which I like very much, it just gives programs
something like the finishing edge. For example you can 'switch off' the the
VCS 2600 and a TV screen without a channel appears! You can adjust color and contrast
just like on a real TV set. Overall I so far like this emulator the best!
For more information look at the above mentioned homepage. Since this emulator requires
registering by the author I can't provide any link...
Oh, by the way, one really annoying thing is the authors obsession against
microsoft... He doesn't allow his emulator to run under Win95 :-(.
I wonder if it occured to him that MS DOS is a microsoft product too...
A26 (DOS)
And Another emulator...
Written by Paul Robson,
check out the following page for more information:
http://users.aol.com/autismuk/a26home.htm
So far I really like that one, written completely in assembler it is the fastest emulator
of atari vcs2600 emulator yet. It is still in an early stage, there is no sound yet.
Have a look at it, try the follwing link:
http://users.aol.com/autismuk/a26.zip
Sourcecode for version 0.15 is released at the above page.
??? (DOS)
...
Just for completeness. A unfinished and not very workable version exits of
another DOS emulator. A note from the author says, it is not
doing as well as any of the above...
Still a pitty one can't get its fingers on it, since he also said he
got it shelved away and won't touch it again...
Jeff Vavasour Atari vcs 2600 emulator...
http://www.videogames.org/~gchance/2600Stuff/roms
The homepage for that one is not finished... (but look out for it...!)
For more (up to date) info try the following page (and its 'children')
The History of Home Video Games Homepage!
(which is really a good one...).
There is a FAQ especially for VCS2600 emulators availabel, look at it at
or via link
There is another VCS2600 FAQ at:
or via link
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NES
There now some NES emulators available. None of them work 100%... but they might get better
in time. Look at the following site to get some more information. I personally prefer
Marat's emulator for now... but who knows what come up next... (Paul?)
Marat
made a page concering NES, some screenshots can be seen ... at:
iNES
The windows version now is supposed to have sound (registered). For now I am not registered
yet... so I can't say anything about its quality...
It's there! For Unix/Linux anyway.
Marat says about 70% of the games should work, on the other
hand in the docs he says he hasn't got a single rom image, I just wonder how he
was able to do an emulator... :-)
A binary version (v0.5) is available at Marats page, no source release yet...
There is now sound emulation supported (Linux) I couldn't test it yet 'cause my Linux...problem...
Try a download via link (or don't):
At the above page you'll also get info on how to procede to get ROM images...
Marcel de Kogel did a port of the above emulator. No this time it's not for DOS,
this time he did a linux port. Including sound and joystick (pitty my linux doesn't)
work now, so there is no testing being done yet.
Look for it at Marcel page for it:
http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/ines.html
or download it directly via link:
http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/files/nes/iNES-Linux.tar.gz
PASOFAMI
Here we go again, another emulator suddenly appeared. It does look very nice, working
under that graphical monster which appeared around 1995.
The demos which come with it look quite good (naturally).
And gone again... the author has withdrawn this emulator as well from the public.
Seems like a disease is spreading...
It is now not available as version V 2.7a. (??!%$"§!??)
(Perhaps try a look at the Wild links)
NESA
Another emulator of Paul Robson. He sure writes these emulators ...
This is very fast and compact, written again in assembler. It doesn't support sound
yet and does not run as many cartridges as iNES. But so far it is the only NES emulator
for DOS, so it certainly is worth a secon look. My personal feelings are sort of doubtfull
at this stage. I don't like the way some lines of the screen are not displayed in
favour of a common video mode. It looks strange if the score (or something else)
is drawn with a few lines missing...
There is a homepage for it at:
http://users.aol.com/autismuk/nesa.htm
Or try a download via link:
http://users.aol.com/autismuk/nesa.zip
LandyNES
Another emulator.
This one still is very beta. Not as fast as NESA. It still has some problems
even displaying even some of the more popular cartridges.
As far as I know there is no homepage for it yet. I found a copy at
NODE 99.
Look there at the Nintendo section or try a download via link:
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/7712/dc-nes.zip
Some generell Nintendo Stuff:
http://www.voicenet.com/~tsrken/nes
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Last Updated: 20. September 1996
Malban