Hello, All!
I have released a new 3.6 version of
iNES, my Nintendo
NES and
Famicom
emulator. The main additions are FREE
iNES ports to Unix/Linux and
Nokia Maemo but there is also a lot of important compatibility fixes
(see below). You can get the new
iNES 3.6 here:
http://fms.komkon.org/iNES/ - for all platforms
http://fms.komkon.org/EmuSymbian/ - for Symbian users (S60
and UIQ3)
http://groups.google.com/group/emul8 - help and discussion forum
The iNES-Unix port is available in binary form for
Ubuntu Linux. I
will
try adding more binaries for othwer Unix flavors later.
The iNES-Maemo port will work on Maemo OS2008 used in N800 and N810
internet tablets from Nokia. iNES-Maemo is specifically adapted for
the
tablets and uses touch screen as joypad.
The
6502 emulation has become faster in special cases when a game is
spinning in the endless loop waiting for interrupts. Correct per-
scanline
cycle counter has been finally introduced and I have also fixed video
hardware timings that have been somewhat skewed since version 3.1.
I am pleased to announce that the light gun *finally works* and so do
VS-System DIP switches. I have also included a set of VS-System
palette
files that make VS games look decent. There are other, smaller fixes
and additions. See the list below for them.
The iNES-Symbian (both S60 and UIQ3) has gained faster
6502 emulation,
improved video display routines rewritten in assembler, and additional
controls for audio latency, frame skip, and frame sync. The speed
improvements should be most noticeable on UIQ3, but S60 users will
also benefit.
All registered users will be getting their copies of
iNES 3.6 by email
in
the next day or two. If you are a registered user who has not received
his
copy, email me and we will figure it out.
Here is the full list of fixes, changes, and additions:
* Ported
iNES to Unix using the new EMULib framework. I will try to
compile the new iNES-Unix for as many Unix flavors as possible.
At the moment, only
Ubuntu Linux binaries are available.
* Ported
iNES to Maemo OS2008 used in N800 and N810 internet tablets
from Nokia. iNES-Maemo is specifically optimized for internet
tablets using assembler modules from iNES-Symbian.
* Optimized
6502 emulation by collapsing infinite empty loops.
* Introduced more accurate per-scanline cycle counting.
* Once again, extended time before VBlank flag going up by 2
scanlines.
This fixes F1 Race, Elite, etc.
* Moved mapper initialization after default initialization. This
should
fix MMC5 screen corruption that occurred in
iNES 3.1.
* Fixed MMC3 scanline counter to remove garbage scanlines in
Crystalis,
GIJoe 2, Cartoon Workshop, etc.
* Finally fixed light gun ("zapper") emulation!
* Fixed FamiBASIC keyboard support on all platforms.
* Fixed FIRE-A autofire option in built-in menu.
* Fixed command line options for enabling/disabling sound.
* Added support, editing, and display for VS System DIP switches. Also
see -dip command line option.
* Added -soft/-nosoft command line option and made
softening, scanline simulation, and synchronization options work
on all relevant platforms (Unix, Maemo, MSDOS).
* Removed -vperiod and -hperiod command
line options, as these values are now computed automatically and
do not need adjustment.
* Removed last occurances of #define SOUND. Sound support is always
compiled in anyway.
* Made [F8] toggle scanline simulation, while
[SHIFT]+[F8] toggles softening.
* Added standard VS System palette files to the package.
* Now drawing light gun aim and DIP switches using
NES palette to
avoid problems at different screen depths.
* Removed -novsync and -200 options from
iNES-MSDOS, and added a new -480 option for 640x480
VESA screen mode.
* Fixed iNES-MSDOS light gun aim in 640x480 screen mode.
* The UIQ version of iNES-Symbian now uses
6502 emulation optimized in
ARM assembler (this option has been left out in the last release).
* iNES-Symbian display routines rewritten in ARM assembler for speed.
This should mainly affect UIQ3 users but S60 users will also
benefit.
* Split iNES-Symbian configuration menu into four tabs, making
"Video" and "Audio" settings separate.
* Added "Audio Latency", "Skip Frames", and "Sync Updates" settings
to iNES-Symbian.