Sega Genesis/Megadrive Emulators

[+TwentySixHundred]

Is it just me or has emulation for the Genesis gone on the decline? I use Fusion by Steve Snake however the emulator hasn't seen an update for over 10 years now. I feel everything else i try that claims to still be in development doesn't live up to the quality. Not just the core as Fusion clearly needs some more refinement but rather as an overall package.

 

I mean the UI is also an important part of an emulator and when it comes to Windows ports everything else seems either too fancy or a quick throw together. Emulators like Stella, Snes9x ,Higan, Mesen and many alike have simple yet user friendly UI's with no fancy or shotty gimicks leaving the user somewhat confused as to how to navigate, assign controllers with ease and the general standard hotkeys ect.

 

Genesis seems to get some love when it comes to emulation on consoles yet when it comes to Windows IMO Fusion is still by far the best. I know Steve Snake said he would like to make another release for Win10 compatibility and some small changes. however that was years ago and doesn't look promising.

 

On Reddit many are mentioning BlastEm which does run half decent although assigning controls and the overall UI experience is fairly lackluster and a PITA TBH (no offense). It's no secret many are also still sticking with Fusion as their choice of Genesis emulation. Problem is it's not going to be compatible forever along with a much needed polish.

 

As far as i see Byuu is probably the best hope with Genesis emulation in Higan although it still has a long way to go.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I keep seeing people complain about Fusion and Windows10? Am I missing something? Because Fusion works fine on my Win10 Pro PC at home as has even since Win 10 was released? 

[+TwentySixHundred]

6 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I keep seeing people complain about Fusion and Windows10? Am I missing something? Because Fusion works fine on my Win10 Pro PC at home as has even since Win 10 was released? 

It works fine on my systems also however i am not running the latest rigs so that maybe where people are complaining (hardware compatibility). The most common complaint i see is fusion crashes in full screen mode with Win10. I think fusion is the best emulator for Sega by far however it's known to not be as accurate as it could be. I have experienced multiple random crashes while playing Road Rash 3 over the years and many have mentioned emulation of the Yamaha YM2612 is not perfect.

 

Others have said although the emulation is fairly accurate it's not on a level of cycle-accuracy like other emulators that have continued development over the years. It would be nice to see someone pick up the pieces or if the source was released to someone that could stay faithful to the emulator Steve created. In the interview with Steve even said there could be a chance of releasing a new version for Win10 to fix a few small issues he knows of.

 

Having said that i found that audio interview a few years ago (see if i can find it again).

 

Edit: here it is, might have a listen again myself

 

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

The full screen thing is something I've had happen. On my setup it doesn't crash the game just doesn't seem to respond or work. But the emulator itself it still working fine and I can set it back down to windowed mode. Most of my emus I play in windowed mode already so I've never really had an issue there.

 

I do know that according to current homebrew devs that frequent Sega-16, that Blast-em is the most current cycle accurate emulator there is. But as you stated the UI is... different and not intuitive. If you didn't know, the Blast-em emulator is literally using its own internal ROM image for the UI. So basically a Genesis rom running another Genesis rom if I understand it correctly.

 

I've never found the audio to be an issue in Fusion as long as you don't use the enhanced sound options. But I also think the sound engine in Fusion is based on the newer 3438 ASIC embedded FM vs actual 2612. But in most cases, I prefer that and it is why most of my personal Genesis systems are modded with 3438s inside them in place of the original 2612. There is even a newer mod board kit nearing full release for just this purpose and would allow you to internally switch between the 2612 or 3438 setups or wire a switch to flip it externally. But it is recommended to use this kit in addition with an audio bypass amp mod board as well.

 

[+TwentySixHundred]

23 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

The full screen thing is something I've had happen. On my setup it doesn't crash the game just doesn't seem to respond or work. But the emulator itself it still working fine and I can set it back down to windowed mode. Most of my emus I play in windowed mode already so I've never really had an issue there.

 

I do know that according to current homebrew devs that frequent Sega-16, that Blast-em is the most current cycle accurate emulator there is. But as you stated the UI is... different and not intuitive. If you didn't know, the Blast-em emulator is literally using its own internal ROM image for the UI. So basically a Genesis rom running another Genesis rom if I understand it correctly.

 

I've never found the audio to be an issue in Fusion as long as you don't use the enhanced sound options. But I also think the sound engine in Fusion is based on the newer 3438 ASIC embedded FM vs actual 2612. But in most cases, I prefer that and it is why most of my personal Genesis systems are modded with 3438s inside them in place of the original 2612. There is even a newer mod board kit nearing full release for just this purpose and would allow you to internally switch between the 2612 or 3438 setups or wire a switch to flip it externally. But it is recommended to use this kit in addition with an audio bypass amp mod board as well.

 

Yep as for full screen well i rarely play emulation in windowed mode as my OCD will kick in and drives nuts. Full screen works fine with Fusion on both my desktop and laptop Win10 systems so maybe i am one the lucky ones. Nevertheless it's still a known issue and would be nice if Steve released another update to fix these small issues.

 

I agree with the audio emulation in Fusion, there is nothing wrong with it to my ears. I have read in the past some say the accuracy isn't exactly spot on. Having said that and reading Byuu's blog about emulating the Genesis he has mentioned it's extremely finicky and cycle dependent. Went on to say about how hard it really is to get right and probably the hardest part of emulating the system. So a thumbs up from me to anyone who can get close, because if Byuu who has arguably near perfect emulation for the SNES has mentioned it's challenging then i have no doubts.

 

As im going through my Genesis binge gaming at the moment i just wish there was another update to Fusion. Atleast the small Win 10 compatibility fix and some peace of mind. That way knowing it hasn't been 10 years since development lingering in the back of my mind would be reassuring ?

 

Anyway yeah BlastEm just doesn't do it for me at the moment, i have my favorites and will have to wait and see what happens in the future ?

[ClassicGMR]

I've been using Mednafen for everything. Don't know what the core is but works just fine for me.

[Trebor]

15 hours ago, ClassicGMR said:

I've been using Mednafen for everything. Don't know what the core is but works just fine for me.

Mednafen's Genesis core = Genesis Plus:

 

"Genesis Plus focuses on a high level of accuracy in its emulation over the addition of features, borrowing MAME's CPUs and sound chips emulation code. As a result, Genesis Plus is one of the most accurate Mega Drive emulators available, as it maintains a level of accuracy even to a point where problems exhibited on the original hardware will be exhibited in the emulator as well. The only other Mega Drive emulator that has such a level of emulation accuracy is Kega Fusion."

 

Windows 10 x64 user here on a Core i7, and Kega Fusion runs flawlessly.  Genesis NTSC blargg filter enabled is the icing on the cake.  Its 32x and SegaCD support is excellent, as is the Sega Master System and Game Gear emulation.

[MrMaddog]

All the emulation action is with RetroArch (for PC's) and Genesis GX Plus core works great...

 

For 32X games I use Fusion since the PicoDrive core can't play every game.  And no problem running on Windows 10 either.

 

 

[homerhomer]

I think the emu scene has shifted to being cores for systems like retroarch and mednafen.  Lately I've been using retroarch. It has a desktop mode that works pretty well. Retroarch took me a little bit to get used too. I didn't like it at first.  And I still find it messy but what are you going to do when you emulate everything?  The one nice thing about it is there is usually multiple emulation cores to choose from.

[+TwentySixHundred]

3 hours ago, homerhomer said:

I think the emu scene has shifted to being cores for systems like retroarch and mednafen.  Lately I've been using retroarch. It has a desktop mode that works pretty well. Retroarch took me a little bit to get used too. I didn't like it at first.  And I still find it messy but what are you going to do when you emulate everything?  The one nice thing about it is there is usually multiple emulation cores to choose from.

IMO Retroarch is perfect for a system like an jail broken PS3 or something. In that case i can't think of a better way to play emulation especially when you're into multiple systems. For me and when it comes to PC i don't mind Retroarch when it comes to the more obscure emulators and makes for ease rather then trying to chase updates on those systems i don't really play often.

 

However stand alone is my preference with well known systems from Atari, Nintendo and Sega. I feel it's more suited for my needs and flexibility with settings. For example Stella standalone is leaps and bounds the better experience along with Higan and Fusion. You could call me old school when it comes to emulation however i think each emulator has it's place.

 

Retroarch to me is more practical for consoles rather then PC

[MrMaddog]

On 3/18/2020 at 6:40 AM, TwentySixHundred said:

IMO Retroarch is perfect for a system like an jail broken PS3 or something. In that case i can't think of a better way to play emulation especially when you're into multiple systems. For me and when it comes to PC i don't mind Retroarch when it comes to the more obscure emulators and makes for ease rather then trying to chase updates on those systems i don't really play often.

 

However stand alone is my preference with well known systems from Atari, Nintendo and Sega. I feel it's more suited for my needs and flexibility with settings. For example Stella standalone is leaps and bounds the better experience along with Higan and Fusion. You could call me old school when it comes to emulation however i think each emulator has it's place.

 

Retroarch to me is more practical for consoles rather then PC

Retroarch is OK for most games...it's just too limited for games that need special controlers like light gun games.

 

I use a front end (LaunchBox) so depending on the system I use MAME, RetroArch or a standalone emulator.  With the standalones I run them though RocketLauncher to add bezels and scanlines if needed.