Osnes9xgp V0.3 Beta


Esn

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The original full review is on GP32World; CLICK HERE.



Here's the review with no pictures ;) (would you believe that I only found out a month ago that Yoyo released a new version of OS9xGP in August? I'd been on vacation when it was announced apparently, so I'd been using version 0.2 until January!):


OpenSNES9xGP v0.3 beta by Yoyofr (main code, design), thunderZ (code, design), Laxer3a (working on asm cpu, lots of usefull ideas). Released in August 2004.

Overview
An open-source SNES emulator for the GP32. OS9XGP is a port of Snes9x (http://www.snes9x.com).

Features
- Zipped rom support
- save states with images, 10 slots per game
- arm asm cpu core
- sound decoding in arm asm, however mixing is still in C (too slow)
- Cpu speed selection (133, 140, 150, 156, 160, 166)
- 3 configurable button layouts
- sound on/off
- 3 transparency hacks (OS9xGP does not support transparency, so a hack is needed when it is present)
- support for zipped roms
- 3-D introductory sequence
- border that changes colour depending on the dominant colour on the SNES screen

Pros
- runs some games fullspeed (at FS2) with sound most of the time at 156Mhz. Among these are the 3 Donkey Kong Country games (fullspeed except on water/snow levels)!
- support for zipped roms, graphic save states (you can tell where you saved before loading)
- many clockspeed choices
- different control configurations. The GP32 only has 6 buttons compared to the SNES's 8, but most games did not use all 8 so it generally works out.
- transparency hack makes games that use transarency playable, even if they look a little incomplete in places (an example of transparency is the tunnel lights in Donkey Kong Cointry).

Cons
- most games do not run as fast as the Donkey Kong Country series, even seemingly simple games like Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move.
- It seems like there are only 3 pre-set control configurations. I may be wrong, but as much as I tried I can't find a way to change them; the only one that's really useable in my opinion is #3 (which uses all of the GP32's buttons... Start+Select go to the menu). However, it still means that for some games I'm forced to use the L/R buttons on a regular basis. It would be really nice if I could configure my own button layout.
- While the file size is 200kb smaller than v0.2, at 627kb it's still one of the biggest GP32 emulators out there. I can't help but feel that the emulator is trying to make too much of a showcase of itself (3-D animated title screen, 3-D animated credits, the border that's always changing colours, screensaver, etc). In my opinion, as much of this extra stuff should be cut down as possible so that the GP32 processor can focus its maximum potential on emulation (the background looks better black anyways... it's annoying when it's always changing colour I think). Also, the intro is a little unnecessary. It's cool at first, but eventually you just want to go straight to the ROM selection screen from the second the emulator loads.
- sound is emulated very accurately, but on most games (except those that run pretty fast) it tends to make a very annoying "clicking" sound.

Overall
There's a real speed increase here from v0.2! If my score was based on just how this emulator handles Donkey Kong Country, I'd give it 8/10. However, since most other games run slower I'm taking one point off. This is a worthy emulator to have on your GP32, but you have to search around and find out which games run at a playable speed (here's a Compatibility List to help you out, although it's only for versions 0.2 and under). If your GP32 can overclock really high then you're in real luck, because a lot of games will run well (you can download mods that overclock OS9xGP to above 166Mhz at GP32World's download section).
Yoyofr has to be praised for making this emulator open-source, because this means that even if he never releases another version another coder can pick it up and try to improve it!

Compatibility: 8/10
Speed: 6/10 (some games run much quicker than others, though)
Sound: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Overall: 7/10
 
OSNES9X is, indeed, very impressive as it is. I recently started playing through A Link to the Past and I am truly very pleased with the performance. There is that annoying crackly sound, but I can tune that out after playing for a little while. And there are some other obvious shortcomings (lack of transparency and speed in some games).

Overall, however, it's very solid. I think that's the most unfortunate thing about the whole OSNES9X situation; it was just so far along and 3 or 4 more months of tweaking could have probably brought it to a near-perfect form. We just have to hope that it will be revisited, as yoyofr recently promised.
 
I think Osnes is REALLY close to perfection.

I just hope that the comment that was given to the author a while ago
(about the sound code, Whilethe author already first noted the he had to revise this code) didnt't piss him off.

Some authors should get more credit.
 
Without sound, most of the basic games are full speed without frameskip. With sound, none are. I personally don't mind playing without sound a lot of the time, so it's a fantastic emulator in my opinion.
 
am i blind?

where can i get version 0.3? the homepage and GP32world only offer me version 0.2...
 
Does the 0.3 version run OK on BLU+? The version I tried had the white bar error..

Paul
 
i sent yoyo a mail and offered him to donate some money for his work and for getting a Blu+. Since i donated for DrMD and to Ryley, i can support this emu too :)

You all should do so, too! Money is still the best motivation! ;) and you all want to see a perfect SNES on GP Emulator , right :p ?
 
Zimond posted on Feb 27 2005 at 02:26 PM said:
i sent yoyo a mail and offered him to donate some money for his work and for getting a Blu+. Since i donated for DrMD and to Ryley, i can support this emu too :)

You all should do so, too! Money is still the best motivation! ;) and you all want to see a perfect SNES on GP Emulator , right :p ?


Yoyo seems real tied up doing Palm stuff right now. He is big on Palm now for some reason. You won't likely see any updates for quite awhile on the GP32. And when you do it will most likely only be a BLU+ fix.
 
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Esn posted on Feb 26 2005 at 11:27 PM said:
Cons
- It seems like there are only 3 pre-set control configurations. I may be wrong, but as much as I tried I can't find a way to change them; the only one that's really useable in my opinion is #3 (which uses all of the GP32's buttons... Start+Select go to the menu). However, it still means that for some games I'm forced to use the L/R buttons on a regular basis. It would be really nice if I could configure my own button layout.
To change the controls, simply choose one of the presets and go down to the desired button and press left and right to choose the desired button. Then simply press R (DO NOT GO BACK UP IN THE CONTROLS MENU BECAUSE THAT WILL RESET THE CONTROLS) to go back to the main menu and then your controls should be set. If you want, you can have it save your control settings for a certain rom or for all roms by choosing the appropriate save option.

And yeah, even though many people, including yoyo himself, keep saying that he hasn't left the scene, I think he's lost most of his interest simply because he's found more powerful platforms. I doubt he'll make any more significant speed improvements, probably only small updates like a BLU+ fix. I believe the Zodiac is responsible for his loss of interest, but there's nothing we can do but hope for fSNES.
 
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Azure posted on Mar 5 2005 at 09:27 PM said:
Esn posted on Feb 26 2005 at 11:27 PM said:
Cons
- It seems like there are only 3 pre-set control configurations. I may be wrong, but as much as I tried I can't find a way to change them; the only one that's really useable in my opinion is #3 (which uses all of the GP32's buttons... Start+Select go to the menu). However, it still means that for some games I'm forced to use the L/R buttons on a regular basis. It would be really nice if I could configure my own button layout.
To change the controls, simply choose one of the presets and go down to the desired button and press left and right to choose the desired button. Then simply press R (DO NOT GO BACK UP IN THE CONTROLS MENU BECAUSE THAT WILL RESET THE CONTROLS) to go back to the main menu and then your controls should be set. If you want, you can have it save your control settings for a certain rom or for all roms by choosing the appropriate save option.

And yeah, even though many people, including yoyo himself, keep saying that he hasn't left the scene, I think he's lost most of his interest simply because he's found more powerful platforms. I doubt he'll make any more significant speed improvements, probably only small updates like a BLU+ fix. I believe the Zodiac is responsible for his loss of interest, but there's nothing we can do but hope for fSNES.

I had a Zodiac and it really isn't that much more powerful, it runs at 193 MHz. Also I hated that analog stick for emulators as it was sloppy. I guess Yoyo likes it though. Who ever knew that him winning the Zodiac in the coding compo from GBAX was the beginning of the end for his GP32 stuff. So sad.
 
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DaveC posted on Mar 6 2005 at 02:28 PM said:
Azure posted on Mar 5 2005 at 09:27 PM said:
Esn posted on Feb 26 2005 at 11:27 PM said:
Cons
- It seems like there are only 3 pre-set control configurations. I may be wrong, but as much as I tried I can't find a way to change them; the only one that's really useable in my opinion is #3 (which uses all of the GP32's buttons... Start+Select go to the menu). However, it still means that for some games I'm forced to use the L/R buttons on a regular basis. It would be really nice if I could configure my own button layout.
To change the controls, simply choose one of the presets and go down to the desired button and press left and right to choose the desired button. Then simply press R (DO NOT GO BACK UP IN THE CONTROLS MENU BECAUSE THAT WILL RESET THE CONTROLS) to go back to the main menu and then your controls should be set. If you want, you can have it save your control settings for a certain rom or for all roms by choosing the appropriate save option.

And yeah, even though many people, including yoyo himself, keep saying that he hasn't left the scene, I think he's lost most of his interest simply because he's found more powerful platforms. I doubt he'll make any more significant speed improvements, probably only small updates like a BLU+ fix. I believe the Zodiac is responsible for his loss of interest, but there's nothing we can do but hope for fSNES.
Who ever knew that him winning the Zodiac in the coding compo from GBAX was the beginning of the end for his GP32 stuff. So sad.
Unfortunately only all those people who were thought to be crazing for speculating that this exact thing would occur when Yoyo won the Zodiac...
 
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Hi there

I will get it put in the post for you tomorrow. I have no idea how long things take to get tp the USA but I will send it no problem
 
Azure posted on Mar 5 2005 at 09:27 PM said:
Esn posted on Feb 26 2005 at 11:27 PM said:
Cons
- It seems like there are only 3 pre-set control configurations. I may be wrong, but as much as I tried I can't find a way to change them; the only one that's really useable in my opinion is #3 (which uses all of the GP32's buttons... Start+Select go to the menu). However, it still means that for some games I'm forced to use the L/R buttons on a regular basis. It would be really nice if I could configure my own button layout.
To change the controls, simply choose one of the presets and go down to the desired button and press left and right to choose the desired button. Then simply press R (DO NOT GO BACK UP IN THE CONTROLS MENU BECAUSE THAT WILL RESET THE CONTROLS) to go back to the main menu and then your controls should be set. If you want, you can have it save your control settings for a certain rom or for all roms by choosing the appropriate save option.

Thanks, I didn't know that! :)
 
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