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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
Here's the review with no pictures
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