| Welcome to NonMESS ! |
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It's quite simple, really. If a computer, console or handheld system isn't listed here, MESS emulates it best. If it IS listed here, I've provided for you the very best emulator for the given system. Lots of research has gone into this site so you don't have to ask the questions or run the tests yourself - just download, and be happy! :-) My evaulation criteria for the best emulator is as follows (in order of importance):
Additionally, for each system, I've categorized MESS driver status as follows:
I've always believed that the best information comes from you folks out there. So if you have any comments, by all means I want to hear them! I can be reached at scriptis@hotmail.com, or IRC EFNet in #retrogamers. Keep in mind that I'm only providing information on *one* emulator per system. If you'd like to suggest a better emulator, by all means do so - just provide me with a link to the emulator, and a reason why you think yours is better, and I'll consider it. One more thing, I've decided to do this partly due to the success and popularity of NonMAME, so this is my thanks to everyone out there for the years of support you've given me! ;-)
Enjoy! Baseline reference system specs:
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| What's New |
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| 32X (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Kega Fusion: http://www.eidolons-inn.net/tiki-index.php?page=Kega |
With the release of this emulator, it can now be said that Steve Snake, the sole Kega Fusion author, has finally made Sega his bitch. Kega Fusion not only emulates the 32X more accurately than any other emulator, but also emulates the Game Gear, Genesis, Master System AND Sega CD really damn well! |
| 3DO (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| FreeDO: http://www.freedo.org/ |
Aside from the very preliminary MESS driver, FreeDO is currently the world's only hope for 3DO emulation. Though I've never personally attempted running commercial games with this emulator, I know many of them run just fine - check here. |
| Alice32 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| DCAlice: http://alice32.free.fr/ |
MESS does not emulate this system. |
| Altair 8800 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Altair 8800b Simulator: http://www.cstc.org/cgi-bin/show_abstract.pl?type=official&number=108 |
The Altair 8800 was the first "home computer" introduced in January of 1975. The Altair 8800b Simulator is just that, a simulation of the original system, rather than an emulation. Nevertheless, until a true emulator is developed it will remain on this page. |
| Amiga Series (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| WinUAE: http://www.winuae.net/ |
There's really no need for anyone to consider any other Amiga emulator - this one rocks. It's been in development for many years and has a huge user/fan base worldwide, due in part to the fact that the Amiga computer itself was quite an incredible system. While the MESS driver has seen dramatic improvements lately thanks to some excellent work by Aaron Giles and Ernesto Corvi, I believe there's still more work to do in order to match WinUAE's versatility. |
| Apple II (GS) (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| KEGS32: http://www.geocities.com/akilgard/kegs32/ |
This is the best Apple II GS emulator out there, and is actually a Win32 port of the Unix-based KEGS. Considering that the Apple II GS was such a popular computer, I'm personally surprised there aren't more emulators out there that support this great system. Fortunately however, RBelmont of MAME fame is actively working on improving the //GS driver in MESS - and it's already looking very good! |
| Apple II (Non-GS) (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| AppleWin: http://applewin.berlios.de/ |
This emulator is fantastic, I believe compatible with the entire Apple II software catalog, and the latest versions even include Mockingboard support (Apple II sound card!) which the MESS driver also has, though in my tests I have not been able to get it working. My only problem with the emulator is its non-standard interface; I always prefer Windows widgets over custom-made ones due to ease-of-use. After all, emulation software should be about using the original system, not the emulator itself! On a more personal note, this computer system is a specific favorite of mine - in 1979 my father bought our family an Apple ][+ and I have never been the same since. :p |
| Aquarius (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| Virtual Aquarius: http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ |
This emulator is easier to use and has more features than the MESS driver. |
| Arcadia 2001 (Console) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| WinArcadia: http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/ |
Here's a head-scratcher for you: how can a system so obscure receive some of the most heated competition from its emulator authors that you're likely to find anywhere? Over the past several weeks I've received some very -ahem- colorful emails from the WinArcadia and Tunix 2001 camps regarding their respective software, that has had me running in circles with tales of intellectual property theft, software inaccuracies, and blatant competition slamming. We may as well have been talking about Apple and Microsoft here. Nevertheless after giving both emulators a fair shake, I have to say WinArcadia is the clear winner. For one, the Arcadia 2001's sound is much more clearly reproduced and is actually in tune with this emulator, compared to its competition. Second, WinArcadia gets credit for its use of the standard Windowing GUI, which aside from other benefits allows for drag-and-drop support. Finally, I've run side-by-side tests of just about every game available for the system, and though there are VERY minor discrepanices with each (WinArcadia's slight flickering in the "Bowling" title screen for example), both systems are highly accurate. So there you have it. This is not to say Tunix 2001's a bad emulator - it's better than previous attempts to emulate the system such as this one - so download each and see for yourself. |
| Archimedes (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Red Squirrel: http://www.red-squirrel.org/ |
Red Squirrel is the best Acorn Archimedes emulator to date. |
| Atari 400/800 Series (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| Atari800Win PLus: http://atariarea.histeria.pl/PLus/index_us.htm |
This emulator is essentially Atari800Win with some really nice additions, such as Kaillera network support. The MESS Atari 400/800 driver isn't currently as accurate or feature-rich. |
| Atari ST (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| Steem Engine: http://steem.atari.st/ |
There are many mature Atari ST emulators in existence, but this one seems to be still in development and is compatible with newer versions of Windows. |
| CD-i (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| CD-i Emulator: http://www.cdiemu.org/ |
This is the best known CD-i emulator, and a fairly mature one at that (although it is not freeware). There are very few other emulators known for the CD-i, and small wonder: the system was terrible as a gaming platform. |
| Commodore 64/128 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| VICE: http://www.viceteam.org/ |
The open-source VersatIle Commodor Emulator (VICE) is the best Commodore 64 emulator to date. While "CCS64" is equally accurate, it isn't free, and it doesn't emulate the PET, VIC 20 or 128 as VICE does. Moreover, the MESS driver for these systems lacks sound. |
| Cybiko (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| C4PC: http://users.skynet.be/firefly/cybiko/ |
This emulator is in its very early stages; although it can reportedly run some commercial Cybiko games, its primary purpose is as a developer's tool. |
| Dreamcast (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| nullDC: http://forums.ngemu.com/nulldc-forum/ |
To quote the late Doug Henning, "Anything's possible in the world of magic!". Well folks, if you believe in magic, believe this: nullDC blows all of its predecessors away, Chankast included. Put it this way: the very first public beta ran nearly all commercial Dreamcast games in playable condition and at full speed. Unbelievably, the newest release is leaps and bounds better than that. While nullDC lacks gamepad rumble support and sound stutters under certain conditions (such as streaming GDROM images over a network share), this is the one to watch. Behind the scenes, progress is buzzing along at a rapid pace as well, so don't be surprised if the issues I've raised here are fixed by the time you read this. drk||Razi (nullDC author) is a great guy, too. |
| Dreamcast Visual Memory System (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| DirectVMS: No Website |
The Dreamcast Visual Memory System (VMS) was a gaming platform in its own right. This emulator is actually a DirectX port of SoftVMS but is the better of the two. Development on both emulators has ceased. |
| Elektor TV Games Computer (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| WinArcadia: http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/ |
WinArcadia supports this computer, which is not too surprising considering the Elektor uses the Signetics 2650A CPU as does the Arcadia 2001. |
| Game Boy / Game Boy Color (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| Gambatte: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gambatte/ |
There are so many Game Boy emulators out there to choose from, yet this the most accurate (with runner-up KiGB a close second). I must say it's nearly perfect in it's emulation, even better than the venerable VisualBoy Advance. Indeed, this project definitely belongs in the same league as other emulators with a focus on clock-cycle accuracy, such as pSX and bsnes. Additionally, this is an open-source project, and there appears to be some collaboration between the MESS development team and Gambatte's author! While MESS emulation is nearly as accurate, there are still sound issues that prevent it from competing with Gambatte. Additionally, I've noticed that some games such as Donkey Kong Country do not display graphics - indicating that there are other problems with this driver as well. |
| Game Boy Advance (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| VisualBoyAdvance: http://vba.ngemu.com/ |
For the Game Boy Advance, this emulator has no equal - and it's open-source! |
| GameCube (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Dolphin: http://www.dolphin-emu.com/ |
While a highly accurate and compatible GameCube emulator is probably still quite a ways off, Dolphin is the most advanced to date. It supports several commercially-playable games, though don't ask me how well it runs because I really don't know. This is a closed-source emulator, though the source appears to be released soon as the original developers have quit the project. Some of you may be wondering why GCEmu isn't listed in this section, but there are reasons: Dolphin is far more compatible, and remember the rule that speed is secondary to compatibility. Think of it this way: if GameCube emulation development froze today, 10 years from now which would be the better emulator? I'd wager on Dolphin - when framerates don't matter, compability is king. |
| Game Park 32 (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| GeePee32: http://users.skynet.be/firefly/gp32/ |
The GamePark 32 is a Korean handheld gaming system, and is several times more powerful than the Game Boy Advance. GeePee32 does a great job emulating the system - check it out! |
| Genesis (Console) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| Kega Fusion: http://www.eidolons-inn.net/tiki-index.php?page=Kega |
Kega Fusion is about as flawless as emulators get. It provides highly accurate Genesis emulation (anyone know any games that don't run on it?) in addition to supporting the Master System, Game Gear, 32X and Sega CD with nearly the same accuracy. Only one drawback: the emulator is closed-source. The MESS driver has recently gotten a shot in the arm thanks to Haze's HazeMD engine, and is almost there, but certain games such as NFL '98 and NHL '98 don't run. |
| IBM Mainframes (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Hercules: http://www.conmicro.cx/hercules/ |
Hercules emulates several IBM Mainframes; namely, System/370, ESA/390, and z/Architecture systems. This emulator is very difficult to use (I have not been able to get it running on my Win32 platform - it looks for a "hercules.cfg" file that is not provided with the emulator!). Still, if you can get it working, it is apparently worth the effort - the emulator has a huge (3000+) user community, as these systems were quite special to many people. |
| Intellivision (Console) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| Bliss: http://bliss.retrogames.com/ |
Bliss emulates the Intellivison nearly perfectly, and is still in development to this day. It's only true competitor, Nostalgia provides reasonably accurate emulation that is nearly on par with Bliss; however, it's hampered by incredibly unsightly and unwieldy GUI (sorry guys, I tell it like it is). Curiously enough, the MESS driver is apparently very close to completion, though it currently runs almost no games at all. This appears to be a minor bug that will be fixed soon - expect MESS to obviate Bliss in the near future. |
| Interton VC 4000 (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| WinArcadia: http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/ |
WinArcadia supports this obscure German console, which is not too surprising considering the Interton uses the Signetics 2650A CPU as does the Arcadia 2001. |
| Jaguar (Console) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| Project Tempest: http://pt.emuunlim.com/ |
In actuality, MESS Jaguar emulation is the most accurate of all, thanks in large part to Aaron Giles' brilliant work with the CoJag MAME driver. However, playing Jaguar games in MESS on today's computing hardware is like swimming in a pool of molasses - try it, you'll see! For now, there's Project Tempest. While it currently has many accuracy and compatibility issues, it appears to still be in development - so keep your eye out for it. |
| JR-200U (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Virtual Panasonic JR-200U: http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ |
MESS does not support this system. |
| Lynx (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| Handy: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dystopia/ |
For a very long time, Handy has ruled the roost as far as Lynx emulation is concerned. Very few others have even tried to write a Lynx emulator, and since this is a very nice one, stick with it - at least until the MESS code is cleaned up. |
| Macintosh (Non-PowerPC) (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| Basilisk II: http://basilisk.cebix.net/ |
This is the best Macintosh emulator out there. Two small issues with this emulator, though: first, the original Mac 128/Plus computer is not supported (your best bet for this is Mini vMac); and second, the project has been discontinued. Regarding the former issue, RBelmont has this to say, "MESS is the only Mac emulator on the planet to emulate the SCSI port at the hardware level instead of sticking HLE shims into the Mac OS." With that said, the driver is nevertheless in a very early stage of maturity. |
| Macintosh (PowerPC) (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| PearPC: http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/index.html |
PearPC is the first and only Macintosh PowerPC emulator available for Wintel machines. The emulator is in very early stages and is relatively difficult to install and use; however, it is worth the undertaking if you happen to be a PowerPC enthusiast. |
| MO-Series (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| DCMOTO: http://dcmoto.free.fr/ |
Thomson 8-bit series computers were apparently popular in France; it is no surprise, then, that this emulator requires command of the French language in order to maximize its use. I'm willing to bet that if you're interested in this emulator, chances are good you've got what it takes. ;) Look forward to seeing MESS surpass this one: check out progress on the MESS driver author's site here. |
| MSX (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| blueMSX: http://www.bluemsx.com/ |
Would I steer you wrong? Hell no. This is hands down the best MSX emulator out there, and it's relatively new. Don't just take my word for it though, MSX.org even ran an MSX emulator bake-off and came up with the same results. Try it and see what all the fuss is about! |
| MZ Series (Below 2000) (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Multisystem: http://www.sharpmz.org/ |
Michael Franzen's Multisystem is the only emulator you need for Sharp MZ systems below the 2000 model. Curiously, there is no "readme" file, though the emulator is very straightforward and well-written. Interestingly enough, Multisystem also emulates Z80-based arcade games such as Phoenix and Carnival! As a side note, the link provided here is not specific to this emulator; rather, it is an excellent resource for information on the Sharp MZ-based systems, in addition to providing a de facto home for Multisystem. Check it out! |
| MZ-2000 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| EmuZ-2000: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/%7Eobject/ |
This Sharp multi-MZ emulator is the only one of its kind. Surprisingly enough, this emulator features an English GUI. |
| MZ-2500 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| EmuZ-2500: http://www1.interq.or.jp/~t-takeda/mz2500/ |
This Sharp MZ-2500 emulator is the only one of its kind. |
| Neo-Geo CD (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Nebula: http://nebula.emulatronia.com/ |
This great emulator also plays all known Neo-Geo cartridge-based games perfectly. |
| Neo-Geo Pocket (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| NeoPop: http://www.emuxhaven.net/~neopop/ |
I really don't understand the curiously cryptic Engrish byline "Emulator as in Dream-Land", but whatever - this is the best Neo-Geo Pocket emulator out there. |
| Nintendo DS (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| DeSmuME: http://desmume.org/ |
This is the best DS emulator out there, though some might argue that iDeaS comes close. DeSmuME's original author, YopYop, elected to quit the project, citing French anti-emulation legislation as the reason. Fortunately for DS fans worldwide, he released the source, and Thoduv and Guillaume have continued development. Chances are, MESS won't be touching this system for years. |
| Nintendo Entertainment System (Console) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| Nestopia: http://sourceforge.net/projects/nestopia/ |
Surprised? Man, is competition fierce in the Nintendo department. With so many great emulators to choose from (FCE Ultra, Nestopia, VirtuaNES, RockNES X and NNNesterJ to name a few) it can make your head spin. What's worse - the NES supports over 100 "mappers" within their cartridges and none of these programs emulate them all. What's a mapper? Chris Covell's NES Tech FAQ describes it well:
Incidentally an excellent place to find information on mappers and the games they support is here. Fortunately there are games such as "CastleVania III", "Skull & Crossbones" and "Mr. Gimmick" that provide good benchmarks for testing, as their mappers are notoriously difficult to emulate. I spent quite a long time testing each of the best emulators, aggregating findings from other emulation sites, reading their documentation, etc. My conclusion: Nestopia is the best NES emulator to date - with support for far more mappers than any other emulator, its open-source status, constant updates, great features like Kaillera netplay and rewind support, and a very simple and intuitive yet powerful interface - nothing really comes close. Honorable mention goes to VirtuaNES, which provides eight mappers non-existent in Nestopia - specifically, mapper #s 20, 108, 109, 110, 116, 190, 194 and 236. Additionally, fwNES (discontinued with no website available) supports mapper 81, and InfoNES supports mapper 120. None of these mappers are currently supported by any other emulator that I am aware of. If you are a completist, it may be worth your while to download and use these emulators as well. Oh, and it's definitely worth noting that the MESS driver is probably going to steamroller all of this pretty soon - it's just about perfect, and very close to NEStopia in terms of accuracy and compatibility (though one of my favorite NES games, "CastleVania III", has yet to run on it). I don't know when it'll get there exactly, but look for it soon! |
| Nintendo 64 (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| Project64: http://www.pj64.net/ |
It's been a long and winding road towards perfect Nintendo 64 emulation. To date, no emulator can lay claim to absolute perfection, though these days two of them come damn close (though let's ignore for a moment that both of them use High Level Emulation as smoke and mirrors to do so). Over the past several years, 1964 has reigned supreme, having benefitted from several point releases and video plugin updates during Project64's near three-year hiaitus. However, as of April 1st, 2005 (as part of a brilliant April fools reversal) the Project64 team is back with the best N64 emulator currently available. On top of being a great emulator with a ton of features, its support for countless games currently not playable in 1964 ("Hydro Thunder", "Nightmare Creatures", "Resident Evil 2", etc.) and other unique graphics features (see lens flare in "Zelda: Ocarina of Time" and shadows in "Conker's Bad Fur Day") put it well ahead of the competition. Additionally, both Project64 and 1964 take advantage of a very effective plug-in system that allows independent developers to write their own interchangeable video, audio, controller, and Reality Signal Processor (RSP) modules, separate from the emulators' cores. To date, the best Project64 plug-ins are as follows:
Video: Jabo's Direct3D8 (Included with the emulator) Most people don't realize how easy it is to configure these plug-ins, but it's really quite simple: download any plug-ins that are not included with the emulator, unzip them, and place them in the emulator's "Plugin" directory. Launch the emulator and select the downloaded plug-ins for each module, optionally configure them and you're done! Now you're playing with power. ;) Another thing, check out the work Smiff has done with the replacement RDB file, here. The RDB file is essentially a database of settings for individual games that further tweak the emulator and maximize performance. Simply replace the stock RDB file with this one for even better performance. One note about the MESS driver - it's had some recent improvements thanks to MooglyGuy and Ville Linde. Given time the MESS driver will, of course, be a far better alternative considering it will be orders of magnitude more accurate than Project64. |
| NUON (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Nuance: http://www.nuon-dome.com/ |
Nuance is the only known emulator for this system. |
| Odyssey (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| ODYEMU: http://www.pong-story.com/odyemu.htm |
ODYEMU is the only known emulator for this, the very first console game system ever made. |
| Odyssey 2 (Console) |
| Mess Status: Nearly Perfect |
| O2EM: http://o2em.sourceforge.net/ |
O2EM is the only Odyssey 2 emulator out there besides MESS. Dan Boris, the O2EM author, is generously assisting the MESS project, and has already provided for HUGE advancements in the driver's maturity lately. O2EM, however, remains the only emulator to support full speech synthesis (remember "Ouch! Oh No!" in "K.C.'s Crazy Chase"?), though hopefully MESS will soon inherit this very cool feature as well. |
| PC (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| DOSBox: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/ |
If you want to play old PC games, you need this software. It's really that simple. Nothing comes close. |
| PC98 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Anex86: http://homepage2.nifty.com/ans/ |
The NEC PC98XX series of computers was introduced at a time when the IBM PC was first taking off, and it was marketed in a similar fashion for the same purposes, yet it had its own architecture. Amex86 emulates this system very well, and unlike so many other PC98 emulators, it sports an English GUI that won't drive you non Japanese-speaking folk bananas using it. |
| PC-FX (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Magic Engine-FX: http://www.magicengine.com/ |
This is the only emulator available for this ill-fated console system from NEC. Note that this emulator is distributed as a pack-in with the latest version of Magic Engine (see writeup in the TurboGrafx 16 section below). |
| PCW (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| JOYCE: http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Unix/Joyce/ |
JOYCE is the only Amstrad PCW emulator available. |
| Playstation (Console) |
| Mess Status: Preliminary |
| pSX: http://psxemulator.gazaxian.com/ |
Playstation emulation has been fraught with controversy, from the commercial fiasco/disaster "Bleem" to the unapproved hack/project "PSXeven". Thankfully, we have pSX - an absolute gem of an emulator that's so far above the rest of the competition it isn't funny - though honorable mention goes to ePSXe for supporting the original Tomb Raider, which pSX does not (hopefully that will come soon). It's worth noting that unlike many of its competitors, ePSXe included, pSX doesn't use plug-ins. Eschewing this system in favor of a more traditional and simpler approach, the emulator is far easier to configure and use than its plug-in wielding competitors as a result. Basically, just install and enjoy! |
| Playstation 2 (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| PCSX2: http://www.pcsx2.net/ |
Next-generation system emulators are always exciting to watch, and this one's no exception. There are other PS2 emulators out there that are slowly popping up, but this one's the best, and with its rapid development efforts and frequent WIP postings and screenshots by the author, I have no doubt it will be a truly playable emulator before long. For now, however, the software is in its early stages - so don't expect to be playing "Dead or Alive 3" or "Gran Turismo 4" at full speed on your computer today. |
| Playstation Portable (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Potemkin: http://www.aep-emu.de/emus70.html |
This emulator was DOA - on the eve of the first public alpha's release, its author, Henrik Rydgård, announced that he will no longer develop the software. Fortunately however, he has released the source code for anyone who may be interested in continuing his efforts. Note: the link above is not official, since to my knowledge there is no official site. This is the most stable location I could find. |
| PocketStation (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| PKEmu: http://www.megagames.com/psx/psx_pocketstation.shtml |
MESS does not yet support this strange little curiosity, the unholy child of the PlayStation. |
| Pong (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Pong: http://www.pong-story.com/pcpong.htm |
This is a simulation (not an emulation) of the old Magnavox AY-3-8500 home PONG systems. Get ready to jump out of your seat!!! Umm.. well, not quite - but it makes for a great nostalgia trip for those of you who are old enough to remember it. |
| RX-78 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| eRX-78: http://www1.interq.or.jp/~t-takeda/top.html |
MESS does not support this system. |
| Saturn (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| SSF: http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~phantasy/ssf/index.html |
While development of this emulator has been notably slow over the many years that it's been around, nothing has been able to top it - including the controvertial GiriGiri/Cassini. SSF isn't the fastest Saturn emulator out there, but it runs at a playable speed on my reference system and it's the most compatible there is. Keep in mind that while the emulator's website may be in Japanese, the software itself, including the GUI, is in English. |
| Sega CD (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Kega Fusion: http://www.eidolons-inn.net/tiki-index.php?page=Kega |
Steve Snake strikes again! This is the best Sega CD emulator you'll find out there, and with all the other features this emulator supports - well, what are you waiting for? |
| Studio 2 (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| WinSTEM: http://www.classicgaming.com/studio2/ |
The RCA Studio 2 is the second console system ever developed that accepted removeable game cartridges (the first being the Fairchild Channel F). While MESS does emulate this system, I've listed it as preliminary as I don't believe its capable of displaying anything. |
| Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| SNES9X: http://www.snes9x.com/ |
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It's a close race, but SNES9X is the best SNES emulator available, and for good reason - it's more accurate, less hacky, and its GUI blows away that of its nearest competitor, ZSNES (the latter being encumbered by its DOS-looking and rather unwieldy interface - ZSNES was, after all, originally a DOS program, whereas SNES9X was designed with Windows in mind). Special note: while the SNES9X developers have stated on their website that there will be no further Windows versions of this emulator (bizarre as that may seem), take heart - you can find the latest pre-compiled binary here, which is linked from the official site in the "downloads" section. One final note worth mentioning: I've been watching bsnes with keen interest, since it's far more accurate than either of the above emulators. I'm willing to bet that someday bsnes will take over this spot, but for now, compatibility is still far behind its main competitor. Most notably, this SuperFX chip is not yet emulated, which means the emulator will not run some of my all-time favorite SNES games: Star Fox and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. |
| SuperVision (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Nearly Perfect |
| Potator: http://potato.emu-france.com/ |
This open-source Watara SuperVision emulator is, aside from MESS, the only one in existence. The MESS driver is nearly perfect, aside from some missing sounds (such as the explosion effects in "Alien"), so expect it to surpass Potator soon. |
| TO-series (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Near-perfect |
| DCMOTO: http://dcmoto.free.fr/ |
Thomson 8-bit series computers were apparently popular in France; it is no surprise, then, that this emulator requires command of the French language in order to maximize its use. I'm willing to bet that if you're interested in this emulator, chances are good you've got what it takes. ;) Look forward to seeing MESS surpass this one: check out progress on the MESS driver author's site here. |
| Trek (AKA NEC PC-6000/PC-6001)(Computer) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Virtual NEC Trek: http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ |
This is the only NEC Trek emulator available. |
| TurboGrafx 16 (Console) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| Magic Engine: http://www.magicengine.com/ |
Many have tried, a few have come close, but nobody has been able to match Megic Engine's accuracy. Sporting perfect Hucard (TG16 cartridge) and near-perfect TG16 CD-ROM compatibility, this is clearly the one to get. To top it off, Magic Engine has been in development for many years and it continues to this day. Two drawbacks to this emulator, however - first, the GUI is terrible when compared to most other emulators, very proprietary-looking and unwieldy - a common Windows interface is desparately needed. Second, the emulator is not freeware like so many others (such as all the others featured on this site), as it costs $16 USD to register from the demonstration version. Magic Engine does have a strong competitor in Mednafen, primarily because it's free; however, Mednafen has no GUI and is more difficult for the average person to use. |
| Virtual Boy (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Reality Boy: http://www.goliathindustries.com/vb/ |
This is the best Virtual Boy emulator available today. Its only real competitor is Red Dragon, which is actually an enhanced version of an earlier Reality Boy release. |
| WonderSwan (Handheld) |
| MESS Status: Preliminary |
| WSCamp: No Website |
This is the best WonderSwan emulator available today. |
| X68000 (Computer) |
| MESS Status: Moderately Developed |
| WinX68k: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Sunnyvale/1779/ |
The Sharp X68000 series computer provided an excellent 16-bit gaming experience for Japanese computer users in the mid-late 80s; relive the excitement with this emulator, the best of its kind. If you do not speak Japanese, don't be intimidated by the emulator's website; program menus are in English and the emulator is very easy to use. |
| XBOX (Console) |
| MESS Status: Non-existent |
| Cxbx: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cxbx/ |
Though far from mature, Cxbx is currently the one to watch for XBOX emulation. This is the first (and currently, the only) emulator to support a commercial game: Turok Evolution. |
| Links |
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MESS: Multiple Emulator Super System. |