emulation.net News Archives

February 1998

Virtual PC 2.0 is now available at Cyberian Outpost! The upgrade costs a scant $32.95, and the DOS version is under $50. Having received a review copy yesterday from Connectix, I am extremely impressed by its performance on the Power Macintosh G3, which truly rivaled a PC, and the 3Dfx support which was truly striking. (In fact, I think they've convinced me to buy a G3!) My 604e/200 still comes up a little short in some cases, but the speed improvements and compatibility enhancements throughout the product are quite noticable. A full review should be available shortly.
Many users have written in with stories about Console Cables, both good and bad. The most frightening thing, I thought, was the fact that customers' checks have been cashed and credit cards have been billed before the controllers have been finished--let alone shipped! They also say that they are waiting on "official Apple licensing" for their controller, but I think I can say with relative certainty that Apple never required a license to build an ADB device.
An important correction: In the last update, I inferred that RealPC 1.0.2 and SoftWindows 5.0.2 support 3Dfx. This is not the case. Although previous releases, 1.0.2b1 and 5.0.2b1, had included 3Dfx support, full support is still being worked on and therefore this release doesn't support 3Dfx.

RealPC 3D and SoftWindows 3D have gone golden master, and the updater to version 1.0.2 is now available for downloading! These updated versions include several bug fixes to the emulation core, so even if you don't own a 3Dfx card, it would be worthwhile to download the most recent updater.
Easy Convert, a utility for Apple IIgs owners for converting 5.25" disks into an emulator-supported format, is now available.
A reader reports that Console Cables has not shipped out his order yet, a month after he placed it. If you were planning to order from this business, do so with caution.

Sara, the Apple /// emulator, has been updated to version 0.2! A real-time debugger is now enabled in this version.
At long last, a determined developer has begun working on a Playstation emulator for Macintosh, PSMac. Although currently the project has only begun (only 10% of the main processor is emulated), this project has the potential to be great.
MSNBC (shudder) has written an article about MAME. It's not especially interesting or insightful, but it's about what one could expect from Microsoft.
Virtual PC 2.0 has gone Golden Master today, and therefore should be available very soon. When it's released, emulation.net will have a full comparison of RealPC 3D and Virtual PC 2.0, including time trials and compatibility testing.
Knaper's MacMAME page has been closed! Unfortunately, the site's author, Chris Knape, has decided that the page is not worth the effort. However, he is looking for someone to continue the page where he left off, so feel free to contact him if you want to volunteer!

Varying reports on the compatibility of SoftWindows 3D has led me to believe that some users are getting different results than others. Tomb Raider 2 apparently has been shown to work on several machines, as well as EF2000, Hexen 2 and Manx TT Superbike. Jedi Knight is supposed to be extremely nice. Some people have gotten Quake 2 and Wipeout XL working, while others have found it impossible. Some users claim that changing monitor settings, hardware acceleration levels and memory given to SoftWindows can cause crashing programs to start working. The OS Emulation page has begun compiling a 3Dfx info page which is worth reading.
GBMac, a Gameboy emulator, has been updated to version 0.9.5.
The Site of the Week has been updated!

A user report on RealPC with 3Dfx support found that this beta version provided only limited 3Dfx compatibility. Tomb Raider 3Dfx, running from DOS, showed excellent frame rates and played well. However, of four Windows 95-based 3Dfx games, only one--Excalibur 2555 AD--worked with 3Dfx at all, and the framerate was choppy. Need for Speed 2 ran properly but did not show accelerated performance, Tomb Raider II could not recognize the 3Dfx card, and Frogger 3D crashed upon launch. It's still just a beta version, so hopefully Insignia will fix these problems soon.
emulation.net has opened a new Feedback Page with a list of the most frequently asked questions.
Users who were unable to use the Wolfenstein 3D disk image for Bernie ][ the Rescue are being asked to download the file again; the first one was in DiskCopy 6.1 format, which Bernie ][ the Rescue does not support yet. The file was reuploaded as a DiskCopy 4.2 image which Bernie ][ the Rescue can use properly.
An anonymous source reports that he is working on a version of MAME for Rhapsody, using Rhapsody's kernel server to host the emulation (which is also how the Blue Box is hosted under Rhapsody). This technological feat can speed up the emulators by providing them with low-level core services from the Rhapsody architecture.

A new emulator called Oric/MacOS has been ported by Richard Bannister. A separate page for this machine will be written shortly.
A Wolfenstein 3D disk image that works with Bernie ][ the Rescue is now available! To run this awesome freeware title, you'll need to download the most recent release of Bernie, an Apple IIgs system disk, and the Wolfenstein 3D disk. Once you start Bernie, open the Disks window, mount the system disk, and reset the emulator. After the system boots, insert the Wolfenstein 3D disk, switch into Power Mode, and double-click the game icon to start! (If you don't switch into Power Mode, the mouse controls don't work properly.)
The PDP-8/E Simulator has been updated to version 1.2 beta! This version allows developers to code plug-in software modules which function as virtual PDP devices, and can also be controlled by AppleScript.

Power64, a Commodore 64 emulator, has had a major upgrade to version 2.0! This version is much more compatible with C64 software and supports a wider variety of media types.
Some individuals are writing a FAQ about installing various operating systems on Virtual PC. If you have used Virtual PC with an operating system besides Windows 95 or DOS and wish to share your experiences, hints, tips, warnings, or impressions, please contribute to their effort!
The link to Jasper (a Java-based Sinclair ZX emulator) on the Sinclair ZX page was removed. With the recent development of several Java-based emulators, I decided that emulation.net must remain focused on the Mac OS. Anyway, almost all Java-based emulators run poorly under the Mac OS (especially when compared with their native counterparts).

The Site of the Week has been updated with a great site called EmuMac.
freeMSX has been updated to version 0.6.9! This new version includes support for FM sound effects.
NoSTalgia 0.3.5 is coming soon! This version will reportedly feature hard disk emulation, support for up to 4MB of Atari ST memory, and compatibility with more versions of TOS.

Happy Valentine's Day! (Good luck out there!)
Bernie ][ the Rescue, an Apple IIgs emulator, has been updated to version 1.2.5i! This version adds support for Wolfenstein 3D, which was just released for the Apple IIgs today!
My next-door neighbor Ken has written a new web page, PC Emulation World. Although this is a PC site, it is quite well done (especially considering it is his first large-scale Internet project) and links to several pages which Mac and PC users alike will enjoy.

3Dfx Voodoo support is now available to all SoftWindows 5.0 and RealPC users! Beta versions of Insignia's RealPC 3D and SoftWindows 95 3D have been released on Insignia's home page; these are free patches which install over current versions of RealPC and SoftWindows. Preliminary testing with Tomb Raider has been very positive; although the full-motion video sequences still fail to run properly under RealPC, the actual gameplay has been enhanced immeasurably.
Virtual PC is also getting close to completion and is on schedule for release by the end of the month. This version will also feature 3Dfx Voodoo compatibility and a $49 pricetag.

The Ubiquitous Amiga Emulator has been updated to version 0.7.0! This will undoubtedly be great news for Amiga fans.
A MacMAME Chat Page has been opened on the ever-expanding House of Coins.

Power PC Engine, a TurboGrafx-16 emulator, has been updated to version 0.3.2! This version improves speed markedly by fixing a few bugs; however, it does not contain the previously promised PowerPC assembly optimizations.
MO5/MacOS has been updated to version 2.0.2.

MasterGear, a Sega Game Gear and Master System emulator, has been updated to version 1.0.5! The most important change in this version was fixing a bug which would crash 680x0-based Macs, and the interface has also been retouched a bit.
The OS Emulation Home Page now also has an interview with Leigh Dworkin, project manager of SoftWindows and RealPC. He discusses the development methodology of RealPC and SoftWindows, how development progress is going, and how they differ from Virtual PC. He also confirmed that future versions of RealPC, like Virtual PC, will feature 3Dfx support.
A new utility for X48 (an HP48 calculator emulator) has been released, which allows file transfer between a calculator and your Macintosh.

A new Site of the Week has been added; this is an article about how Virtual PC was programmed, written by one of the lead programmers on the project.
An interview with the project manager of Virtual PC is also available, compliments of the OS Emulation Home Page.
Users running System 7.5.x and below may have found that the Appearance Control Panel would fail to open. It's actually a new type of control panel which older Systems don't know how to handle properly. A workable control panel is available in the official Appearance SDK from Apple's developer sites; this 3MB download not only contains the Appearance software, but also has programming guides and test applications for the Appearance Manager. (If the Appearance Manager is working for you, you shouldn't need to download this.)

Connectix has confirmed rumors of 3Dfx support in Virtual PC with their newest press release! Power3D users will be glad to know that their current 3D card will be compatible with Virtual PC 2.0. This update to Virtual PC is slated to ship at the end of February, and has taken another price cut to just $49! (The price wars between Connectix and Insignia are stronger than ever!)
Blue Label has been relegated to the Myths Page. The company's too-good-to-be-true claims and repeated release date changes are obviously a sham.

Send feedback to emulation.net.
Back to emulation.net.

	Virtual PC 2.0 is now available at Cyberian Outpost! The upgrade costs a scant $32.95, and the DOS version is under $50. Having received a review copy yesterday from Connectix, I am extremely impressed by its performance on the Power Macintosh G3, which truly rivaled a PC, and the 3Dfx support which was truly striking. (In fact, I think they've convinced me to buy a G3!) My 604e/200 still comes up a little short in some cases, but the speed improvements and compatibility enhancements throughout the product are quite noticable. A full review should be available shortly. Many users have written in with stories about Console Cables, both good and bad. The most frightening thing, I thought, was the fact that customers' checks have been cashed and credit cards have been billed before the controllers have been finished--let alone shipped! They also say that they are waiting on "official Apple licensing" for their controller, but I think I can say with relative certainty that Apple never required a license to build an ADB device. An important correction: In the last update, I inferred that RealPC 1.0.2 and SoftWindows 5.0.2 support 3Dfx. This is not the case. Although previous releases, 1.0.2b1 and 5.0.2b1, had included 3Dfx support, full support is still being worked on and therefore this release doesn't support 3Dfx.
	RealPC 3D and SoftWindows 3D have gone golden master, and the updater to version 1.0.2 is now available for downloading! These updated versions include several bug fixes to the emulation core, so even if you don't own a 3Dfx card, it would be worthwhile to download the most recent updater. Easy Convert, a utility for Apple IIgs owners for converting 5.25" disks into an emulator-supported format, is now available. A reader reports that Console Cables has not shipped out his order yet, a month after he placed it. If you were planning to order from this business, do so with caution.
	Sara, the Apple /// emulator, has been updated to version 0.2! A real-time debugger is now enabled in this version. At long last, a determined developer has begun working on a Playstation emulator for Macintosh, PSMac. Although currently the project has only begun (only 10% of the main processor is emulated), this project has the potential to be great. MSNBC (shudder) has written an article about MAME. It's not especially interesting or insightful, but it's about what one could expect from Microsoft. Virtual PC 2.0 has gone Golden Master today, and therefore should be available very soon. When it's released, emulation.net will have a full comparison of RealPC 3D and Virtual PC 2.0, including time trials and compatibility testing. Knaper's MacMAME page has been closed! Unfortunately, the site's author, Chris Knape, has decided that the page is not worth the effort. However, he is looking for someone to continue the page where he left off, so feel free to contact him if you want to volunteer!
	Varying reports on the compatibility of SoftWindows 3D has led me to believe that some users are getting different results than others. Tomb Raider 2 apparently has been shown to work on several machines, as well as EF2000, Hexen 2 and Manx TT Superbike. Jedi Knight is supposed to be extremely nice. Some people have gotten Quake 2 and Wipeout XL working, while others have found it impossible. Some users claim that changing monitor settings, hardware acceleration levels and memory given to SoftWindows can cause crashing programs to start working. The OS Emulation page has begun compiling a 3Dfx info page which is worth reading. GBMac, a Gameboy emulator, has been updated to version 0.9.5. The Site of the Week has been updated!
	A user report on RealPC with 3Dfx support found that this beta version provided only limited 3Dfx compatibility. Tomb Raider 3Dfx, running from DOS, showed excellent frame rates and played well. However, of four Windows 95-based 3Dfx games, only one--Excalibur 2555 AD--worked with 3Dfx at all, and the framerate was choppy. Need for Speed 2 ran properly but did not show accelerated performance, Tomb Raider II could not recognize the 3Dfx card, and Frogger 3D crashed upon launch. It's still just a beta version, so hopefully Insignia will fix these problems soon. emulation.net has opened a new Feedback Page with a list of the most frequently asked questions. Users who were unable to use the Wolfenstein 3D disk image for Bernie ][ the Rescue are being asked to download the file again; the first one was in DiskCopy 6.1 format, which Bernie ][ the Rescue does not support yet. The file was reuploaded as a DiskCopy 4.2 image which Bernie ][ the Rescue can use properly. An anonymous source reports that he is working on a version of MAME for Rhapsody, using Rhapsody's kernel server to host the emulation (which is also how the Blue Box is hosted under Rhapsody). This technological feat can speed up the emulators by providing them with low-level core services from the Rhapsody architecture.
	A new emulator called Oric/MacOS has been ported by Richard Bannister. A separate page for this machine will be written shortly. A Wolfenstein 3D disk image that works with Bernie ][ the Rescue is now available! To run this awesome freeware title, you'll need to download the most recent release of Bernie, an Apple IIgs system disk, and the Wolfenstein 3D disk. Once you start Bernie, open the Disks window, mount the system disk, and reset the emulator. After the system boots, insert the Wolfenstein 3D disk, switch into Power Mode, and double-click the game icon to start! (If you don't switch into Power Mode, the mouse controls don't work properly.) The PDP-8/E Simulator has been updated to version 1.2 beta! This version allows developers to code plug-in software modules which function as virtual PDP devices, and can also be controlled by AppleScript.
	Power64, a Commodore 64 emulator, has had a major upgrade to version 2.0! This version is much more compatible with C64 software and supports a wider variety of media types. Some individuals are writing a FAQ about installing various operating systems on Virtual PC. If you have used Virtual PC with an operating system besides Windows 95 or DOS and wish to share your experiences, hints, tips, warnings, or impressions, please contribute to their effort! The link to Jasper (a Java-based Sinclair ZX emulator) on the Sinclair ZX page was removed. With the recent development of several Java-based emulators, I decided that emulation.net must remain focused on the Mac OS. Anyway, almost all Java-based emulators run poorly under the Mac OS (especially when compared with their native counterparts).
	The Site of the Week has been updated with a great site called EmuMac. freeMSX has been updated to version 0.6.9! This new version includes support for FM sound effects. NoSTalgia 0.3.5 is coming soon! This version will reportedly feature hard disk emulation, support for up to 4MB of Atari ST memory, and compatibility with more versions of TOS.
	Happy Valentine's Day! (Good luck out there!) Bernie ][ the Rescue, an Apple IIgs emulator, has been updated to version 1.2.5i! This version adds support for Wolfenstein 3D, which was just released for the Apple IIgs today! My next-door neighbor Ken has written a new web page, PC Emulation World. Although this is a PC site, it is quite well done (especially considering it is his first large-scale Internet project) and links to several pages which Mac and PC users alike will enjoy.
	3Dfx Voodoo support is now available to all SoftWindows 5.0 and RealPC users! Beta versions of Insignia's RealPC 3D and SoftWindows 95 3D have been released on Insignia's home page; these are free patches which install over current versions of RealPC and SoftWindows. Preliminary testing with Tomb Raider has been very positive; although the full-motion video sequences still fail to run properly under RealPC, the actual gameplay has been enhanced immeasurably. Virtual PC is also getting close to completion and is on schedule for release by the end of the month. This version will also feature 3Dfx Voodoo compatibility and a $49 pricetag.
	The Ubiquitous Amiga Emulator has been updated to version 0.7.0! This will undoubtedly be great news for Amiga fans. A MacMAME Chat Page has been opened on the ever-expanding House of Coins.
	Power PC Engine, a TurboGrafx-16 emulator, has been updated to version 0.3.2! This version improves speed markedly by fixing a few bugs; however, it does not contain the previously promised PowerPC assembly optimizations. MO5/MacOS has been updated to version 2.0.2.
	MasterGear, a Sega Game Gear and Master System emulator, has been updated to version 1.0.5! The most important change in this version was fixing a bug which would crash 680x0-based Macs, and the interface has also been retouched a bit. The OS Emulation Home Page now also has an interview with Leigh Dworkin, project manager of SoftWindows and RealPC. He discusses the development methodology of RealPC and SoftWindows, how development progress is going, and how they differ from Virtual PC. He also confirmed that future versions of RealPC, like Virtual PC, will feature 3Dfx support. A new utility for X48 (an HP48 calculator emulator) has been released, which allows file transfer between a calculator and your Macintosh.
	A new Site of the Week has been added; this is an article about how Virtual PC was programmed, written by one of the lead programmers on the project. An interview with the project manager of Virtual PC is also available, compliments of the OS Emulation Home Page. Users running System 7.5.x and below may have found that the Appearance Control Panel would fail to open. It's actually a new type of control panel which older Systems don't know how to handle properly. A workable control panel is available in the official Appearance SDK from Apple's developer sites; this 3MB download not only contains the Appearance software, but also has programming guides and test applications for the Appearance Manager. (If the Appearance Manager is working for you, you shouldn't need to download this.)
	Connectix has confirmed rumors of 3Dfx support in Virtual PC with their newest press release! Power3D users will be glad to know that their current 3D card will be compatible with Virtual PC 2.0. This update to Virtual PC is slated to ship at the end of February, and has taken another price cut to just $49! (The price wars between Connectix and Insignia are stronger than ever!) Blue Label has been relegated to the Myths Page. The company's too-good-to-be-true claims and repeated release date changes are obviously a sham.