emulation.net News Archives

January 1999

My new G3 arrived late yesterday! Its performance is wonderful, and my only possible complaint is that CD-Copy is incompatible with DVD-ROM drives. Hopefully I'll be able to update emulation.net regularly now.
Bernie ][ the Rescue has been updated to version 2.0.1! This version emulates "Marinetti" correctly, fixes a bug in the SpeedNanny feature, and cleans up a few small glitches.
A new emulator for the Memotech MTX512 has been released, including source code! I will make a page for the Memotech shortly.

In a move that was predicted by many emulation.net readers, Sony has filed a lawsuit against Connectix over its new Virtual Game Station. Connectix says that this will not affect the release of the product, which is currently in production and will be selling for $49. Also, Connectix recently revamped the Virtual Game Station home page with pictures of the retail box art and better information.
Connectix also posted a Connectix Virtual Game Station updater, from version 1.0 to version 1.1. The Virtual Game Station CD-ROM and the original, unpatched application are required to run the updater. This version features several compatibility fixes as well as "additional security technology" and better compatibility with the Rage 128 video card. For readers contributing to the CVGS compatibility list, please note which version you are testing with.
Connectix has also updated Virtual PC to version 2.1.2! This version supports USB floppy drives, and fixes a crashing bug with Visual Basic.
Richard Bannister reports that he is porting an emulator for the Plus/4 computer system to the Macintosh.
On the PC front, an exciting new emulator for the Nintendo 64 was released called UltraHLE! According to this article, games such as Super Mario 64 and Zelda 64 actually play smoothly on mid-range Pentium IIs!

MacMAME has been updated to version 0.35b2! Although a lot of games still perform strangely, due to the revised CPU cores, this new version supports a lot of new games--including King of Fighters 98!
A few readers have written in to complain that the Connectix Virtual Game Station compatibility list hangs Internet Explorer. Have patience! Internet Explorer JScript is, by a rough estimate, about 10 times slower than Netscape's JavaScript engine. While Netscape is able to sort the entire list in about 5 seconds on an iMac, Internet Explorer takes just under a minute of processing time on the same system. As the list grows, the problem becomes exponentially more pronounced. I'm going to look into various sorting methods, and hopefully take advantage of a faster algorithm that is still easy to implement in JavaScript.

The ROM Info applications for various emulators have been updated to version 1.1! You can download the full ROM Info Bundle.
Graybox Classic has been updated to version 0.27! This version fixes a few minor bugs, and the source code is also available for download. This is the last major release of Graybox Classic; they are now focusing their efforts on Graybox Z, a complete emulator rewrite.
MacBochs has been updated to version 990110b. This version is much less difficult to set up.
A Macintosh port of the PC Engine emulator, Hu6280, is coming soon!
VersionTracker has recently posted a brief synopsis of Connectix Virtual Game Station.
Several readers wrote in to say that Connectix Virtual Game Station has problems running on the new ATI Rage 128 chipset. If you disable the "ATI Rage 128 3D Accelerator" file in your Extensions folder, the emulator should start working properly again.
The Connectix Virtual Game Station compatibility list has been updated once again.

Sorry for the long delay since my last update; my G3/266 has been sold, but my new G3/400 has yet to arrive, so updating emulation.net is going to be cumbersome for me. Whenever the new computer arrives, updates should return to normal. (For those who are familiar with the Apple Build-To-Order system, I am merely at Step Two of Five...)
The Connectix Virtual Game Station compatibility list continues to be updated with new information.
Contrary to recent rumors, it appears that Connectix is not going to be sued by Sony for any sort of copyright infringement. This is excellent news for Mac gamers. It is also rumored that Connectix is also preparing the first round of bugfixes for CVGS, to fix a number of the games which currently fail under emulation.
A new Sega Genesis emulator is under development! Known as Ares, it promises to have compatibility with not only the Sega Genesis itself, but the Sega CD and 32X as well! I'm definitely excited about the prospects for this emulator.
The PDP-8/E Simulator has been updated to version 1.2!
Several readers note that MacBochs is not freeware; the author is requesting a shareware payment of $25.

emulation.net now has a real review of Virtual Game Station, new screenshots, and a growing Compatibility List.
Virtual Gameboy 1.4 has been released! This version features much-improved Gameboy Color support, and Game Shark compatibility!
The source code to MacSpectacle has been released, since the author no longer has time to update it.

MacMAME has been updated to version 0.35b1! This version supports a few new ROMs and improves several drivers.
True Reality has been updated! This version can run a test cart known as Fire Demo.
The review for Virtual Game Station will be completed shortly; I'm still obtaining additional games to test. So far, the speed has exceeded my expectations, and compatibility also seems excellent; I've only seen one game refuse to play. I will be maintaining a compatibility list, so if you've tested any games with VGS, please send me a list of what worked and what didn't (feel free to be as specific as you'd like).

Since the release of Connectix's new Playstation emulator, emulation.net has received hundreds of questions from interested users. But the most frequently asked question was undoubtedly "where can I get a copy?" If you aren't able to attend the Macworld Expo, it could be next-to-impossible to obtain a copy of this emulator--it won't be carried by any stores or online vendors until February at the earliest. So for the next three days, emulation.net will be auctioning off ten copies of Virtual Game Station. The auction ends on Saturday evening, and the top ten bidders will be sent an official copy of Virtual Game Station by Priority Mail. You must be a registered member of eBay to participate in the auction. Please note that Virtual Game Station requires an Apple G3 Macintosh--not an upgrade card--and only works on North American Mac OS computers.
Shameless plug: I'm also selling my current computers, a Power Macintosh G3/266 and Pentium II/450 Tower, in order to fund an upgrade to a faster G3. So if you're in the market for a new computer, please take a look at these machines!
An early release of MacBochs, a free PC emulator, is now available. (Please read the installation instructions carefully before diving in; it's a much more complex installation procedure than the average program.)

Screenshots and a brief synopsis of Virtual Game Station have been posted. Further details should be posted tomorrow.
MacMAME 3Dfx has been removed at the request of the author. (Hopefully this will make a reappearance soon.)

The Mac has a real Playstation emulator!!
At the Macworld Expo today, Connectix will announce Connectix Virtual Game Station, a new Playstation emulator for the Macintosh. According to the press release, a G3 Macintosh is required. Although the web site seems to be down at this time, further information should be available soon at the Virtual Game Station home page.
Although it's a commercial product, this will undoubtedly be the best Playstation emulator for any platform. As soon as I get a copy (hopefully today) I'll post a review.

The emulation.net server has recently experienced an extended outage; if you sent me an important piece of mail in the last three days, you might want to resend it.
MacTiger has been updated to version 0.1a5! This version can emulate a TI-92 Plus!
A shareware PC emulator, MacBochs, is currently under development! Since it's in very early stages of development, it is currently available only in source-code format, so you'll need to have CodeWarrior to even test MacBochs. When it is closer to working properly, it will be distributed in application form.

Happy New Year!
MacMAME 0.34 final has been released!
Fans of "RAVE Mode" in SNES9X will enjoy MacMAME 3Dfx 0.34rc2. Although it's a version behind the official MacMAME, its nice smooth video will appeal to 3Dfx users--although, unfortunately, it doesn't work with any video cards except 3Dfx.
My copy of Intellivision Lives just arrived, and it seems to be a winner! It has some great multimedia clips detailing the Intellivision's history, and emulates lots of Intellivision classics, without any glitching. Many (but not all) of the unreleased Intellivision games are also included on the disc, but for some reason a small number of the officially released games are not on the CD--perhaps the emulator isn't compatible with them.

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

	My new G3 arrived late yesterday! Its performance is wonderful, and my only possible complaint is that CD-Copy is incompatible with DVD-ROM drives. Hopefully I'll be able to update emulation.net regularly now. Bernie ][ the Rescue has been updated to version 2.0.1! This version emulates "Marinetti" correctly, fixes a bug in the SpeedNanny feature, and cleans up a few small glitches. A new emulator for the Memotech MTX512 has been released, including source code! I will make a page for the Memotech shortly.
	In a move that was predicted by many emulation.net readers, Sony has filed a lawsuit against Connectix over its new Virtual Game Station. Connectix says that this will not affect the release of the product, which is currently in production and will be selling for $49. Also, Connectix recently revamped the Virtual Game Station home page with pictures of the retail box art and better information. Connectix also posted a Connectix Virtual Game Station updater, from version 1.0 to version 1.1. The Virtual Game Station CD-ROM and the original, unpatched application are required to run the updater. This version features several compatibility fixes as well as "additional security technology" and better compatibility with the Rage 128 video card. For readers contributing to the CVGS compatibility list, please note which version you are testing with. Connectix has also updated Virtual PC to version 2.1.2! This version supports USB floppy drives, and fixes a crashing bug with Visual Basic. Richard Bannister reports that he is porting an emulator for the Plus/4 computer system to the Macintosh. On the PC front, an exciting new emulator for the Nintendo 64 was released called UltraHLE! According to this article, games such as Super Mario 64 and Zelda 64 actually play smoothly on mid-range Pentium IIs!
	MacMAME has been updated to version 0.35b2! Although a lot of games still perform strangely, due to the revised CPU cores, this new version supports a lot of new games--including King of Fighters 98! A few readers have written in to complain that the Connectix Virtual Game Station compatibility list hangs Internet Explorer. Have patience! Internet Explorer JScript is, by a rough estimate, about 10 times slower than Netscape's JavaScript engine. While Netscape is able to sort the entire list in about 5 seconds on an iMac, Internet Explorer takes just under a minute of processing time on the same system. As the list grows, the problem becomes exponentially more pronounced. I'm going to look into various sorting methods, and hopefully take advantage of a faster algorithm that is still easy to implement in JavaScript.
	The ROM Info applications for various emulators have been updated to version 1.1! You can download the full ROM Info Bundle. Graybox Classic has been updated to version 0.27! This version fixes a few minor bugs, and the source code is also available for download. This is the last major release of Graybox Classic; they are now focusing their efforts on Graybox Z, a complete emulator rewrite. MacBochs has been updated to version 990110b. This version is much less difficult to set up. A Macintosh port of the PC Engine emulator, Hu6280, is coming soon! VersionTracker has recently posted a brief synopsis of Connectix Virtual Game Station. Several readers wrote in to say that Connectix Virtual Game Station has problems running on the new ATI Rage 128 chipset. If you disable the "ATI Rage 128 3D Accelerator" file in your Extensions folder, the emulator should start working properly again. The Connectix Virtual Game Station compatibility list has been updated once again.
	Sorry for the long delay since my last update; my G3/266 has been sold, but my new G3/400 has yet to arrive, so updating emulation.net is going to be cumbersome for me. Whenever the new computer arrives, updates should return to normal. (For those who are familiar with the Apple Build-To-Order system, I am merely at Step Two of Five...) The Connectix Virtual Game Station compatibility list continues to be updated with new information. Contrary to recent rumors, it appears that Connectix is not going to be sued by Sony for any sort of copyright infringement. This is excellent news for Mac gamers. It is also rumored that Connectix is also preparing the first round of bugfixes for CVGS, to fix a number of the games which currently fail under emulation. A new Sega Genesis emulator is under development! Known as Ares, it promises to have compatibility with not only the Sega Genesis itself, but the Sega CD and 32X as well! I'm definitely excited about the prospects for this emulator. The PDP-8/E Simulator has been updated to version 1.2! Several readers note that MacBochs is not freeware; the author is requesting a shareware payment of $25.
	emulation.net now has a real review of Virtual Game Station, new screenshots, and a growing Compatibility List. Virtual Gameboy 1.4 has been released! This version features much-improved Gameboy Color support, and Game Shark compatibility! The source code to MacSpectacle has been released, since the author no longer has time to update it.
	MacMAME has been updated to version 0.35b1! This version supports a few new ROMs and improves several drivers. True Reality has been updated! This version can run a test cart known as Fire Demo. The review for Virtual Game Station will be completed shortly; I'm still obtaining additional games to test. So far, the speed has exceeded my expectations, and compatibility also seems excellent; I've only seen one game refuse to play. I will be maintaining a compatibility list, so if you've tested any games with VGS, please send me a list of what worked and what didn't (feel free to be as specific as you'd like).
	Since the release of Connectix's new Playstation emulator, emulation.net has received hundreds of questions from interested users. But the most frequently asked question was undoubtedly "where can I get a copy?" If you aren't able to attend the Macworld Expo, it could be next-to-impossible to obtain a copy of this emulator--it won't be carried by any stores or online vendors until February at the earliest. So for the next three days, emulation.net will be auctioning off ten copies of Virtual Game Station. The auction ends on Saturday evening, and the top ten bidders will be sent an official copy of Virtual Game Station by Priority Mail. You must be a registered member of eBay to participate in the auction. Please note that Virtual Game Station requires an Apple G3 Macintosh--not an upgrade card--and only works on North American Mac OS computers. Shameless plug: I'm also selling my current computers, a Power Macintosh G3/266 and Pentium II/450 Tower, in order to fund an upgrade to a faster G3. So if you're in the market for a new computer, please take a look at these machines! An early release of MacBochs, a free PC emulator, is now available. (Please read the installation instructions carefully before diving in; it's a much more complex installation procedure than the average program.)
	Screenshots and a brief synopsis of Virtual Game Station have been posted. Further details should be posted tomorrow. MacMAME 3Dfx has been removed at the request of the author. (Hopefully this will make a reappearance soon.)
	*The Mac has a real Playstation emulator!!* At the Macworld Expo today, Connectix will announce Connectix Virtual Game Station, a new Playstation emulator for the Macintosh. According to the press release, a G3 Macintosh is required. Although the web site seems to be down at this time, further information should be available soon at the Virtual Game Station home page. Although it's a commercial product, this will undoubtedly be the best Playstation emulator for any platform. As soon as I get a copy (hopefully today) I'll post a review.
	The emulation.net server has recently experienced an extended outage; if you sent me an important piece of mail in the last three days, you might want to resend it. MacTiger has been updated to version 0.1a5! This version can emulate a TI-92 Plus! A shareware PC emulator, MacBochs, is currently under development! Since it's in very early stages of development, it is currently available only in source-code format, so you'll need to have CodeWarrior to even test MacBochs. When it is closer to working properly, it will be distributed in application form.
	Happy New Year! MacMAME 0.34 final has been released! Fans of "RAVE Mode" in SNES9X will enjoy MacMAME 3Dfx 0.34rc2. Although it's a version behind the official MacMAME, its nice smooth video will appeal to 3Dfx users--although, unfortunately, it doesn't work with any video cards except 3Dfx. My copy of Intellivision Lives just arrived, and it seems to be a winner! It has some great multimedia clips detailing the Intellivision's history, and emulates lots of Intellivision classics, without any glitching. Many (but not all) of the unreleased Intellivision games are also included on the disc, but for some reason a small number of the officially released games are not on the CD--perhaps the emulator isn't compatible with them.