OpenEmu
 | |
| Original author(s) | Josh Weinberg |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | OpenEmu Team |
| Stable release | 2.0.1 |
| Written in | Objective-C |
| Operating system | OS X |
| Size | 16.6 MB |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Video Game Emulator |
| License | BSD |
| Website |
openemu |
OpenEmu is an open source multi-system game emulator designed for OS X. It provides a plugin interface to emulate numerous consoles' hardware, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Genesis, Game Boy, and many more. The architecture allows for other developers to add new cores to the base system without the need to account for specific OS X APIs.
Version 1.0 was released on December 23, 2013, after a lengthy beta testing period.[1] Numerous incremental updates have been released since then, with plans to incorporate support for more consoles in future releases. Some of these in-development cores are available to download in an optional "experimental" build (released alongside the regular, "stable" version), containing support for such consoles as the PlayStation, Sega CD and Sega Saturn.[2] The latest version, 2.0.1, requires OS X El Capitan and will not run on earlier versions of OS X, including the popular (at time of release) OS X Yosemite.[3][4]
History
OpenEmu first started in 2007 as OpenNestopia, a port of the NES/Famicom emulator Nestopia done by Josh Weinberg.[5] Weinberg and his friend, Ben Devacel, began searching for more developers to port other emulators to OS X, which led to the name change to OpenEmu, to better describe the multi-system emulator.[6]
Features
OpenEmu features a backend that uses multiple game engines while maintaining the familiar, native OS X frontend UI. It also uses modern OS X technologies such as Cocoa and Quartz.[7] A unique feature of OpenEmu is its ROM library, which allows one to import ROM files and view them in a gallery type setting, similar to iTunes. Game info and cover art can be automatically added from OpenEmu's databases.
OpenEmu includes the following features:
- High-quality OpenGL scaling, multithreaded playback, and other optimizations[8]
- Real-time 3D effects and image processing
- Graphic filters to enhance display
- Full-screen support
- Ability to play multiple ROMs at once
- Ability to scan attached disks for ROMs
- Automatic downloading of game info and cover art
- A fully featured library, supporting multiple views (including Cover Flow), collections (categories), and game ratings
- Optional automatic organization of ROM files within the library folder
- Full save state support, including automatic save states
- Enhanced gamepad support
Supported systems
| System | Core | License | Included from | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari 2600 | Stella | GPL | 1.0.4 | |
| Atari 5200 | Atari800 | 2.0 | ||
| Atari 7800 | ProSystem | 2.0 | ||
| Atari Lynx | Mednafen | GPL | 2.0 | |
| ColecoVision | CrabEmu | 2.0 | ||
| Game Boy / Color | Gambatte | GPLv2 | 1.0 | |
| Game Boy Advance | VisualBoyAdvance | GPLv2+ | 1.0 | |
| Game Gear | CrabEmu TwoMbit | GPLv2 | 1.0 | CrabEmu is the default core. |
| Intellivision | Bliss | 2.0 | ||
| Neo Geo Pocket / Color | Neopop | GPLv2+ | 1.0 | |
| Nintendo 64 | Mupen64Plus | 2.0 | ||
| Nintendo Entertainment System | FCE Ultra Nestopia | GPLv2 GPLv2+ | 1.0 | Nestopia is the default core |
| Nintendo DS | DeSmuME | GPL | 1.0 | |
| Odyssey² | O2EM | 2.0 | ||
| PC-FX | Mednafen | 2.0 | ||
| 32X | Picodrive | MAME[9] | 1.0 | |
| Mega CD/Sega CD | Genesis Plus | GPL | 2.0 | |
| Mega Drive/Genesis | Genesis Plus | GPL | 1.0 | |
| Master System | CrabEmu TwoMbit | GPLv2 | 1.0 | CrabEmu is the default core. |
| SG-1000 | CrabEmu | GPLv2 | 2.0 | |
| PlayStation Portable | PPSSPP | 2.0 | ||
| PlayStation | Mednafen | 2.0 | ||
| Super NES | snes9x bsnes | GPLv3 MIT with Non-commercial clause, LGPLv2.1, GPLv2+ | 1.0 | SNES9x is the default core |
| TurboGrafx-16 | Mednafen | GPLv2[10] | 1.0 | |
| TurboGrafx-CD | Mednafen | 2.0 | ||
| Vectrex | VexXGL | 2.0 | ||
| Virtual Boy | Mednafen | GPLv2[11] | 1.0 | |
| WonderSwan | Mednafen | GPLv2 | 2.0 |
Reception
Upon its 1.0 release, OpenEmu was positively received, and subject to much online press coverage, praising the software's UI, features, and ease of use.[12][13][14][15] In particular, it was praised by the gaming community for "[bringing] the idea of an emulator for a mainstream, general audience to reality".[16]
As of May 5, 2014, OpenEmu has been downloaded over 5,000,000 times since its version 1.0 release, making it one of the most popular multi-system emulators on OS X.[17]
See also
References
- ↑ https://github.com/OpenEmu/OpenEmu/releases
- ↑ https://github.com/OpenEmu/OpenEmu/wiki/Console---Core-Plugin-Status-&-Wishlist#future-releases-post-10-release
- ↑ https://github.com/OpenEmu/OpenEmu/issues/2241
- ↑ https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0&qpsp=202&qpnp=1&qptimeframe=M
- ↑ "OpenNestopia".
- ↑ "The Archive - An Emulator for the Rest of Us—How OpenEmu Changes Everything".
- ↑ "MacScene Listing".
- ↑ "Create Digital Motion".
- ↑ http://notaz.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?p=picodrive.git;a=blob;f=COPYING;h=c0f5a3ca8346a5d12bc1a66214ff208aadc0abc0;hb=HEAD|title=MAME license
- ↑ http://mednafen.sourceforge.net
- ↑ http://mednafen.sourceforge.net
- ↑ Thorin Klosowski (2013-12-24). "OpenEmu Emulates Nearly Every Classic Console on Mac". Life Hacker. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
- ↑ Alex Heath (2013-12-26). "OpenEmu Is The Ultimate Old School Game Emulator For OS X". Cult of Mac. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
- ↑ Andrew Cunningham (2013-12-28). "ArsTechnica OpenEmu Hands On". Ars Technica.
- ↑ Sean Hollister (2013-12-28). "Play classic video games in style with OpenEmu for Mac". The Verge.
- ↑ "OpenEmu feature on The Archive".
- ↑ "Github OpenEmu Release Download Stats".