Emulator Support and Issues
Supported Consoleslink
| Console ID | Console Name | Standalones | Cores | RALib Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | • Sega Genesis • Mega Drive |
Genesis Plus GX Picodrive |
Yes | ||
| 2 | Nintendo 64 | Project64 | ParaLLEl N64 Mupen64Plus-Next |
Yes | |
| 3 | • SNES • Super Famicom • Satellaview • Sufami Turbo |
RASnes9x | Snes9x Mesen-S |
Yes | |
| 4 | Game Boy | RAVBA | Gambatte Gearboy VBA-M |
Yes | • mGBA crashes when unloading the core because RALibretro doesn't implement the camera interface |
| 5 | Game Boy Advance | RAVBA | mGBA VBA-M Beetle GBA VBA Next |
Yes | |
| 6 | Game Boy Color | RAVBA | Gambatte Gearboy VBA-M |
Yes | |
| 7 | • NES • Famicom • Famicom Disk System |
RANes | Mesen FCEUmm QuickNES |
Yes | |
| 8 | • TurboGrafx-16 • PC Engine • TurboGrafx-CD • PC Engine CD • SuperGrafx |
Beetle PCE FAST Beetle SuperGrafx |
Yes | • SuperGrafx games do not work on the Beetle PCE FAST core | |
| 9 | • Mega CD • Sega CD |
Genesis Plus GX | Yes | Appears to still have unmapped RAM (Ecco 1+2) | |
| 10 | Sega 32X | PicoDrive | Yes | • Several games are problematic | |
| 11 | • Master System • Mark III |
RAMeka | Genesis Plus GX Gearsystem Picodrive |
Yes | |
| 12 | PlayStation | Beetle PSX Beetle PSX HW PCSX ReARMed SwanStation |
Yes | ||
| 13 | Atari Lynx | Beetle Lynx Handy |
Yes | ||
| 14 | • Neo Geo Pocket • Neo Geo Pocket Color |
Beetle NeoPop | Yes | ||
| 15 | Game Gear | RAMeka | Genesis Plus GX Gearsystem |
Yes | |
| 17 | Atari Jaguar | Virtual Jaguar | Yes | • No savestate support • Many issues with the emulation |
|
| 18 | Nintendo DS | DeSmuME MelonDS |
Yes | • Limited Microphone Support • No DSi support |
|
| 23 | Magnavox Odyssey 2 | O2EM | Yes | ||
| 24 | Pokemon Mini | PokeMini | Yes | ||
| 25 | Atari 2600 | Stella | Yes | ||
| 27 | Arcade | FinalBurn Neo | Yes | • Needs Updated Board List • Some boards may not be fully exposed |
|
| 28 | Virtual Boy | Beetle VB | Yes | ||
| 29 | MSX/MSX2 | blueMSX | Yes | • Hash relies on dsk file not being modified • .DSK files appear to be unsupported if they also require a cartridge (typically a "sound" cartridge, which was the case with SD Snatcher). There is a core option for this, but it doesn't seem to function properly. |
|
| 33 | SG-1000 | RAMeka | Genesis Plus GX blueMSX |
Yes | |
| 38 | Apple II | RAppleWin | No | ||
| 39 | Saturn | Beetle Saturn Yabause Kronos |
Yes | * Saving or Loading states in Kronos often locks up the UI in RALibretro | |
| 43 | 3DO Interactive Multiplayer | Opera | Yes | ||
| 44 | ColecoVision | RAMeka | blueMSX | Yes | |
| 45 | Intellivision | FreeIntV | Yes | • Controls are much better than they were • Crashes if game is reset • Some crashes that might be related to Intellivoice |
|
| 46 | Vectrex | VecX | Yes | ||
| 47 | • PC-8001 • PC-8801 |
RAQUASI88 | QUASI88 | No | • QUASI88 crashes RALib when loading core. Core writes over dsk file when emulator writes to dsk - this breaks hashing • PC-88VA not supported |
| 49 | PC-FX | Beetle PC-FX | Yes | ||
| 51 | Atari 7800 | ProSystem | Yes | ||
| 53 | • WonderSwan • WonderSwan Color |
Beetle WonderSwan | Yes | ||
| 63 | Watara Supervision | Potator | Yes |
Supported But Not Validatedlink
| Console ID | Console Name | Standalones | Cores | RALib Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Neo Geo CD | NeoCD | Appears fully functional. Needs hashing method | ||
| 41 | PlayStation Portable | PPSSPP | Test Build | Appears fully functional for most games |
Unsupported Consoleslink
| Console ID | Console Name | Standalones | Cores | RALib Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | GameCube | Dolphin | Needs work | Generates sound but not video in RALibretro | |
| 19 | Wii | Dolphin | Needs work | Crashes RALib when testing | |
| 20 | Wii U | Untested | |||
| 21 | PlayStation 2 | Play PCSX2 |
Low compatibility with most commercial games; black screen with stuttering sound PCSX2 is still in an alpha state, does not yet expose memory. |
||
| 22 | Xbox | ||||
| 26 | DOS | Needs work | Needs a reliable hashing method | ||
| 30 | Commodore 64 | vice | Needs Work | • Cannot find save disk for games like Bard's Tale and Maniac Mansion • Uncertain how core handles writing to disk - may affect hashing • How to handle multi-disk games that come in a zip without an m3u? |
|
| 31 | ZX81 | EightyOne | Needs Work | • Memory not exposed. | |
| 32 | Oric | ||||
| 34 | Vic-20 | Needs Work | Untested with proper BIOS. | ||
| 35 | Amiga | P-UAE | Needs Work | • Seems to run fine if zips are loaded. Memory is not exposed. | |
| 36 | Atari ST | Hatari | Needs Work | • Memory not exposed. Games seem to run fine. | |
| 37 | Amstrad CPC | Cap32 | Needs Work | • Memory is exposed • Has "machine gun" audio bug in several games depending on machine selected. |
|
| 37 | Amstrad CPC | CrocoDS | Needs Work | • Memory is NOT exposed. Seems to run fine. Several games tested. | |
| 40 | Dreamcast | flycast | Needs Work | Runs too fast Crashes when unloading core |
|
| 42 | Philips CD-I | Untested | |||
| 48 | PC-9800 | np2kai | Needs Work | • Memory is not exposed. Ran all 10 games tested. | |
| 50 | Atari 5200 | Atari800 | Needs Work | • Appears to work fine, but the core itself is a bit of a headache. The BIOS has to be configured within the core (F1 > Emulator Configuration > System ROM settings). • Couldn't figure out controls - does Joystick also need to be configured within the core? • Currently allows loading arbitrary files from the internal menu, bypassing hashing. Can't be supported in hardcore unless that can somehow be blocked. |
|
| 52 | Sharp X68K | px68k | Untested with proper BIOS | ||
| 54 | Cassette Vision | ||||
| 55 | Super Cassette Vision | Currently only playable in MAME, which cannot be supported | |||
| 57 | Fairchild Channel-F | FreeChaF FBNeo |
FreeChaF exposes memory, but has some control issues FBNeo appears fine |
||
| 58 | FM Towns | ||||
| 59 | ZX Spectrum | FUSE | • Requires rcheevos memory map to leverage memory descriptors • Requires ability to map keyboard to port 3 (RALibretro) • Uncertain about save support; cannot seem to insert save disk |
||
| 60 | Game & Watch | gw | Doesn't expose memory yet | ||
| 61 | Nokia N-Gage | ||||
| 62 | Nintendo 3DS | Citra | Core doesn't load at all. | ||
| 64 | Sharp X1 | X1 Millennium | • Does not expose memory • Crashes RALibretro • Uncertain how core handles writing to disk/tape - may affect hashing |
||
| 65 | TIC-80 | TIC-80 | Doesn't expose memory correctly (only see 8 bytes) | ||
| 66 | Thomson TO8/TO8D | Theodore | Seems to work. Uncertain how core handles writing to disk/tape - may affect hashing |
Does Not Have Console IDlink
| Console ID | Console Name | Standalones | Cores | RALib Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PocketStation | pockystation | Core doesn't seem functional even in Retroarch | |||
| Sega PICO | Picodrive | Can't be controlled fully, needs controls related to turning pages in attached books | |||
| PC-6001 | |||||
| Zeebo | |||||
| J2ME | freej2me | Untested |
RetroAchievements Emulator Requirements:link
- If the emulator does not support a feature, the requirement is automatically met. This is primarily a set of guidelines to ensure the interaction between the emulator and the toolkit is consistent between emulators.
- If the system is supported by RetroArch, explain why a standalone emulator is desirable. RetroArch support is preferred as it is usable by more players (i.e. not just Windows users), and adding support to RALibRetro for an additional core is much easier than overhauling an entire emulator.
Game Identificationlink
- Hash method documented and approved
- If emulator supports dynamic patching [i.e. ips], hash is calculated after applying patch
- Hash ignores any persistent save data [SRAM]
- Game can be properly identified (RA_OnLoadNewRom and/or RA_IdentifyROM + RA_ActivateGame)
- Unidentified game provides some descriptor [typically filename] to unknown game dialog (RA_InstallSharedFunctions>RA_GetEstimatedGameTitle)
- Unidentified game provides list of known games for console (RA_SetConsoleID - which is usually called by RAIntegration in the emulator registration)
Emulatorlink
- DLL is downloaded if not available (RA_Init - new EmulatorID enum value may be needed in RA_Interface.h)
- RetroAchievements menu is visible (RA_CreatePopupMenu) and functional (RA_InvokeDialog)
- RetroAchievements menu updates when logging in/out (RA_InstallSharedFunctions>RA_RebuildMenu)
- Login dialog displayed on first run or auto-login on future runs (RA_AttemptLogin)
- Title includes logged in user (RA_UpdateAppTitle)
- RALog.txt ends with "Shutdown complete" after closing emulator (RA_Shutdown)
- Full-window overlay can be displayed (RA_SetPaused)
- Full-window overlay can be navigated (RA_NavigateOverlay)
- Full-window overlay navigation uses player's custom controller bindings, not hard-coded inputs.
- Closing the full-window overlay unpauses the emulator (RA_InstallSharedFunctions>RA_CauseUnpause)
- Overlay is still functional when toggling full-screen mode (RA_UpdateHWnd)
- Resetting the emulator disables any active popups/leaderboards (RA_OnReset)
- Performance of emulator (without any debugging windows open) should not be noticeably different than the source emulator at 100% speed
- Emulator must perform at intended framerate on a PC that could have been purchased at a retail store within the last four years.
Emulated Systemlink
- Memory mapping method is documented and approved (RA_InstallMemoryBank)
- Modifying memory affects the game (RA_InstallMemoryBank>pWriter)
Achievements/Leaderboards/Rich Presencelink
- Achievements can be created
- Achievements trigger (RA_InstallMemoryBank>pReader, RA_DoAchievementsFrame)
- Achievement trigger displays notification
- Achievement can pause emulator [Pause on Reset, Pause on Trigger] (RA_InstallSharedFunctions>RA_CausePause)
- Achievements are not processed when emulator is paused [HitCount for true condition does not increment] (RA_DoAchievementsFrame not called when paused)
- When using frame advance, achievements are only processed when the frame is advanced.
- Changing the current game prompts the user to save modifications (RA_ConfirmLoadNewRom)
- Choosing not to save modifications aborts changing the current game.
- Closing the emulator prompts the user to save modifications (RA_ConfirmLoadNewRom)
- Choosing not to save modifications aborts closing the emulator.
- Closing the current game prompts the user to save modifications (RA_ConfirmLoadNewRom)
- Choosing not to save modifications aborts closing the current game.
- Closing the current game clears the list of achievements for the game (RA_ActivateGame(0))
Softcorelink
- Save states can be created
- Save states can be loaded
- HitCounts persist with save state (RA_OnSaveState, RA_OnLoadState)
- Speed may be adjusted above 100% [framerate higher than normal]
- Speed may be adjusted below 100% [framerate lower than normal]
- Fast-forward [removing frame limiter] is allowed
- Rewind is allowed
- Frame advance is allowed
- Overlay should not be displayed when using frame advance (don't call RA_SetPaused)
- Recording is allowed
- Recording playback is allowed
- Switching to Hardcore resets the emulator (RA_InstallSharedFunctions>RA_ResetEmulation)
- Switching to Hardcore resets the emulator speed to 100%
- Switching to Hardcore closes any emulator specific tools for viewing/modifying memory
- Switching to Hardcore disables any enabled cheats
Hardcorelink
- Save states can be created
- Save states cannot be loaded [prompt to switch to softcore (RA_WarnDisableHardcore)]
- Speed may be adjusted above 100%
- Speed cannot be adjusted below 100%
- Fast-forward is allowed
- Rewind is not allowed
- Frame advance is not allowed
- Recording is allowed
- Recording playback is not allowed
- Switching to Softcore does not reset the emulator
- Emulator specific tools for viewing/modifying memory are not allowed [prompt to switch to softcore optional]
- Emulator specific tools for supporting cheats are not allowed [prompt to switch to softcore optional]
- Ensure any features not allowed in hardcore are disabled both from menu items and hotkeys
After approvallink
- Version generated from git tag
- Zip file needs to be built - should contain emulator, default Overlay directory, and any supplemental files needed by the emulator
- Backend (to be done by the RAWeb team)
- Add the emulator's console ID as a "valid" console, so new achievements can be promoted to the Core set (RAWeb:lib/database/game.php>isValidConsoleId).
- Add the emulator's enum (get the number from RAInterface.h and add it in RAWeb:src/Emulators.php)
- dorequest.php>latestclient needs to map to LatestXXXVersion.html file when it receives either emulator ID or console ID.
- Add link to the new system game list in RAWeb:lib/dynrenderer.php>RenderToolbar.
- Add an entry for the emulator in RAWeb:public/reportissue.php, so people can choose it when opening tickets.
- Upload zip file to the server
- Create the LatestXXXVersion.html page.
- Add a link to the zip file and show the latest emulator's version in RAWeb:public/download.php
- Add the emulator's console ID as a "valid" console, so new achievements can be promoted to the Core set (RAWeb:lib/database/game.php>isValidConsoleId).
Changeloglink
Last 10 changes on this page:
[2021-09-20 20:46] Jamiras:Updated Emulator Support and Issues (markdown)[2021-08-21 05:53] televandalist:Marked Intellivision as supported in RALib since apparently we forgot to update it before. Moved PSP up a category.[2021-08-17 21:17] televandalist:Update PSP notes.[2021-07-21 17:02] TheFetishMachine:Made small spelling changes, added MelonDS to supported DS cores, changed notes for DS, added J2ME[2021-06-28 21:25] televandalist:Added Zeebo to the "Does Not Have Console ID" list[2021-06-25 23:05] televandalist:Added MSX2 to console ID 29 + added note about DSK files.[2021-05-19 11:40] televandalist:Added PC-6001 to consoles with no console ID. Added note about PC-88VA for RAQUASI88[2021-05-19 11:32] televandalist:Delete PC-6001 from list of consoles for RAQUASI88[2021-04-26 07:56] Sanaki:Cleanups, new info, corrected core names, etc.[2021-04-25 04:27] televandalist:Removed comment about incorrected memory addresses for PSP since that's been fixed in a new dll.