What Emulators Are You Using - 2018?

[Tanooki]

With Magic Engine you can use a certain version of it, Daemon Tools Ultra, then specify the simulated mounted drive as SCSI format and it'll fire up each directory you fake like a legit disc as far as it's concerned. There's a youtube video I caught the other day showing how. I've never heard of magicdisc, if that's free I'll attempt it as the other isn't.

I started using ME again in the last week or so because I wanted then ended up buying a Core Grafx 2.

I really don't emulate anymore, but if I do I have options installed.
bsnes classic (as higan blows)
dolphin (gc)
fceux (nes/fc/fds)
final burn alpha (neo geo)
iNES (for laughs though oddly 20 years too late, fixed the audio finally)
Magic Engine (PCE/TG HuCards
NeoPop (NGPC)
NO$GBA
Project64 (n64)
VGB and VGBA (like iNES for amusement value)
Visual Boy Advance M (for GB to GBA stuff)

That's it, no real interest in other junk, this stuff (marat stuff aside) works exceptionally well.

[Xeogred]

My set up doesn't like Super Mario World on 9x for some reason.

What about Super Mario All Stars? I really notice the weird lag issues on my end with that one (this is without watching anything else like I was joking about with Fusion haha).

Maybe I'll give higan a shot, but I really like snes9x's setup at least.

[SpaceBooger]

My favorite emulator: Retron 5

Seriously, now I use the Retron for most of my Retro Game playing. I also admit that I have patched games to play as different games - ie my Meanacer cartridge is currently patched to play Weapon Lord for Together Retro last month.

[Tanooki]

Why do you think higan blows?

Because I found a year or two ago he redid something with the core or how it handles and it got notably slower not even going 100% on my hardware spec which is nuts, and I really detest the stupid setup on how to load up games too as it's just obtuse. Why you have to scan and save directories and have it create it's own little archive to just fire up a game is dumb when older releases (and bsnes) let you just fire up roms wherever you have them without hoops.

I've got an i7 47XX processor at 3ghz, 16GB of ram, another 8GB on a Nvidia 980M video setup, and it had run 100% solid, and the laptop before which was an i5 and ran a lousy intel3000HD chip with shared memory was fine on it too before whatever coding change or bug was introduced to tweak it off.

I decided to find the point at which the emulator went into the crapper and grabbed the release before that point (and it's still the accuracy core) and it's fine. Then I noticed other people were hating on it and angry over the same issues that cropped up and since the source was out there, someone put their money where their mouth is so to speak and created their own build called bsnes-classic ver. 0.73u1 (https://github.com/awjackson/bsnes-classic) and started to use that instead.

[Jagosaurus]

I laughed @ Retron5, but I seriously considered a RetroFreak for this. I'd use the freak a little unconventional and just play off an SD card with original controllers (versus dumping ROMs off cart).

I liked this idea for all the reasons I brought up with the oXbox mod... it just works and is meant to be played on a TV. Less of that PC tinkering, HDMI out, original controllers, & all the benefits of emu (save states, etc). I just couldn't justify the cost with already have a dedicated emu PC, modded oXbox, & original hardware... but I still consider it .

Worth noting I also had a very positive experience with Android emulation. On an old 2012 phone I got RetroArch up with a NES mednafen core running well fairly quickly. I was using a $20 Bluetooth controller and it worked beautifully. I decided to push it a bit and then used a HDMI out cable to run it on a TV. I noticed zero lag on my TV using it this way and playing Super Mario Bros 3. This is a game I have 100s of hours in and I'd notice hiccups quickly. Mobile emulators have come a LONG way. Eventually, I hope I can replace my dedicated emu PC with some type of small Adroid box

[BoneSnapDeez]

Retron 5 and RetroFreak, mainly. These together cover:

NES / Famicom
Famicom Disk System
SNES / Super Famicom
Game Boy
Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance
SG-1000
Sega Master System / Mark III
Genesis / Mega Drive
Game Gear
TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine
SuperGrafx

That's alotta stuff. Been using 4DO on the PC a bit lately too, as my actual 3DO system is in assy shape.

[Jagosaurus]

Bone, do you have a USB controller working on 4DO?

I forget to mention that one in my OP. I got Lucienne's Quest running but can't get it to recognize a pad. I guess for a RPG the KB wouldn't be terrible.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I've surely used a Logitech pad. I can't remember if it "works" or if I just ended up using JoyToKey, however.

[Jagosaurus]

I've surely used a Logitech pad. I can't remember if it "works" or if I just ended up using JoyToKey, however.

I keep forgetting about JoyToKey! I think I remember reading that's the solution.

I need to get Guardian War loaded up. Figured you'd appreciate a Microcabin title is my #2 game to play on the system.

So with the Retro Freak, it can play all systems off a SD card with the base system (none of the add ons), correct?

How has your Freak held up overtime? Read some stories about overheating & fan kits helping.

Edit/add:

To answer my own question:

Retrofreak doesn’t have the SG 1000, Master System, SEGA My Card, and Game Gear reader built in, but the add on device will be released on February 2016, even so, the Retrofreak is already able to read such games, thanks to a day 1 update release for its firmware

-Sega nerds

Looks like the firmware natively supports the additional consoles without the Sega hardware add on. Assuming I could load up a SD card with any of the ROMs for the systems (Genesis / Mega Drive, SNES/SFamicom, NES/Famicom, Game Boy / Color, Game Boy Advance, PC Engine / TurboGrafx 16 / SGX, G 1000, Master System, SEGA My Card, and Game Gear) and they should just work. I'll let a RF owner confirm.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yes, you can play games directly off a microSd card. This is the only way to play FDS games, actually. Note that if you are using actual carts you'll need an adapter for NES (one comes with the later Retro Freak models) and something like the PBC for SMS (I didn't realize until I got the system that SMS carts and Japanese Mark III carts had a different shape, the "gear converter" is made for Mark III carts, naturally).

And yes, you can play SG-1000, SMS / Mark III, and GG games off a microSD card without the add-on. I don't think the latest firmware is even required.

As for the console itself... it's cheaper and flimsier than I'd prefer. No overheating here, but I rarely play for more than an hour at a time.