How is your Dreamcast gaming going on?

[RCBH928]

I don't know any programming, but if current tech allows me to download a Dreamcast game wirelessly on my cellphone and let me play it using software buttons, whats so tough about having a Saturn emulator on a PC?

I know it probably has to do with how the Saturn works, but for a '94 consoles 20 years later still can't be emulated is just confusing given we have ps2 emulators already.

[Reprise]

I think some people overstate how "bad" Saturn emulation is. I used to play Saturn games all the time on my PC (we're talking up to 7 years ago here) and encountered very few problems. I imagine Saturn emulation has only improved since then.

[marurun]

I don't know any programming, but if current tech allows me to download a Dreamcast game wirelessly on my cellphone and let me play it using software buttons, whats so tough about having a Saturn emulator on a PC?

I know it probably has to do with how the Saturn works, but for a '94 consoles 20 years later still can't be emulated is just confusing given we have ps2 emulators already.

Current tech is definitely powerful enough to emulate the Saturn, but look at the MAME community. There are some games where ROM data is still encrypted and not fully unlocked, or hardware combinations that still haven't been worked out. It's not lack of computing power. It's lack of human ability to untangle all the little connections and quirks.

Hell, the Dreamcast was a relatively simple and straightforward console. It was easy to figure out, but relied on powerful PCs to emulate. PS2 was messy and complex, but so popular. That and modern system documentation is more available to help figure stuff out.

The Saturn's programming libraries and techniques, and even the abilities of the hardware, were still being developed even while the system was in the wild. I'm not sure Sega themselves ever fully figured out what their little powerhouse could do. When something is overly complex and poorly thought out, it can be a real headache to untangle.

[RCBH928]

@marurun

I always thought someone who worked on the Saturn or some developer from that era would publish or do the "untangling" work for the general public. I mean there was a team who worked on this, some one must be still thinking about it and appreciate it for what it is and do it as a homage .

As for what it can do, I wonder if there is a demoscene for the Saturn

[Cronozilla]

The engineers whom worked on the Saturn likely CAN'T work on a non-sanctioned emulator. You sign a lot of stuff when you work for companies.

[RCBH928]

But does Sega really cares 20 years later?
They are not going to profit from the Saturn hardware or the games (hardly any re-releases).

[Cronozilla]

Yes. They care. They care a lot. Not about the Saturn. I have no doubt they don't even have passing thoughts about the system. But, if an ex-exployee is telling other people how to build something that Sega owns ... they care.

[bacardipr05]

I only sparingly play here and there video games in general. When i do its usually the DC. Been playing Soul Calibur with nephew lately. His friend stopped by and said what game is that. It looks pretty good. He then asked what system is it on. I responded on the Dreamcast. Dreamcast whats that he said.. ...

[Jagosaurus]

The DC had a windows OS backbone & was the another big step towards consoles & PCs getting closer....gap was narrowed further with the oXbox.

The SS on the other hand had another processor added last minute (to better render 3D) & a much more "proprietary" (for lack of a better word) & complex architecture. Even older systems such as the Genesis & Jaguar used PC hardware such as the Motorola 68000.

PS3 will likely be difficult to emulate 20 years from now for similar reasons.

[marurun]

The DC had a windows OS backbone & was the another big step towards consoles & PCs getting closer....gap was narrowed further with the oXbox.

The SS on the other hand had another processor added last minute (to better render 3D) & a much more "proprietary" (for lack of a better word) & complex architecture. Even older systems such as the Genesis & Jaguar used PC hardware such as the Motorola 68000.

PS3 will likely be difficult to emulate 20 years from now for similar reasons.

The Microsoft middleware was optional. The DC did have a complete set of native development tools and APIs. The Microsoft CE tools might have been easier, but the DC was pretty easy already. The GameCube and Wii used similar hardware designs and development philosophies to the DC.

The Saturn's 3 general CPUs were well-understood and easy to code for, but the custom hardware they used was crazy custom. The SH2 was well-utilized in Japan, being in the Hitachi SuperH series, and the audio controller was a 68k. But the Saturn's approach to graphics was insane. Their 3D setup was very non-traditional, utilizing a planar/sprite-like setup instead of triangles. And getting all the various chips and CPUs to talk to each other was akin to herding cats. A number of Saturn games used only one of the SH2 CPUs because trying to coordinate both was too challenging.