This is the undiscovered gems article I was waiting for, I for one don’t know almost any Saturn games so this article will be very usefull when I get a PC fast enough to emulate the Sega Saturn. Like I said I dunno any Saturn game so I can’t help you adding some extra unknown undiscovered gems you always miss but I’m sure others can. At the request of many viewers I put together a quick and easy to follow video on how to download and configure a Sega Saturn emulator.If you follow my instr. Have fun playing the amazing Dragon Force (E) game for Sega Saturn. This is the Europe version of the game and can be played using any of the Sega Saturn emulators available on our website. Download the Dragon Force (E) ROM now and enjoy playing this game on your computer or phone. This game was categorized as Role-Playing on our.
| Developer | Sega |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Fifth generation |
| Release date | 1994 |
| Discontinued | 2000 |
| Predecessor | Genesis / Mega Drive |
| Successor | Dreamcast |
| Emulated | ✓ |
The Sega Saturn is a 32-bit, fifth-generation console released by Sega in Japan on November 22, 1994 and in the US on May 11, 1995. It was retailed for $399.99. It had 2 Hitachi SH-2 CPUs at 28.6 MHz and it had the VDP1 GPU & VDP2 GPU. The arcade board, ST-V (Sega Titan Video), uses the same hardware except for sound, VRAM, and game storage (where it is stored on ROM cartridges instead of CD-ROM discs).
The Sega Saturn has historically been one of the harder consoles to emulate, resulting in a lack of good options. However, things are looking up for open-source emulators like Mednafen, and to a lesser extent, Yabause.
- 1Emulators
Emulators[edit]
| Name | Platform(s) | Latest Version | ST-V | Libretro Core | FLOSS | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC / x86 | |||||||
| Mednafen | 1.27.1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| SSF | PreviewVer R26 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Kronos | 2.1.5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Yaba Sanshiro 2 | 1.3.3 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | |
| Yabause | 0.9.15 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | |
| MAME | 0.234 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Nova | 0.6 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | |
| BizHawk | 2.6.2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Satourne | 2.0 beta 3 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Saturnin | 0.40 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
| GiriGiri | 0.6a | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Mobile / ARM | |||||||
| Yaba Sanshiro 2 | 1.4.9 (Android) 2.1.2.0 (iOS) | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Yabause | 0.9.15 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ~ | |
| SSF | Dev | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | TBD | |
| Console | |||||||
| Yaba Sanshiro | 2.2.0 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Yabause Wii | 2926 beta 26 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | |
| Yabause Community Edition | 0.1 Alpha | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ~ | |
| Yabause | 0.9.15 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | |
Comparisons[edit]
- Mednafen
- An open-source, multi-system emulator with an original Saturn core. It's currently the most accurate but runs from the command-line (obviously it'll have video output though) unless using an external frontend like Mednaffe or a libretro frontend like RetroArch. Its goal for accuracy means it only supports the BIOS of one console revision per region, and is also very demanding, having recommendations to use a quad-core Intel Haswell CPU with a base frequency of >= 3.3GHz and a turbo frequency of >= 3.7GHz (e.g. Xeon E3-1226 v3 or i5-4590).[1]. By default, only x86-64 builds have Saturn support, but unofficial x86-32 builds and libretro frontends like RetroArch can surpass this limitation.
- MedSat
- An unofficial frontend, built by Saturn romhacker paul_meta, to simplify the process of loading Saturn games.
- SSF
- Used to be the emulator of choice for compatible Saturn emulation. However, it is closed-source and only for Windows and Android. Pretty good performance in mid-end (and maybe low-end) computers.
- Yabause
- Used to be the first and only option for multi-platform Saturn emulation. It's far less developed than SSF and Mednafen and still has many compatibility issues. Development seems to have stopped, active forks are Kronos which is recommended for PCs and YabaSanshiro which is recommended for Android.
- YabaSanshiro (formerly uoYabause)
- A Multi-platform fork by DevMiyax using OpenGL ES 3.X (Android), and Open GL 3.X (Windows). Unlike other forks it uses the GPU to emulate the VDP1,VDP2, and has a modified SH2 Dynamic Recompiler. UoYabause Compatibility List and official compatibility page.
- Kronos
- A fork of UoYabause 0.5.2 created by François (French dev. AKA 'FCare'.). Has his own written SH2 Interpreter, and now supports the ST-V arcade in version 1.30, and Higher (All ST-V games are launchable on Linux; most games are still problematic on Windows). Compatibility list of Kronos.
- MAME
- Has a
saturndriver with compatibility on par with Yabause. The driver is marked overall as not working but graphics and sound are OK. It has goodcompatibility with at least around 50 of the ~70 ST-V arcade games, though performance quality may vary.[2] But versions 0.158[3] (Jan 2015) to much later have made good advances in performance. Early known work on ST-V hardware emulation was done in various builds of 0.125, 0.133, 0.138, 0.142 & 0.143 (See prior builds) between 2008-2011. Even bug fixes and more graphical improvements were included in the years 2017-2018 (i.e. 0.191, 0.197 & 0.198).- - Sega Saturn JP compatibility list (Created by MAME dev Angelo 'Kale' Salese)
- Nova
- An up-and-coming emulator focused on being fast, compatible and user-friendly. Like SSF, it is closed-source and Windows only. From v0.2.1 onwards, it can now emulate the Sega Titan Video (ST-V) arcade hardware (eg. Guardian Force on ST-V in v0.2.2.). Refer to compatibility list (Not updated every version. Note that the 'Playable' category may only mean the games being in-game but with visual errors.)
- BizHawk
- An open-source, multi-system emulator designed for tool-assisted speedruns. Its Saturn core is based on Mednafen.
Comparisons of several Saturn emulators:
- A Deep Dive into the Sega Saturn and Saturn Emulation (By Dolphin tester, JMC47, AKA Justin M. Chadwick. 13 OCTOBER 2017. Tested emulators: Yabause & uoYabause, SSF (unofficial site) and Mednafen. Already outdated the next year by progresses in the Kronos fork.)
Emulator development[edit]
- This section was copied from Wikipedia in 2014. For an up-to-date explanation, see Sega Saturn § Technical specifications.
The complexity of the system has made the creation of a proper emulator for it rather difficult.
One very fast central processor would be preferable. I don't think all programmers have the ability to program two CPUs—most can only get about one-and-a-half times the speed you can get from one SH-2. I think that only 1 in 100 programmers are good enough to get this kind of speed [nearly double] out of the Saturn.'Yu Suzuki reflecting upon Saturn Virtua Fighter development.[4]
The Saturn had technically impressive hardware at the time of its release, but its complex design, with two CPUs and six other processors, made harnessing this power difficult for developers accustomed to conventional programming. The biggest disadvantage was that both CPUs shared the same bus and were unable to access system memory at the same time. Making full use of the 4 kB of cache memory in each CPU was critical to maintaining performance. One example of how the Saturn was utilized was with Virtua Fighter's use of one CPU for each character.[4] Many of the Saturn's developers, such as Lobotomy Software programmer Ezra Dreisbach, found it difficult to develop for compared to the PlayStation because of its more complex graphics hardware.[5] In order to port Duke Nukem 3D and PowerSlave to the Saturn, Lobotomy Software had to almost entirely rewrite the Build engine to take advantage of the Saturn's unconventional hardware.[5] Third-party development was initially hindered by the lack of useful software libraries and development tools, requiring developers to write in assembly language to achieve good performance. During early Saturn development, programming in assembly could offer a two to fivefold speed increase over C language.[4] Sega responded to these criticisms by writing new graphics libraries which were claimed to help make development easier.[6] These libraries were presented as a new operating system by Sega of Japan.[6]
Unlike the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 which used triangles as their basic geometric primitive, the Saturn rendered quadrilaterals with forward texture mapping. This proved to be a hindrance because most of the industry's standard design tools were based on triangles, with independent texture UV coordinates specified per vertex. One of the challenges brought forth by quadrilateral-based rendering was problems with textured surfaces containing triangles. In order to make a triangular-shaped object, rendering had a fourth side with a length of zero. This technique proved problematic as it caused texture distortion and required careful reworking to achieve the desired appearance—Sega provided tools for remapping textures from UV space into rectangular tiles. These complications can be seen in the Saturn version of Tomb Raider.[5]
Resources[edit]
- Graphics comparison table (for Saturn as opposed to PS1, N64, Sega Model 2 arcade hardware and 1995-era PC)
- More leaked, official documentation (Only that this time there are some that include for Sega Genesis, its CD add-on, and documentation on how the Sega Saturn CD Communication Interface works, and how its Boot ROM works Source)
References[edit]
- ↑https://mednafen.github.io/documentation/ss.html
- ↑Sega ST-V Arcade Games A to Z - M.A.M.E.. Youtube (2017-02-10)
- ↑Touryuu Densetsu Elan Doree - New Improvements on ST-V Hardware - MAME 0.158. Youtube (2015-02-03)
- ↑ 4.04.14.2Next Generation (magazine) issue 2, 1995
- ↑ 5.05.15.2Interview: Ezra Dreisbach. Curmudgeon Gamer (July 9, 2002)
- ↑ 6.06.1So many 32-Bit Systems To Choose From Next Generation (magazine) issue 12, 1995
| Consoles:SG-1000 • Master System • Genesis / Mega Drive • CD • 32X • Pico • Saturn • Dreamcast Handhelds:Game Gear • VMU / VMS Arcade:System series • Model 1 • Model 2 • Model 3 • Naomi |
Presented by: Mozgus
It’s no secret that many developer interviews in the mid-90’s cited the Sega Saturn as a very complex and challenging machine to work with. In fact, it’s one of the key factors which led to machine’s downfall in the face of the Sony Playstation. Developers struggled to produce the experiences they envisioned within the time-frame allotted. If such a console were so hard for experienced, professional programmers to work with, the notion of emulating the machine must strike fear and doubt into the hearts of all who dream it.
So how did just one person accomplish that which all others could never quite reach, including Sega itself? I wish I had that answer for you, but I’ve yet to find any kind of interview with this mysterious Japanese programmer, who goes by the alias, Shima. There’s bound to be some knowledge to be had in his forum, but we’ll need someone to translate.
What I can tell you, and this is pretty much inarguable, is that SSF is by far the best means of playing a Saturn without actually owning one. Game consoles don’t last forever, and without projects like this, entire libraries of software could essentially lose it’s function someday. This is why the importance of emulation should never be underestimated. If this backlog is authentic, Shima has been dedicated to the project for over 9 years now. Very impressive.
Emulate Saturn Games
Yes, I know there are other attempts such as Giri Giri and Satourne, and I know they deserve respect too. However, this is more of a practical introduction to Saturn emulation, and as such, I feel that SSF is the most reliable and easy to setup, and produces the most authentic experience. I would provide technical guides and such, but fortunately, others have already done this for me.
The Basics of SSF
- To start with, SSF’s Wiki page provides a quick breakdown of what it is and what it does.
- The official SSF page can always be found here, or try this link for a Google Translation. You can also obtain the newest builds, although not always on the same release day, at Zophar’s Domain or the like.
- SSF Tribute’s FAQ is an absolutely essential read.
Requirements to Run SSF
- SSF does not require a BIOS file to run, however it will raise the compatibility rate of the app, so I suggest you find one. I dare not link to one, but if you’re reading this and clicking things I share, you’ve already got a tab open to a site that offers it.
- Check out the required hardware specs.
- It really just comes down to a powerful CPU. A video card merely needs Direct-X 9 functionality, and I’m not even completely sure that’s true.
- Regardless, updating your Direct-X couldn’t hurt.
Configuring SSF
- A very detailed guide to all of SSF’s configuration options can be found here.
- Although, in most cases, you only need to go to Option > EZ Setting > Set Highest Compatibility achieve the best results.
- If you have a decent dual-core CPU, this will not have any real performance impact.
What Games Work on SSF?
- Software compatibility lists can be found here, here, and here.
- Check out an absolutely gigantic selection of screenshots taken with SSF.
- For good measure, here’s a video I recorded of Panzer Dragoon Zwei running on SSF. It demonstrates how extremely close to perfect the emulation can be.
- Some games like Virtua Fighter 2 require the deinterlacing checked or they look pretty tore up. I assume it’s because the game runs in 480i, whereas most games are half that, and can’t display any interlacing to begin with.
- Deinterlacing can slowdown the gameplay if your CPU isn’t up to snuff.
Emulate Saturn Games On
Getting Support for SSF
- Please don’t ask for support in the comments here — here’s some links that can probably get you good answers quicker
Is SSF for you?
Emulate Saturn Games List
If you once owned a Saturn and have occasionally felt nostalgic about the titles you’ve let go, stop reading this and acquire SSF immediately. It should find a permanent home on your hard drive. For those who’ve never had a Saturn, I highly suggest you acquire some of Racket’s listed gems, by any means neccessary. You’re bound to find something fun in there. Although, perhaps you’re the historical type, and want to see which games defined the Saturn. Or maybe you’re strapped for time, and require the ones that still matter today. No wait, I’ve got it. You’re a penny pincher!
Ironically, the only people it might not be for are those who still have fully working Saturns, like myself. You see, SSF has yet to implement any real advantages over a Saturn, unless you just hate dealing with discs (you can rip your game discs to ISOs and play them mounted to virtual drives), or you hate replacing the internal CMOS save battery each year. It also offers no visual enhancements, besides de-interlacing and a full screen bilinear filter (not to be confused with texture filtering). Beggars can’t be choosers however, and I certainly agree that emulation accuracy needs to be nearly flawless before visual enhancements come to play.
PreviewVer R26
While by no means recent news, I hope this overview gives you guys something new to mess around with for a while.