ColecoDS 8.2 is Released

[+wavemotion]

ColecoDS is an emulator for the DS/DSi/XL/LL that emulates a number of machines with similar hardware.

 

 

• Colecovision game support (.rom or .col files). Requires coleco.rom BIOS.
• Super Game Module support including AY sound chip.
• Megacart Bankswitching support (up to 1024K).
• Coleco ADAM game support (.ddp or .dsk files). Requires eos.rom and writer.rom
• Sega SG-1000 game support (.sg roms)
• Sega SC-3000 game support (.sc roms)
• Sord M5 game support (.m5 roms) - requires sordm5.rom BIOS
• MSX1 game support (.msx or .rom or.cas) up to 1024K
• Spectravideo SVI support (.cas) - requires svi.rom BIOS
• Casio PV-2000 support (.pv roms) - requires pv2000.rom BIOS
• Hanimex Pencil II support (.pen roms) - requires pencil2.rom BIOS
• Tatung Einstein support (.com run-time files only) - requires einstein.rom BIOS
• Memotech MTX game support (.mtx or .run or .com files) - single loader games only.
• Creativision game support (.cv) - requires bioscv.rom BIOS - supports ROMs up to 32K.
• Full Controller button mapping and touch-screen input plus mapping to any machine keyboard keys.
• High-Score support - 10 scores per game.
• Save/Load Game State (one slot).
• Super Action Controller, Spinner and Roller Controller (Trackball) mapping.

 

Version 8.2 is released: https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/ColecoDS

 

V8.2: 04-Aug-2023 by wavemotion-dave

 

• Complete rewrite of the keyboard handler for improved visuals, better emulation and universal handling across all emulated machines.
• New keyboard graphics for ADAM, MSX (International and Japanese layouts), MTX and a simplified Alpha-Numeric keyboard useful for text adventures.
• New global configuration handling - you can disable the showing of the BIOS screen at startup, set your default MSX BIOS, hide emulator text, among other features.
• Brighter main font for improved contrast.
• New MSX BIOS roms can be optionally installed: Panasonic cf-2700, Yamaha cx5m.rom, Toshiba hx-10.rom, Sony Hit-Bit hb-10.rom, National fs-1300.rom, Casio pv-7.rom
• Other tweaks, fixes and improvements as time permitted.

 

This one took a while. Huge thanks to  @dphirschler for his herculean effort on the keyboards - these new properly themed keyboards for the ADAM, MSX, MTX along with the recently designed CreatiVision are just outstanding given that I only allowed him 178 vertical pixels to work with (reserving 14 pixels at the top).  

 

The keyboard handling in all machines has been vastly improved. You can now generate all keys - map keys universally to any NDS button (and it works in all emulators) and the emulator is smart enough to know what kind of MSX keyboard layout the BIOS is expecting (International vs Japanese).

 

It's a joy to play these systems with such nice aesthetics. If you haven't seen some of the incredible MSX machines, they are dead-sexy in a very technical sort of way.

 

 

The new stylings really bring the look and feel for each system.  Also included is a new simplified Alpha-Numeric keyboard that tries to utilize as much screen as possible so that you can play text-based games with your thumbs. The other keyboards really need a stylus to be effective.

 

 

 

In addition to the new layouts, there is much improved MSX support for multiple flavors of machines. See the readme.md for details but you can now emulate the following machines:

 

• cf-2700.rom - Panasonic CF-2700 UK Machine with 64K of RAM in slot 3 (normally slot 1 so not perfect emulation yet)
• cx5m.rom    - Yamaha's UK/EU Machine with 32K of RAM in slot 0
• hx-10.rom   - Toshiba's UK/EU Machine with 64K of RAM in slot 3
• hb-10.rom   - Sony HitBit JP Machine with 16K of RAM in slot 0 (uses the Japanese matrix)
• fs-1300.rom - National JP Machine with 64K of RAM in slot 3 (uses the Japanese matrix)
• pv-7.rom    - Casio PV-7 with just 8K of RAM! at the top of slot 0. If you can't find this BIOS, use pv-16.rom or hb-10.rom

 

Enjoy and happy gaming!

 

[intvdave]

This is AWESOME!!!! The Nintendo DS is a great way to play these games and more. Sure, the screen is smaller than TV sets but it has advantages:

- Excellent emulation

- 2 screens where the bottom screen is configurable as we see with all the keyboard layouts.

 

Look at other emulators llabnip has done. The A8DS is a fantastic way to play Star Raiders. The Nintellivision is setup to have custom overlays that use the bottom screen as an overlay. The TI99/4a emulator is a great way to play games I did not know existed and the games are really good.

 

llabnip emulators are all you need for our classic games. Go get an Nintendo DS and try out the emulators and games! I am very grateful that llabnip turn me on about the DSi console. I am having a blast with it.

 

If anyone needs help setting up their DS, let me know

[zyzzle]

Finding one at a reasonable price is very difficult. The cost has ballooned about 4x in the last two years. Even the Japanese ones, loose, with defects / no battery are now over $50, while a year ago could be found for $25 or so.

 

Your emulator is *the* reason to buy a DS now, pixel-perfect emulation!

[alekmaul]

Really nice, great work!

[+wavemotion]

Thanks guys - I appreciate the appreciation.

 

And most especially thanks to @alekmaul without whom the emulator simply doesn't exist.

 

I'm more than 300 hours into ColecoDS development over the past 2 years - for sure a labor of love. The promised fame, fortune and endless groupies have not yet materialized. 

[+wavemotion]

Version 8.3 is up at: https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/ColecoDS
V8.3: 10-Aug-2023 by wavemotion-dave

• Fix for keyboard handler so that more than one key can be pressed at a time (otherwise you get stutter when moving/shooting in keyboard-mapped games).
• Major overhaul of the Memotech MTX emulation to improve emulation, sound and general stability.
• New Z80 CTC handler (mainly for Memotech) which provides more accurate sound in Sord M5 and some Einstein games.
• New Tatung Einstein keyboard graphic and improved keyboard handling.
• New keymap presets for common keyboard games (QAOP, WASD, ZC-Period, etc.) - use the X button to rotate through these when defining keys.
• Other tweaks, fixes and improvements as time permitted.
  
  Tons of updates... Memotech MTX all straightened out. Tatung Einstein got a new keyboard. Cleanup across the board.
   
  

[Pixelboy]

18 minutes ago, llabnip said:

Fix for keyboard handler so that more than one key can be pressed at a time (otherwise you get stutter when moving/shooting in keyboard-mapped games).

That's interesting... So that means the DS screen can handle multiple pressure points? I always thought using a stylus meant only one touch could be detected and registered by the touchscreen.

 

[+wavemotion]

Just now, Pixelboy said:

That's interesting... So that means the DS screen can handle multiple pressure points? I always thought using a stylus meant only one touch could be detected and registered by the touchscreen.

 

No... the screen can only handle one press at a time.

 

The problem that has been fixed came in with version 8.2 is that you can map any keyboard key to a DS key. This is useful for converted spectrum games on various non-coleco machines that use keyboard for playing (e.g. C and V to move left and right and PERIOD or SPACE to fire).  With v8.2 we would stop processing after we convert one key - so if you were using the NDS d-pad to move left/right and pressed FIRE, the left/right movement would temporarily stall. 

 

Now it's buttery smooth.

[Pixelboy]

Ah, okay.