PS1/2 Emulator WiiStation - Another Fork of WiiSXRX released

[GustavoReis]

 

[Ouaz]

CHDs using only zlib and FLAC were already faster than the ones using LZMA. The real issue was and is LZMA compression. zlib is fine.

I asked because I had crashes with chd compressed with cdzl + cdfl (still Colin Mc Rae PAL). Because of cdzl then, not cdfl ?

Have you tried also this for achieve a little more compression? (ZStandard+FLAC)
chdman createcd -i input.cue -o output.chd -c cdzs,cdfl

I tried.
And the size reduction is noticeable:

Colin Mc Rae PAL:

313Mo (cdzs only) -> 268Mo (cdzs + cdfl)

chdman - MAME Compressed Hunks of Data (CHD) manager 0.263 (mame0263)
Input file:   Colin McRae Rally (Europe) (En,Fr,De,Es) (Rev 1).chd
File Version: 5
Logical size: 511,024,896 bytes
Hunk Size:    19,584 bytes
Total Hunks:  26,094
Unit Size:    2,448 bytes
Total Units:  208,752
Compression:  cdzs (CD Zstandard), cdfl (CD FLAC)
CHD size:     275,336,932 bytes
Ratio:        53.9%
SHA1:         741067e01788665ff90b9bd10fa23fae8f7948de
Data SHA1:    cc1debc7f605e5bd864ad3350d56867e91e204a4
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=0  Length=93 bytes
              TRACK:1 TYPE:MODE2_RAW SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:147897 PREGAP:0 PGTYPE:MODE1 PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=1  Length=91 bytes
              TRACK:2 TYPE:AUDIO SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:23700 PREGAP:150 PGTYPE:VAUDIO PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=2  Length=91 bytes
              TRACK:3 TYPE:AUDIO SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:13450 PREGAP:150 PGTYPE:VAUDIO PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=3  Length=91 bytes
              TRACK:4 TYPE:AUDIO SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:23698 PREGAP:150 PGTYPE:VAUDIO PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.

Hunks       Percent  Name
----------  -------  ------------------------------------
        53     0.2%  Copy from self
    18,489    70.9%  CD Zstandard
     7,552    28.9%  CD FLAC

I didn't test it yet, to see if crashes happen or not. (It shouldn't ? as there's no subchannel data, so no zlib anywhere ?)

 

[ssjkakaroto]

I asked because I had crashes with chd compressed with cdzl + cdfl (still Colin Mc Rae PAL). Because of cdzl then, not cdfl ?


I tried.
And the size reduction is noticeable:

Colin Mc Rae PAL:

313Mo (cdzs only) -> 268Mo (cdzs + cdfl)

chdman - MAME Compressed Hunks of Data (CHD) manager 0.263 (mame0263)
Input file:   Colin McRae Rally (Europe) (En,Fr,De,Es) (Rev 1).chd
File Version: 5
Logical size: 511,024,896 bytes
Hunk Size:    19,584 bytes
Total Hunks:  26,094
Unit Size:    2,448 bytes
Total Units:  208,752
Compression:  cdzs (CD Zstandard), cdfl (CD FLAC)
CHD size:     275,336,932 bytes
Ratio:        53.9%
SHA1:         741067e01788665ff90b9bd10fa23fae8f7948de
Data SHA1:    cc1debc7f605e5bd864ad3350d56867e91e204a4
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=0  Length=93 bytes
              TRACK:1 TYPE:MODE2_RAW SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:147897 PREGAP:0 PGTYPE:MODE1 PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=1  Length=91 bytes
              TRACK:2 TYPE:AUDIO SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:23700 PREGAP:150 PGTYPE:VAUDIO PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=2  Length=91 bytes
              TRACK:3 TYPE:AUDIO SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:13450 PREGAP:150 PGTYPE:VAUDIO PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.
Metadata:     Tag='CHT2'  Index=3  Length=91 bytes
              TRACK:4 TYPE:AUDIO SUBTYPE:NONE FRAMES:23698 PREGAP:150 PGTYPE:VAUDIO PGSUB:NONE POSTGAP:0.

Hunks       Percent  Name
----------  -------  ------------------------------------
        53     0.2%  Copy from self
    18,489    70.9%  CD Zstandard
     7,552    28.9%  CD FLAC

I didn't test it yet, to see if crashes happen or not. (It shouldn't ? as there's no subchannel data, so no zlib anywhere ?)

If I'm not mistaken, FLAC is even lighter than Zstandard and deflate (zlib) as it can be decoded on many DAP's with hardware even more restricted than the Wii.

Do the crashes also happen with uncompressed bin/cue?

 

[Ouaz]

Do the crashes also happen with uncompressed bin/cue?

Nope, all's fine with cue+bin.
(I use Cue+Bin for all games -including Colin McRae-, but I also use this game for CHD tests).

So far:

- CHD Zlib (cdzl) + LZMA (cdlz) + FLAC (cdfl): crash (chdman default compression)
- CHD Zlib (cdzl) + FLAC (cdfl) : crash
- CHD Zstandard (cdzs) : no crash \o/
- CHD Zstandard (cdzs) + FLAC (cdfl) : not fully tested yet (not played enough).

From what I understand, flac use zlib algorithm only for subchannel data. I wonder if this could induce crash.
As you said, it has to be tested with a game having subchannel data, to be 100% sure it's safe.

 

[ssjkakaroto]

Nope, all's fine with cue+bin.
(I use Cue+Bin for all games -including Colin McRae-, but I also use this game for CHD tests).

So far:

- CHD Zlib (cdzl) + LZMA (cdlz) + FLAC (cdfl): crash (chdman default compression)
- CHD Zlib (cdzl) + FLAC (cdfl) : crash
- CHD Zstandard (cdzs) : no crash \o/
- CHD Zstandard (cdzs) + FLAC (cdfl) : not fully tested yet (not played enough).

From what I understand, flac use zlib algorithm only for subchannel data. I wonder if this could induce crash.
As you said, it has to be tested with a game having subchannel data, to be 100% sure it's safe.

I don't think we should worry about subchannel data in CHD's, because chdman does not support MSD/MDF or CCD/IMG/SUB or SBI files. These are the main formats that have subchannel data. Even if you try to convert a game with BIN/CUE/SBI, the SBI file will get ignored by chdman.

Having said that, there's still some performance issue with Wiistation and CCD/IMG/SUB format which I reported a while ago. For people that are playing European games with libcrypt protection, that might be relevant.

 

[SaulFabre]

Latest WiiStation build until git 0a0ee9a
https://github.com/xjsxjs197/WiiSXRX_2022/commit/0a0ee9ad0c4ce57383603d03137432fbcb55ebb9

What's new:

• psxhw: adjust sio stat (notaz). This fixes a crash in the game Formula 1 (1996, Psygnosis).
• Update to latest libCHDr and include ZStandard support (present from previous build).
• Move Lightrec's 4 MB code buffer to MEM2 memory. This makes MEM1 have a little more free memory (6 MB), which means more CHD games can be loaded/decompressed without crashes (Rayman 2, i'm looking at you!)

Please test this build, thanks!

 

[Kirby6417]

Saul you’ve been a real awesome part of the Wii modding scene for a few years now. I’ve used all sorts of stuff you worked on. Did you teach yourself how to code to do this?

 

[SaulFabre]

Saul you’ve been a real awesome part of the Wii modding scene for a few years now. I’ve used all sorts of stuff you worked on. Did you teach yourself how to code to do this?

Thanks for your appreciation, let's be honest i learned many things about the Wii/vWii and somewhat of coding by myself.
Other things i also learned from other sites, but most of the time i learned by myself xD

Btw, anyone have tested CHDs with latest build?

 

[grandosegood]

hey all, just wanted to thank the community again for the awesome work. i tested super street fighter ii 2009 remix hack, with fast load on. it played really well and the fast load did help with the loading in between matches. amazing! please note that i play usually from wii u (overclocked vwii for homebrew) and it's amazing.

question about video settings though, it seems that for Wii, using 240p with dithering to auto and no other filters are recommended? on vwii, i'm stuck at 480p, but found the games to look a bit better with all 3 filters on - text in metal gear solid and castlevania are easier to read with them on. should i leave all the filters on? what would be ideal settings?

 

[Maeson]

Depends on your tastes and each game's resolution. SOTN is a rare case because it changes resolutions very often (title screen, intro section, main gameplay, ingame menu, etc) and that makes the video output blurrier if it's using a thinner horizontal resolution, as this emulator expects a 320x224 resolution which is the most used one.

I can't tell you about MGS1, I haven't played the PS1 release in maaany years.

I personally prefer unfiltered anything. FIlters, specially Bilinear just strains my eyes pretty hard, as it makes it very hard to see detail when everything is blurry, but again, it's a taste thing.

 

[mudrik]

Sorry if this has been asked before (I cannot find a way to search in a forum thread): can original playstation discs be used by directly inserting them into the Wii slot, or do they first need to be ripped?

(I don't have any, but I could consider buy some 2nd hand ones if this works)

 

[rexus_pl]

Sorry if this has been asked before (I cannot find a way to search in a forum thread): can original playstation discs be used by directly inserting them into the Wii slot, or do they first need to be ripped?

They has to be ripped. Wii read only Wii discs (some models read Gamecube discs too).

 

[ssjkakaroto]

WiiStation Ver 3.2:

• SPU: Correction for overflow of 16 digit numbers.
• psxbios: implement yet more memcard details.
• Fixes Formula 1 freezing at first loading screen.
• Update to latest libCHDr.
• To avoid errors where CHD games occupy too much memory, move Lightrec's 4M Buffer to MEM2 memory.

https://github.com/xjsxjs197/WiiSXRX_2022/releases/tag/WiiStation_Ver3.2

 

[rexus_pl]

Well, it looks that problems with CHD are (at least partially) fixed - even using Deflate + FLAC I haven't noticed any problems (even with previosly problematic games).

Sadly, there are still weird problems with sound I metioned some time ago.

 

[SaulFabre]

Well, it looks that problems with CHD are (at least partially) fixed - even using Deflate + FLAC I haven't noticed any problems (even with previosly problematic games).

Sadly, there are still weird problems with sound I metioned some time ago.

Are the sound issues happening in CHD only or also with BIN/CUE or even PBP?

 

[Joseito]

Hello I can confirm with the version released before the last by saulfabre that fear effect 1 can save now and ff9 spain doesn't crash anymore, I have yet to prove latest versions, I didn't report this before because I didn't have time to do it sorry, but jade cocoon didn't save for me and philosoma crashed on start mission maybe because is a 95 game idk, anyway thanks

Post automatically merged: Mar 22, 2024

I need to update my report sorry I was mistaken,now I'm on Wii station 3.2 and fear effect 1 Europe does save but doesn't load game, is fixable by enabling hle bios,philosoma still doesn't work( only game I've put that doesn't lol), I've yet to test koudelka wich randomly crashed on previous builds, thanks for the efforts

 

[Ouaz]

even using Deflate + FLAC

Crashes are very random with zlib + flac.
I remember playing CMR and the first DSI crash happened after 1h20 of gameplay.

Still with CMR, I tested intensively zstandard + flac (3h session x 2) and no crash.
I can definitely say that cdzs + cdfl is 99% safe.

Nonetheless, I convert my games 1 by 1 to chd, for testing purposes (maybe crashes may still happen on some games but not on others), by playing long sessions (> 2 hours, many modes)

though I did check again and saw that the tester of Colin Mc Rae Rally used the PAL version (I went with NTSC-U)

Yes. Because the NTSC version has been released 2 years after the PAL version, and some elements had been removed (due to expired licenses):

US version does not have:
- the real driver names (except Colin Mc Rae)
- the Renault cars
- Voices of Colin Mc Rae (tutorial) and Nicky Grist (co-pilot) has been replaced by a generic voice actor. (my mistake, it's in CMR 2.0)
- Monte-Carlo rally name and race locations are replaced by Austria and austrian locations (I'm not sure, I have to check)

I also thought that the 60fps port was broken, as it is for Colin McRae 2.0 NTSC (PAL is is the superior version here, yeah, incredible ^^).
But apparently, this is not the case for CMR 1 (so US version is superior regarding framerate).

I wanted to test again Colin Mc Rae PAL (SLES00477) [...]

But I encountered a problem: I launch the game, but the controller does not respond on the main menu (not even the Home button to go back to the Wiistation menu).

EDIT: OK, I found the culprit. It's Lightrec. When I switch to Dynarec, the controller responds again on the game menu.
So, there's a regression here. I'm affirmative it was working fine with previous Lightrec versions.

Actually, I found a workaround.
- If I launch the game with Lightrec and "Force NTSC" enabled, the controller responds again on the main menu !
- If I go back to Wiisation menu and I disable "Force NTSC", the controller still responds !
- Though if I navigate anywhere in the game and go back to the main menu, the controller does not respond again (and only on this screen). I have to enable again "Force NTSC".

What a weird bug.
At least I can play CMR with Lightrec now. :happy:

Sadly, the "Force NTSC" setting is broken since a few builds, as the screen is shifted down when enabled.

There's a "Position screen" setting in CMR to center the image, but it does not fully fix it (the bottom part of the image is still cut). Otherwise I would stay with "Force NTSC" enabled (smoother framerate of course, with some micro-stutters though).

 

[galagasux]

Hello. First I want to thank the team that is pushing this emulator beyond what most of us probably ever imagined it could be. Being able to use the Wii Remote as a Guncon/Justifier was a dream come true for me.
I have nothing major to report other than that the games I play always look and play as well or better than on original hardware.

I do have a question/request- Is it possible to add the ability to turn off or change the green crosshairs? It's a minor thing, but I feel would be a nice feature of the emulator.

Since the work was re-started on Wiistation to add Lightguns (and so much more) AND the MAME WII 0.6.0 memory dump was fixed - I created a Lightgun Only Wiiflow Build. I wanted to thank you all for making something like this possible. Here is a link that will show you every one of the 219 games you can play on a modded Wii using the Wii Remote as a lightgun. Over 100 of them are non-Wii/Wiiware. I used the usual standalone emulators + mame-wii, Retroarch/FBA lightgun core & Wiistation. Without Wiistation & MAME it was a little bland and not worth making.

Thanks Again!

 

[popckorn]

Absolutely Bloody Gorgeous

I have been looking for an excuse to get a couple 40USD perfect condition Wiis...
I adore your work. Do you think it would be possible to get a back-up of your SD Dump and any adjacent documentation?

I am BLOWN AWAY.

Gorgeous.

 

[galagasux]

Absolutely Bloody Gorgeous

I have been looking for an excuse to get a couple 40USD perfect condition Wiis...
I adore your work. Do you think it would be possible to get a back-up of your SD Dump and any adjacent documentation?

I am BLOWN AWAY.

Gorgeous.

Thanks! I'm working on cleaning everything up and creating a download that isn't too "piratey" but still has the essentials.

I also have this build that I'm cleaning up and trying to figure out how to give back to the community.

Sharing today was the first step at saying hello!