SpeccySE

[wavemotion]

Hey Dave any chance of the keyboard dim option like you have out on GimliDS? . Work's great

It's already on the list

Assuming I can get back to SpeccySE... which I'd like to! Seem to have spread myself a bit thin.

 

[djleviticus]

Thanks Dave

 

[Indy13]

I know the DS homebrew scene doesn't need another ZX Spectrum Emulator when there is already a world-class ZX-DS and it would be much more beneficial to work on something like an Amstrad CPC or C64 emulator.

Hello Dave!

I partly agree with you, ZXDS is huge, PRACTICALLY complete piece of software and, in my opinion (this is very subjective, I admit^^), ideal for ZX Spectrum emulation, but that's where it ends. ZX81 emulation isn't included (you have to use DS81), and most importantly (even though I suspect the hardware must be different), ZX Spectrum Next emulation isn't included either, and that, in my opinion, is really lacking. A ZX Spectrum Next emulator would be a real asset that would complement Spectrum emulation on DS.

ZX81 emulation support added (see readme for details).

Do you have any plans to integrate recognition of files with ".p" extensions in the future?

 

[wavemotion]

Re: Spectrum Next... that's a tall order. And while you're one of about a half-dozen people around here that I'd try to move mountains for - that feels like a stretch. The Z80N on the next can run at 28MHz and the graphic modes are seriously beefed up... many of the best games run at resolutions that aren't well suited for the DS/DSi. It might work well on the 2DS / 'new' 3DS but I don't have the mental bandwidth to start down that road.

I'll see what I can do about .p files...

 

[Cris1997XX]

Re: Spectrum Next... that's a tall order. And while you're one of about a half-dozen people around here that I'd try to move mountains for - that feels like a stretch. The Z80N on the next can run at 28MHz and the graphic modes are seriously beefed up... many of the best games run at resolutions that aren't well suited for the DS/DSi. It might work well on the 2DS / 'new' 3DS but I don't have the mental bandwidth to start down that road.

I'll see what I can do about .p files...

If there's someone capable enough of writing emulators on the 3DS, that would probably be you. I know you've always worked on the DS/DSi, but I'm sure you could do even better with more powerful hardware. And if you need something to test your homebrews on, buying a 2DS is pretty cheap

 

[Indy13]

I'll see what I can do about .p files...

Thanks, my friend, .p files are really easier to find than .z81 files. I spent a few hours searching, mostly finding .p files or .p files in .zip format, and when I finally found a .81 file, it wasn't a .Z81 file but a .T81 file. I admit, only a few hours of searching isn't much, and I haven't yet taken out my virtual ice axe to really dig into the depths of the internet, but for now, on the surface, I must not be looking in the right place! lol

Too bad, or even better, it's a good excuse to dive into the depths of the web.

 

[wavemotion]

Finally swinging back around to this! I feel like I went on a 3 month journey and forgot where I started.

Anyway, it's like looking at my own code for the first time So I'm starting this one back up ... slowly.

I rebranded the main icon so it more closely matches the design aesthetics of the emulator. And I added a global option for machine type (48K vs 128K). You can still override on a per-game basis.

I'll add screen dimming next.

 

[Chillimonster]

Thanks Dave.

I do like a bit of screen dimming

On another note (and a random ‘shower thought’ on my part…….

Like many others I tend to play the same games over and over but also like ‘exploring’ the different games that are available.

How difficult would it be to implement a favourites or last played list to save trawling through loads of games to get back to the one you wanted?

 

[djleviticus]

Finally swinging back around to this! I feel like I went on a 3 month journey and forgot where I started.

Anyway, it's like looking at my own code for the first time So I'm starting this one back up ... slowly.

I rebranded the main icon so it more closely matches the design aesthetics of the emulator. And I added a global option for machine type (48K vs 128K). You can still override on a per-game basis.

View attachment 519101

I'll add screen dimming next.

Hey good to see you breathing yet even more life into this amazing emulator. Liking the main icon.

 

[wavemotion]

Version 1.2 - 07-Sep-2025 by wavemotion-dave

• Improved ZX81 support for direct loading of .P files
• New global option for machine type (48K vs 128K)
• New main icon to better reflect the design aesthetics

Finally got around to fixing the ZX81 emulation by allowing .p files to be loaded directly. This new handling requires that you have the ZX81 emulator ROM in your BIOS folder - see the readme for details. At least you don't have to do any quirky file manipulation anymore to get ZX81 stuff to run.

I've made yet another change to the main icon... not having been satisfied with try #1 nor #2. I think I like this one quite a bit better.

 

[nitrozz]

nmv ...... deleted

 

[wavemotion]

Version 1.3 - 10-Sep-2025 by wavemotion-dave

• Increased number of configuration game slots to 4096
• Increased number of high-score slots to 1500
• Fix and improvements for auto-tape handling so games load more reliably
• Fix for Save/Load states for 128K games (some games would not load back properly)
• Added ability to dim the keyboard screen in-game (set in Global Options)
• Keyboard graphic replaced the word 'MENU' with a graphical menu icon
• Fix when redefining keys so that it more cleanly remembers previous settings
• Minor tweak to main menu and cassette menu handling to avoid screen garbage character
• Refactored memory for tape loading to free up additional resources for future expansion of the emulator

 

[Indy13]

Thanks for this new update, Dave!

In addition to the convenience of finding games in the right format, it also allows for a comparative test with DS81. With DS81, I have games that don't work, notably homebrew games from Revival Studios. Mayhem and Avalanche don't work, whereas with SpeccySE they work fine. I'm going to retest the games I tested with DS81 that didn't work. It's possible that with SpeccySE, the compatibility of the ZX81 game catalog emulated on DS will expand!

 

[ber71]

@Indy13 are you running the DS81 fork by Asie? It was updated with recent libraries and all, and may perform better than the original DS81.

 

[Indy13]

@Indy13 are you running the DS81 fork by Asie? It was updated with recent libraries and all, and may perform better than the original DS81.

Hi Ber71 ! No, I'm using the classic version found on homebrew, I didn't know there was an alternative version of DS81, would you have a link to share to download the version you're talking about, please?

 

[ber71]

ofc, https://github.com/asiekierka/DS81/

 

[wavemotion]

https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/SpeccySE

Just checked in 1.3b of Speccy-SE with some nice improvements.

Managed to squeeze out another frame of speed for the DS-Lite/Phat which never hurts. But of more usefulness is an improved POK algorithm that will handle much larger POK files. I ran across a couple of POK files (Jet-Pak RX for example) that had fairly massive re-writes of the original code... my original POK handler would not process files that large. This one should do the trick.

I've also added preliminary Dandanator support. The Dandanator is a Slot 0 cart that allows for up to 512K of cartridge/ROM based games. It's often used for compilation carts - which are not much interest when you have an emulator but it does allow support for Sword of Ianna and Castlevania - Spectral Interlude which are both great. Dandanator carts should always have the file extension of ".rom"

Some other crap cleaned up as well... will probably get a 1.4 release out soonish.

I'm feeling a bit burnt out lately.. I'd call it a "mid-life crisis" if I was anywhere near the middle of my life (well, I guess it would be if I live to 120!!)

 

[djleviticus]

Thanks Dave. Getting these emulators is an amazing gift and you are so talented. Put yourself first though.

 

[nitrozz]

Castlevania - Spectral Interlude work

 

[wavemotion]

https://github.com/wavemotion-dave/SpeccySE

Version 1.4 - 15-Oct-2025 by wavemotion-dave

• Fixed Shift and Symbol so they are truly temporary.
• Improved memory contention timing.
• Improved .POK support to handle much larger POK memory lists.
• Added more resolution to the CPU speed options.
• Added Dandanator .ROM support up to 512K banked.
• Added diagonal D-Pad handling as a configurable option.
• CPU Core speedup for 10% speed gain (helps with DS-Lite).
• Fixed WSAD key mapping defaults (S and A were swapped).
• Other minor improvements and fixes under the hood.

EDIT!! I had to put out a 1.4a hotfix for a crash on some 128k games. Please redownload if you have the original 1.4 version. Sorry.