Homebrew Stella-DS Improved

[Cris1997XX]

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

V6.7 : 24-Jun-2023 by Dave Bernazzani (wavemotion)

• Fix for Sword of Surtr so it runs correctly.
• Hold L+R shoulder buttons for ~1 second to take a snapshot of the screen (written to SD card)
• DSi now defaults to the 'Accurate' BUS MODE for maximum compatibility.
• Improved data bus handling for undriven pins in Tia:eek() for improved compatibility.
• A few more tweaks to a few more games to make them as accurate as possible.

This is probably it for a while on StellaDS. I've gotten the compatibility as high as I can and kept the speed as fast as I can. On the DSi and above (running at 134MHz) pretty much the entire library should be playable with the exception of a few of the really complex ARM-assisted games which might drop below full frame-rate. The older DS-Lite/Phat should play most of the classics the way you remember.

Enjoy!

We salute you for updating this wonderful emulator for over two years! It finally reached its peak, and it possibly couldn't get any better

 

[CrashMidnick]

Thanks Dave, this emulator is a must have on NDS

 

[wavemotion]

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

V6.8 : 01-Jul-2023 by Dave Bernazzani (wavemotion)

• Improved RSYNC so Extra Terrestrials (1984 by Skill Screen Games) works.
• Improved keypad handling so Magicard and similar keypad/keyboard game work.
• Added a few of the ultra-rare games discovered in the last decade to the internal database.
• Updated internal database to ROMHUNTER v18 for the classic-era games.
• Starpath Supercharger (AR) carts now clear RAM by default (prevent lock-ups).
• Added Dual Keypad/Keyboards for the few game that need them (BASIC, Magicard mostly).

Hard to leave well enough alone I guess. Was just playing through the entire original library of 600+ games and noticed a couple that didn't play so I fixed those. Added improved and dual keypad handling for the few games that want that setup - it seems damn unlikely anyone would ever program in ATARI VCS BASIC with 128 bytes of RAM ... but why not make it possible?! A few of the ultra rare original games that have surfaced in the last 10 years are now working - I think there are currently only 4 copies of Extra Terrestrials (no... not the famously bad ET game) found in the world (out of a reported 100 sold in 1984).

 

[wavemotion]

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

V7.0 : 10-Dec-2023 by Dave Bernazzani (wavemotion)

• Champ Games Edition! Major overhaul to the CDFJ/+ driver to squeeze out every bit of performance.
• Fix for Genesis gamepad emulation (detection now works).
• Other minor cleanups and tweaks as time permitted.

StellaDS now supports all current Champ Games offerings through Turbo Arcade and Elevator Agent. These games represent the cutting edge of what is possible on the Atari 2600 using an ARM co-processor to help move data through the system. These games push the limits of the emulator. To run these advanced arm-assisted games, you will need a DSi or greater running either Twilight Menu++ or Unlaunch to unlock the 2X CPU (134MHz). The original DS (or the DSi/2DS/3DS running with an R4 cart) will only run in DS compatibility mode (67MHz) which is too slow to render these games full speed.

It is also recommended that you use an XL/LL model - these larger screens have a slower LCD fade resulting in a picture that more closely resembles an old TV. This means less flicker overall.

Be aware that most of these games utilize a significant amount of overscan. The DS/DSi/XL/LL only has 192 pixels of vertical resolution and this means the extra 16-20 pixels of game information will render-off screen. StellaDS will always show the main gameplay portion of the screen and utilizes a screen pan UP/DN to shift in the score or status (non-gameplay) information. For example, in GORF, you will not see the score at the top normally... but if you press the X button (pan UP), the screen will momentarily shift up to show you the score and then automatically pan back down. It's quite smooth and is very serviceable in normal gameplay.



All Champ Games should run at or near full speed with the exception of the two most complex games: Turbo Arcade (which dips framerate slightly for some complex rendering scenes but is generally not noticeable for gameplay) and Elevator Agent which runs at 55+ (often up to full speed) but is variable enough that you will hear some slight wavering in the music output (but still quite playable and enjoyable). Try the DEMO roms first to be sure you're happy with the emulation quality here. Be aware that any performance issues related to these cutting-edge games is a reflection of my emulation and not the superior craftsmanship of the games themselves.

 

[wavemotion]

Merry Christmas all!

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

V7.1b : 25-Dec-2023 by wavemotion-dave

• Squeezed out one extra frame of performance on CDFJ/+ games.
• New light frameskip applied to Draconian for a performance boost.
• Minor fixes and tweaks to make all the latest homebrew games look and play their best.
• Version 7.1b eeks out another partial frame on the hardest hitting ARM-assisted games.

This is as fast as science will allow the ARM assisted games to run. I spent about 15 hours deep in optimization and managed to squeeze out approximately 0.975 extra frames per second on the most demanding and cutting-edge games. I'm at the point now where I have to profile the games for 10 minutes each when making tweaks to ensure that I get an accurate assessment of a performance boost.

If you haven't, search for "Champ Games Demo roms" and go download the full pack of 15 demo games that Champ Games offers. Especially love Qyx, Gorf Arcade and Lady Bug Arcade.