I recently switched over from Windows to Mac OS X with a new iMac, which I love, however I'm looking for an NES emulator that doesn't require the Emulator Enhancer to support joypad support, because I don't want to pay to use a joypad. I've searched and found Nestopia and RockNes but both use Emulator Enhancer and I don't like shareware because eventually I will have to pay $25 to use a joypad. On the other hand if I use GamePad Companion I will have to pay $15 for that, which is a cheaper alternative. Is it possible to play an NES emulator on the Mac with a joypad without paying money? I recently switched over from Windows to Mac OS X with a new iMac, which I love, however I'm looking for an NES emulator that doesn't require the Emulator Enhancer to support joypad support, because I don't want to pay to use a joypad. I've searched and found Nestopia and RockNes but both use Emulator Enhancer and I don't like shareware because eventually I will have to pay $25 to use a joypad. On the other hand if I use GamePad Companion I will have to pay $15 for that, which is a cheaper alternative.
Is it possible to play an NES emulator on the Mac with a joypad without paying money? I've been spending much of the day searching for something I can use, I found a list of NES emulators for the mac, and I found some MESS (Multiple Emulator Super System) for Mac however no joypad support. Looked promissing however the joypad support requires Gamesprockets, which isn't available for OS X. I haven't tried because only the source is available for OS X and I don't know how to compile things. Which has been compiled for OS X but there aren't any compiled versions to download.
I found a FCE Ultra launcher, however it requires a compiled version of FCE Ultra, but the manuals are all in Japanese. If anyone knows more about these emulators which I haven't gotten to work or a way to use gamepad support for free, please reply! Click to expand.There was a bit of an argument about this a couple months ago, but I can't find it through a search. One person argued that all of the OS X ports were being castrated for the sake of add-ons like Emulator Enhancer. The demand is just not as big for Mac Emulators as it is for Windows, so is looking for an incentive: cash.
Im not sure of the validity. Emulator Enhancer just gives you a pop-up window to donate, which you can close and then use the joypad function for free. At least it was that way when I used it last. I would download it and close the prompt window after you launch the emulator. Try out it's a bit outdated, but helpful. Other good Mac emu sites are and.
Unfortunately, like video games in general, Mac emu development is behind Windows. I do all of my emulation with my XP desktop. Thanks for the help guys, but I am so close to using FCE Ultra, I started to configure it after downloading Xcode however I'm running into a little problem, does anyone think they could help me? When I enter './configure -disable-sdltest ' as suggested by the FCE Ultra install instructions, it goes fine until. I run into an error with SDL.
Here is what it says. 'checking for SDL - version = 1.2.0. No.
The sdl-config script installed by SDL could not be found. If SDL was installed in PREFIX, make sure PREFIX/bin is in. your path, or set the SDLCONFIG environment variable to the. full path to sdl-config.
Configure: error:. SDL version 1.2.0 not found!' I downloaded SDL and put it in library/frameworks, but it still doesn't detect SDL, can anyone help me out? Thanks for the help guys, but I am so close to using FCE Ultra, I started to configure it after downloading Xcode however I'm running into a little problem, does anyone think they could help me? When I enter './configure -disable-sdltest ' as suggested by the FCE Ultra install instructions, it goes fine until. I run into an error with SDL. Here is what it says.
'checking for SDL - version = 1.2.0. No. The sdl-config script installed by SDL could not be found. If SDL was installed in PREFIX, make sure PREFIX/bin is in. your path, or set the SDLCONFIG environment variable to the. full path to sdl-config.
Configure: error:. SDL version 1.2.0 not found!'
I downloaded SDL and put it in library/frameworks, but it still doesn't detect SDL, can anyone help me out? Click to expand.Exactly. And ROMs aren't illegal either if you own the game. This is not a hypothetical situation, I might add-I, for example, have an NES and a box of games in a closet. There are times I'd like to play one of them, but frankly the hassle of digging the thing out, cleaning the contacts, and hooking it up to my TV all to play a game for 10 minutes just isn't worth it. Takes 10 seconds to fire up an emulator on my computer, however, and again if I own the cart, it's not even illegal to have the ROM.
Now, I admit that's not how most emulators are used. Then again, if YOU can show me where to buy a copy of, say, MetalStorm for the NES, then I'd really be impressed. There's a legit abandonware argument to be made here.
I'd heard rumor (or fact? I've been out of it for a long time) that the Wii will allow you to download and play classic NES and SNES games on it.
If so, THEN downloaded ROMs would be difficult to call abandonware anymore. But I won't care, because doing it on a proper TV and legitimately would be so worth it. Click to expand.Interesting link. And after reading that, no, they're not saying that emulators are illegal-that's just plain wrong unless they utilize a copy of copyrighted ROM code from the console. This was determined conclusively by the the VGS case where Connectix cleanroom reverse-engineered the Playstation ROM. They are, however, saying that they have no legitimate use, since a ROM in any form, including of a game you already own, is illegal.
I believe that second assertion is arguable under US copyright law, but in any case the argument that ROMs of archaic games in all forms are bad, while 100% understandable from a legal standpoint, is asinine in reality. It may be technically illegal for me to play 10 Yard Fight on my computer instead of using the cartridge I own, but any reasonable person can see that it's not doing them any good to stop me. And the simple fact is NOBODY is getting any value from a lot of games that have been out of print for over two decades (and, in some cases, even the publisher is out of business), and there would be functionally no interest in reviving them were it not for the ROM scene. Now, once the Wii ships with 'legit' ROM/emulator support, that's going to change completely, espeically if they start offering a wide selection of obscure old games and not just the 'classics'.
At that point, there is a very real economic loss happening. But a have a question: Do you really think that, were it not for emulators, anybody under the age of 20 would even REMEMBER the NES, let alone have a desire to play games for it? As it is, there's a whole new generation that's been introduced to classic gaming through emulation, and I'm sure some of them (like me) are hungry for a legit console and easy way to support their existance financially, which is exactly what the Wii is. It's like those 'system-in-a-controller' dodads they sell at mall kiosks with several classic games built in-they've helped revive interest for some of the classics, but no support for the literally hundreds of more obscure NES and SNES games that exist.
Click to expand.Not only that, but with emulators you could play for a bit and save your game and come back to it. Most of the NES games you either lost all progress when you shut it off, or it would give you a password which looked something like this: ab0oOx1294 xyc91283bd 5082edcfx 408240dfef 42345pofsdxc 43029403d Which started you at level 2. Only some of the expensive games actually had batteries that saved your progress.
But yeah, downloading ROMs is bad causes 'tens of thousands' of people to lose their jobs and forces Nintendo to do bad stuff like price fixing.right?
I just spent a very unsatisfying hour trying to find a decent NES emulator for my Mac. I can't believe there are all these awesome free emulators out there for Windows, but all we Mac users can use is. I know this has been expressed before by hundreds of other Mac users, but I refuse to pay for joypad support.
Bannister can lick my sweaty expletive deleted. Surely there is an alternative out there? Preferably one that:. Doesn't need to be compiled from source. Supports the amazing NTSC filter.
Supports joypads. Please tell me there is!
There is nothing forcing anybody to pay for Emulator Enhancer; it can be used forever in its unregistered state. It is not limited in any way, and it never expires. If being prompted by a message at launch offends you, there is an alternative version of Nestopia, though it didn't support pads last time I looked. The only other NES emulator for Mac that I know about is, and you might need to speak Japanese to make the most of that. Hope this is some use - and while I appreciate the offer, I've no real interest in licking your whatever. Originally posted by aoeu: That's pretty bad form IMO.
You sound like an ungrateful asshole. I love free stuff as much as the next guy, but anyone who programs knows what a pain in the ass it can be. It's not a problem at all for a developer to request some compensation, ESPECIALLY when it's not compulsory for the very hard work and late nights they put in to an application. If you are going to bitch about it, then write your own application and release it freely.
That's how the world works. I respect your point of view, but I'm afraid I don't agree with it. I give away all bar one of my emulator ports free of charge, and I'd love to make the last one free also but the original author will not allow me to do so. For those not familiar with my work, I sell an expansion module called Emulator Enhancer which augments these ports with a number of features - chiefly full screen mode, joypad support, and (crap) network play. It is absolutely true that this module could not exist without the emulator projects that lie beneath it, and thus it can indeed be argued that I'm making money off the work of others.
However, my perspective is that this program is one hundred percent my work, therefore leaving me entirely within my rights to charge money for it. I greatly admire the many people willing to give their software away completely free; I'm afraid that my altruistic tendencies have been somewhat flattened by the weight of a substantial mortgage. It's a cruel world indeed. To use a slightly silly comparison (apologies in advance), a well known company called Apple sells its commercial graphical front end to an open source operating system. My perspective is that Emulator Enhancer is no different. Regardless as to what I may believe, the most important fact is that the original authors of all these emulators are well aware of what I do, and they have told me that they do not have any difficulties with my policy.
One final point; joypad support can easily be replicated in my projects (or indeed any others) by means of. Unfortunately for the original poster both happen to be shareware too, but maybe someone will come up with a free equivalent at some stage. I'm always happy to help out those such as JCWeinberg who attempt to build completely free alternatives to my work. Competition is healthy, and breeds better software for us all. Originally posted by Mux: Richard- just a note of appreciation to balance things out. I've enjoyed many of your emulators over the years.
(though not in a while, time's been unpermitting) Oh, and I am a registered EE user. When I was a regular Mac user, I was a registered EE user as well. So I would like to take this moment to thank Richard for all of the wonderful Emulator ports he made available to us.
Most of my emulation fun on a Mac was procured using one of the numerous programs Richard has ported, Snes9x, Mame or DOSBox. So thanks for all the hard work buddy.
As a professional developer that does work on the side as well, I fully understand the modest charge for EE. Purchasing it was every bit my pleasure.
Originally posted by Mr. Green Hat: Most of my emulation fun on a Mac was procured using one of the numerous programs Richard has ported, Snes9x, Mame or DOSBox. None of those were ported by Richard Bannister. However, Richard has ported most of the best 8-bit and 16-bit emulators out there. Many of the emulators are cycle-accurate emulators (Nestopia and BSNES) as opposed to many emulators which are not cycle-accurate and contain hard-coded hacks and workarounds to get some games to play correctly. Originally posted by Mr. Green Hat: Most of my emulation fun on a Mac was procured using one of the numerous programs Richard has ported, Snes9x, Mame or DOSBox.
None of those were ported by Richard Bannister. I'm well aware of that. Let me rephrase. Most of my emulation fun on a Mac was procured using: 1) One of the numerous programs Richard has ported Added for emphasis: (Genesis Plus, Nestopia, KiGB, TGEmu) 2) Snes9x 3) Mame 4) DOSBox That was a list of four items, none of which have anything to do with each other beyond: 1) The fact that they are all emulators (or groups thereof as is the case with Item #1) 2) They are compatible with Mac OS X. I hope this clears it up Now if I had originally used a semi-colon after 'one of the numerous programs Richard has ported' then you would have a point.
Richard doesn't charge for the parts of his projects that were written by others. He only charges for the stuff he wrote himself. Yes, but an 'Emulator Enhancer' is useless without an emulator to start with. The other thing that annoys me about this whole situation is that he isn't even contributing back to the projects he is making money from. When you download the source to Nestopia, there are no Mac specific build files.
You have no chance of building a Mac version without doing tons of work. And, while I appreciate that he gets the authors permission, I just don't think it's right. Surely this violates the GPL? I'm not making accusations, I'm genuinely just wondering. It is absolutely true that this module could not exist without the emulator projects that lie beneath it, and thus it can indeed be argued that I'm making money off the work of others. I absolutely appreciate that Bannister does do good work for emulation on the Macintosh, I just don't agree with his methods. I bet you he would have made the same amount, if not more money, if he had just ported the thing as is (with fullscreen and joypad support intact), released the source and asked for donations on his site.
Most people (not me, I pay for my shareware) simply pirate the damn thing anyway. Originally posted by Formica Rector: I absolutely appreciate that Bannister does do good work for emulation on the Macintosh, I just don't agree with his methods. I bet you he would have made the same amount, if not more money, if he had just ported the thing as is (with fullscreen and joypad support intact), released the source and asked for donations on his site. Most people (not me, I pay for my shareware) simply pirate the damn thing anyway.
I can tell you as someone who has released donationware in the past, you don't make anything compared to what you can pull with shareware. Pirates are pirates. They'll never pay you. Formica Rector: You are being a complete jerk. What a childish sense of entitlement. You should be ashamed, but I suppose that's hoping for too much.
Again with the insults. It's not about me getting free stuff anymore, it's about someone else profiting off of other people's work. Actually, you know what, forget about it.
I'm happy you paid for Emulator 'Enhancer'. Good for you. Give yourself a pat on the back for supporting shareware.
edit And yes, I did get out of bed on the wrong side this morning /edit. Bannister can lick my sweaty expletive deleted. I dunno dude, that's pretty jerk-ish to me.
I know it's the Internet, but still. When you start using 'listen Bannister' and 'open source the damn thing,' those aren't things you could say to someone's face without sounding like a jerk. But really, the GPL contains explicit allowances for people that want to sell paid software that includes open source components. You can't modify the source, but you can link to it and build a shell around it. Techspansion's VisualHub was an excellent example - an awesome, actually useful front end to ffmpeg. CUPS is another example, where Apple used the technology until they actually just hired the main developer, etc. It's only immoral, or however you want to label it, if someone doesn't follow the rules under which a developer releases his/her software.
Bannister is following the rules and the developers of the original emulators, as he's said, are 100% OK with what he's doing. You're trying to stand for a principle - that software which primarily builds off a separate piece of free software should ALSO be free - that no one agrees with.
Nestopia Emulator Enhancer Serial Numbers
Originally posted by Formica Rector: if he had just ported the thing as is (with fullscreen and joypad support intact) Ah, this old chestnut again. It'd be really nice if code such as full screen handling and joypad support was fully cross platform. It's nothing of the kind; this code has to be rewritten from scratch for the Mac. The situation is changing thanks to libraries like SDL, but none of my projects use that or anything like it. It's worth emphasising that I have not and never will remove completely portable and working code from a project I've ported in order to later sell the same thing in Emulator Enhancer. That would be unethical and goes against everything I believe in.
Nestopia Emulator Enhancer Serial Number
I made the decision long ago to write a generic piece of joypad code as part of Emulator Enhancer, as by doing this I wouldn't have to write the same thing over and over again for each individual project. Originally posted by JonTD:I can tell you as someone who has released donationware in the past, you don't make anything compared to what you can pull with shareware. Pirates are pirates. They'll never pay you. I just released some donation ware video effect software, where the donations even are for a good cause (not for my profit), and I was very depressed when I looked at the number of downloads vs the number of donations. Oh well, fuck-em! As for the NES emu, patience, you will get what you want.