MSX.emu 1.5.19

Since we last reported about MSX.emu, an MSX emulator for Android, no less than 9 updates have been released. Among many bugfixes, cosmetical changes and minor(usability) improvements, the most notable changes are the change to an OpenGL ES 2.0 renderer, addition of a hq2x OpenGL shader, and the option to use a custom path for system/firmware files. The complete changelog can be found over here MSX.emu can be bought for € 6,19 in Google Play.

Relevant link: MSX.emu on Google Play

Comments (12)

By Meits

Scribe (6437)

13-08-2014, 00:17

How is this going to compete with openMSX?

By snout

Ascended (15184)

13-08-2014, 00:47

Apart from that, the changelog seems to talk about an iOS (jailbreak?) and Linux/X11 version of the emulator, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. Anyone?

By mars2000you

Enlighted (5963)

13-08-2014, 01:09

For jailbraked iOS : http://www.explusalpha.com/home/general-info/platforms/ios

For Linux, all the emus of this coder are in a package : http://www.explusalpha.com/home/general-info/platforms/linux

By Samor

Prophet (2105)

13-08-2014, 11:34

Meits wrote:

How is this going to compete with openMSX?

I have all 3 Android emulators (OpenMSX, fMSX and msx.emu). msx.emu is heavily based on blueMSX, that should give you a good idea of its emulation level.

In order of best choices (IMO):
1*) emulation accuracy: OpenMSX, msx.emu, fMSX
2*) interface: fMSX, msx.emu, OpenMSX
3*) additional features: fMSX, msx.emu, OpenMSX
4*) support: fMSX, msx.emu, OpenMSX
5*) price: OpenMSX, fMSX, msx.emu

some clarification is needed here.
1 - OpenMSX has leaped beyond blueMSX's emulation quality in recent years (blueMSX kind of stagnated). I don't know how many additional improvements msx.emu has over blueMSX, I think it's about the same. fMSX has always been more speed oriented in the first place.
2 - fMSX and msx.emu have easy to user interfaces, OpenMSX is harder to operate. fMSX's UI is the most developed.
3 - fMSX is miles ahead on the competition in this department and has features such as artwork and dropbox support, amongst countless others.
4 - fMSX constantly gets updated with new features and fixes; msx.emu's support is good but slower. I can't really say anything about OpenMSX here, it's the first version and the emulation is spot on, but I believe it's maintained by one person atm. I'm pretty positive that new features from the (very well supported) main release will find its way into the Android version, though (and it's free, afterall).
5 - OpenMSX is free and you get the most accurate emulation. fMSX has a free version but I'd personally go for the paid one. It has an astonishing amount of features and very good support. msx.emu is the most expensive but you do get an easy to use mobile version of blueMSX, and it's supported rather well too (just not as lightning-fast as fMSX). I know some people don't like a port of blueMSX being sold as a commercial product, but it's not a ripoff.

Conclusion:

There's not a clear winner. OpenMSX wins on accuracy but its android interface is a little underdeveloped. msx.emu strikes a real nice balance between accuracy and ease of use (at a (for mobile apps) premium price), fMSX might not be as accurate as the other two but has an amazing set of additional features, very active support and a free version to try out (and the full version is still cheap).

By TheKid

Paragon (1186)

14-08-2014, 07:56

Nice, and now for a proper emulation of the keyboard and moonsound for IOS and I am happy When you try games that only use keyboard, the keypad in the emulator doesn't react. And the keyboard doesn't have cursorkeys

By TheKid

Paragon (1186)

14-08-2014, 07:57

And yes, I mailed the developer about this but never got any reply.

By Manuel

Ascended (18088)

14-08-2014, 17:27

Nice overview! Some additional info on openMSX:
- all new features are directly available also for the Android port, there are no separate versions; there's only a single code base. The Android "port" is more the method and some small adaptions to compile openMSX for Android.
- on the site http://openmsx.fixato.net/ there are development builds available, also for Android. (At the moment, the Android developer build is down, but this will be fixed soon (I hope))
- the Android specific stuff is indeed done by a single person (hi Alex), but for all generic stuff, you can get support from mostly the whole team. Please ask us on IRC or in the openMSX forum of MRC if you need help.
- specific feedback on how we can make openMSX on Android easier to use is most welcome!

By Samor

Prophet (2105)

15-08-2014, 10:27

Thanks for that information, Manuel. I was referring to the available build on Google Play, but forgot about the development builds.
One improvement suggestion I have is that menu's should work with touch themselves, and don't have to be controlled with the virtual D-pad per-se.
Another would be to make it more clear what the buttons do... It's confusing to see an MSX with a virtual D-pad with 4 buttons.

By Grauw

Ascended (10018)

15-08-2014, 11:09

Pre-emptive remark: Let’s have any further openMSX specific discussion in a forum topic in stead of a competitor’s thread . This spotlight is for MSX.emu .

p.s. Nice comparison Samor.

By Manuel

Ascended (18088)

15-08-2014, 22:41

Samor, the menus are actually mostly touch controllable, but I'd be the first to admit it's not 100% how it should be. But try it. How should it be made clear what the buttons do? Any suggestions?

By FiXato

Scribe (1708)

18-08-2014, 14:41

I keep missing the actual touch screen buttons on MSX.emu... Especially with the cursor keys it's a bit tricky to hit the right keys every time without any sensory feedback to which button you are hovering over...

By Samor

Prophet (2105)

20-08-2014, 14:40

yeah, but that's a problem with all those emulators... physical buttons emulated by a touchscreen. The only solution to that is an external controller
msx.emu supports several of them, but how often do you have one ready? I actually have a "zeemote" but I don't use it very often.

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