jgenesis version 0.12.0

jgenesis v0.12.0 has been released, enhancing the cross-platform multi-console emulator for 8-bit and 16-bit systems like Sega Genesis and SNES. New features include an NTSC composite video shader, various video filter options like xBRZ and MMPX, and an improved scanlines filter. Debugging functionalities were added, including disassembly views and interactive CPU instruction stepping. Auto-detection for multi-disc games has been integrated, alongside input latency improvements. Several fixes were implemented for better emulation accuracy across different consoles. However, the OpenGL backend was removed due to compatibility issues, streamlining the emulator’s performance.

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jgenesis v0.12.0 has been released. This cross-platform multi-console emulator supports several 8-bit and 16-bit gaming consoles: Sega Genesis / Sega CD / SNES / Master System / Game Gear emulator.

jgenesis Changelog:
New Features
Introduced an NTSC composite video shader (found in Video > Filtering)
Due to video filtering requirements, this feature is compatible only with emulated systems that support TV video output directly and operate on one of two supported video clock rates (Genesis, SMS, SG-1000, NES, SNES)
For NES, activating this shader allows the emulated NES PPU to output an NTSC video signal directly instead of generating RGB pixels, which closely aligns with the actual hardware video generation
Added other video shader/filter options (#496)
xBRZ image upscaling filter by Zenju, offering upscaling options from 2x to 6x
MMPX pixel art magnification filter by Morgan McGuire & Mara Gagiu
The scanlines filter now accommodates multiple brightness levels instead of just 50% (formerly “Dim”) and 0% (previously “Black”)
Incorporated a new option for supersampling rendering when the display window is significantly smaller than the frame size (either natively or due to shaders), which reduces aliasing in certain situations
The anti-dither heuristic filter is now a distinct setting from the video shader, allowing it to be combined with xBRZ or MMPX upscaling filters
Added a new video option to rotate the frame in 90° increments, intended for handheld games/demos designed for console rotation (#169)
(Genesis) Enhanced debugging features in the Memory Viewer window:
Disassembly views for each emulated CPU, including the Sega CD sub CPU and 32X SH-2s when present
Current register values for each emulated CPU
Read/write/execute breakpoints for specific memory addresses and ranges; the emulator halts execution mid-instruction upon hitting a breakpoint
Interactive instruction stepping for each emulated CPU
Incorporated register/state viewers for the YM2612 and SN76489 sound chips
CRAM and 32X palette RAM viewers now provide detailed color information by hovering over them, and users can click on a color to pin its state to a new side panel
(Sega CD) When playing multi-disc games, the GUI now attempts to auto-detect other discs and supports changing to any found disc in the Emulation > Change Disc menu
This is based solely on the filename including “(Disc N)”, and it will only search in the same directory as the loaded disc’s CUE/CHD file
If auto-detection fails to find other discs or to switch to a non-auto-detected disc, a “Select file…” option remains available
Improvements
Emulator backends can now receive input updates at any time rather than just once per frame, which may decrease input latency in some titles depending on when they read inputs
Note this behavior is greatly influenced by sync settings; enabling VSync and frame time sync results in most input updates occurring near the start of the vertical blanking period (similar to prior behavior)
Horizontal blur shaders now blend colors in sRGB color space rather than linear color space
Though this diverges from ideal image processing standards, it produces colors that closely match what appears on a TV using contemporary video cables (e.g., RF or composite)
Fixes
(Genesis) Many invalid memory address reads now yield open bus rather than a hardcoded 0xFFFF value; this resolves Sonic 3D Blast: Director’s Cut freezing when a password unlocking the final stage is entered (#630)
(Genesis / SMS / Game Gear) Enhanced emulation accuracy for the Z80’s R register updates during/after each instruction (some titles read the R register for pseudo-randomness)
(Sega CD) Fixed The Smurfs being incorrectly auto-detected as US/NTSC instead of EU/PAL (#624)
(NES) When the PPU is in greyscale mode, palette RAM reads through PPUDATA now consistently have the 4 hue bits masked out (#551)
(GBA) Resolved issues with certain (officially) undefined ARM opcodes causing the emulator to crash (#629)
On Windows, implemented a workaround for a color space bug that occasionally made colors appear overly dark when using the Vulkan backend with an AMD GPU
Removed Features
The OpenGL wgpu backend option has been eliminated. The OpenGL backend lacks certain features compared to the Vulkan/DX12/WebGPU backends, leading to problems during the implementation of new shaders, prompting its removal as an option.