BlueMSX
Encyclopedia
blueMSX is an open source
MSX
emulator
that uses an emulation model to achieve the highest level of accuracy possible. It is available for the Microsoft Windows
operating system. It has been translated into 14 different languages. blueMSX includes a powerful debugger with support for several assembly formats and a machine configuration editor that allows advanced users to set up practically any MSX computer system ever made.
Like many other MSX emulators, blueMSX started as a clone of fMSX
in September 2003. The feature that made the first release, in November 2003, unique to the MSX emulator scene at the time, was the addition of monitor simulation. This feature made the video output look like an old TV or a monitor.
Initially, blueMSX's emulation was quite poor and suffered from the same limitations and flaws as its mother fMSX. However, the next six months the development focused on improving and replacing the misbehaving emulation code, as well as redesigning the software architecture. With better architecture, emulation of new devices became easier, and wasn't very long before most audio devices and ROM types were supported.
In August 2004 blueMSX became the first MSX emulator to support skins.
In November 2004, blueMSX was finally 100% free of fMSX code. The November release was also a big milestone since it brought support for the Turbo-R, the last MSX produced. On top of that, it was the first release that included emulation for the ColecoVision
and the Spectravideo
SV-328
.
Since the November 2004 milestone, developer focus has been on improving the user interface and emulation accuracy, as well as extending the emulation to include more exotic devices such as the Konami Keyboard Master, an unreleased speech synthesis ROM.
Recently, the emulator has added support for the SG-1000
computer systems and emulation of other systems such as SMS
is on the roadmap.
Most hardware released for the MSX system is emulated and the emulator includes a configuration editor to mimic real MSX systems by choosing components such as floppy drives, memory, sound chips and video chips. Several pre-configured machines are available for users that don't want to build their own machines.
Common emulator features are supported, like screen shots, AVI rendering, and a cheat system. The emulator has a theme based GUI with buttons to control the emulation, a virtual keyboard
, and controls to change sound and video settings runtime.
blueMSX is capable of emulating major sound chips including programmable sound generator (AY-3-8910
SN76489
) sound chip
s, Konami SCC
, Moonsound
(OPL4
), FM-PAC (YM2413
), MSX-AUDIO (Y8950 sound chip) and a couple of different PCM devices. The volume and pan of each sound chip can be configured in a basic mixer.
blueMSX simulates six different monitor types, from sharp modern monitors to old TV sets. The emulator has controls for real time modification of gamma, brightness, contrast, saturation and color shifting, and it supports horizontal and vertical stretch, as well as a slider for adaptable scanlines on all monitor modes to make the ratio of the video output match a real system. It also supports multiple video sources, for example an external 80 column card.
blueMSX includes a graphical debugger with register windows, memory windows, call stack windows, breakpoints, trace and other features. This makes blueMSX a good development platform for the supported systems.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
that uses an emulation model to achieve the highest level of accuracy possible. It is available for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system. It has been translated into 14 different languages. blueMSX includes a powerful debugger with support for several assembly formats and a machine configuration editor that allows advanced users to set up practically any MSX computer system ever made.
History
Despite being a relatively new emulator, blueMSX has become one of the most accurate and user friendly emulators available since its 2003 debut.Like many other MSX emulators, blueMSX started as a clone of fMSX
FMSX
fMSX is a portable MSX emulator written by Marat Fayzullin, one of the pioneers of modern computer emulation. It is one of the earliest MSX emulators, and is also the most ported. fMSX is written in C with emphasis on portability. fMSX was a very influential and a number of emulators started as...
in September 2003. The feature that made the first release, in November 2003, unique to the MSX emulator scene at the time, was the addition of monitor simulation. This feature made the video output look like an old TV or a monitor.
Initially, blueMSX's emulation was quite poor and suffered from the same limitations and flaws as its mother fMSX. However, the next six months the development focused on improving and replacing the misbehaving emulation code, as well as redesigning the software architecture. With better architecture, emulation of new devices became easier, and wasn't very long before most audio devices and ROM types were supported.
In August 2004 blueMSX became the first MSX emulator to support skins.
In November 2004, blueMSX was finally 100% free of fMSX code. The November release was also a big milestone since it brought support for the Turbo-R, the last MSX produced. On top of that, it was the first release that included emulation for the ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
and the Spectravideo
Spectravideo
Spectravideo, or SVI, was a U.S. computer company founded in 1981 as "SpectraVision" by Harry Fox. They originally made video games for Atari 2600 and VIC-20. Some of their computers were MSX-compliant or IBM PC compatible...
SV-328
SV-328
The SV-328 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Spectravideo in June 1983. It was the business-targeted model of the Spectravideo range, sporting a rather crowded full-travel keyboard with numeric keypad. It had 80 kB RAM , a respectable amount for its time...
.
Since the November 2004 milestone, developer focus has been on improving the user interface and emulation accuracy, as well as extending the emulation to include more exotic devices such as the Konami Keyboard Master, an unreleased speech synthesis ROM.
Recently, the emulator has added support for the SG-1000
SG-1000
The SC-3000 was the computer equivalent of the SG-1000.The SC-3000 sold for ¥29,800 in 1983 and was marketed as a computer for beginners...
computer systems and emulation of other systems such as SMS
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
is on the roadmap.
Feature highlights
The emulation engine in blueMSX is cycle accurate, which means that the timing and synchronization between emulated hardware components appear the same as on a real MSX. The goal is to replicate each individual component as accurate as possible, which means that the emulator require a more high end PC than emulators optimized for speed.Most hardware released for the MSX system is emulated and the emulator includes a configuration editor to mimic real MSX systems by choosing components such as floppy drives, memory, sound chips and video chips. Several pre-configured machines are available for users that don't want to build their own machines.
Common emulator features are supported, like screen shots, AVI rendering, and a cheat system. The emulator has a theme based GUI with buttons to control the emulation, a virtual keyboard
Virtual keyboard
A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows a user to enter characters. A virtual keyboard can usually be operated with multiple input devices, which may include a touchscreen, an actual keyboard and a computer mouse.- Types :...
, and controls to change sound and video settings runtime.
blueMSX is capable of emulating major sound chips including programmable sound generator (AY-3-8910
General Instrument AY-3-8910
The AY-3-8910 is a 3-voice Programmable Sound Generator designed by General Instrument, initially for use with their 16-bit CP1610 or one of the PIC1650 series of 8-bit microcomputers...
SN76489
Texas Instruments SN76489
The SN76489 Digital Complex Sound Generator is a TTL-compatible Programmable Sound Generator chip from Texas Instruments. It contains three square wave tone generators and one white noise generator, each of which can produce sounds at various frequencies and sixteen different volume levels...
) sound chip
Sound chip
A sound chip is an integrated circuit designed to produce sound . It might be doing this through digital, analog or mixed-mode electronics...
s, Konami SCC
Konami SCC
The Konami SCC is a custom sound chip that was developed by Konami with Yamaha. It is one of several sound/memory management chips Konami developed in-house that ended up in use in home computer and video game systems from the late 1980s into the 1990s until the fourth generation systems were...
, Moonsound
Moonsound
Moonsound was the name of a sound card released for the MSX home-computer system at the Tilburg computer fair in 1995. The name Moonsound originated from the software Moonblaster that was written for people to use this hardware plug-in synthesizer.- History :...
(OPL4
Yamaha (manufacturer)
is a multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, electronics, motorcycles and power sports equipment.-History:...
), FM-PAC (YM2413
Yamaha YM2413
The YM2413, aka OPLL, is a cost-reduced FM synthesis sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed...
), MSX-AUDIO (Y8950 sound chip) and a couple of different PCM devices. The volume and pan of each sound chip can be configured in a basic mixer.
blueMSX simulates six different monitor types, from sharp modern monitors to old TV sets. The emulator has controls for real time modification of gamma, brightness, contrast, saturation and color shifting, and it supports horizontal and vertical stretch, as well as a slider for adaptable scanlines on all monitor modes to make the ratio of the video output match a real system. It also supports multiple video sources, for example an external 80 column card.
blueMSX includes a graphical debugger with register windows, memory windows, call stack windows, breakpoints, trace and other features. This makes blueMSX a good development platform for the supported systems.