emulators

This is HoloLens running your favorite Nintendo video games

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Fri, 09/09/2016 - 16:24

A quick demonstration of running some Nintendo game emulation on the Microsoft HoloLens.

You can now play old Nintendo and Sega ROMs on Windows 10 with an Xbox controller

Submitted by John Callaham on Fri, 09/09/2016 - 12:06

The developer behind the Nesbox console emulator has released its Windows 10 UWP app. It allows people to play old Nintendo and Sega console ROMs on Windows 10 PCs, Windows 10 Mobile phones and even the Microsoft HoloLens.

Purple Cherry X picks up MOGA controller support and more in latest update

Submitted by Sam Sabri on Mon, 03/24/2014 - 16:04

We reviewed Purple Cherry X for Windows Phone nearly a month ago. It’s a relatively new GameBoy Advance emulator for Windows Phone that promised to bring support for MOGA controllers in a future update. That future update is now here and we’re sure there are a handful of you looking forward to it. Let’s check out the latest version of Purple Cherry X.

Purple Cherry X Review: a new GameBoy Advance emulator for Windows Phone

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Fri, 02/28/2014 - 16:30

The Windows Phone gaming emulation scene is dominated by a few prolific developers: Duc Le (who took over for M.k), Andre Botelho, and Samuel Blanchard. Samuel created two emulators in the early days of Windows Phone (Purple Cherry and Blue Tomato) before largely disappearing from the scene for a couple of years.

Loyal Windows Phone readers learned what Samuel had been up to when we interviewed him last year. While busy with other commitments, he continued to plug away on a new GameBoy Advance emulator for Windows Phone 8. Today that emulator finally showed up on the Store as Purple Cherry X. Although Purple Cherry X lags behind competing emulator VBA8 in a few key areas, it also brings an entirely new perspective and features of its own. Read on for our full review.

Nintendo emulators for Windows Phone get new menu themes and enhancements

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Sat, 02/08/2014 - 19:17

A while back, French developer M.k created a trio of well-loved emulators for Windows Phone 8 based on classic Nintendo platforms: SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8. Eventually M.k grew tired of Windows Phone development and surrendered his emulators to a new developer: Duc Le. And since then, Duc has worked tirelessly to add new features to all three emulators such as the much-requested MOGA controller support.

All three of Duc’s emulators have received significant updates recently, enhancing the appearance of their user interfaces, improving menu support while using MOGA controllers, and more. Head past the break for full details!

New developers bring Nintendo emulators back to Windows Phone 8

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Tue, 12/10/2013 - 14:42

As November and American Thanksgiving drew to a close, Windows Phone classic gaming fans experienced a bit of a shock. Indie developer M.k’s three Nintendo console emulators SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8 all disappeared from the Store. Naturally Windows Phone Central stepped in to reveal why the emulators had been delisted. It turns out that M.k had passed development duties on to a new programmer, who would soon be relisting the emulators.

Less than two weeks later, all three emulators are now back on the Store (yes, we’re a tad late on this). The new developer has big plans for these Nintendo emulators. Learn about them (and a competing GameBoy Advance emulator called GBA8) after the break!

Popular emulators SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8 vanish from the Windows Phone Store again

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Fri, 11/29/2013 - 10:53

Windows Phone emulation fans might have noticed that three classic game system emulators have disappeared from the Store: SNES8x (a Super Nintendo emulator), VBA8 (a GameBoy Advance emulator), and VGBC8 (a Gameboy Color emulator). As of press time, the Windows 8 versions of the same apps are still available.

All three emulators came from a developer named M.k who publicly retired from mobile Windows development in August. M.k’s emulators previously vanished from the Store only to reappear shortly thereafter. Why have they gone away once more, and will they return once again? Windows Phone Central has the full scoop on the future of SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8. Head past the break for all the details!

EmiPSX Review: the first Playstation emulator for Windows Phone 8

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Fri, 11/15/2013 - 13:37

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Not long ago, we covered a Sega Genesis emulator for Windows Phone 8 called EmiGens Plus. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive was a terrific console, but many gamers would still love to play newer console games on their phones. Thanks to EmiGens’ developer Andre Botelho, now they can!

After months in beta, Andre’s Playstation One emulator EmiPSX is now live on the Windows Phone Store. The emulator has fairly limited compatibility and can’t run games at full speed on current Windows Phone 8 hardware, but it’s still a very promising release for Playstation emulation fans. Head past the break for full review with video!

EMU7800: the first emulator for Windows Phone with MOGA Pro Controller support

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Fri, 10/04/2013 - 14:27

Not long ago, Spectral Souls became the second Windows Phone 8 game with MOGA Pro Controller support. More games will surely follow, though not at the pace gamers would probably like. MOGA manufacturer Power A’s reluctance to officially acknowledge Windows Phone 8 in product packaging and marketing materials has naturally led to a tepid response from Windows Phone developers, including the all-important Gameloft.

I’ve always maintained that emulators are where the MOGA Pro Controller has the most potential on Windows Phone 8. Sadly, none of the Nintendo or Sega emulators support it just yet. But we recently learned about one that does: EMU7800 from Mike Murphy. An Atari 7800 and 2600 emulator isn’t the most exciting use for a $50 controller add-on, but it’s a start!

EMU7800 itself is a promising emulator for both Windows Phone 7 and 8, though its respect for copyright law and several rough edges need improvement. Head past the break for our full impressions!

Play 16-bit and 8-bit Sega games on Windows Phone 8 with EmiGens Plus

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Sun, 09/22/2013 - 13:01

Back in August, we regretfully announced that popular emulator developer M.k would be retiring from Windows Phone development and allowing his apps to disappear from the Store. M.k’s apps are still around for the time being, but the emulation torch has essentially been passed on. And who came forward to pick it up and create new emulators? Andre Botelho, that’s who.

Andre has two emulators on the Store (EmiGens Plus and EmiNES) and a third (EmiPSX) in development. EmiGens Plus is the first Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive emulator for Windows Phone. It also happens to run Sega Master System and Game Gear games, making it a great value for classic gaming fans.

Check out our hands on video, impressions, and game recommendations after the break!

Snes8x, VBA8, and VGBC8 once again available, for free on the Windows Phone Store

Submitted by Rich Edmonds on Tue, 08/06/2013 - 16:25

We just reported on three emulators being removed from the Windows Phone Store, but now we're pleased to relay news that the apps are once again available. Developed by M.k, Snes8x (Super Nintendo), VBA8 (GameBoy Advance), and VGBC8 (GameBoy Color) were spotted to be M.I.A and immediate reaction led to speculation that Microsoft had started cracking down on emulator apps.

Meet the developer behind several popular gaming emulators for Windows Phone

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Sun, 06/30/2013 - 16:54

With the scarcity of certain types of games on Windows Phone, many players turn to emulators to get their fix. Emulators allow us to play titles designed for older videogame consoles on our phones. Download an emulator and you’ll have access to hundreds of classic games, assuming you can find the ROMs (software images) for those games. Some people consider playing old games via emulation to be software piracy, while everybody else marvels at just how cool it is to play those old games on the go.

The gaming emulators on Windows Phone come from two key developers, M.k and Samuel Blanchard. Today we bring you an in-depth interview with Samuel, the French developer who created Purple Cherry (a GameBoy Color emulator) and Blue Tomato (a Sega Master System emulator). Read on to learn about the challenges of porting emulators to Windows Phone and what Samuel’s next projects will be!

Play GameBoy and GameBoy Color games on Windows Phone 8 with VGBC8

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Fri, 04/12/2013 - 19:12

Classic gaming fans love emulators because they allow us to revisit beloved older games on the hardware we own now. And if you enjoy emulation on Windows Phone 8, you’re probably familiar with the work of indie developer M.k. He has already provided us with two fine emulators: Snes8x (a Super Nintendo emulator) and VBA8 (a GameBoy Advance emulator).

VBA8 is great for dudes and dudettes who want to play GameBoy Advance games on their Windows Phone 8 devices, but it doesn’t run original GameBoy and GameBoy Color games. Well, now we can finally play those games thanks to M.k’s release of VGBC8, the first Windows Phone 8-specific GameBoy/GameBoy Color emulator.

Read on for screenshots and our full impressions or watch the video!

Play GameBoy Advance games on Windows Phone 8 with VBA8

Submitted by Paul Acevedo on Sun, 02/24/2013 - 09:41

Sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough of certain game types on Windows Phone, such as RPGs and strategy games. Sure, we have a few of each to choose from, but it’s still slim pickings for the avid gamer. You know one portable platform that had an unabashedly great library? The GameBoy Advance, a color portable handheld console released back in the innocent year 2001.

Now ‘m.k’ – the developer of the Snes8x emulator, has brought the excellence of the GBA library to Windows Phone with a new emulator: VBA8. Like Snes8x before it, VBA8 uses the power of Windows Phone 8 (not 7) to accurately recreate a classic gaming experience.

Relive the good ol' days with a Super Nintendo emulator for Windows Phone 8

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Fri, 01/18/2013 - 16:34

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Ah, Super Nintendo. 1991 was a good time because video games were really just starting to get big and the SNES system was leading the pack for 16-bit gaming. The console is still revered by many to this day.

Now combine it with the power of Windows Phone 8’s dual core CPUs, extra RAM and high resolution display and you have an ideal gaming platform—assuming the developer gets it right. Luckily for us, developer m.k. nails with his free Snes8x app for Windows Phone.

An NES emulator comes to Windows Phone and we put it through its paces

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Tue, 04/17/2012 - 05:14

Game emulators are a lil' pastime around WPCentral. What can we say other than we like our old games as much as our new Xbox LIVE ones? We've covered Purple Cherry (Gameboy) and Blue Tomato (for you Sega fans) and now we're very happy to see Nudua's vNESLight come to the Windows Phone Marketplace for emulating games from the Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated as NES).

Version 1.0 of the emulator actually arrived two weeks ago after a two-month hold up by Microsoft and v1.1 is about to go live in a few days with some minor bug fixes. Version 1.0 now features Skydrive support, including recognition of ZIP and RAR files making ROM imports very easy. You can also save your games to Skydrive too in case you want to switch devices and the UI has been re-worked to be more "Metro".

Emulation of Nintendo games also now supports sounds from varying bitrate quality (8000, 22050 and 44100 Hz) as well as Auto-frame skip for older Gen 1 devices. But if you're like us with a Titan, Titan II, Focus S or Lumia device, you can easily run at no skips and max bitrate. Audio emulation is pretty good but there are distortions here and there, but since we know sound emulation is hard stuff, we're just glad it's here.

Other features include the ability to pin any game to your Start screen for 1-touch launching, a recently-played section, redesigned virtual controls and overall just a fluid UI. We still find Purple Cherry/Blue Tomato to have a little more pizzazz in terms of design but ultimately this is about the emulator and the developer, Nudua, has done a bang-up job there making this a must have for any serious NES fans out there.

The app comes in two versions: free (with minimally intrusive ads) or $0.99 with no ads. Both versions have the same feature set so it's up to you with what you prefer (we always opt for the paid version, but that's us).

Update: Nudua let us know that the crackling sound will be fixed in an upcoming update, just a temporary hitch.

Gameboy Pocket emulator for Windows Phone now available on the Marketplace [Video]

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Thu, 03/15/2012 - 14:58

We first broke the news that the developer behind Blue Tomato (aka Sonic's Jewels, the Sega Master emulator) was wrapping up work on Purple Cherry.

Purple Cherry, in keeping up with generic, non-copyright infringing names, is the re-working on Wario's Jewels (WJ7), a Gameboy Pocket emulator that came out last year but was only homebrew i.e. you had to sideload it to your device. That prevented many of you from using it as you need a developer unlocked device to enjoy that feature.

While WJ7 was nice, it also lacked the finesse that Blue Tomato had like Skydrive support and that beautiful new UI. So the developer, BeGood1 Soft, reworked various aspects including improving the core emulator, giving reportedly much better performance during game plays across devices.

Overall, this looks to be a killer purchase if you like playing old school games on your phone, so it seems well worth the price of $1.29 should you choose to buy it after using the free trial.

(Note: For initial release, there is no sound. But like Blue Tomato, Purple Cherry will be getting sound emulation in the near future. Stay tuned as we'll keep you posted.)

Pick it up here in the Marketplace and let us know in comments if you like it or not.

Gameboy Pocket emulator coming to Windows Phone Marketplace soon [Screenshots]

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 09:30

For those of you who remember Warrio's Jewels (WJ7), a sideloaded/homebrew Gameboy emulator, you'll be pleased to know that it has been renamed to 'Purple Cherry' and is on its way to the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Yes this is from the same developer who brought us the Sega Gamegear emulator, Sonic's Jewels which was later renamed to 'Blue Tomato' (due to copyright infringement). In trying to avoid the same legal issues, the developer has opted for a renaming and rebranding before submission this time and the emulator is expected to pass.

New images show that Purple Cherry is using the same design as Blue Tomato, something we're all for as it has an excellent layout with bold, clear fonts and UI elements. What's more, many fixes and improvements have gone into this updated emulator with more games running smoothly now e.g. Kid Icarus, WarioLand 2 and better Pokemon playability. In addition, SkyDrive support is there too allowing easy loading of ROMs to the emulator.

No word on pricing but we bet the same $1.49 price range can be expected. We'll follow up more as we get closer to release.

Source: Facebook

Sega Master System & Game Gear emulator now in the Windows Phone Marketplace

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 09:39

The Sega Master System and Game Gear emulator for Windows Phone which allows you to load up ROMs is now live in the Marketplace! Going by the name of Sonic's Jewels (SJ7), the app fetches for a fair $1.29 with a free trial.

In our preview a few days ago (see video after the break) we gave the emulator high praise for being extremely well designed with fluid transitions and numerous options including:

Pinnable games to the Start screen with Live Tiles
Three save slots per game; instant resume
Skydrive support for importing games
Frame skips for 1st Gen devices
Portrait & Landscape support

Needless to say, we really like it. The one down side that as of right now, there is no sound emulation. But guess what? The developer has solved this problem and the next update brings full sound emulation to the mix. Don't believe us? Head past the break for a demonstration.

Sneak Peek: SEGA emulator for Windows Phone 7 [Video]

Submitted by Daniel Rubino on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 17:45

We mentioned Sonic's Jewels (SJ7) the other day as coming to Windows Phone. The SEGA Game Gear and Master System emulator has been submitted to the Windows Phone Marketplace and should be made available to all in the next few days. Coming with a free trial, the emulator will ultimately fetch for $1.29 which we find to a great price for this well designed app.

We've playing with it for a few days now and while there is currently no sound (the devs are hoping to get that working in the future) we found the emulation and presentation top notch. The app is fluid, intuitive to use and has built in Skydrive support for importation of your ROM collection. With the ability for three saved-states per game, pinnable Live Tiles for each game and the excellent progress indicators, we're very impressed with the effort here.

We'll keep you posted when Sonic's Jewels goes live in the Marketplace in the next few days. Until then, enjoy our video tour.

Update: This app is now known as Blue Tomato.