Latest revision as of 10:37, 15 February 2020

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Here are the currently accepted clone consoles.

Analogue

The Analogue consoles (Super NT, Mega SG and NT Mini) are allowed on SDA since their accuracy far surpasses any other clone systems. If any gameplay differences are noticed compared to the original hardware, your run could still get rejected or removed, so try to make sure any bugs that you're exploiting are present in the original as well. When submitting runs on these systems, if you use analog output, the console will output at the original framerate and no adjustments are required. However, using digital output (NTSC and PAL settings both), the choice of buffer modes on the Super NT and Mega SG affects how fast the system is running. In that case, you have to show the menu either before or after the run for which buffer mode you're using. In both cases, you must also show which firmware version you're using. Use the most recent firmware.

Super NT: Can be used to run SNES and Super Famicom games. The Buffer Mode is shown under "Video" -> "Advanced Mode" -> "Buffer Mode" and the firmware version is shown in the "About" menu.

• Fully Buffered: original speed 60.08hz, up to 1 frame of lag, drops 1 frame every 10 seconds but this is cosmetic and doesn't affect gameplay
• Zero Delay: downclocked to exactly 60hz, no lag, you lose roughly 1 second every 10 minutes
• Single Buffer: original speed 60.08hz, no lag but has screen tearing every 10 seconds
• if you choose the Zero Delay mode, we will convert the time to match the original consoles (60.08hz)

Mega SG: Can be used to run Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear games. The Buffer Mode is shown under "Video" -> "Advanced Mode" -> "Buffer Mode" and the firmware version is shown in the "About" menu.

• Fully Buffered: original speed 59.91hz, up to 1 frame of lag, 1 duplicate frame every 13 seconds but this is cosmetic and doesn't affect gameplay
• Zero Delay: sped up to exactly 60hz, no lag
• Single Buffer: original speed 59.91hz but has screen tearing every 13 seconds
• if you choose the Zero Delay mode, we will convert the time to match the original consoles (59.91hz for all).
• the Sega CD emulation might have more bugs than the others so be careful.
• Warning: The version 1.0 Game Gear adapter carts were defective and can damage the Mega SG after prolonged use.

NT Mini: Can be used to run NES and Famicom games. Firmware version shown under "Settings".

• runs at 60hz if you use digital output, 60.08hz if analogue
• if you use digital output, you're losing 1 second every 10 minutes, but we will compensate for this in timing

- None of these can be used to run other systems than they were natively designed to run. This means no emulated cores (e.g. Colecovision in the NT Mini). Any officially released adapters for getting games for other systems to run ARE allowed (e.g. Sega Master System on the Mega SG or Super Game Boy on the Super NT). The games may not run at the original framerate though, so tell us if this is how you're running them so we know what kind of time adjustment to use.

- You obviously can't run PAL games on NTSC settings to make them faster.

- Output methods in order of preference: HDMI or component > S-video > composite (except PAL in which S-video and composite are the same thing) > RF

- You can use any of a variety of audio/video settings that you feel are right, so long as these basic requirements are met:

1. You are not cropping the screen ("junk pixels" have to be left in).
2. All audio channels are heard and balanced.
3. No extreme/"out-there" settings are used for either video or audio.

It ultimately rests on the the verifiers to decide if your run meets these criteria.

- You may use the increased sprite limit option in the NT Mini (prevents flickering)

- Scanlines are not required.