Have you tried Retro Virtual Machine? Found about it a while ago and was pleasant surprised. Have not tested other systems but for ZX Spectrum machines really loved the functionality and even the aesthtetic.
I have the retro games spectrum and I like how they re-created the original feel with it. Regarding PC emulators I found ZesarUX a nice one, it emulates a plethora of systems, even the newer ones like the Spectrum Next or ZX-Uno and it has a lot of options.
It's a good emulator, I registered it many years ago when I was a Windows XP and Windows 7 user but having rid myself of my Microsoft abuser since support for Windows 7 ended, I stick with Linux stuff these days - though Spectaculator did run very well under WINE on Linux when I tried it some years ago. These days I stick with FUSE. The interface is "clunky" to say the least, but it does work well.
I was looking at FUSE running under Linux. I think it has an SDL version for the full screen issue. This route seemed to fit better with my setup and the USB update of the Spectrum keyboard.
Spectaculator comes with a full set of BIOS files. I think most of the emulators do as I guess the code doesn't seem to be under any strict copyright rules.
@BytesNBits it's a better solution for me as I'm not good at tinkering around with things. I want to learn basic though as I want to use basic to learn C+, so it should be a good investment.
I been building a database of ZX Specturm emulators for years now been too lazy to make a video but overall depends what you want from a emulator and the best but unsupported is realspec from ramsoft has rom support for swifttec disc system among some odd ball ones and yet whats stable and able to transfer data from your pc to spectrum media also ram usage and cpu I have to say speculator is in the top 3 along with zx spin 0.7
I must admit my criteria for best boiled down to full screen and ability to save. Probably not a very in depth analysis :) I'll have to give those recommendations a go. Thanks.
Thanks. I gave the ZXBaremulator a go a while back. Great for playing games but didn't have any save features, even snapshots. You can get it to output to the sound card to record the saves but just to hit and miss and very awkward.
It is great, BUT for whatever reason, the guy who made it just will not respond to emails in any capacity for support. I lost my key and emailed him for help in retrieving it but got zero reply. A great shame as the emulator is genuinely excellent but the absolute lack of support needs to be addressed.
Yes. There seems to be some recent activity for the mobile devices versions but nothing on the Windows. I guess the project is at a very low priority for the developer.
You can do the same thing with mame. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles and the UI is pathetic like it's from 1980. Unfortunately the dev who made it refuses to acknowledge modern ui standards and thinks he's a god lol. Treat it as more of a period-correct experience faffing about with a lot of pointless archaic stuff to achieve the end result lol. But you can certainly load and run games full screen without any major issues. In mame.ini set the option to go full screen by looking for OSD VIDEO OPTIONS and setting Window to 0. The keyboard mapping is going to be different too. The basic instructions for mame is use the tab menu to go into file manager and mount a cassette image. Using ESC back out to the emulated screen. Press SCRLOCK to enable the emulated spectrum keyboard (PC functions are disabled). Press J (LOAD will show) then hold right shift and press P twice ( " " will show). Press Enter. Press SCRLOCK to enable the PC keyboard. Go to the TAB menu and select TAPE CONTROL and select Play. The game will load like usual. If you hold INSERT the emulation will run as fast as your PC can run it, thus speeding up the tape loading. When loading is done release insert key and press SCRLOCK to enable the Spectrum keyboard. I tested with PSSST and it works fine selecting Kempston joystick and it uses arrow keys on keyboard and ctrl to fire. Best part is mame is free and also runs a million other things too :-)
Those instructions sound about right for using MAME :) I find it great for arcade machines but must admit I've never really tried it for anything else.
@@BytesNBits Give it a try you'll be surprised to see what weird and wonderful systems are supported. Just bear in mind the simplified UI because it has to cover 1000's of systems.
So what do you recommend then? I did register Spectaculator some years ago but that was when I was using Windows XP and Windows 7. I've since stopped using Windows completely (Windows 8 and beyond are not even operating systems by my standards) and just use Linux. Spectaculator did run fine under WINE on Linux but I'm completely done with any Windows applications nowadays unless there's no reasonable alternative under Linux. (No, I don't use MS Office or Adobe's trash.) Under Linux, I use FUSE - it works extremely well but has a "clunky" interface, so always interested in other options.
I guess the best depends on what you feel are the important bits. For me good emulation was the basic requirement. The full screen and tape controls make this one my choice.
Blinking flip! I have been using this emulator for over 20 years and I never knew about those extra plugins! Thanks for pointing that out
I've been using Fuse for 20 years and never tried this emulator until now!!
Have you tried Retro Virtual Machine? Found about it a while ago and was pleasant surprised. Have not tested other systems but for ZX Spectrum machines really loved the functionality and even the aesthtetic.
Retro virtual machine is another great emulator for Windows Mac and Linux.Speculator is one of my favourites as well.
Plugins? Those are all standard settings that have been there for ages...
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about the emulator, fantastic
No problem. Hope you enjoyed it.
The Spectrum from Retro Games, i highly recommend 👌. Great video
Looks like a great piece of kit. Thanks.
I have the retro games spectrum and I like how they re-created the original feel with it. Regarding PC emulators I found ZesarUX a nice one, it emulates a plethora of systems, even the newer ones like the Spectrum Next or ZX-Uno and it has a lot of options.
Thanks for the info. I did try EesarUX but wasn't so keen on the user interface. Great emulation though!
It's a good emulator, I registered it many years ago when I was a Windows XP and Windows 7 user but having rid myself of my Microsoft abuser since support for Windows 7 ended, I stick with Linux stuff these days - though Spectaculator did run very well under WINE on Linux when I tried it some years ago.
These days I stick with FUSE. The interface is "clunky" to say the least, but it does work well.
I was looking at FUSE running under Linux. I think it has an SDL version for the full screen issue. This route seemed to fit better with my setup and the USB update of the Spectrum keyboard.
Do we have to worry about OS BIOS ROMS
Spectaculator comes with a full set of BIOS files. I think most of the emulators do as I guess the code doesn't seem to be under any strict copyright rules.
Дякую за відео , воно дуже корисне 👍
No problem. Hope you enjoyed it.
I wonder how this emulator compares to MisterFPGA with a CRT for accuracy.
I guess the hardware route will be more accurate but I think you'd have to look very closely to spot the differences.
used this before the retro Spectrum came out and before i brought the omni laptop by retro radionics. been using since 2014 Spectaculator emulator 8.0
The new hardware looks great. Have fun.
I'm using Retro Games The Spectrum for my Speccy needs.
Looks like a great machine.
@BytesNBits it's a better solution for me as I'm not good at tinkering around with things.
I want to learn basic though as I want to use basic to learn C+, so it should be a good investment.
Windows only, sadly.
Fuse being the free UNIX emulator is what I’ve used for the last 20 odd years.
Fuse is great and I think has the full screen feature on Linux. I just needed a Windows version.
I been building a database of ZX Specturm emulators for years now been too lazy to make a video but overall depends what you want from a emulator and the best but unsupported is realspec from ramsoft has rom support for swifttec disc system among some odd ball ones and yet whats stable and able to transfer data from your pc to spectrum media also ram usage and cpu I have to say speculator is in the top 3 along with zx spin 0.7
I must admit my criteria for best boiled down to full screen and ability to save. Probably not a very in depth analysis :) I'll have to give those recommendations a go. Thanks.
The best emulator for Android is Spectacol, in my opinion.
I haven't tried that one. Thanks for the info.
If you have a raspberry pi it is worth trying bare metal zx spectrum emulator.
Thanks. I gave the ZXBaremulator a go a while back. Great for playing games but didn't have any save features, even snapshots. You can get it to output to the sound card to record the saves but just to hit and miss and very awkward.
It is great, BUT for whatever reason, the guy who made it just will not respond to emails in any capacity for support. I lost my key and emailed him for help in retrieving it but got zero reply. A great shame as the emulator is genuinely excellent but the absolute lack of support needs to be addressed.
Yes. There seems to be some recent activity for the mobile devices versions but nothing on the Windows. I guess the project is at a very low priority for the developer.
Sorry for me Retro Virtual Machine wins hands down!
I hadn't come across that one. Looks really good. Thanks for the info.
You can do the same thing with mame. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles and the UI is pathetic like it's from 1980. Unfortunately the dev who made it refuses to acknowledge modern ui standards and thinks he's a god lol. Treat it as more of a period-correct experience faffing about with a lot of pointless archaic stuff to achieve the end result lol. But you can certainly load and run games full screen without any major issues. In mame.ini set the option to go full screen by looking for OSD VIDEO OPTIONS and setting Window to 0. The keyboard mapping is going to be different too. The basic instructions for mame is use the tab menu to go into file manager and mount a cassette image. Using ESC back out to the emulated screen. Press SCRLOCK to enable the emulated spectrum keyboard (PC functions are disabled). Press J (LOAD will show) then hold right shift and press P twice ( " " will show). Press Enter. Press SCRLOCK to enable the PC keyboard. Go to the TAB menu and select TAPE CONTROL and select Play. The game will load like usual. If you hold INSERT the emulation will run as fast as your PC can run it, thus speeding up the tape loading. When loading is done release insert key and press SCRLOCK to enable the Spectrum keyboard. I tested with PSSST and it works fine selecting Kempston joystick and it uses arrow keys on keyboard and ctrl to fire. Best part is mame is free and also runs a million other things too :-)
Those instructions sound about right for using MAME :) I find it great for arcade machines but must admit I've never really tried it for anything else.
@@BytesNBits Give it a try you'll be surprised to see what weird and wonderful systems are supported. Just bear in mind the simplified UI because it has to cover 1000's of systems.
android version is pants
I haven't tried that version. Maybe I'll give it a miss!!
It's not the best, it's not even top 3.
So what do you recommend then? I did register Spectaculator some years ago but that was when I was using Windows XP and Windows 7. I've since stopped using Windows completely (Windows 8 and beyond are not even operating systems by my standards) and just use Linux. Spectaculator did run fine under WINE on Linux but I'm completely done with any Windows applications nowadays unless there's no reasonable alternative under Linux. (No, I don't use MS Office or Adobe's trash.)
Under Linux, I use FUSE - it works extremely well but has a "clunky" interface, so always interested in other options.
I guess the best depends on what you feel are the important bits. For me good emulation was the basic requirement. The full screen and tape controls make this one my choice.
used this before the retro Spectrum came out and before i brought the omni laptop by retro radionics. been using since 2014 Spectaculator emulator 8.0
There are some nice new Spectrums out there. This emulator works well for me.