blueMSX 2.1 Released!

A christmas release for blueMSX that now features Colecovision support as well! Here is what is new in this version:

• first surprise is version 2.1 of blueMSX with support for the ColecoVision console, that can be viewed as a MSX1 prototype
• second surprise is version 1.1 of the blueMSX Launcher, developed by Sam Elsharif ; this version has a great manual and the launcher can scan all your disks to create 2 databases, one for the games and one for the programs or applications. We also have the honour to include the brand new C-BIOS 0.19.
• Added support for disabling real floppy drive timing
• Added selection for enabling/disabling saving configuration in Windows registry
• Improved disk metric detection
• Updated machines, including one with the brand new C-BIOS 0.19
• Fixed bug that caused returning from A1 internal software back to VShell to fail.
• Fixed bug in the Panasonic Rom Mapper that made FS-A1WSX machines crash
• Fixed bug in the VDP Command engine that made graphics corrupt in Eidolon
• Fixed Screen 3 rendering bug
• Fixed Interlace bug in GigaMix game
• Fixed bug in PSG that made notes hang in Sex Bomb Bunny
• Fixed mouse bug in ROM disk magazines
• Fixed bug in PCM playback that made some samples to be played too slow
• Fixed bug in file associations that did not update associations for newly installed versions of the emulator
• Fixed bug in Cassette Auto Rewind that made rewind fail when a cassette from the history was selected
• Fixed bug in cas and caszip arguments for the command line
• Fixed bug that made the casinfo directory not created correctly
• Fixed bug in R800 frequency selector list
• Fixed bug in Cassette saving that added trash at the end of the file
• Fixed bug in Drag & Drop that made files with spaces sometimes fail

You can get the new version from here.

The MSX Resource Center released the results of their MSX Emulator Comparison today. Blue MSX takes the first place. Here is a pressrelease on that out today (31-01-05) on this topic:

Amsterdam (the Netherlands) – January 31, 2005 – Today the MSX Resource Center published the results of an MSX emulator comparison. Twelve MSX emulators have been put to the test. The relatively new emulator BlueMSX 2.1 ranks first, followed closely by the open source initiative openMSX 0.5.0. The performance of several MSX emulators proved emulating a 20 year old computer system is a lot harder than it seems. Many classic videogames that played a key role in the history of gaming were released on the MSX platform in the past. MSX emulation makes it possible to enjoy these games like like Final Fantasy 1, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Vampire Killer (Castlevania) on any modern PC. This Emulator Comparison is the second edition of the first emulator comparison ever.

The MSX Emulator comparison can be found over here

About the test

The test aims at giving both advanced and novice users a helping hand in choosing a suitable emulator. The emulators are judged not only by their technical features and accuracy, but also by sound quality and ease of use. The test also features the first emulator that is officially recognized by the developers of the original platform: MSXPLAYer. MSXPLAYer is put on the market by the Japanese company MSX Association as part of a project that aims to commercially revive the MSX computer platform.

About MSX Resource Center

The Dutch foundation MSX Resource Center hosts a website (www.msx.org) completely dedicated to the 8bit home computer system MSX. Millions of MSX computers were sold during the 1980s and early 1990s, mainly in Europe and Japan. The website not only brings the latest news on the activities of the still highly active MSX community, but also offers an active discussion platform and a freeware downloads section in order to support the activities of the MSX community and to bring the MSX computer system under the attention of an ever growing audience.

For more information on the Emulator Comparison, the MSX Revival or the MSX Resource Center in general, feel free to contact us at press@msx.org, or visit our website at http://www.msx.org/.