The best Dendy emulators for PC and phone. The best game console emulators for Windows and Android

What is an emulator?

An emulator is a program with which you can play platformer games on your personal computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. It completely copies the principle of operation of the 8-bit console Dandy (Nintendo).

Step by step guide

Step 1. First of all, download the archive with the program to the corresponding device using one of the links below. After downloading the file, it must be unpacked into a separate folder.

Step 2. Double-click the left mouse button on the executable file (* .exe) from the unpacked archive with the STB emulator. A window like this will appear:

To the top

Step 3. Now go to the “File” menu and click on the line “Open …”. Using the dialog box that appears, find and select the game ROM file that has the .nes extension (or .zip if the file is zipped).

Now you can play Dandy on your computer, mobile phone or other appropriate device.

Most of these programs provide the ability to change settings – video filter, screen size, number of players, you can turn on / off the sound. The control takes place by means of the corresponding keys on the keyboard. You can also connect a joystick (this option is provided) – it is much more convenient.

All about 8-bit emulators

“Chip and Dale”, “Super Mario”, “The Addams Family”, “Aladdin”, “Felix the Cat”, “Tom and Jerry”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Flintons”, “Tiny Tun”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, ” The Chef’s House “,” Duck Tales “- for some, these are just the names of cartoons, while the hearts of others freeze in excitement at the mere recollection of Dandy’s games, the plots of which were borrowed from these beloved cartoons.

Modern Dandy Platforms

After 8-bit games, there were 16-bit games on SEGA, and every year the graphics and plot of arcades and adventure games only became more complicated, until it came to modern three-dimensional platforms with specially designed game consoles. Nevertheless, the developers took care of saving Dandy by inventing more convenient computer programs that emulate the operation of such devices on a personal computer instead of the consoles that have lost their relevance.

Over time, such opportunities have appeared for mobile devices. And if at first we were talking about the most primitive applications that did not have sound and constantly failed, then modern emulators have a lot of advantages even in comparison with stationary game consoles. And especially the high-quality work of such applications can be observed on smartphones running on such a powerful platform as Android, although the battery capacity of the gadget in use also plays an important role in this matter.

So, the larger the battery capacity, the better the games for the Dandy emulator on Android will go, and there will be much less failures during the launch and continuation of the process. In addition, specially for avid gamers, universal gamepad devices have been developed, which are an improved gaming joystick that can be connected to a smartphone, tablet and any other mobile device that supports this function.

This equipment greatly simplifies the game control process, in fact duplicating the old manipulators. If you wish, you can do without this device, using push-button or touch control of the Dandy simulator on Android or any other operating system on stationary PCs. This requires:

1. First of all, any Dandy emulator you like on Android is downloaded in Russian or some other language, if necessary.
2. The next step involves installing the APK (Android Package Kit) – a special package application so that the emulator can work specifically on this mobile device.
3. An emulator is not games, but just a program for playing them. That is, to start gaming on it, you need games, which you need to download separately as a whole package or one by one.
4. Games in the emulator appear under the code name ROM and this option should be used in order to select and run the desired file, unless, of course, the emulator has an autorun function. Moreover, all games in the list must support the nes format.

Do not forget about the settings of the Dendy emulator for Android, thanks to which you can customize the program for yourself and the features of your own smartphone or tablet PC, making its operation as convenient as possible.

To do this, just go to the menu of the emulator installed on the mobile device and set the desired parameters, remembering that the classic settings are usually set by default.

Comparison with the prefix

The modern NES emulator for Android has tons of advantages over set-top boxes, although of course there are still Dendy fans who are repairing their old devices or purchasing new re-releases of them. Nevertheless, in the latter case, it is more of a good old habit, because adapted emulators are more convenient and economical to use.

Among their advantages, the following are worth highlighting:

• No need to purchase game cartridges, since all games can be downloaded for free on almost any network resource.
• Saving space, since the emulator does not have a physical shell, it is stored in the memory of a personal computer or mobile device, and cartridges for it, which are also quite bulky, are not needed.
• Availability of simulators. Didn’t like one? You can always download another one, which will be more productive and convenient to use. The same can be said for 8-bit games, which can be changed like gloves.
• Ease of control due to the ability to connect a portable gamepad or change settings in a special menu that will allow you to change the physical control keys and add an enhanced Turbo mode, which affects the ability to jump, run fast and shoot with more power. In addition, users have the opportunity to change the aspect ratio parameters of the screen, minimizing it into a window or, on the contrary, expanding it to the entire display area of ​​the device, as well as turn on vibration when pressing the touch buttons, the size and configuration of which can also be changed.
• Another indisputable advantage of game emulators is the ability to enter the so-called cheat codes in a special line in the settings menu. This option allows the player to get superpower or some other unlimited possibilities, be it infinite lives and / or energy, lifting time limits for completing levels, gaining an invisible mask / shield, etc. To do this, simply activate the “On. cheats “and Game Genie, as well as register the appropriate path to the game (ROM), using any cheat directory.

In addition, game emulators can be used for online gaming by connecting additional players via wireless modules such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

To do this, you need to hold down the menu button until the “More” option and the multiplayer itself, through which the network connection will be made, are highlighted.

So, it is enough for one player to click on the Wi-Fi server to display his own address and port, and the second to connect to them so that he can participate in pair gaming. This way you can play Chip and Dale, Tanks, Lunnar Ball and many other interesting 8-bit games.

Best Dendy emulators (rating)

When there is a large selection of programs, the question always arises: “Which one is the best?” Let’s try to give an answer based on statistics.

In 2015, the DendyPlay.ru team conducted a survey among fans of 8-bit retro games. We asked which emulators do you use and which one do you think is the best of its kind.

In total, 247 people took part in the survey. The results are presented in the diagram:

So, we can conclude that the most preferred among others are: FCEUX (1st place) and Nestopia (2nd place). However, another model may be more suitable for you.

FCEUX

FCEUX – contains many different functions, which makes the passing of the games even more interesting! FCEUX has a pre-built hex editor, debug mode, video recording, full screen mode, joystick support …

Special features of FCEUX:
– FCEUX can load NES, UNF, NSF, FDS, RAR, ZIP and GZ files
– Supports various gamepads and joysticks
– Input configuration is provided for controllers setting
– Presets for user controls are available for quick change
– Save game progress at any time of the game
– The recording option is available for both audio and video files
– The emulator works on any version of Windows XP, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Windows 10 64-bit

BIOS

BIOS stands for “Basic Input Output System” – basic input-output system. This is a program written in the device’s permanent memory used to control a console or a gaming machine. Emulator programmers do not emulate the BIOS itself, because it can be copied from the original device already in its finished form. Hence, in some emulators, you may need the BIOS of the system itself. Although this is typical only for new emulators – sooner or later the author of the emulator realizes that you should not force you to download an additional file if you need direct BIOS integration into the emulator, and the advantages of such systems are not very significant. Anyway, just keep in mind that some consoles may require a BIOS to emulate.

Dolphin

Dolphin is the only decent Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator. It works almost better than the game consoles themselves, which this software is supposed to emulate. In addition to anti-aliasing and quick save capabilities in games, you can play at 1080p. This feature was not available on the original consoles. Of course, there are also a few bugs, but there are not many of them. In addition, the work on the emulator is carried out by enthusiasts, so there can be no special complaints about them. All you need to know is that the emulator works almost perfectly, providing high-quality graphics and cozy gameplay.

Higan

This emulator is a continuation of Bsnes. The first version was released in 2005. Initially, the emulator worked under Windows, but then ports for Linux, OS X and FreeBSD appeared. It is an excellent NES emulator that is compatible with a very large number of different games.
The emulator continues to evolve – the author is actively working to maintain his project. In 2008, the British magazine WebUser recommended an emulator for all old school gamers. In 2009, a Japanese magazine advised all fans of old games to try the emulator in operation.

RetroCopy

RetroCopy is a very accurate 3D NES emulator, also supports Sega Genesis (Megadrive), Sega Master System (SMS) and Nintendo arcade systems. It lets you play classic console games on your PC. This emulator uses modern programming technologies, thanks to which it can show game covers, all kinds of tips, reviews and screenshots. It supports emulation of SVP chip, work with game controllers, including light pistols, and so on.

With RetroCopy, you can view classic games in 3D and browse through the virtual game store. You can rate each individual game, write reviews and notes, thereby allowing people around the world to familiarize themselves with your gaming experience.

The developers have tried to make the interface as clear as possible. Using the emulator is not difficult at all. In addition to a simple, intuitive interface, the emulator has other advantages. The most important of these is the very high level of accuracy in simulating gaming hardware. Both the graphics and the sound do not give rise to any complaints. RetroCopy supports save and has a built-in video player.

RetroArch

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android.

A multifunctional and multi-platform emulator that supports dozens of different consoles and engines, including Dendy. In RetroArch, you can customize almost everything – down to what shaders will be used in the process.

Most gamepads work with the program, it has streaming options and even achievements for many older games.

Retro8

Retro8 is one of the recent Dendy emulators on this list. It was created by the developers of SuperRetro 16, one of the best and most successful Super Nintendo emulators. It looks great on paper and boasts thousands of cheat codes, support for Bluetooth controllers, integration of in-game prompts, turbo mode, and light gun support. Plus, there is cloud sync across multiple devices.

The integration of tooltips in games is something new, we haven’t seen anything like it before. However, the application is quite recent and contains a number of bugs, especially with wireless controllers and some ROMs. We are confident that things will be better next year, so do not overlook it.

No $ GBA

This emulator began its journey into the gaming world as an emulator of the Gameboy Advanced system. But now it is the most versatile NIntendo DS emulator, and the only one that supports DSi. It is also the fastest emulator, which was not easy to provide given the dual displays and processors in the box itself. Some functions are missing in the emulator (for example WiFi and multiplayer), some games are not displayed perfectly. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, this emulator provides quite a comfortable game. There are a lot of settings here, so if you see a problem, it can most likely be solved by setting. there is also a debugging tool for developers.

Project 64

Project 64 is one of the most compatible with all games Nintendo 64 emulators. This program does not require a BIOS. The plugins are configured by default and everything works fine. The emulation of audio and video of the original set-top box works very well. There are not many settings here, so as not to complicate the life of the user. But there is support for multiplayer, support for cheats. You can adjust the scale of the screen, providing yourself the maximum convenience of the gameplay.

Plugins

A plugin is a software module with a defined standard interface for interacting with an emulator. Many emulator authors implement plugin support. This makes life much easier for them and allows them to focus on emulating the basics of a particular system and managing video, audio, etc. The plugin emulator is better compatible with different games. A variety of plugin configurations allow the user to choose the optimal set of modules for their PC. The set of plugins required for a particular game depends on the emulator.

Jnes

JNES is a Dendy Emulator (NES) for Windows. With it, you can take a break from modern games, the gameplay of which is often quite confusing, and enjoy the simple gameplay of classic arcade games on your computer.

The emulator can run game roms in NES and NSF formats. It reproduces graphics and sound well and also allows for a variety of game controllers. You can change sound settings, enable and disable certain audio channels. It can be run in both windowed and full screen mode. Both modes support adjusting the screen resolution so that you can adjust the picture according to your preferences.

The emulator supports saving and loading games. Hot keys can be set for these actions. You can customize keyboard settings, use controllers, and record gameplay. JNES also supports Pro Action Replay and Game Genie cheat codes. And of course, the emulator provides the possibility of cooperative play using the Kaillera service.

jNES is a very light application and does not require a significant amount of computer resources to run games. The load on the processor is completely invisible, even while recording a game video.

EmuBox

EmuBox is one of the newer emulators on this list. It adheres to the concept of “all in one” and in addition to “Dandy” includes emulators Nintendo DS, PlayStation, SNES, GBA and GBC. Basic functions such as saving and loading states are supported, as well as additional features such as fast rewind, hardware controllers, and various performance settings.

This emulator is easy to use and one of the few that support Material app design. Even cheats are supported. There are no ROMs included, but otherwise this is a great emulator with a minimum of drawbacks.

Mupen64plus

Another module for RetroArch, a universal emulator, which we will talk about at the very end of the article. Moreover, this module is the only one. There are a lot of settings here. If you wish, you can easily change a lot – both the color gamut of the display, and the sound, and everything that can be changed at all. There are ports for Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and Linux.

OpenEmu

Platform: macOS.

Stylish and easy-to-use emulator for macOS, reminiscent of iTunes. It supports 30 different set-top boxes and allows you to customize the controls for each of them. The most interesting thing about OpenEmu is a separate library for each emulated console. When you add a game there, the program automatically makes a backup of the file and loads a beautiful cover.

Kega Fusion

An almost perfect Sega emulator – and not just one Sega Mega console, but a whole series, including Genesis, Game Gear, Sega CD. Saturn and Dreamcast are not supported here. All other consoles are emulated perfectly, almost complete compatibility with games for supported platforms. It has cheat support, quick save, video and audio recording, online play, and support for various gamepads. Full screen mode, zoom and a range of video filters complete the capabilities of the emulator. Ports are available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

ROOM

ROM stands for “Read Only Memory” – read only memory, or ROM. The title may be a little confusing, but the ROM file is the file of a game developed for consoles. Game files are usually written as a physical copy on storage devices such as CDs or DVDs. In the case of Dendy, games were recorded on cartridges. But since many games can no longer be found on cartridges, most of the games for Dendy were ported as ISO images and thus saved from disappearance. Such files are easy to find on the Internet, but instead of Dendy, you can use the original NES name to expand your search to the whole world. For example, “Castlevania 1986 NES ROM”.

My nes

My NES is an open source, portable, low-level Nintendo Entertainment System emulator written in C #. The emulator perfectly supports games, most of them play without any flaws. The goal of this project is to recreate as accurately and elegantly as possible every piece of hardware that a game algorithm can rely on. My NES does not contain any game-specific hacks. My NES successfully passes all known NES tests.

Functions:

• A functional launcher that uses NesCart DB and SQLite to organize roms.
• Ability to save screenshots of the current game
• Launch the game in windowed or full-screen modes while maintaining the aspect ratio.
• The ability to record sound.
• Multilingual interface.
• The ability to save and load games.
• Multi-threaded game processing
• Supports broadcast formats: NTSC, PALB and DENDY.
• Implements all 5 NES audio channels, MMC5 and VRC6 external audio channels. The DC Blocker filter is also used.
• Sound recording and playback is performed in 44100 Hz – 16 bit – Mono quality.
• Supports up to four game controllers, gun Zapper and VSUnisystem DIP

Mapper

A mapper is a special chip built into the cartridge used to manage memory. They were very widely used in Dendy cartridges. Mappers allow you to slightly expand the capabilities of the console to implement certain special effects in games. Mappers were often used in pirate cartridges to implement menus (cartridges like 4 games in 1, 100 in 1, etc.). But not only pirates used them – many respected companies, in particular Konami and Nintendo, often put mappers in their cartridges to improve graphics and sound. The same mapper could be used in several games, but some of them were created for specific games. For example, for the game Virtua Racing, Sega has developed a special chip to implement vector graphics. Due to the lack of a critical file for the game, there is still no emulator (although it was re-released for the Nintendo Switch in the Sega Ages series). Therefore, the more mappers the emulator supports, the better its compatibility with different games.

NEStopia

Nestopia is one emulator that’s user-friendly and functional. Its easy access to settings, it gives you the ability to customize the screen size, rendering of the game video, as well as the ability to autoplay (so that the game status is automatically saved).

Notable features of NEStopia:
– Support for cheat codes
– Well-organized interface
– Wide range of options
– Customizable controls
– Ability to connect external devices
– Simulated 4 players can play one game from the 1st keyboard
– Save in real time, in any point of the game

How to use Dendy emulator?

Running games through an emulator can seem tricky. First you need to install the emulator itself. Then you need to configure it using a suitable BIOS and plug-ins, and then, finally, run the game in the ROM (ISO image) emulator in order to actually play.

The settings of such programs are a little complicated, as they require additional components – BIOS prefixes (usually a .bin file) and various plugins (.dll). BIOS files are copyrighted by manufacturers, so emulator developers cannot include them in their programs, otherwise the emulator will not be included in the Google program directory. You will need to find the BIOS on the network yourself. There are many sites where they are posted.

You also need game images. Emulator developers do not have the right to include them in the kit either, but images or ROMs can be found on the Internet. For Dendy, their number reaches several hundred, and you can find on the network even very rare games that were previously difficult to purchase in stores.

How to start the game (rum) on Dandy

Let’s say you downloaded the emulator and the rum itself, i.e. you should have two files: one with the extension “.nes” (rum with the game), the second “.zip” (emulator). To run the game, you need to extract the emulator program and launch it. 

After starting the emulator, click on file / open (file / open ). Next, you need to select the folder where you have a file with the extension “.nes”i.e. the file of the downloaded game itself. Open it in this program and you can play. The only thing, it would be nice to customize the control buttons, graphics, sound. But here it is difficult to give any recommendations, because everything will depend on the personal preferences of the player, and on the hardware on which the emulator is running. You can also configure where the saves will be made, look at which buttons to make saves faster, if your emulator will have the ability to record video and sound – also specify in advance the folders where all this will be saved. If you actively use this program, the disk can have a decent amount of photo and video materials, up to several gigabytes!

Sources used and useful links on the topic: http://DendyPlay.ru/emulators.html https://androidsfaq.com/emuliator-dendi/ http://dendy.su/top-5-emulyatorov-nes.html https: //cubiq.ru/luchshie-emulyatory-dendy-dlya-pk/ https://habr.com/ru/post/396331/ https://dosgames.ru/articles/emuljatory-dendy-nes-dlja-windows- pc / https://Lifehacker.ru/emulyatory-dendy/ https://cubiq.ru/luchshie-emulyatory-dendy-dlya-android/ https://rustanchiki.com/emulyatoryi-dendi