[WoD]

Well, it seems to me like the Mac Mini utterly smashes any and all system requirements for classic console emulators - so I am naturally interested in knowing if there are any good SNES/NES/GENESIS emulators out there for Mac OS and how they perform.

Emulators aside, but on a similar topic - would a Saitek P3000 or Saitek P2500 gamepad work with Mac OS despite having no drivers available... I imagine they would be recognised as some sort of generic gamepad and that I could use both gamepads simultanously to use them with the emulators. At least, I hope so.

The Mac Mini is so small that not trying to use it as a classic games console seems almost criminal!

TV hookup, 2 gamepads, fullscreen SNES emulation and some Double Dragon. What more could you ask for?

I have noticed the iShock, a gamepad obviously made-for-mac. I have also noticed it looks like a mutant lovechild of a PS2 controller and the inside of a stereo system manufacturered in the 1980s - is there anything made-for-mac that looks a bit nicer?

I have found Shareware apps that seem to provide support for HID compliant USB devices (USB Overdrive and Gamepad Companion), if the Mac will not natively support the Saitek gamepads is there a free alternative to those applications?

[phillryu]

I have no experience using gamepads with my Mac, but I have a lot of experience running SNES9x (www.emulation.net) which ran great on my 600mhz iBook (your Mac Mini should do much better) with lots of neat effects. Looks way better than it used to on the real SNES. And it supports online play and stuff! Though only with other mac players.

[WoD]

Looks like it might well fill the role of a games console - the Mac mini form factor is comparable to a gamecube someone sat on, so with a couple of gamepads you have an instant highly portable console with all the games on the hard disk.

Of course, if I took it anywhere the keyboard and mouse would have to follow.

Thanks for the info on SNES9x, I did not know there was a Mac OS port, but had a pretty good idea that there might be - there is always google, but it is so much better to discuss in forums and get an impression of just how feasable it is from people with first hand experience.

Perhaps with Salling Clicker and a PDA/Bluetooth phone I could script enough operations on the Mac to reliably start SNES9X and load games - thus leaving keyboard and mouse behind.

[U n i o n 0015]

I'm absolutely tempted to get a Mac Mini as a living room old-school games console. Imagine having thousands of SNES, Game Boy Advance, and Genesis games at your disposal--on ONE MACHINE!! With a couple of USB gamepads or a PS2 game controller and a USB adapter, you can easily play the old school games too.

[MacGallant]

You might want to try mac.emuscene.com because it's more up to date than emuation.net

Some good emulators for Mac OSX are:
*NES: RockNES, Nestopia
SNES: SNES9X (supports gamepads natively)
*Sega Genesis: Generator, Genesis Plus
*TurboGraphix16: TGEmu
Commodore 64: Power64(supports gamepads natively), *Frodo
*Nintendo Gameboy: KiGB
Arcades: MacMAME (supports gamepads natively)
Sony PlayStation: PCSX (supports gamepads natively)

*Requires Richard Bannister's Emulator Enhancer for gamepad support

[Jim Paradise]

I have emulators of almost every kind, and they all run like a champ on the old G4/400 here (and my Powerbook). Check out Richard Bannister's site, versiontracker.com, and emulation.net, for all you Mac emulating needs. You won't be disappointed.

[WoD]

Thanks for the helpful responses, I was a tad apprehensive about mentioning the word "emulators" on the forum - but it turned out for the better.

Do these emulators with native gamepad support REALLY support gamepads natively? It just sounds too good to be true, but on the other hand it can not be too difficult to read hid-compliant inputs and make use of them.

Here is hoping my wireless P3000 works - with a wireless keyboard and mouse at my disposal I would not have anything less!

Speaking of which, do the Apple wireless keyboard and mouse take AAA batteries? If so I might charge up my imported RadioShack AAAs which I bought with my XMods car (which I never use, anyone in the uk want to buy one?) and use them. The P3000 comes with a nice twin set of rechargable battery backs you can swap out when one runs down!

[Brad Oliver]

Originally posted by WoD:
Do these emulators with native gamepad support REALLY support gamepads natively?

Most likely - MacMAME does for sure.

[omar96]

I use a Logitech something-or-other that looks like a dual shock (PS2) controller, with dual analog sticks and all that with SNES9x and my Sawtooth @1GHz no sweat. I've used the same gamepad with Richard Bannister's stuff and Mac Mame with no issues either. If it's HID compliant, it should work.

[Forte]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver:
Most likely - MacMAME does for sure.

It does? How come it can't see my PSX controller plugged into a (HID-compliant) SmartJoy adapter? ;_;

I love MacMAME to bits, but I don't know what's happening to stop the controller from working with MacMAME - everything else 'sees' it fine.

[Brad Oliver]

Originally posted by Forte:
It does? How come it can't see my PSX controller plugged into a (HID-compliant) SmartJoy adapter?

I'm going to guess it's because you're not using the latest MacMAME.

[mozak]

hmmmmmmmmm.

[Forte]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver:
I'm going to guess it's because you're not using the latest MacMAME.

0.87b is the latest release, correct?

[Brad Oliver]

Originally posted by Forte:
0.87b is the latest release, correct?

Try this one: http://www.bannister.org/ubb/ultimat...;f=26;t=003857

[Leonard]

Originally posted by WoD:
Thanks for the helpful responses, I was a tad apprehensive about mentioning the word "emulators" on the forum - but it turned out for the better.

I think your fine mentioning the word emulator... it's when you start mentioning the R word they start locking things.

[arekkusu]

0.92u2000 build-it-yourself MacMAME works properly with a PSX controller via a HID-compliant lik-sang adapter.

[- - e r i k - -]

Oooh. Mac mini as an emulator box. You've tickled my fancy here. I've got an iShock (1) as well, and I love it. It's like a PS-controller, but the right size for adults.

[Forte]

Originally posted by Brad Oliver:
Try this one: http://www.bannister.org/ubb/ultimat...;f=26;t=003857

Thanks muchly, Brad! Kudos.

[one sick puppy]

I currently run SNES9X on my iBook 1Ghz. I also use a Playstation dual-shock controller with a usb-to-psx adapter (Soyo Ki-ki joy). Works great.

I have found that Playstation emulation on my iBook is a bit slow. I'm waiting for the 64mb Mac Mini's to come out. Should rock for console emulation.

[flotson]

I'm DYING to find a game controller solution that bloody well works with my bloody expensive new imac.

Has anyone used the lik-sang smartjoy adapters in Tiger?

Or anything else that works?

Every controller I've tried has a crappy d-pad.

[flotson]

[QUOTE=WoD

Perhaps with Salling Clicker and a PDA/Bluetooth phone I could script enough operations on the Mac to reliably start SNES9X and load games - thus leaving keyboard and mouse behind.[/QUOTE]

That's bloody brilliant.

(Hope my Sony Ericsson k750i gets here SOON.)