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mobile version of this page

Emulators for Mobile Phones

iNES | MasterGear | ColEm | Speccy | fMSX | VGB | VGBA

by Marat Fayzullin

Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, GameBoy, Super GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, Pocket Printer, GameLink, and DiskSystem are trademarks of Nintendo. SEGA SG1000, SC3000, SF7000, Master System, and GameGear are trademarks of SEGA. While programs presented at this site attempt to create "compatible" environment for the gaming software, they are not equivalent to the original hardware.

Emulators are programs that run software written for old computers or videogame consoles on the new hardware. Essentially, an emulator makes old software "think" that it is running on the original hardware, while it actually runs on your computer. I am creating emulators since 1993 and have made quite a few of them. For those who would like to try making an emulator on their own but do not know where to start, I have written a short introduction into the craft.

Originally, I developed emulators for PCs and Unix workstations. With time though, even mobile devices such as PDAs and cell phones became capable of emulating older hardware. Thus, at this page you will find my applications for Nokia Symbian-based smart phones and instructions on how to set them up.

If you work for a game company that would like to run its legacy games on mobile phones or other hardware, and need help, contact me.

Features

Optimized for S60 platform using ARM assembly.
Native S60 user interface (settings, dialogs, etc.).
Scaled display with three different modes.
Configurable display orientation and backlight.
Color-blended pixel rendering.
On-screen keyboard for single or multiple key input.

Saving gameplay at any moment.
Recording music into ringtones.
Playing over the network.
Configurable key mappings.
TV scanlines simulation.
Framerate display.

Requirements

Your phone has to run SymbianOS 9 and the 3rd Edition of Nokia Series 60 software. Older S60 editions will not work.
You must have a memory card where games and other software will be stored.
All 3rd Edition S60 phones, such as N-series and E-series devices, 3250, 5500, 6290, etc., should work.
Nokia E62 works, but has faulty firmware that prematurely turns the backlight off. This problem seems to affect all applications using direct screen access. Unfortunately, even the "Backlight Always On" feature, found in my applications, fails to work around this problem.

Installation

Make sure your phone is enabled to install applications from providers other than Nokia affiliates. To enable, go into Tools | Application Manager | Options | Settings and set "Software Installation" setting to "All".
Download application (with .sis extension) from this page and install it to your phone. You may need to click through several warning messages always shown when installing application from a non-affiliated source.
Find software for the emulated platform (such as ZX Spectrum or ColecoVision). Due to copyright reasons, I cannot provide you with such software, so please do not ask. Use Google instead. I do suggest that you buy the original copy for each piece of software you use. It is the ethical thing to do.
Copy found software to the \Others\<EmulatorName> directory on your memory card. For example, ColEm games will go into E:\Others\ColEm.
Run the application and have fun.

Tips

Bug Reports:
If you have any problems running these applications, please, tell me and other users about your problems. I am especially interested in how well my applications run on phones with low screen resolutions (i.e. 240x320, 208x208 and lower), as I have no access to phones with such resolutions. Don't forget to include the model of your phone.

Purchasing Software:
Just like my other products, all commercial software at this page comes with free lifetime upgrades by email, as long as the software is being developed and the user does not violate the terms of license agreement. Do make sure you keep me posted about your email address changes though.

There are discounts when you buy two or more of my programs. You can get $6 off two products, $12 off three products, $24 off four products, and $35 off five or more products. To get a discount, enter the appropriate coupon name (CPN32 .. CPN35) when ordering software.

Keyboard Use:
Some applications, such as Speccy or fMSX, may require the use of full keyboard found in such phones as Nokia E61 and E70. Even if your phone has no full keyboard, most emulated programs will still work though. Just make sure you always choose the joystick option when given a choice.

If a program absolutely needs a few keyboard keys, you can make use of the on-screen virtual keyboard. To enable it, press the green [SEND] key, go into Input | On-Screen Keyboard, and choose either "Single Key Entry" (keyboard will disappear after entering a key) or "Multiple Keys Entry" (keyboard will stay visible until manually toggled off). With the on-screen keyboard enabled, press [EDIT] or [LSHIFT] key to toggle it. When the keyboard is displayed, use the directional pad to choose a key, [0] as SHIFT, [#] as CONTROL, and [*] as ALT modifiers.

Finally, if you need some keys often, or do not like the default key locations, you can reassign keys and joystick buttons. To reassign a key, press the green [SEND] key, select Input | Map a Key, and choose a new assignment. To reassign a button, select Input | Map ... Button, and likewise choose a new assignment.

Zooming Display:
When your phone screen has less pixels than the emulated display, the display will be shrunk to fit your screen, at the cost of losing some image quality. This is inevitable and should not be considered a bug. For bigger phone screens press the green [SEND] key and go into Output | Zoom Display, where you can select one of three zoom options:

When you set zoom to Off, the display is shown "as is", in the middle of your phone's screen. This is also the fastest option.
When zoom is set to Keep Aspect, the display is scaled to fit your screen width, while the height is chosen to preserve the original display aspect.
When zoom is set to Fill Screen, the display will be stretched to fill your whole screen. Please note that this option is not available in the older versions of my applications.

Recording Ringtones:
You can record in-game music into MIDI files and use them as ringtones. To start recording, press the green [SEND] key, go to Main | Record Music, and click it to start recording. Recording stops when you click the above option again, load a new game, or quit the application. Recorded MIDI files can be found in E:\Sounds.

Network Play Feature:
In some applications, you can use WiFi or GPRS in your phone to play games over the Internet. To use the NetPlay feature, both you and your opponent must run the same game. The NetPlay will work between Windows and Symbian versions of my applications, as long as you both have the same application (i.e. two copies of MG-Symbian, or MG-Symbian and MG-Windows, etc.).

To start NetPlay, press the green [SEND] key, go to Main | Network Play, and click it. Select the connection point (usually WiFi, as GPRS is both slow and expensive), then enter your opponent's network address. Your opponent has to do the same with his application. To abort connection in progress, press any key. Once the connection is established, you will be able to play together. To stop NetPlay, click the Network Play option again.

Downloads

EMUL8 Discussion Group

Report and discuss your problems here. You may need to create a Google account to post to this group, but you do not have to become a member.

iNES 3.4.1 S60 3rd Edition (download trial or see homepage)

Also see iNES review at AllAboutSymbian.com.

Added configurable display orientation and backlight, FamiBASIC keyboard support and the virtual keyboard. Improved scanline simulation and fixed many bugs. All built-in menus work now. Update 3.4.1 fixes startup in landscape mode and Nokia 6290 compatibility. iNES will run Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Famicom cartridge files with .nes and .nes.gz extensions. Place your files into E:\Others\iNES directory. iNES will also run Famicom DiskSystem disk images with .fds and .fds.gz extensions, as long as you have the DISKSYS.ROM (DiskSystem BIOS) file in the same directory. The trial version has BUY ME message overlayed onto the screen and can't save game states. Please, buy the full version if you like iNES and would like to see it developed. Control keys:

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[SOFT1] fast-forwards emulation.
[SOFT2] invokes built-in control menu.
[END] quits the program.
[2], [4], [5], [6], [8] duplicate the directional buttons.
[9], [*] act as A fire button.
[7], [#] act as B fire button.
[1] works as the NES SELECT button.
[3] works as NES START button.
[0] flips DiskSystem disks and deposits a coin into the VS-System coin acceptor.
[&larr], [C] toggle sound playback.
QWERTY keyboard acts as fire buttons, just like in other iNES ports.

Virtual GameBoy 3.3 S60 3rd Edition (download trial or see homepage)

Also see Virtual GameBoy review at AllAboutSymbian.com.

Added proper PocketPrinter support, "fill screen" zoom mode, and the ability to save in-game music as ringtones. Virtual GameBoy will run GameBoy, Super GameBoy, and GameBoy Color cartridge files with .gb, .gb.gz, .gbc, and .gbc.gz extensions. Place your files into E:\Others\VGB directory. The trial version has BUY ME message overlayed onto the screen and can't save game states. Please, buy the full version if you like Virtual GameBoy and would like to see it developed. Control keys:

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[SOFT1], [.] fast-forward the emulation.
[SOFT2] invokes builtin configuration menu.
[END] quits the program.
[2], [4], [5], [6], [8] duplicate the directional buttons.
[9], [*] act as A fire button.
[7], [#] act as B fire button.
[1] works as the GameBoy SELECT button.
[3] works as GameBoy START button.
[&larr], [C] toggle sound playback.
QWERTY keyboard acts as fire buttons, just like in other VGB ports.

Some of these keys can be changed using the button mapping configuration (press [SEND], then select the Input page).

MasterGear 2.4 S60 3rd Edition (download trial or see homepage)

Also see MasterGear review at AllAboutSymbian.com.

Added ability to play games over the network, real SF7000 floppy emulation, SC3000 keyboard emulation, virtual keyboard support, display orientation and backlight controls. Enabled music recording option in the trial version. All built-in menus work now. MasterGear will run SEGA Master System, GameGear, and SG1000 cartridge files with .sms, .sms.gz, .gg, .gg.gz, .sg, and .sg.gz extensions. Place your files into E:\Others\MG directory. The trial version has BUY ME message overlayed onto the screen and can't save game states. Please, buy the full version if you like MasterGear and would like to see it developed. Control keys:

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[END] quits the program.
[SOFT1], [.] fast-forward the emulation.
[SOFT2], [,] invoke builtin configuration menu.
[2], [4], [5], [6], [8] duplicate the directional buttons.
[9], [*] act as A fire button.
[7], [#] act as B fire button.
[1] works as the Master System PAUSE button.
[3] works as GameGear START button.
QWERTY keyboard acts as fire buttons, just like in other MasterGear ports.

ColEm 2.3 S60 3rd Edition (also see homepage)

Added ability to play games over the network, three zoom modes, orientation and backlight control. Fixed many bugs. ColEm will run ColecoVision cartridge files with .cv, .cv.gz, .rom, and .rom.gz extensions. Place your files into E:\Others\ColEm and don't forget to put COLEM.ROM (ColecoVision BIOS) there. Control keys: [Picture]

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[END] quits the emulator.
[SOFT1] is the left fire button.
[SOFT2] is the right fire button.
[+] doubles as [*].
Numeric keypad works as ColecoVision gamepad.
QWERTY keyboard acts as fire buttons, just like in other ColEm ports.
[.], [*]+[SOFT1], [#]+[SOFT1] fast-forward emulation.
[,], [*]+[SOFT2], [#]+[SOFT2] invoke builtin configuration menu.

Speccy 1.4 S60 3rd Edition (download older version or see homepage)

Added support for ZX Spectrum +3 disk drives and .POK cheat files. Added virtual on-screen keyboard, screen orientation, and backlight control. Speccy-Symbian now costs $5.99 to recoup support costs but all my existing customers are getting it free. Enter coupon CPN32 when ordering a product from me and add Speccy-Symbian to your order for free. Speccy will run ZX Spectrum snapshots in .sna and .z80 formats. It will also open cassette tape images in .tap and .tzx formats. Finally, Speccy supports TR-DOS disk images in .fdi, .trd, .dsk, and .scl formats. Place your files into E:\Others\Speccy. When not loading a snapshot, Speccy defaults to 128kB Spectrum mode for simplicity. Control keys: [Picture]

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[END] quits the emulator.
[EDIT], [LSHIFT] toggle virtual keyboard (when enabled).
[+], [*], [#], [[], []], [/], [\], [\], ['], [=], [-] all work as joystick fire button.
[OK] acts as ENTER key.
[SHIFT] acts as CSHIFT key.
[CTRL] acts as SSHIFT key.
[SOFT1], [.] fast-forward emulation.
[SOFT2], [,] invoke built-in control menu.
[&larr], [C] toggle sound playback.
On Nokia E61, the blue [FUNC] key in the corner toggles between the dialpad and alphabetic modes.

Important: Files with .tap and .tzx extensions contain cassette tape images. To run these files on Speccy, follow instructions below:

Choose tape image file on startup.
Select TAPE LOADER in the 128kB mode or type [J], [CTRL]+[P], [CTRL]+[P], [OK] in the 48kB mode to start the tape loader.
Press the [MENU] softkey and turn on the TAPE RUNNING menu option to start the tape.
Wait for the tape to load. You may want to hold [FFWD] softkey to speed things up.

If you have never used a real ZX Spectrum and have trouble finding keys, refer to this picture of the Spectrum keyboard. If you find above instructions excessively complicated, avoid using tape image files.

fMSX 3.3.1 S60 3rd Edition (also see homepage)

Now with virtual keyboard, configurable screen orientation, optimized screen rendering, real 512-wide screen modes, full floppy disk emulation, better scanline simulation, and much more. All the built-in menus work now, too. fMSX-Symbian can now be installed alongside fMSX/S60 by Juha Riihimaki. Update 3.3.1 adds backlight control, fixes startup in landscape mode and Nokia 6290 compatibility. fMSX will run MSX, MSX2, and MSX2+ cartridge files (.rom and .rom.gz) and disk images (.dsk, .fdi, .dsk.gz, and .fdi.gz). Place your files into E:\Others\fMSX. If your phone has no keyboard, or its keyboard is folded, always select the joystick option in games: the dialpad will act as a joystick. Control keys: [Picture]

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[END] quits the emulator.
Directional pad works as both joystick and cursor keys.
[2], [4], [5], [6], [8] duplicate joystick directional buttons.
[9], [*] act as joystick fire button A.
[7], [#] act as joystick fire button B.
[OK] acts as ENTER key.
[*] acts as SPACE key.
[#] acts as GRAPH key.
[SOFT1] fast-forwards emulation.
[SOFT2] invokes built-in control menu.
[EDIT], [LSHIFT] toggle virtual keyboard (when enabled).
[&larr], [C] toggle sound playback.
On Nokia E61, the blue [FUNC] key in the corner toggles between the dialpad and alphabetic modes.

Virtual GameBoy Advance 3.3 S60 3rd Edition Trial (buy it if you like it, or see homepage)

Added configurable buttons, "fill screen" zoom mode, recording music as ringtones, and frame rate display. Fixed the opendir() problem, so all built-in menus now work. VGBA will run Nintendo GameBoy Advance cartridges from .gba and .gba.gz files. Place your files into E:\Others\VGBA, but please, make sure you own the actual games. I have put a lot of work into optimizing VGBA on Symbian. Unfortunately, most phones are still too slow to run GBA emulation at the full speed. My 208MHz Nokia E70 runs VGBA at 25..50% of the full GBA speed. This is sufficient to play role-playing and puzzle games, but most action games feel sluggish, like Java games.

Given the low speed and the lack of sound, I strongly suggest that you download trial first and buy the full version only if the trial works for you. If VGBA runs too slow on your phone but you still want a playable GameBoy emulator, try Virtual GameBoy (VGB) instead. Control keys: [Picture]

[SEND] opens the application menu.
[END] quits the program.
[2], [4], [5], [6], [8] duplicate the directional buttons.
[9], [*] act as A fire button.
[7], [#] act as B fire button.
[1] works as SELECT button.
[3] works as START button.
[SOFT1], [.] fast-forward the emulation.
[SOFT2], [,] invoke built-in control menu.
[&larr], [C] toggle sound playback.
QWERTY keyboard acts as fire buttons, just like in other VGBA ports.

Important: Many S60 phones have very small RAM (usually around 16MB) most of which is already taken by the system and active applications. As GBA games can easily reach 16MB in size, not all of them will run on VGBA. Try running smaller games. If they still do not run, reboot your phone to free up more RAM and try again. If this still does not help, buy yourself a real GameBoy Advance.