Commander X16 in RetroPie?

evlthecat · Post by **evlthecat** » Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:04 pm

Is there any current motivation to formally integrate the Commander X16 emulator into RetroPie or any other emulation software package?

I know about a week ago @Strider had a great topic about emulation and retro gaming, but it never seemed that the idea of the Commander X16 emulator being ported to an emulation package was discussed. Maybe I just missed it.

I have been unofficially messing with it on my own, and have it about 75% complete, with it integrated into the Hursty joystick theme. There are a couple of issues with the more advanced graphics software applications

crashing on the Raspberry Pi. I have not delved into it, and it could be a simple configuration problem on my part. It would be interesting to see if the same happens on the PC version.

Might be a good, free way to advertise the product for the future.

Have a super weekend everyone!

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:55 am

There is a Linux version of the X16 available on the downloads page, and since Emulation Station is really just the "front-end" that the RetroPie team uses, it "should" be possible.

In fact, they have it documented how to add a system.

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Add-a-New-System-in-EmulationStation/

:)

Cyber · Post by **Cyber** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 5:37 am

6 hours ago, evlthecat said:

Is there any current motivation to formally integrate the Commander X16 emulator into RetroPie or any other emulation software package?

I think there is no point in doing this until real X16 hardware released.

Scott Robison · Post by **Scott Robison** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 5:41 am

2 minutes ago, Cyber said:

I think there is no point in doing this until real X16 hardware released.

Rather than adding the x16 emulator to retro pi, I'd rather see a bare metal version of the emulator to eek every bit of system performance toward the emulator.

Note that I'm not asking anyone to do it ...

Cyber · Post by **Cyber** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:08 am

24 minutes ago, Scott Robison said:

bare metal version of the emulator

Hold on and forget about X16 for a second. "Bare metal version of the emulator" - what this supposed to mean in broad sense?

Scott Robison · Post by **Scott Robison** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:11 am

1 minute ago, Cyber said:

Hold on and forget about X16 for a second. "Bare metal version of the emulator" - what this supposed to mean in broad sense?

For an example: https://accentual.com/bmc64/

Basically it is just a specialized program that targets the hardware directly without cooperating with an operating system. Much as the C64 kernal and basic were in complete control of the machine, BMC64 is in complete control of the RPi.

codewar65 · Post by **codewar65** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:12 am

2 minutes ago, Cyber said:

Hold on and forget about X16 for a second. "Bare metal version of the emulator" - what this supposed to mean in broad sense?

Basically the machine does not load Linux or other OS and then load the emulator, but the OS *is* the emulator, coded in assembly, and optimized to 'bare metal'.

Cyber · Post by **Cyber** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:20 am

@Scott Robison @codewar65 Thank you for explanations and examples! Now I see what you mean, I just got confused with definition.

It is actually a very rare thing nowadays. I think primarily due to difficult implementation and lack of good documentation for bare metal of modern systems.

Scott Robison · Post by **Scott Robison** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:21 am

Just now, Cyber said:

@Scott Robison @codewar65 Thank you for explanations and examples! Now I see what you mean, I just got confused with definition.

It is actually a very rare thing nowadays. I think primarily due to difficult implementation and lack of good documentation for bare metal of modern systems.

Yes it is rare. So are unicorns and talking dogs, but I keep looking for them! #haha

evlthecat · Post by **evlthecat** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 11:19 am

I guess that idea died a quick death. ?

It is true that the emulator pegs the cpu performance when running. I have logged in remotely and run top, and see that it hogs the cpu at 85-90 percent depending on what you are doing.

The other issue I found with running the emulator at the command line is, and maybe someone can clear up my ignorance, there is no way to stop it other than remotely killing the process.

The bare metal idea seems to be a much better fit, as it was for vice and the c64. I tried bmc64 awhile ago, but for some reason I never gained a fondness for it. Using it just kept making

me want to buy the real thing, but I remember the prices for equipment had skyrocketed because I was late to the retro scene and everyone was buying up stock and making

YouTube restoration videos. ?

Thanks for all your insights, have a great weekend!