![]() ZSNES and SNES9x both had sync options that did things the wrong way, and MESS, while offering the same features as MAME, simply didn't have the compatibility. SNES emulators were disappointing to me for some time. In these cases, I suggest finding a resolution that your screen supports with a closer frequency and telling MAME to use that resolution. ![]() One thing to watch out for, though, are the games that have refresh rates far removed from 60 stuff like R-Type (55hz) will play significantly faster with this method. If you turn on "Sync to Monitor Refresh" and turn OFF "Throttle", it will raise a game's display frequency to match that of your screen and run perfectly. MAME, thankfully, allows for altering the game's original speed properly. Now, to talk about some emulators and platforms. Finally, this approach will NOT work if your hardware's display frequency is LOWER than the hardware you wish to emulate. Generally, the only downside to this approach is that it can cause very slight audio hiccups in some emulators and games. I usually refer to this as "syncing to monitor refresh", as that's what MAME calls it. This is good, and this is usually the right way to handle frequency differences in hardware. Is this change in speed a better option than introducing stuttering or lag? Absolutely. Are you honestly going to notice such a minute difference? No. By making that Famicom game output at 60.101hz instead of 60.098hz, you are removing the frequency difference entirely. Instead of futzing with the display timing, the emulator instead changes the timing of the HARDWARE IT IS EMULATING. The way VSync (or other sync options) works in other emulators, however, is much more logical. Certain emulators offer this option, and it can similarly lead to dropped frames (even consistently dropped frames, like x frames per second of stutter) or noticeable input lag. This can lead to lower framerates and input delay. In other words, WAIT until there is no visible tear, then show the image. The way VSync works in most modern games is to delay the display of the screen until there's a full image present. Some emulators don't use the term at all for their sync options. Different emulators have options labeled "VSync" that actually do different things. The problem is, VSync doesn't mean the same thing across the board. How do we deal with this? Surely we can use VSync to eliminate screen tearing! If the difference is great enough (57hz games emulated in a 60hz resolution), the line can slam across the screen rapidly, creating a very annoying stutter effect. If the difference in frequencies is small enough, the line can slowly creep along. ![]() Instead, you'll see a state between two frames, with a distinct line between the generated portion of the new frame and the old frame that's getting overwritten (assuming there's enough motion going on). The game is generating images at a different rate than your monitor is displaying them, which means that you'll never see a solid single image. Many emulators, when left to defaults, will simply let the screen tearing fly in the above situation. Your monitor, at its native resolution, might run at 60.101hz, but that Famicom game you're trying to play is made for a machine that ALWAYS outputs 60.098hz. When it comes to emulation, there's often a slight difference in video frequencies. What's this stuff about synchronizing? Isn't everything 60hz anyway? ![]() I've been curious about this for a while now, and this thread is a place for me to explain what I've learned and ask a few questions of my own. Some emulators synchronize "the right way". I'm sure some here are already on top of this, but I figured some people might be annoyed with how their emulated games seem choppier than the real thing. I wrote this up some time ago for another forum, but figured it might be good to post here with TNL Game Club going on and all.
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