What is the best Sega Saturn emulator? Uncovering the Secret to the Ultimate SEGA SATURN Experience!

[@AlexwpiGame]

Thanks to channel patreons / youtube members: • Paolo • Cecilia • martinez3010 • Kesnei • thethnikkaman • phoenix_developer • Hollow Zepeda • Caseten • Borja

[@csikocska]

I'm glad I watched this video about Sega Saturn emulation. There are some Saturn games I always wanted to play like Guardian Heroes, Astal, Grandia, Burning Rangers and Bulk Slash. 🙂 I know 8Bitdo controllers well. I have 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ and Pro 2 and I really like those gamepad controllers. I think I will use one of those two controllers.

[@retropulse03]

My opinion before I watch this is that Beetle_Saturn is the best way to play emulated Saturn games. I'll edit this when we see if that changes. EDIT: Ok... ok.... this was really well done. I didn't even realize the blur in Beetle Saturn was there... can't unsee that lol. I do try to stay in RetroArch, and I think it's possible I got confused with Yabasaussenashiro and it's cousins when I looked at this before. Android and Windows alike EDIT 2: Aaaand after running the gamut again, It's Beetle_Saturn or bust. The blurryness seems authentic, but more importantly, Yaba Sanshiro can't display anything correctly. Sonic R is a wireframe disaster lol

[@AlexwpiGame]

Your opinion and experience are always welcome, my friend.

[@SRC267]

Nice, we finally got a saturn emu. Took years, but here we are.

[@flink1231]

You can turn off blur on mednafen changing the ini file. It can load zip files with bin cues to save space. That is also the most accurate and compatible emulator on Windows... so for anybody intimidated by the lack of gui, you just need to drag and drop files. Yabasanshiro and similars have lots of compatibility issues... retroarch cores are very often lagging behind upstream. For more mature systems it is fine, but for saturn it is not ideal.

[@SanicConnoisseur_91]

Pretty good disection overall. I personally prefer bizhawk over yabasanshiro due to the fact that the former is not a dead project, but I won't deny that yabasanshiro seems to perform well for not being touched in almost 4 years.

[@jmartin1885]

Excellent video!!!

[@AlexwpiGame]

Thx bro

[@elitegodz]

How can Yaba Sanshiro be the best emulator if it doesn't even emulate the textures correctly in Die Hard Arcade 😂 plus, the blurryness from Mednafen is a true authentic representation of the Sega Saturn and it still is the best emulator for Saturn (IMHO). Great video showcasing all the emulators and the gamepad overview 🔥🔥🔥

[@AlexwpiGame]

Practically no emulator is compatible with 100% of games, but in my opinion, the one that will deliver the best graphics quality, especially on current screens, is Yaba Sanshiro. Additionally, these bugs don’t occur in the Android version, as the developer continues to update the emulator. Ideally, having multiple projects is beneficial because, if one game has issues in one emulator, you can switch to another to get the entire library running smoothly.

[@kathleendelcourt8136]

Mednafen/Beetle is the most accurate and compatible Saturn emulator, the second best isn't even close.

[@alejandrocanadasgomez8701]

I only use mednafen. In a pc with the AMD CRT emudrivers paired with a 30" CRT looks like a original hardware

[@elitegodz]

@@kathleendelcourt8136 agree!

[@volf3r505]

Kronos is still updated and IMO is better than the botched "fork" of Yabause (which is a 20+ year old project). The Japanese SSF fell off the wagon badly in the past decade, sadly

[@mohd88zarif7]

DuckStation is the first emulator I've installed on my phone, thanks to your video, Yaba Sanshiro gonna be my 2nd

[@sonkunhyperspinretroarch4867]

Like most people have stated in the comments, Beetle Saturn is probably the best Saturn emu to date. From my experience using both Yaba Sanshiro and Yabause on RetroArch, the Yaba Sanshiro core is based on stand alone version 3.4.2 which is a really old outdated build from 2019. The Yabause core 0.9.15 is based on an even older emu version from 2016. From what I remember the dev for Yaba Sanshiro and a mod from RA had a dispute which resulted in that core from continuing to being updated which is why it's been stuck on that old version.

[@bundangkorea]

Have tried pretty much every Saturn emulator that exists over the past 20 years or so, and I've found that the Mednafen-Beetle Retroarch core is the best of them all. SSF is decent as well, and can now run chd or iso files directly, but it still has a lot of bugs.

[@GeordiLaForgery]

Useful video. I think Yabasanshiro had a recent update on windows but it still doesn't like CHD's.

[@SunnySideOfficial]

It seems like the combination of yaba sanshiro and Kronos makes the perfect emulation for PC. Yaba sanshiro the main emulator, with Kronos running the more “harder” 3D games a bit more smoothly. Would love to see a video like this on n64, considering it’s still very hard to emulate.

[@AlexwpiGame]

Back in 2023, I already made a video about the N64, though it’s honestly not worth watching anymore. However, the N64 emulation scene is even trickier than Saturn’s-there are several emulators that are just plain terrible. When I have more time, I’ll remake the video with a more current perspective

[@almeidachannel7121]

Nice Video ! Sub & Big Like ! And Love sega Games !

[@AlexwpiGame]

Thx bro

[@almeidachannel7121]

@@AlexwpiGame Thank you for your reply ! If you are interested in the nostalgic game culture of Japan, please subscribe to my channel !

[@lostsektor]

for bettle saturn u just need to turn off bilinear filtering on retroarch to remove the blur, or better use a Sharp_bilinear shader for a sharp interpolation without shimmering. or use any crt shaders.

[@AlexwpiGame]

Thank you for the tip, I'll put it into practice when I make a new video.

[@lostsektor]

@@AlexwpiGame ofc, thx for the comparison. valeu!

[@sonkunhyperspinretroarch4867]

I definitely agree with shaders route, especially if you're using the sonkun guest advanced hd shader presets :)

[@jaksbogard]

Como é bom ver um canal DEDICADO a esse tipo de emulação, e ver o quanto em detalhes e configurações é feita, curto pakas ver pois adoro testar diversos emuladores. Uma coisa que pode ser falada em um tema futuro, seria essa parte de efeitos CRT que para consoles tipo Playstation por exemplo conseguem desenhar perfeitamente os pixels, deixando a imagem apropriada e com dithring correto, e não como é apresentado o emulador "cru" com pixels estourando. Um projeto que posso recomendar em ver (é pesado, mas tem MUITAS opções pra mexer) é o "HSM Mega Bezel Reflection Shader", que deixa as linhas corretas, fazendo upscale dependendo do core que vc utiliza (no PS1 por exemplo testei com mednafen HW e swantation). Mas já aviso que são muitas opções, e que eu mesmo estou passando dias testando diversos formas de efeito pra tentar simular um efeito CRT, e o que posso informar é que são muitas combinações, porém os resultados finais são muito lindos, e sem distorções seja em 2D ou 3D.

[@fallnight]

hey man i always had a question, what's your opinion on the current arcade emulation scene?, I've been using fbneo for a long time now, but i still feel it has a long way to go, again thanks for the video and i would love to see you do a video about it

[@AlexwpiGame]

As a kid from the '90s who spent a lot of time at Brazilian video rental stores, which were often arcade hubs, I still find myself revisiting those titles. Just last week, I was replaying several beat 'em ups that I hadn’t tried yet. The arcade scene is a bit more complicated-during the 2000s, I loved using WinKawaks, but the emulator is now outdated and incompatible with modern operating systems. MAME is great, but the complexity of setting everything up, configuring new joysticks, and maintaining the emulator is quite time-consuming, so I currently use FB Neo, although some RetroArch cores do a decent job too. Unfortunately, creating complex videos like this one about the Sega Saturn doesn’t get much traction here on the platform, as the retro scene, which saw a big surge during the pandemic, is slowly fading. So, as much as I love making these types of videos and genuinely enjoy it-it’s more than just work-it’s going to be challenging to test every platform.

[@fallnight]

@AlexwpiGame lol i had the same experience with mame, i guess you are right in the end arcade games isn't as big of a thing nowadays but you know what ? i would love to see them make a comeback one day i miss the feeling of excitement when my parents took me to a store that had one of them, anyway thanks for responding!

[@AlexwpiGame]

@fallnight I can still relive a bit of the arcade era, because where I work, there are people over 40 who really enjoy playing KOF '98, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Marvel vs. Capcom. Just last week, I brought my ROG Phone, connected it to an HDMI monitor, and we spent about four hours playing. But overall, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a big arcade machine, except for the *Daytona* machines that they still have in shopping malls.

[@Zalibidas]

i'm not sure you can call it an emulation in the traditional sense, but mister fpga saturn is great and keeps getting better and better. feels like its almost perfect at this point.

[@LevelSmackcom]

Can you do a video for the best emulator recommendations for every console. I'm gonna build the mega emulation pc machine lol.

[@AlexwpiGame]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaK1coWvnNV-qNE kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2OQlqh3ntSGhKM kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4evpZZ4pbeqa7M

[@ChrisAdamsDreaming]

Mednafen, which is on windows, is the best in my opinion. Very accurate, I'm yet to find any errors.

[@DigitalVersionOfMe]

But is commands? And does not launch on launchbox

[@kennethd4958]

I only use Mednafen on my PC (5800X3D, RX 6800). I prefer to use my Mister though (I know I know.. some people don’t consider that “emulation”.)

[@VaanPanupong]

May I ask if Yaba Sanshiro has supported the .chd file format yet?

[@AlexwpiGame]

yes

[@VaanPanupong]

@AlexwpiGame thanks 🙏

[@RegalPixelKing]

Too bad this was uploaded when it was. Just a couple weeks after this was uploaded Yaba Sanshiro made a huge update to their emulator for its Windows release.

[@SonicAdventureX]

For me, It has to be BeetleSaturn

[@AlexwpiGame]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@SonicAdventureX]

@@AlexwpiGame No problem, bro.

[@Sigma-0289]

Beetle saturn works best for me on android with retroarch . Yaba sanshiro core sometimes having graphical glitches and it crashes when using savestates. Yaba sanshiro 2 standalone app also great but it also have some graphical glitches as well as it doesn't have multitap support , only 2 controllers can be connected

[@Aisha_Newhalf]

finally a sega saturn video

[@AlexwpiGame]

🥳

[@Zsolti_HUN]

What is the best emulator for Panzer Dragoon Saga and Grandia?

[@Dominik1986]

Ssf still runs great even on old machines with incredible compatibility and low spec requirements. Watch out to get the 0.12 beta r4 if you're on an VERY oldsystem tough since newer versions don't run on those.

[@paulblackwood46]

Thankyou for this video. I've just changed to Saturn.emu on my retroid devices as the paid version of YS 2 Pro keeps crashing.

[@stormtalon]

I have constant crashes with Dungeon Master Nexus english translation widescreen mod with Yaba Sanshiro in retroarch. Kronos core has terrible audio pop and crackling and I have 12900k 5.2 ghz oc with avx 512 support and 4090. I just use beetle saturn core with normal4x video filter for 4 times resolution upscaling and use 2 shaders by appending them, 2x nnedi3 RGB shader first and also appending newpixie crt shader. The result is simply stunning and I dont need any upscale capable core. Retroarch has the normal4x video filter already.

[@GameOfficeCanal]

no mednafen para tirar o blur é só deixar 0 no lugar de 1 em interpolation. funciona bem aqui para mim.

[@AlexwpiGame]

Valeu pela dica, eu vou testar!

[@josiahafful4195]

Are you going to post a video when brothership releases

[@AlexwpiGame]

It’s impossible; if I make a video like that, Nintendo might delete a large part of my content the very next day, just like they’ve done in the past.

[@diegosel0088]

Yaba Sanshiro (PC) acabou de receber um Update!

[@AlexwpiGame]

já fiz o vídeo kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fZlJiqpp2pmKc

[@diegosel0088]

@@AlexwpiGame Já assisti! =)

[@hystorygamer123]

On my snapdragon 720, yaba sanshiro 2 pro doesn't run well, several games go wrong. and with constant slowdowns.

[@Bajolzas]

both Kronos and YabaSanshiro 2 are continuations of Yabause, its like comparing a current day emulator with a highly outdated version of itself, there's no point.

[@Schimz2832]

Strange. I don't have the blur issue on Mednafen. I also use it for NEC machines. I like this his build-in crt shader.

[@arekutheof555]

The 8bitDo M30 Xbox version only comes wired.

[@AlexwpiGame]

Thank you for the correction; I really thought there was a wireless version.

[@Pridetoons]

Can you test the new Princess Crown ROM Hack.

[@RetroGamingX1]

The graphics os Saturn (emulated) looks ugly... I hope one day they make an option similar or equal to PXGP for this system, saludos!

[@MadeosMadeos]

Couldn't run Burning Rangers in Yaba Sanshiro and Kronos, both had glitches or lagged a lot.

[@nemuelluchetti]

Could you make a Tutorial for to teach How to configure the Kronnos 2.6.2 emulator? For me, the better emulador is Mednafen.

[@leomoriyama65]

Aqui uso o mednafen via mednaffe e tenho excelentes resultados nos jogos 2D com filtros CRT excelentes, mas vendo o seu vídeo vou experimentar o yaba tbm

[@luisgustavo8044]

O kronos no retroarch de windows o jogo sega rally ficava acelerado, pra mim o beatle saturn ainda é a melhor opção mesmo sem ter opção de melhorar os gráficos

[@AlexwpiGame]

só usar a opção de travar o G-Sync, ai fica normal

[@UFG-UltraFun]

is that your real voice?

[@AlexwpiGame]

No, it's an AI. I don't speak English natively; I'm Brazilian.

[@Mangomesh]

I'd like to know the best Sega Master System emulator?

[@dizzyrocket2000]

Retroarch

[@AlexwpiGame]

I like mesen

[@TheSilvertrigger]

Wow 20 years later and modern pcs still cant accurately mimic sega saturn, 😮 the saturn was really over built, in 90s i went for Playstation because it was cheaper, and had more titles.

[@aldo8589]

the best and most accurate emulator for saturn/snes/genesis and other consoles is not on android: is bizhawk, anyways I recommend the 2.5.2 version because the new versions are very strange,I'll stick with the one that works well

[@chuckzretro3033]

Would recommend retrobit sega saturn controller

[@AlexwpiGame]

I've never tested it, but it seems like a good controller. Unfortunately, it costs twice as much as the M30. I'll send an email to Retro-Bit to see if they'll send me one to test, and then I'll compare the two

[@animationalltout3134]

Its time to get an fpga device

[@George-gp7bw]

Umm? Is this an AI voice and script?

[@AlexwpiGame]

The voice is indeed an AI voice, but I spent all day yesterday creating the script and testing things. It would be impossible to have a video of this complexity generated by AI

[@cardetailingstudioaustria4121]

Best system to play saturn games is a mister Fpga system or a original Saturn. All Emulator have to much Problem with some games.

[@itzdcx]

yeah don't care