Ootake 3.05

疾风之狼

2026/01/03 3.05 released
* In recent years, due to the influence of social media and video platforms,
   a misunderstanding has spread that "FPGA is more accurate and has lower
   latency than emulators." The author of the highly regarded Super Famicom
   emulator "bsnes," who was also involved in the development of commercial
   FPGA-based systems and struggled with issues related to that work, strongly
   spoke out against this misconception shortly before his passing.
   Ultimately, the quality of a system depends on how carefully and sincerely
   it is crafted. Without meticulous work, nothing truly good can be created.

   Regarding byuu, the author of bsnes (higan):
   Information referenced from the Game Legacy blog:
   http://blog.livedoor.jp/trakt/archives/1922933.html

* In the past, Windows PCs suffered from display latency issues. However,
   since late Windows 10 and especially Windows 11, display latency has been
   greatly improved (particularly in windowed mode). When using high-refresh-
   rate displays such as 240Hz or 480Hz, which quickly process display buffers
   (the main source of latency), emulators can now achieve responsiveness
   close to real hardware.

* Conversely, FPGA systems that output only around 60Hz require display
   buffering when applying filtering or scaling, which results in noticeable
   latency. Terms such as "no lag" are often exaggerated marketing and should
   be approached with caution.

* With today's powerful PCs, the main advantage of FPGA is its ability to
   interface tightly with physical hardware peripherals. In theory, if one
   could perfectly copy every chip and circuit, including analog behavior,
   an FPGA could achieve complete hardware equivalence that software
   emulation cannot. However, in practice, perfectly reproducing all analog
   circuitry is impossible. As a result, emulators, being more flexible and
   easier to refine, can often achieve higher practical accuracy and
   stability.

* Ootake also reproduces many analog characteristics (such as how digital
   video becomes analog and appears on a TV, or how digital audio waveforms
   sound after passing through analog circuits). The flexibility of PC-based
   emulation greatly contributes to achieving higher accuracy.

* Both emulators and FPGA systems are wonderful technologies, each suited
   to different purposes. I hope both continue to grow and evolve.

- Added four new screen modes: "Arcade1 Stretched" through "Arcade4
   Stretched." Arcade1–3 slightly compress the horizontal width compared to
   the real hardware, while Arcade4 slightly expands it. This allows
   adjustment of horizontal amplitude similar to turning the width knob on CRT
   televisions.
   For details, open "Info -> Manual-English" and search for "Arcade1
   Stretched," etc.

* Many recently released retro game reissues, especially older arcade titles,
   ignore or incorrectly apply pixel aspect ratios, causing the original
   visual charm to be lost. Along with adding the new screen modes, I have
   published an article explaining pixel aspect ratios:
   "Thinking Seriously About Pixel Aspect Ratio in Games"
   https://ouma.jp/ootake/pixel-aspect-raito.html
   (Work in progress as of Jan 3)

- When running on Windows 11, the default VSync setting is now "Off."
   Windows 11 automatically suppresses tearing, and disabling VSync further
   reduces latency.

- Added "Use Pad #0 (Another Pad for P1)" to the Input menu. When enabled,
   you can assign an additional Windows gamepad as Player 1. For example,
   you can use an arcade stick (#0) and a standard pad (#1) together.

- You can now rename CD-installed game folders. This is useful when changing
   names to Japanese or when a game is detected as "Unknown."
   (Manual renaming via Windows Explorer)
     1. Open the install folder via "CD-ROM -> CD Install ->
        Open 'Install' Folder."
     2. Rename the game's folder.
     3. Rename the .cue file inside the folder to match the folder name.
        (Keep the .cue extension.)
     * Note: State save filenames will also change.

- Added "Check Game Name" to the CD Install menu. Displays the default name
   of the currently running CD game.

- Added support for opening ROM images with the ".sgx" extension. These will
   automatically boot in SuperGrafx mode.

- Changed the default screenshot key from [PrintScreen] to [Pause], because
   Windows 11 freezes the screen when PrintScreen is pressed.

- Adjusted sound balance to more closely match real hardware.

- Added "Weaken Intense Light Flashing (Salamander)" and
   "Weaken Intense Light Flashing (Necros no Yousai)" to the
   "Setting -> Improve" menu. These reduce extreme flashing effects while
   preserving the original presentation. Enabled by default for health
   reasons. Users sensitive to flashing should still take precautions.

- Improved recognition of later-reissued CD-ROM versions of "Monster Lair."

- The later-reissued version of "Juuouki" is now recognized as
   "Juuouki [New] (J)." This version works properly even with System Card
   v2.0 or later. The earlier version "Juuouki (J)" should be played with
   System Card v1.0.

- "Hyper Catalog 6" and "Hyper Catalog DUO-RX (Not for Sale)" are now
   recognized as separate titles.

- Improved CD-DA playback accuracy. Fixed issues such as:
     - "Steam Hearts": fanfare music not playing after stage clear.
     - "Nobunaga no Yabou: Bushou Fuunroku": freezing when playing certain
       tracks in the in-game CD sound test.

- Fixed an issue in "Seiryu Densetsu Monbit" where controls could stop
   responding after exiting the shrine east of Lance Village (likely also
   occurs on real hardware when both Memory Base 128 and Multitap are
   connected).

- Fixed graphical corruption in "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"
   (sprite limit behavior reproduced).

- Optimized rapid-fire behavior in "Xevious: Fardraut Densetsu" when set to
   HIGH.

- Added a 59.3Hz option to "Audio -> Adjust CD-DA (for Sync)."

- Reduced the time required for "Adjust CD-DA Auto Set" from 60 seconds to
   30 seconds and improved accuracy.

- Fixed rare slowdowns on Windows 11 when GPU power-saving modes were enabled
   on NVIDIA or AMD GPUs, even on high-end PCs.

- Various minor fixes and improvements.

https://www.ouma.jp/ootake/