Ymir v0.3.3

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This is a small maintenance release that fixes a regression with Akumajou Dracula X (#904), improves autodetection of the Asia NTSC region (Korea and Taiwan), adds some missing theme colors introduced in recent ImGui updates, and corrects some documentation oversights. It also implements the VDP2 color gradation effect, fixing the background in Saturn Bomberman's Egg Birdon boss fight.

Check the meatier v0.3.2 release notes for details on what's included in this version.

Important

Windows users: install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package (x86_64 installer, AArch64/ARM64 installer) before running the emulator. This is mandatory to avoid crashes on startup.

macOS users: follow these instructions to allow Ymir to run on your system. Ymir is signed with an ad-hoc certificate, flagging it as unverified.

Linux users: if you choose to install the Flatpak version or installed Ymir from the SteamOS's Discover Store, make sure to grant Ymir permission to access the filesystem or your multi-file disc images won't load properly.

VDP2 color gradation

The only notable improvement in this version is the implementation of the VDP2 color gradation effect, which can be seen in the Egg Birdon boss arena of Saturn Bomberman:

Here's a video captured from hardware with a RetroTink 4K of the same scene. Ymir's output perfectly matches what the Saturn produces.

Changes

New features and improvements

GUI: Specify missing ImGui style colors.
System: Add Europe PAL and Asia NTSC (in that order) to default preferred regions after North America and Japan.
VDP2: Implemented color gradation effect. Fixes background in the Egg Birdon boss arena of Saturn Bomberman.

Fixes

System: Properly autoselect IPL ROMs for Asia NTSC region (South Korea, Taiwan).
VDP1: Don't automatically mark jumps to 0 as infinite loops. Fixes Akumajou Dracula X no longer booting. (#904)

Which version should I download?

Grab the file matching your operating system and processor architecture:

windows, linux and macos indicate the operating system
x86_64 is for Intel or AMD CPUs and AArch64/ARM64 is for ARM CPUs
All builds are for 64-bit systems

For x86_64 builds, the AVX2 version offers slightly better performance but requires a CPU that supports the instruction set -- pretty much any Intel Core or AMD CPU since 2011 and Intel Pentium/Celeron CPUs from 2020 onwards has support for it. If you don't know if AVX2 is supported or you have no idea what any of this means, it's probably safe to grab the AVX2 version if you don't have an ancient or cheap computer. If it doesn't start up or randomly crashes for no reason, try the SSE2 version.

Every ARM build also includes support for the NEON instruction set.

For Windows releases, you might also need to install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package (x86_64 installer, AArch64/ARM64 installer). Ymir requires Windows 10 or later.

You can also install Ymir on Linux via Flatpak.

The macOS releases work on Apple Silicon (ARM) systems (arm64) and Intel systems (x64). Ymir requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later.

FreeBSD users can install Ymir from the Ports Collection:

pkg install Ymir         (uses zenity with GTK3 widgets for SDL3's file dialogs)
pkg install Ymir-gtk4    (uses zenity with GTK4 widgets)

StrikerX3/Ymir v0.3.3 Ymir v0.3.3 on GitHub