ZEsarUX 13 Beta 1 - xxx edition. 2 February 2026
NOTE for macOS users:
When downloading the dmg file, it macOS says the app is damaged, you can:
-
download the zip version
or -
umount the dmg, run:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ZEsarUX_macos-silicon-13-Beta1.dmg
And try to mount the dmg again
- New things added:
Added setting to automatically order icons on ZX Desktop
Allow drag&drop of compressed files
Allow to reduce display to half
Added f-key/icon to trigger an action ("SendKeysMenu") to send keys to menu, for example send keys "tti" to open input tape
Allow SDL driver to use a 8-bit color palette
Allow SDL driver force window size
Allow DESTDIR environment varieble on make install step
Allow to accelerate loading and saving of diskette, microdrive, etc
Added config setting for autoenable ay chip on Spectrum models without ay chip
Added emulation of Stack Light Rifle
Added emulation of Defender Light Gun
Added emulation of Trojan Light Pen
Added emulation of Datel Lightwriter
Added emulation of Spectrum Doodler Lightpen
Added lightgun scope
Added ZSF snapshot previews for QL, ZX80 and ZX81 machines
Allow to see GO SUB stack of ZX80 and ZX81
Allow utf-8 characters on footer
Allow to save smartload history on a file
- Improvements:
Improved ZX80 and ZX81 emulation:
- All timing and video code has been rewritten and fixed, near 100% perfect
- Removed configuration settings: --vsync-minimum-length, --no-horiz-stabilization, --enablezx8081lnctradjust, --disablezx8081lnctradjust
- Removed menu settings: Horizontal Stabilization, lnctr video adjust, Video x_offset
- Improved vsync sound detection
Improved Debug CPU:
- Allow to show opcode timings (setting not enabled by default)
- Show when registers values are modified by last opcode execution
- Views 5 and 6 use a different memptr ("memptx")
- Show when memory is modified by last opcode execution on views 5 and 6
- Direct key (t) to evaluate expressions
- Added setting to stop on PC+2 when step over RST 8, useful when debugging esxdos calls
- Added user variables VAR0, VAR1, ... VAR9
- Added video frames counter
- Reassign option key 'x' ("switch view mode") to 'y' ("change layout")
Improved Snapshots in RAM:
- Browse visually all the stored snapshots in RAM, like on a "Time Machine"
- Allow to save snapshots in RAM; you could do it before automatically at fixed intervals, now you can save it whenever you want
Improved ZX Vision:
- Added new Top Menu (not enabled by default)
- Reordered settings & new menu: check settings -> Emulated Display, General, Main Window, ZX Vision, TV
- Added shortcuts helper action to create icon to trigger recorded keys
- Some settings dialogs can reset value to defaults
- Restored maximized windows on startup, will be restored to the maximum size available
Improved ZX Desktop:
- Allow to set small values for ZX Desktop width size
- Add setting to disallow enabling ZX Desktop
- Allow to change background color for icons, lower and upper buttons
- Added setting to add a stroke on icons
Improved editing joystick to events/keys (allow to unasign easily)
Improved ZX Life: allow to speed up game, fix behaviour on board limits
Improved Trash icon
Improved decimal precision of Basic Variables window values
Improve code to allow compilation on other Unix systems, like AROS, FiwixOS, Sortix
- Fixes:
Fixed emulation of Magnum Light Phaser
Fixed reading port BFFD on Spectrum +2A/+3
Fixed emulation of DD/FD+EB opcode: EX DE,HL instead of EX DE,IX/IY
Fixed timing of inexistent DD/FD opcodes
Fixed disassemble of undocumented opcodes dd/fd + cb + res/set (ix+d) where the result is also stored on a register
Fixed loading tape with --tape and --realtape and autoload snapshot on start
Fixed uncompress tar and rar files with spaces in name
Fixed default timer on Mac OS X when not using cocoa driver
Fixed non-pthreads compilation
Fixed possible divide by 0 when getting bad cpu usage on Linux