Wzonka-Lad
| Original author(s) | Ville Helin |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1996[1] |
| Stable release | |
| Written in | 68020 assembler |
| Platform | Amiga |
| License | GPL V2 |
| Website | www |
Wzonka-Lad is a Nintendo Game Boy emulator for the Amiga series of home computers.[2]
History
[edit]Wzonka-Lad was written by Ville Helin[2] in 68020 assembler.[3] Development began in 1996 and continued through 1999.[1] The project was started because existing Game Boy emulators for Amiga, such as Virtual Game Boy (VGB), which was written in C, ran too slowly on Amiga hardware. Helin wrote Wzonka-Lad in assembly language to improve performance.[2]
Features
[edit]Wzonka-Lad is notable for being written entirely in 68020 assembly language, offering a graphical user interface and a range of features despite its low-level implementation.[1] The emulator requires at least a Motorola 68020 processor and provides several options to vary game speed and colors.[4] It supports graphics and sound cards via CyberGraphX and AHI, and can run on the Amiga Workbench.[3][5] Wzonka-Lad supports preferences for each game, including custom palettes for backgrounds and sprites, enhancing the visual experience for different titles.[6] The emulator also offers support for Game Genie codes and RAM snapshots, allowing users to save and load game states.[6]
Performance and Compatibility
[edit]Compared to other Amiga Game Boy emulators, early versions of Wzonka-Lad (such as 0.64) were slower but more compatible than AmigaGameBoy, and faster than Unix ports like VGB.[4] Later versions, such as 0.99, achieved playable speeds for most games on systems with a 68030 50 MHz processor or higher.[3][1] Wzonka-Lad was recognized as the leading Amiga Game Boy emulator by the early 2000s, though VGB still had a slight edge in compatibility.[5] The emulator offers several executables, including "Full," "Fast," and "Warp" versions. The "Fast" version uses simplified Z80 emulation for better speed, while "Warp" reduces interrupt processing for maximum performance. The "Full" version is the slowest but most compatible.[5] While Wzonka-Lad is generally fast and accurate, it is not considered a 100% perfect emulator. There are compromises in audio quality and some control features, but it is regarded as a significant achievement for the Amiga platform.[7]
Release and Licensing
[edit]Wzonka-Lad was originally released as shareware, with registration required to unlock audio support. In August 2003, it was re-licensed as free software under the GNU General Public License (GPL-2.0-only), and the source code was made publicly available.[8][9]
Legacy
[edit]Wzonka-Lad remains available for download, including both binaries and source code, and is remembered as an important part of Amiga emulation history.[1] The emulator is still used by enthusiasts and is valued for its historical significance and technical achievement.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Wzonka-Lad - Yet Another Gameboy Emulator for Amiga Computers". www.villehelin.com. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Compton, Jason (January 23, 1997). "Emulation Rambler, Gameboy? No way! Yes way! (VGB and WzonkaLad)". Amiga Report International Online Magazine. Vol. 5, no. 1. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c Němec, Luboš (January 1999). "GameBoy aneb pidihry na Amize, Wzonka-Lad 0.99.12". Amiga Review (in Czech). No. 40. Atlantida Publishing. p. 19. ISSN 1211-1465. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Goodwin, Simon (July 1997). "Emulators Part 10: Console Emulation, GameBoy". Amiga Format. No. 99. Future Publishing. pp. 27–28. ISSN 0957-4867. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Amiga Format Emulation Series - Part 18". Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Games, programs, reviews and patches for Nintendo's Consoles". Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Playing GameBoy games on Amiga - by LemonAmiga.com". Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ "Wzonka-Lad News". 2003-08-11. Archived from the original on 2005-02-27.
- ^ "Wzonka-Lad-Source unter GPL veröffentlicht" (in German). Amiga-News.de. August 15, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
External links
[edit]| Handheld |
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