Phoinix, the free Gameboy emulator for PalmOS

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How to use the emulator

On this page: - Installation - The games manager - Running games - Compatibility - Runtime errors and crashes

Installation:

The emulator:

Basically there's just one file to install: "Phoinix.prc". Please hotsync this file in your usual way... To install a newer version over an old one, you don't need to remove the old version.

To uninstall Phoinix, simply choose "Delete..." in the application launcher. The emulator and all its on-board data will be removed, leaving no trace.

The games:

Phoinix only emulates the Gameboy's hardware, to play a game requires the game's binary data. You'll find these as files, commonly with a "*.GB" file extension.

After obtaining a game's file, it must be converted to a Palm database ("*.PDB"). This is achieved with the converter "gb2pdb" on your personal computer. For a quick start download a collection of already converted free games.

After converting, simply install the database.

Support of Flash memory (on-board):

Phoinix can't run in Flash memory currently, but converted games can be stored in Flash memory. If they use cartridge RAM it is created in a separate place, anyway.

External media (memory cards, VFS):

Starting with OS4, PalmOS supports external media in a generalized way. This is called "VFS", the Virtual File System.

On VFS-enabled devices Phoinix shows a location selector which you can use to move the game between available media and/or on-board RAM. On the external medium the directory /PALM/Phoinix is used to store the games and their data.

To play a game from an external medium, Phoinix needs to copy the data to the internal RAM; therefore you'll see a message if that game resides there already. The game's changed data is copied back when the emulation quits.

Some installers are able to put databases directly on external media. At launch Phoinix scans each present medium (exactly: the directory /PALM/Launcher) and moves newly installed games into its own directory on the medium.

When you remove Phoinix via the application launcher, games installed on external media are not removed! Please remove those games via Phoinix, or use an appropriate utility.

The games manager:

The manager shows the name of the currently selected game, some information about it (cartridge type and sizes of cartridge memory), and a big "GO!" button.

Select a game by either of two ways:

• Use the popup trigger to select out of the list (see screenshot).
• Press the scrollbuttons.

To begin emulation tap "GO!" and the game starts as if the Gameboy was just switched on.

You may rename the game for your convenience. To cancel the entry simply select the game in the popup list again.

To delete a game, select this action from the menu.

Setting up your favourite button mapping does not require to start the game. In the Options menu you'll find the entry, too. The mapping is stored per game, a new game gets your last set-up.

Running games:

After virtually switching on the emulated Gameboy, the selected game is run. To return to the manager, select "Quit" in the menu; this is equivalent to switching off the Gameboy, the game's state is not preserved!

To restart a game as if switching off-and-on with a real Gameboy, use "Reset".

If you exit Phoinix while playing a game (i. e. via the "Home" icon), the state of the game is saved. Launching Phoinix again brings you back where you left.

The info popup is located on the right side at the bottom of the screen (see screenshot). Please choose what you like to see:

• The accumulated time you played the game. It is shown in hours and minutes.
• The power of the battery, as returned by the system. Hint: the shortcut "dot-seven" switches between several battery types.
• The speed of the emulation compared to the real GB. It is shown in "times", sorry about the low values. :-(

To stop a game momentarily, uncheck "Run". This is convenient for screenshots. The hard keys get back their standard function so you can launch your favourite applications.

This screenshot shows the default button mapping. If it doesn't meet your taste, choose how the emulated buttons are mapped to the hard keys. "Select" and "Start" are on the screen and can't be mapped.

For the Handspring GameFace assign "Left" and "Right" to the AddressBook and ToDo keys respectively. Assign "A" and "B" as you wish.

Compatibility:

If your device is not listed, please try Phoinix cautiously. Then send me a report, please. Include any important information like manufacturer, device name, OS version,... Do the same if you find an incorrect entry in this list.

If you like to contribute any information, don't hesitate to send me a report, please. Include all that should be filled into the fields of the table. Do the same if you find an incorrect entry in this list.

Runtime errors and crashes:

When Phoinix detects a runtime error while emulating, it will notify you. The current state of the game is saved into a crash database which can be transfered to your PC via the standard backup procedure. Please contact me for further help. Describe the circumstances as verbose as you can!

If you experience crashes, something may have corrupted the internal memory organization of your device. I recommend strongly to perform a hard reset erasing all memory! Otherwise you have a good chance for data losses...