Project Unreality was a video game console emulator for the Nintendo 64.[1] It was notable for being one of the earliest attempts at Nintendo 64 emulation (predating UltraHLE by nearly a year), and the first Nintendo 64 emulator to successfully boot a commercial game.[2][3]
 | |
 Project Unreality version 0.4a -1 | |
| Developer(s) | BlackBag |
|---|---|
| Initial release | February 27, 1998 |
| Final release | 0.4a -1
/ May 25, 1998 |
| Written in | C, C |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Video game console emulator |
| License | Freeware |
History
editDevelopment on Project Unreality started in late 1997, just over a year after the launch of the Nintendo 64.[4] In its earliest days, Project Unreality had few contemporaries; at the time, emulators for current-generation consoles were often hoaxes[5] or "shells" with extremely limited emulation capabilities.[6]
By early 1998, Project Unreality could emulate homebrew games to some extent.[7] The emulator's initial release saw its ability to boot commercial games, a first for any Nintendo 64 emulator.[8]
Discontinuation
editIn May 1998, lead programmer Michael Tedder announced that Project Unreality would be "put on the back burner for now", though no future updates were ever released.[4] Slashdot later reported that one of Project Unreality's developers was hired to a game studio, leaving the emulator's development in limbo.[9] This news coincided with Tedder's hiring to Z-Axis, where he continued to work until early 2000.[10][11]
Though Tedder repeatedly claimed that Nintendo hadn't contacted him regarding Project Unreality,[4][6] the rumor that Nintendo halted the emulator's development spread throughout the emulation scene; it has been suggested that UltraHLE's development was carried out in secret directly as a result of this rumor.[12]
References
edit- ^ Castro, Radford (2004). Let Me Play: Stories of Gaming and Emulation. Hats Office Books. p. 179. ISBN 1587363496. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ Booker, Charlie (April 1998). "Wave of Emulation Part Two: Consoles and Arcade Games". PC Zone. Retrieved January 26, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "The Making of Project UnReality". Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ a b c Tedder, Mike. "Project UnReality". Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ ":: Email Wars #8 ::". Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ a b "Project UnReality Interviewed". emuviews.com. 1998-05-16. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ ":: Email Wars #9 ::". Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ "Project Unreality". Zophar's Domain. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ "Project Unreality in limbo". Slashdot. 1998-07-12. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
- ^ "Michael Tedder". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
- ^ "About the Author". deltaplayer.com. Archived from the original on 2003-12-03. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
- ^ "Emulation: Right or Wrong? aka "The EmuFAQ"". World of Spectrum. 2000-03-10. Retrieved 2017-05-30.