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Apple ][ line
The Apple ][ is a family of 8-bit computers developed by Apple (primarily Steve Wozniak) dating back to 1977. The most recent model is the Apple IIc Plus, which was discontinued on November 1993.
It was one of the first majorly successful consumer-oriented microcomputer products, and opened the way for software targeted at the consumer audience. Regarding the design of the computer itself, Steve Wozniak stated “To me, a personal computer should be small, reliable, convenient to use, and inexpensive.”
The line includes:
- Apple ][ The first one. Features a 6502 CPU at 1.023 MHz and 4KB of RAM.
- Apple ][+ An incremental upgrade featuring four times the RAM (16KB).
- Apple //e Even more RAM (64KB), a full ASCII keyboard and better display modes.
- Apple IIc The first CPU upgrade, opting to use a 65C02 CPU at 1.023 MHz and 128KB of RAM.
- Apple IIGS Has its own section in this article.
- Apple //e Enhanced The Apple //e but with the 65C02 CPU.
- Apple //e Platinum The Apple //e Enhanced with extra RAM (128KB).
- Apple IIc Plus Allowed the user to change the CPU clock between 1.023MHz and 4MHz and had an 8KB SRAM cache.
This system scrapes metadata for the “apple2” group and loads the apple2 set from the currently selected theme, if available.
Quick reference
- Accepted ROM formats:
.nib,.do,.po,.dsk,.2mg - Folders:
/userdata/roms/apple2,/userdata/roms/apple2gs
BIOS
No Apple ][ emulator in Batocera needs a BIOS file to run.
ROMs
Place your Apple ][ ROMs in /userdata/roms/apple2.
Place your Apple IIGS ROMs in /userdata/roms/apple2gs.
.2mg ROMs will only be recognized in the apple2gs folder.
Emulators
GSplus
GSplus is an open source, cross-platform Apple ][/IIGS emulator, based on the KEGS and GSPort emulators.
The goals of this project are to make an easier to install and easier to use emulator, and to modernize the overall codebase and emulation platform.
While much work has been done, adding new drivers and features over the past year, it is still in alpha phase. Feel free to download the package for your platform and play around, but beware there are many bugs still.
GSplus configuration
Standardized features available to all cores of this emulator: apple2.videomode, apple2.padtokeyboard, apple2.decoration
LinApple
I can't really find any information to confirm that LinApple can't run IIGS software, but best to assume it can't.
LinApple is a cross-platform Apple ][///e emulator. It is probably not capable of running Apple IIGS software.
The Pi port of it has a readme.
LinApple configuration
Standardized features available to all cores of this emulator: apple2.videomode, apple2.ratio, apple2.padtokeyboard, apple2.decoration
Apple IIGS
About halfway through the life of the Apple ][ family line, Apple released the Apple IIGS which was a significant change in hardware to the previous Apple 8-bit computers, using a 16-bit 65C816 microprocessor, 256KB (up to 1MB) of RAM and the highest resolution display (up to 640×200) and state-of-the-art sound capabilities with the Ensoniq ES5503 DOC 8-bit wavetable synthesis sound chip. Among all the other computers in the line, the Apple IIGS remained the most performant of the bunch, and for this reason it is usually the “default” system that Apple ][ emulators will use for running its software.
However, the Apple IIGS was only around 95% backwards compatible with software designed for the original Apple ][ computers.
How do you change it back to emulating an Apple ][? Or is this limitation not imposed by the emulator (like with Game Boy software)?
Controls
Here are the default Apple II's controls shown on a Batocera RetroPad:
Troubleshooting
Further troubleshooting
For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.
- systems/apple2.1645510773.txt.gz
- Last modified: 4 years ago
- by atari