ares

Overview

ares is a free, open-source emulator for many game consoles at once. An emulator is a program that imitates a console, so your computer can run that console's games. ares can imitate, among others, the NES, Super Nintendo (called Super Famicom in its menus), Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Master System, Mega Drive and PC Engine. Some systems, such as the PlayStation, are marked experimental on its website: they work, but are not yet recommended for everyday use.

ares is built around accuracy and preservation. It tries to copy how the real hardware behaves, even when that makes it slower, and its code is written to be easy to read. It descends from bsnes and higan, two well-known Super Nintendo emulators by the same lineage of developers.

It is a good choice if you want one program for several consoles and care about faithful results. The interface is simple and file-based: no game library with covers, just menus. If you only play one console and want many convenience options, a dedicated emulator may be easier at first.

On PixelArk, ares is listed for the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo 64 and the Super Nintendo.

Key words explained

• ROM: a file containing a game copied from a cartridge. You make it from your own cartridges.

• BIOS or firmware: a small program built into a console that starts it up before the game runs. Some emulators need a copy of it. It must be dumped (copied) from your own console.

• Core: the part of the emulator that imitates one specific console. ares has one core per system.

• Frame rate: how many pictures per second are shown. Smooth games run at the console's original rate, for example about 60 frames per second.

• Input lag: the small delay between pressing a button and seeing the result on screen.

• Run-ahead: a trick that computes a frame in advance to remove one frame of input lag. It makes the emulator work about twice as hard.

• Shader: a small program that changes how the picture looks, for example to imitate an old CRT television.

• Vulkan: a way for a program to talk to your graphics card. ares uses it to draw Nintendo 64 graphics on the graphics card.

• Upscaling (internal resolution): drawing the game at a higher resolution than the original console did, for a sharper picture.

• In-game save: the save the game itself offers, like on the real console (a save file, or a memory card on the Nintendo 64).

• Save state: a snapshot of the whole emulator at one moment. You can restore it at any time, even where the game does not allow saving.

• Hotkey: a keyboard or controller shortcut that controls the emulator itself (for example save state) rather than the game.

System requirements

• Windows: Windows 7 or later, x64 or ARM64. The x64 build needs an Intel Nehalem (first Core i-series, 2008) or AMD Jaguar processor or newer. Older processors would need a build from source.

• macOS: macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later. One download runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

• Linux: a distribution with OpenGL and a supported audio or input driver. The Nintendo 64 core also needs a Vulkan driver.

• Accuracy has a price: ares asks for more processing power than simpler emulators. The Nintendo 64 benefits from a recent graphics card, and upscaling needs a stronger one.

• To check your PC on Windows: open Settings > System > About for the processor name, then look it up on the maker's site to see whether it is recent enough.

What you need

• The ares program itself, from the official site.

• Your own games as files, copied from your own cartridges. ares does not provide any game.

• For the Game Boy Advance: a BIOS dumped from your own console. ares lists a BIOS for this system in its Firmware settings and will refuse to start a Game Boy Advance game without it. The Nintendo 64 and Super Famicom need no BIOS.

• A controller is optional but recommended. For the Nintendo 64, one with two sticks is handy: the right stick can stand for the yellow C buttons.

ares does not explain how to dump a BIOS, and neither does PixelArk: it must come from your own console.

Installation

Always download ares from the official download page. The official install instructions give the same steps.

1. Windows: download the zip archive, extract it anywhere you like (for example a folder named ares in your Documents), then double-click ares.exe. There is no installer. If a missing DLL (a shared program file) is reported, install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64).

2. macOS: download the macos-universal zip, unzip it, drag ares.app into your Applications folder and open it. If macOS blocks it, allow it in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

3. Linux: the ares team does not publish official packages. Community packages exist (Flatpak, AUR, AppImage), or you can compile from source following the Linux build instructions in the official wiki.

4. How to know it worked: a window opens with a black screen and a menu bar showing Load and Settings.

First setup

Everything is in the Settings menu of the main window. The settings window has pages: Video, Audio, Input, Hotkeys, Emulators, Options, Firmware, Paths and Cores. Changes to Cores need a game reload to take effect.

1. Firmware (Game Boy Advance only): open Settings > Firmware. The table lists each system, the type of file, and its location, which shows (unset) when nothing is chosen. Select the Game Boy Advance BIOS row, click Assign and pick your BIOS file. You can also put the file in the Firmware folder and click Scan so ares finds it by itself. The location then shows the file path.

2. Input: open Settings > Input and read the next section to map your controller.

3. Systems in the Load menu: if a console you want is missing from the Load menu, open Settings > Emulators, which lists the systems shown in that menu.

4. Video: the default video driver is fine. Only change it in Settings > Video (Driver) if you see a black screen or crashes, and read the troubleshooting section first.

Adding your games

1. Put your game files in a folder you will remember. ares can read them where they are; there is no library to fill.

2. Open the Load menu and choose the system, for example Nintendo 64 or Game Boy Advance. Super Nintendo games are under Super Famicom. Some systems are grouped into sub-menus by maker.

3. A file browser opens. Choose your game file.

4. The game starts. Recent games are kept in Load > Recent Games for quick access.

If you get an error about missing firmware, go back to Settings > Firmware.

Controls

ares uses Virtual Gamepads. A Virtual Gamepad is a standard controller layout that you map once to your real controller or keyboard. Every compatible console then uses that mapping automatically, so you do not have to configure each console.

1. Open Settings > Input.

2. In the list at the top, choose Virtual Gamepads. Other entries let you map a specific system or even only the current game; those override the Virtual Gamepad.

3. Select a row (for example A or Start), click Assign, then press the key or controller button you want. ares can store several mappings per row (Mapping #1, #2, ...), for example one for the keyboard and one for a controller.

4. Clear removes a mapping, and Clear all removes the mappings of the game.

5. Check it by loading a game: the buttons should respond. A grey mapping is inherited from the default layout.

For the Nintendo 64, map the analog stick to a controller's stick. The C buttons can go to the right stick. On a keyboard the stick is simulated: the Digital to analog setting on the same page chooses whether it jumps instantly to the edge (Immediate) or moves gradually. Another option on that page decides what happens when the ares window loses focus: pause, block input or allow input.

Hotkeys are set in Settings > Hotkeys, with the same Assign button. Available actions include Toggle Fullscreen, Fast Forward, Rewind, Save State, Load State, Increment State Slot, Decrement State Slot, Pause Emulation, Reset System, Capture Screenshot, Mute Audio and Toggle Shader Display. Nothing is guaranteed to be assigned by default, so assign the ones you want.

Graphics and performance settings

Picture size and shaders are in the Settings menu of the main window; deeper options are in the Settings window.

• Settings > Output: how the picture fills the window. Scale: Best Fit keeps proportions, Scale: Integer (auto) multiplies the picture by whole numbers only for perfectly sharp pixels (it may leave black borders), Scale: Stretch to Fill fills the window but may distort. Aspect options correct the shape of pixels; Anamorphic (16:9) is for games and discs made for widescreen.

• Settings > Shader: applies a visual effect, such as a CRT look. Shaders need the OpenGL or Metal video driver. If it looks wrong, set it back to None. The Toggle Shader Display hotkey turns it on and off.

• Settings > Video, Color Emulation: matches colors to how they looked on real hardware. Leave it on for faithful results. Color Bleed and Interframe Blending imitate the blur of old screens and add motion blur, so turn them off if you prefer a crisp picture.

• Settings > Video, Pixel Accuracy Mode: uses pixel-accurate emulation where available. More faithful, but a little heavier.

• Settings > Options, Synchronization: Sync to Audio is recommended and keeps sound smooth; Sync to Video follows your monitor's refresh rate.

• Settings > Options, Run-Ahead: removes one frame of input lag but doubles the system requirements. Turn it on only if your computer runs the game comfortably with room to spare.

• Settings > Cores, Nintendo 64: choose 1x Native, 2x Native or 4x Native. 1x draws the picture at the console's own resolution; 2x and 4x draw it sharper but need a stronger graphics card. Supersampling then scales that sharper picture back down to the original size, which smooths edges without changing the size. Start with 1x and increase only if the game stays smooth. Reload the game after any change.

• Settings > Cores, Nintendo 64, 4MB Expansion Pak: adds extra memory, as on the real console. A few games need it and some use it for better graphics.

• Settings > Cores, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Player: imitates the Game Boy Player add-on, which also enables rumble in games that support it.

Do not change the other options in Settings > Developer, which are meant for people who debug the emulator.

Saves

There are two kinds of saves. The in-game save is the one the game itself creates, like on the real console: ares writes it to a file next to your game by default. Settings > Paths lets you pick another folder for saves. If that folder cannot be written to, ares warns you that progress may be lost.

Save states are made from the Tools menu: Tools > Save State > Slot 1 (or another slot), and Tools > Load State to come back. Hotkeys do the same faster, and Increment or Decrement State Slot changes the slot. Tools > Undo Last Save State and Undo Last Load State cancel a mistake. Save states are stored in the saves folder, next to the game's save file.

Always also save normally in the game. A save state depends on the exact emulator version, so an update may make old states unusable, whereas in-game saves keep working. To make a backup, copy the saves folder. Settings > Options > Auto-Save Memory Periodically also writes the in-game save regularly, to protect against crashes.

Updating

ares has no automatic updater. Check the official download page from time to time. Download the new version and replace the old program files. For safety, copy your saves folder and export your settings first. The Settings File page also lets you export and import your configuration.

Common problems

• A Game Boy Advance game does not start and an error mentions firmware: the BIOS is missing. Open Settings > Firmware, assign your own BIOS for this system, then reload the game.

• Black screen after changing the video driver: the new driver is not compatible with your system. Reopen ares and switch back to the previous driver in Settings > Video. Some players solve problems on Windows by trying another driver in the list.

• A Nintendo 64 game is slow: lower the setting to 1x Native in Settings > Cores, turn off Run-Ahead, and update your graphics driver (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel). Reload the game after changes.

• The Nintendo 64 will not start on Linux: the Nintendo 64 core needs a working Vulkan driver. Install your distribution's Vulkan driver for your graphics card.

• The sound crackles or the game runs too fast or slow: in Settings > Options set Synchronization to Sync to Audio, and close other heavy programs.

• Controls do nothing: in Settings > Input check that a mapping exists for the row, and that the behavior when focus is lost is not set to Block input while another window is selected.

• A shader makes the picture wrong: choose None in the Shader menu.

• Windows reports a missing DLL: install the Visual C++ package named in the installation section.

• Windows warns that the program is unsigned: the official project notes that its signing certificate has expired, so recent releases are unsigned. Only download from the official site.

• A game misbehaves: some behaviors are bugs of the original game, listed in the Game Bugs page of the official wiki. Check it, and the compatibility page, before reporting an emulator problem.

Going further

• Official website

• Compatibility list: how well each game runs, per system.

• About ares: history and project goals.

• Official repository and README

• Official wiki

• Known bugs of real games

Alternatives on PixelArk: Project64 for the Nintendo 64, Snes9x for the Super Nintendo, mGBA for the Game Boy Advance.