SpeccySE

SpeccySE is a ZX Spectrum 48K / 128K Emulator for the DS/DSi

To run requires one or both of the original ZX Spectrum BIOS ROMs. Place 48.ROM and 128.ROM (exactly so named) into the same directory as the emulator or else in /roms/bios or /data/bios

Features :

• Loads .TAP files up to 640K total length (can swap tapes mid-game)
• Loads .TZX files up to 640K total length (can swap tapes mid-game)
• Loads .SNA snapshots (48K only)
• Loads .Z80 snapshots (V1, V2 and V3 formats)
• Loads .ROM files up to 16K in place of standard BIOS (diagnostics, etc)
• Supports .POK files (same name as base game and stored in POK subdir)
• Kempston and Sinclair joystick support.
• Fully configurable keys for the 12 NDS keys to any combination of joystick/keyboard
• Save and Restore states so you can pick up where you left off
• Chuckie-Egg style Joystick configuration to make climing ladders more forgiving (try it - you'll like it!)
• High Score saving for 10 scores with initials, date/time.
• Solid Z80 core that passes the ZEXDOC test suite (covering everything but not undocumented flags).
• Minimal design asthetic - pick game, play game. Runs unpached from your SD card via TWL++ or similar.

Copyright :

SpeccySE is Copyright (c) 2025 Dave Bernazzani (wavemotion-dave)

As long as there is no commercial use (i.e. no profit is made), copying and distribution of this emulator, it's source code and associated readme files, with or without modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided this copyright notice is used and wavemotion-dave (SpeccySE), and Marat Fayzullin (Z80 core) are thanked profusely.

The sound driver (ay38910) are libraries from FluBBa (Fredrik Ahlström) and those copyrights remain his.

Royalty Free Music for the opening jingle provided by Anvish Parker

The SpeccySE emulator is offered as-is, without any warranty.

ZX SPECTRUM BIOS ROMS :

The emulator does not include any proprietary BIOS ROMs but you will need them to play anything. There are two ZX Spectrum BIOS ROMs you will need - they must be exactly so named (rename as needed) and placed into the same directory as the emulator or else /ROMS/BIOS (that's where the cool kids keep them):

* 48.ROM    with CRC32 of ddee531f
* 128.ROM   with CRC32 of 2cbe8995

Use of any other non-standard ZX Spectrum roms is likely to end in tears.

The ZX Keyboard :

The emulator has a built-in virtual touch keyboard that works reasonably well except that the touch screen is not multi-touch (like your phone). So you can only press on one area of the screen at a time. To make the SYMBOL and SHIFT keys work, when you press those buttons, you will see a little white or yellow indicator at the top of the screen indicating that this button is a symbol/shift button and it will wait for the next button to be pressed and use it in combination with the symbol/shift. So if you want to type the quote mark ("), you would press and release Symbol, then press the letter P.

Joystick Support :

The emulator has support for the Kempston and Sinclair (67890) joysticks but really any keyboard key can be mapped to any one of the 12 NDS buttons so you should be able to configure things exactly as desired. When using the 'REDEFINE KEYS' menu, you can press the NDS 'X' button to toggle between a number of commonly used preset keys for various ZX games (QAOP, ZXM, etc). By default, the configuration for any game is set to use the Kempston joystick.

Also be aware that there is a D-PAD option that can be set to 'CHUCKIE' for games that are often unforgiving using a joystick. If you've ever played Chuckie Egg on a keybaord you know that it's pinpoint percise... but with a joystick, it can be a bit frustrating trying to find the exact spot to transition from Left/Right to Up/Down to climb a ladder. The 'CHUCKIE' mode will hold the L/R or U/D for a fraction of a frame while the transition is made. This allows for buttery smooth (relatively speaking) transitions on the ladders. It's likely other games will benefit from this mode - but Chuckie Egg is the reason I put it into the emulator and so that's the name it gets.

Tape Support :

The emulator supports .Z80 snapshots but of more use is the .TAP and .TZX tape support. The .TAP format is fully supported and the .TZX is reasonably supported minus some of the more complicated blocks - most software never uses those specialized blocks. As with any old tape-based software, sometimes the .TAP or .TZX files are a bit dodgy - so if one version of a tape doesn't work, go find another and it will probably load up and play properly.

Speaking of loading - I decided not to optimize away the loading screens but they are greatly accelerated. Most games load at 10-15x the original speeds... meaning a 48K game should load in under 15 seconds and a full 128K game might take a half-minute or so... Enjoy the loading screens - they were part of the charm of the original system.

You can press the Cassette Icon to swap in another tape or set the tape position manually. Most games just figure it out - and the auto-play and auto-stop of tapes should be working reasonably well. You can override this as needed. While the tape is playing, most of the keyboard handling is disabled to gain maximum speed - so if you find that the auto tape stop isn't working, press the Cassette Icon and manually stop the tape.

ROM Support :

The emulator allows you to load a .ROM file directly into the same memory location as the BIOS (+0000 to +4000). Only up to 16K can be loaded in this way. This is mainly used to load diagnostic test programs such as the amazing RETROLEUM DIAGROM.

POK Support :

The emulator supports .pok files. The .pok file should have the same base filename as the game you are playing and must be stored in a pok subdirectory.

So if you have a roms directory, make a pok subdirectory and place your .pok file there. If properly named, you will see a list of all possible pokes when you select the 'POKE MEMORY' menu option.

Memory Pokes remain in effect until you reset or reload the game. There is no other way to reverse the Memory Poke that has been done. If you are using a tape (.TAP or .TZX) you should wait for the game to load before applying the memory poke. Use at your own risk (oh... you can't really damage anything but the poke might not work the way you expect if you do it at the wrong time).

Why? :

There was never a need for this emulator to exist. ZXDS is the defacto standard of accuracy and features for a ZX Spectrum emulator on the DS. Why does this exist? Mainly because as an American who got hooked on a Spectrum in recent months, I got curious as to the workings. As a developer who had a number of DS/DSi emulators under my belt, the best way for me to learn the ins-and-outs of the system was to put together an emulator for the system. The design was kept very simple - and has the benefit of running directly from SD card via TWL++ or Unlaunch or similar. But really if you're looking for world-class ZX emulation for your DS/DSi handheld, you're likely going to want ZXDS.