PC-98
PC-98 games can easily be played through RetroArch thanks to the np2kai libretro core.
Prerequisites
Download and install RetroArch for your platform before continuing.
Core installation and configuration
- Install np2kai.
- Place the font file (
font.rom,FONT.ROM, orfont.bmp) inside:
~/.config/retroarch/system/np2kai/Refer to the official BIOS setup documentation for more details.
- Run RetroArch and scan the directory where the games are located.
- Configure the core with the following settings:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| PC Model | PC-9801VX |
| CPU Clock Multiplier | 42 or more |
| RAM Size | 16 |
| CPU Feature | 80386 |
| Sound Board | PC9801-86 (recommended) or PC9801-26K |
| GDC | uPD7220 |
| JastSound | OFF |
| Floppy Seek Sound | OFF |
| Volume Floppy Seek | 0 |
| Volume Beep | 0 |
| Mouse or Touchpanel Input | ON (if needed for mouse-controlled games) |
| D-pad to Mouse/Keyboard/Joypad Mapping | Manual Keyboard |
These settings can be tweaked further depending on the game. For more information, check out:
Advanced Users
The following section is for advanced users who want to remap their joystick buttons.
To remap joystick buttons, edit the lrjoybtn setting in the following file:
~/.config/retroarch/system/np2kai/np2kai.cfgUsing the np2kai documentation:
"This value is little endian and 12 values of 16bits (2 Bytes) are arranged.
Write the key code of RETROK (see libretro.h) to this value.
The order is: D-UP / DOWN / LEFT / RIGHT / A / B / X / Y / L / R / Select / Start."
For example, to bind the Up Arrow key to D-UP:
- Find the RETROK code in libretro.h (
273) - Convert it to little-endian hexadecimal →
1101 - Add a space between bytes →
11 01
Repeat for each button.
A full example line would look like this:
lrjoybtn = 11 01 12 01 14 01 13 01 78 00 7a 00 20 00 32 01 08 00 2f 01 1b 00 0d 00Games
This configuration should allow to run most of the translated games (like "Touhou" or "Super Dimension Fortress Macross - Skull Leader"). Here's a brief overview on what works with the np2kai core.
- ✅: Verified to work
- ⚠️: Work with some issues
- ❓: Unknown
- ❌: Broken
moogul