Actual hardware selection from load menus

[Former user]

Original [issue 245](https://code.google.com/p/genplus-gx/issues/detail?id=245) created by icedomains on 2012-07-08T16:19:47.000Z:

We know how the "Console hardware" option in the System menu forces emulation to one system or the other, which is indeed useful... But, from a user's point of view, that's what I'd think that selecting "Load SMS game" or "Load Mega Drive game" would actually do. Like choosing the system you want to use until you go back and select a different one.

For example, if I wanted to test a certain SMS game with graphic bugs when being played on a Mega Drive, I'd instinctively select the "Load Mega Drive game" icon (as if you plugged that system in) and then select the SMS ROM (as if I was using a Power Base Converter to play it). The same could be applied to Master System games running on Game Gear hardware, or SG-1000 games running on the Master System and Game Gear (the latter seen in many pirate cartridges).

If there's actual hardware distinctions between different versions of the emulated system (SMS1, SMS2, Mark-III), perhaps the "Console hardware" option could just be moved to a button on top of the game list saying something like "Current hardware: SMS2".

I believe this could make things more intuitive than having to go back to the System menu to force the current hardware. I hope it makes sense...

[Former user]

Comment # 1 originally posted by ekeeke31 on 2012-07-08T16:41:26.000Z:

I disagree, mostly because a game is different from the console itself and as you said, you may want to play a sms game on genesis but i guess you wouldn't like it to be displayed like a genesis cartridge in the rom browser, right ? That's the purpose of the distinct load menus, to distinguish between games and be able to display the proper cartridge label and screenshots without having to read the file extension to guess the type (which for zipped file involves uncompressing and reading the file just to know what his type is, even when you actually don't plan to load it - this strategy caused noticed slowdown in previous version rom browser). Using only filename for screenshots also proved to be a bad idea since some genesis and sms games share the same name.

Lastly, it's much more practical this way to have different game types classified in distinct folders and quickly access them without having to navigate through your whole file hierarchy just because you want to load a sms rom on genesis but the folder obviously points to your genesis folder, since most of the time, that's where you pick roms for genesis...

All in all, it's more practical to use the "console system" option if you want to force a specific system instead of auto-detection, and does not force de-facto when using load file menus, which kinda defeat the purpose of auto-detection, which people are gonna use anyway. Auto detection is also good in case of mis-classified rom, you immediately see on which system it is supposed to be running, while if you force the system, all you got is a black screen and people complaining about rom "not working". So long for the more intuitive solution...

[Former user]

Comment # 2 originally posted by superballena on 2012-07-08T17:29:32.000Z:

I see, that's an interesting way of doing it and I agree with its usefulness, although I'd still move the "Console hardware" option to the ROM browser for a faster control of which system do you want to play the game with.

By the way, in case you hadn't noticed, it was me who posted the issue. No idea why I was logged into the other account...

--ICEknight

[Former user]

Comment # 3 originally posted by superballena on 2012-07-08T17:31:29.000Z:

Or, rather than moving it, just adding a shortcut to "System options" altogether.