DOSBox Staging just dropped its 0.83.0 release candidate

DOSBox Staging has released version 0.83.0-RC1, signaling that the next major stable update for the DOS emulator is almost ready. The release candidate is available now on the project's GitHub page for public testing.

From 2002 to a modern fork

The original DOSBox launched in 2002 to solve a very specific problem. Classic PC games were becoming unplayable on modern operating systems like Windows XP. Created by Peter Veenstra, Sjoerd van der Berg, and Tommy Frandsen, the software emulated an IBM PC compatible computer. It replicated MS-DOS environments and legacy sound cards like the Sound Blaster, AdLib, and Gravis Ultrasound. It also handled early video standards like CGA, EGA, and VGA.

Over the next two decades, DOSBox became the backbone for commercial retro re-releases on platforms like GOG and Steam. Countless classic titles from the 1980s and 1990s rely on it to function on modern hardware today. However, the original DOSBox SVN repository updates at a glacial pace. DOSBox Staging forked from the main codebase in 2020. The goal was to implement modern coding standards, switch to a faster release cycle, and integrate features that the original developers rejected or ignored.

I remember spending hours tweaking CPU cycles in the original DOSBox just to get Wing Commander running at a playable speed without the audio stuttering. Staging has made that process much smoother over the years, and this new update continues that trend.

De-dithering and disk noise

There is a massive list of graphical and audio improvements in version 0.83.0. It adds a forced borderless fullscreen mode and an FMV video deinterlacer. Display options now include 3.5x and 4.5x integer scaling for adaptive CRT shaders. The team also added a new Jinc 2 de-dithering shader and a simple built-in image viewer. Users can now utilize shader preset support to save and load their favorite visual configurations quickly.

Audio gets equal attention in this release. The emulator now includes disk noise emulation and configurable IO throttling. Disk noise emulation might sound like a strange feature, but hearing the mechanical crunch of a virtual floppy drive adds a surprising amount of authenticity to the experience. It replicates the physical feedback we used to rely on to know if a game had crashed or was just loading.

MIDI users can specify dedicated directories for MT-32 and SC-55 ROMs. This version also fixes several bugs related to FluidSynth and hanging music notes in specific games like Cruise for a Corpse.

Under the hood, the development team migrated the entire build system to CMake and vcpkg. This structural change makes compiling the emulator easier across different platforms.

Controller navigation finally works

Input handling received a major overhaul for the 0.83.0 release. Gamepad bindings are now saved properly to the configuration file. The user interface can be navigated entirely with a controller. This eliminates the need to reach for a mouse just to change a setting or launch a game. Modern retro gamers often play on a television or a handheld PC like the Steam Deck. Having full controller support for the menus makes DOSBox Staging much more viable for couch gaming setups.

Keyboard users get some quality-of-life fixes as well. The emulator now does a better job of matching the active host operating system keyboard layout. This includes specific fixes for Hungarian ISO-style physical keyboards. Previous versions defaulted to a UK layout and caused friction for international users.

The RC1 build means the feature set is locked in. The developers are currently hunting down remaining bugs before pushing the final build. The stable 0.83.0 release should follow shortly.