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OSS Report: cemu-project/Cemu


Cemu Development Focuses on Cross-Platform Support and Performance Enhancements

Cemu, an open-source emulator for the Nintendo Wii U, continues to actively develop with a focus on improving cross-platform compatibility and performance. Recent efforts include enhancing support for Apple Silicon and addressing input lag in Vulkan rendering.

Recent Activity

The project has seen a notable increase in GitHub issues, with 233 currently open. These include a mix of bug reports and feature requests, particularly concerning controller compatibility and graphical glitches. This indicates ongoing user engagement and areas needing attention.

Recent pull requests highlight key themes:

Development Team Activity

Of Note

  1. Persistent controller compatibility issues, notably with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
  2. Ongoing graphical glitches across multiple games suggest challenges in rendering engines.
  3. Active community engagement in issue threads aids developers with logs and reproduction steps.
  4. Feature requests focus on enhancing user experience through better controller support and UI improvements.
  5. Audio output bugs indicate sound management requires further refinement.

Quantified Reports

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Recent GitHub Issues Activity

Timespan Opened Closed Comments Labeled Milestones
7 Days 7 3 5 0 1
30 Days 28 21 46 0 1
90 Days 65 54 138 0 1
1 Year 221 151 685 71 1
All Time 758 525 - - -

Like all software activity quantification, these numbers are imperfect but sometimes useful. Comments, Labels, and Milestones refer to those issues opened in the timespan in question.

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Quantified Commit Activity Over 30 Days

Developer Avatar Branches PRs Commits Files Changes
Exzap 1 1/1/0 15 30 739
bl 1 0/1/0 1 5 120
squidbus 1 1/1/0 1 5 91
Skyth (Asilkan) 1 1/1/0 1 4 82
goeiecool9999 1 4/3/0 3 3 7
20943204920434 1 1/1/0 1 1 5
None (SamoZ256) 0 1/0/0 0 0 0
Samuel (Samueru-sama) 0 1/0/0 0 0 0
None (BackflipPenguin) 0 1/0/1 0 0 0
Cemu-Language CI 1 0/0/0 3 5 0

PRs: created by that dev and opened/merged/closed-unmerged during the period

Detailed Reports

Report On: Fetch issues



Recent Activity Analysis

The Cemu project has experienced a notable surge in GitHub issue activity, with 233 open issues currently listed. Recent submissions highlight a mix of bug reports and feature requests, reflecting ongoing user engagement and the need for continuous improvements. A significant number of issues relate to controller compatibility, graphical glitches, and audio problems, indicating areas that may require urgent attention.

Several issues exhibit common themes, particularly around controller input and graphical fidelity. For instance, multiple users have reported problems with specific controllers (like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller) not functioning correctly or experiencing input lag. Additionally, graphical issues are prevalent in various games, suggesting potential underlying problems with the emulator's rendering capabilities.

Issue Details

Most Recently Created Issues:

  1. Issue #1314: Auto update metainfo on release

    • Priority: Feature Request
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 2 days ago
    • Details: Suggests automating the update of metainfo for releases to prevent script failures.
  2. Issue #1312: Unsupported vertex format: 16, Inside My Radio

    • Priority: Bug
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 3 days ago
    • Details: The game crashes due to unsupported vertex format during gameplay.
  3. Issue #1311: Online play with pretendo not working on the Linux flatpak

    • Priority: Bug
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 4 days ago
    • Edited: 1 day ago
    • Details: Issues connecting to online servers while using the Linux version of Cemu.
  4. Issue #1309: [Feature Request] Change Gamepad Orientation

    • Priority: Feature Request
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 5 days ago
    • Details: Requests an option to change gamepad orientation for specific games.
  5. Issue #1308: Regression: CastleStorm Ingame -> Unplayable after cemu 1.15.19

    • Priority: Bug
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 6 days ago
    • Details: The game crashes after an update, making it unplayable.

Most Recently Updated Issues:

  1. Issue #1311: Online play with pretendo not working on the Linux flatpak

    • Last updated by user comments discussing troubleshooting steps and experiences.
  2. Issue #1305: Unsupported texture readback format 000a

    • Edited recently to provide additional details about affected games and reproduction steps.
  3. Issue #1263: Controls are broken on some games

    • Updated with user comments regarding testing different configurations and seeking further assistance.
  4. Issue #1163: Wii U Pro Controller gets disconnected

    • Edited to reflect ongoing discussions about controller compatibility across different setups.
  5. Issue #1253: Wii U pro controller disconnects

    • Updated with user feedback confirming similar disconnection issues across versions.

Important Observations

  • There is a recurring theme of controller compatibility issues, particularly concerning the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and various third-party controllers.
  • Graphical glitches are frequently reported across multiple titles, indicating potential challenges in rendering engines or shader compatibility.
  • Users are actively engaging in discussions within issue threads, often providing logs and detailed reproduction steps that can aid developers in diagnosing problems.
  • Feature requests are focused on enhancing user experience through better controller support and UI improvements.
  • The presence of bugs related to audio output suggests that sound management may also require further refinement.

This analysis underscores the importance of addressing both critical bugs and user-requested features to enhance the overall functionality and user satisfaction with the Cemu emulator.

Report On: Fetch pull requests



Overview

The analysis of the pull requests (PRs) for the Cemu project reveals a vibrant development environment with a focus on enhancing functionality, fixing bugs, and improving performance. The project has 12 open PRs and 522 closed PRs, indicating a high level of ongoing activity and community engagement.

Summary of Pull Requests

Open Pull Requests

  • PR #1316: Allow the appimage to update with appimageupdate
    Created 2 days ago, this PR introduces delta updates using appimageupdatetool. It raises questions about the existing auto-updater in Cemu and discusses potential UI implications regarding release channels.

  • PR #1290: Vulkan: use present_wait to limit present queue for FIFO present mode
    Created 16 days ago, this draft PR addresses input lag issues by reintroducing fence waits in Vulkan's rendering pipeline. It aims to synchronize CPU and GPU operations more effectively.

  • PR #1287: WIP: Metal backend
    Created 17 days ago, this work-in-progress PR aims to implement a Metal backend for macOS, potentially improving performance over Vulkan. It includes several completed tasks but still has outstanding issues to resolve.

  • PR #1255: macOS: Apple Silicon support (interpreter only)
    Created 49 days ago, this draft PR focuses on supporting Apple Silicon for the interpreter. It highlights challenges with page sizes and compatibility across different architectures.

  • PR #1211: MacOS: disable pipeline cache compilation
    Created 101 days ago, this workaround addresses issues with pipeline cache on macOS. It aims to improve stability but is not ideal.

Closed Pull Requests

  • PR #1306: build: Better support for cross-compiling on ARM macOS
    Closed recently, this PR enhances cross-compilation support for ARM macOS, improving build instructions and CI performance.

  • PR #1304: Mouse
    Closed shortly after creation without merging, indicating it may not have met project standards or requirements.

  • PR #1269: Update Fedora build instructions [skip ci]
    Closed after addressing changes in Fedora’s library management.

  • PR #1154: ELF loader: allocate PPC-recompiler jump table for executable sections
    Merged to fix crashes when launching homebrew applications from ELF files.

Analysis of Pull Requests

The pull requests reflect several prominent themes within the Cemu project:

  1. Performance Improvements: Many recent PRs focus on enhancing performance across various platforms. For instance, PR #1290 seeks to address input lag in Vulkan rendering by reintroducing synchronization mechanisms. Similarly, the Metal backend implementation (PR #1287) aims to leverage macOS's graphics capabilities for better performance compared to Vulkan.

  2. Cross-Platform Support: The project is actively working towards better cross-platform compatibility, particularly with recent efforts to support Apple Silicon (PR #1255) and improve ARM macOS builds (PR #1306). This indicates a strategic direction towards ensuring that Cemu remains relevant across different hardware architectures.

  3. Bug Fixes and Stability Enhancements: A significant number of closed PRs are dedicated to bug fixes and stability improvements. For example, PR #1159 addresses crashes related to friend list functionalities, while PR #1145 introduces an auto-updater that enhances user experience by simplifying installation processes across platforms.

  4. Community Engagement and Feedback: The discussions within the PR comments reveal an active community that provides feedback and suggestions for improvements. This is evident in PRs like #1316 where contributors discuss the implications of adding new features while considering existing functionalities like the auto-updater.

  5. Long-standing Issues: Some older PRs remain open or have been marked as drafts due to unresolved issues or complexity in implementation, such as PR #953 regarding save states which has been ongoing for over a year. This highlights potential bottlenecks in development where certain features may require extensive testing or architectural changes before they can be merged.

  6. Anomalies in Merge Activity: The presence of many open PRs alongside a substantial number of closed ones suggests that while there is active development, some contributions may not be meeting the project's standards or may require further refinement before being considered for merging. Additionally, the rapid closure of some PRs indicates a responsive development team that prioritizes quality control.

In conclusion, the Cemu project demonstrates a robust development cycle characterized by continuous improvement efforts, community involvement, and a clear focus on enhancing user experience through performance optimizations and cross-platform support. However, challenges remain in managing long-term feature implementations and ensuring that all contributions align with project goals.

Report On: Fetch commits



Repo Commits Analysis

Development Team and Recent Activity

Team Members and Their Recent Activities

  • squidbus

    • Recent Activity: Improved macOS builds with changes to CI configurations and build instructions.
    • Commits: 1 commit with 91 changes across 5 files.
  • Cemu-Language CI

    • Recent Activity: Updated translation files.
    • Commits: 3 commits with no changes across 5 files.
  • Exzap

    • Recent Activity:
    • Major contributions including preparations for version 2.1, implementing various features, bug fixes, and optimizations across multiple components of the emulator.
    • Collaborated on translation updates and addressed issues related to Vulkan rendering and input handling.
    • Commits: 15 commits with 739 changes across 30 files.
  • squelchiee (bl)

    • Recent Activity: Implemented new functions related to comments in the nn_fp library.
    • Commits: 1 commit with 120 changes across 5 files.
  • 20943204920434

    • Recent Activity: Updated appimage script to support runtime library loading.
    • Commits: 1 commit with 5 changes across 1 file.
  • blueskythlikesclouds (Skyth)

    • Recent Activity: Added support for iterating directories in graphic pack content folders.
    • Commits: 1 commit with 82 changes across 4 files.
  • goeiecool9999

    • Recent Activity: Made minor fixes to CI configurations and contributed to build process improvements.
    • Commits: 3 commits with a total of 7 changes across 3 files.

Patterns, Themes, and Conclusions

  • Active Development Focus: The team is actively working on both feature enhancements and bug fixes, particularly around the upcoming version release (2.1). Exzap is the most prolific contributor, indicating a strong leadership role in development.

  • Collaboration on Localization: The Cemu-Language CI's activity highlights ongoing efforts to maintain and update translation files, ensuring the emulator remains accessible to a diverse user base.

  • Continuous Integration Improvements: There is a consistent focus on improving CI processes, especially for macOS builds, which suggests an emphasis on cross-platform compatibility.

  • Diverse Contributions: Contributions span various areas including performance optimizations (Vulkan), user interface improvements (graphic packs), and backend functionalities (nn_fp library), showcasing a well-rounded development effort.

In summary, the Cemu project demonstrates robust activity with a clear focus on enhancing user experience through continuous updates and community engagement.