WinUAE 6.1.0 beta 10 is out with new Linux and macOS features

WinUAE 6.1.0 beta 10 brings a substantial batch of improvements to macOS and Linux. This isn’t simply the Windows version repackaged for another operating system. The Unix release includes 37 additional commits focused on platform support, packaging, hardware access, debugging and day-to-day reliability. That matters because the Unix editions have often lacked some of the tools available to Windows users. This release closes several of those gaps. It adds a native debugger, better floppy-drive support, Lua scripting, expanded genlock features and improved launch configuration. It also addresses a long list of issues in CPU, chipset, SCSI and graphics emulation. In practical terms, WinUAE now feels more at home on modern Linux systems and Apple Silicon Macs.

Chipset and CPU accuracy get important fixes

Several core emulation changes come directly from the main WinUAE development branch. AGA Lisa bitplane and sprite shifting has been reworked, including behaviour linked to FMODE changes. Bitplane and sprite data now follows the 64-bit Lisa shifter layout more closely. OCS and ECS operation remains unchanged, so the update targets AGA-specific behaviour without disrupting older chipset configurations.

A Kickstart 1.3 boot problem has also been fixed. It could appear when users selected a 68020 or 68030 processor, enabled cycle-exact mode and ran the CPU at the fastest possible speed without genlock.

The 68030 MMU code gets attention too. Stacked bus errors no longer apply address-register corrections twice, and repeated RTE faults now preserve the original instruction that caused the problem. These are technical changes, but they can make a real difference when running software that pushes the processor or memory-management emulation hard.

SCSI and graphics support become more accurate

Storage emulation receives several useful corrections. The NCR 53C710 implementation has been updated for hardware such as the A4091, A4000T and Warp Engine. A4091 diagnostic tests can now complete successfully, which suggests the controller behaviour is closer to the original hardware. A3000 SDMAC and WD SCSI emulation also improves. WinUAE now handles inaccessible address ranges with more accurate bus-error and timeout behaviour.

Graphics fixes cover both uaegfx and specific emulated display boards. The release corrects 24-bit BltTemplate operations in complement mode, S3 Trio and CyberVision line drawing, and transparency handling on Retina and Altais graphics hardware.

The on-screen device indicators have also been cleaned up. Drive and device LEDs now move automatically when certain hardware is disabled, so the display no longer leaves awkward empty spaces. Floppy indicators remain visible where needed.

macOS and Linux gain a proper native debugger

One of the biggest Unix-specific additions is the new Qt debugger. It includes an interactive console, command history, live CPU registers, control registers, prefetch information, floating-point registers and FPSR status. The windows stay open and responsive while the emulator runs, which makes the debugger far more useful during software testing or low-level fault finding. This isn’t just a cosmetic interface change. It gives developers and advanced users a much clearer view of what the emulated machine is doing.

The release also adds CAPS and SPS support for IPF disk images, along with a wider FloppyBridge implementation for physical floppy drives. Users can discover available profiles, choose IBM PC or Shugart drive modes and use high-speed DrawBridge operation on Linux.

The packaged versions for macOS, AppImage, Debian and Arch now include the required FloppyBridge plugins. WinUAE also prevents users from assigning the same physical device to several emulated drives at once.

Lua, printer support and save states expand the feature set

Lua 5.4 scripting is now available, opening the door to more advanced automation and emulator control. Epson printer emulation has been added as well, along with uaenative.library support and ARM64-aware module naming. Special-monitor emulation and LaserDisc text-overlay rendering also join the Unix build.

Save-state handling is easier through the Qt interface. Users can create and load states directly, and WinUAE now shows a replacement-disk dialogue when a saved state refers to a floppy image that can’t be found. That’s a small detail, but it removes an irritating interruption from the recovery process.

Genlock support takes a major step forward

Unix genlock support is one of the most ambitious changes in this beta. WinUAE can use raw 24-bit AVI files, video from SDL3-compatible cameras and, when available, FFmpeg for video decoding and audio input.

The controls include seeking, playback duration, volume and audio-channel selection. This gives macOS and Linux users access to a much broader set of video-input options. It also brings the Unix builds closer to the multimedia feature set already associated with the main emulator.

Launcher and packaging changes improve daily use

The launcher now handles ROMs more like the Windows version. Quickstart ROM selection follows the same logic, while Kickstart files appear under their database names and can be filtered by type. ROM paths also survive resets and restarts more reliably.

Configuration loading has been tightened. WinUAE now clears old preferences before applying a new configuration, so settings that aren’t present in the selected file don’t remain active by accident.

Packaging work covers macOS DMG files, Ubuntu 26.04 DEB packages and portable AppImages. AppImage builds also gain Wayland window-decoration support, while packaging checks now verify plugins, metadata, external floppy sounds and included files more carefully.

ARM64 users benefit from page-aligned protected ROM allocation and corrected program-counter handling in the JIT engine. Bundled libraries have also been updated, including FreeType 2.14.3, libpng 1.6.58, Lua 5.4.8 and GLib 2.88.2.

WinUAE 6.1.0 beta 10 isn’t a minor maintenance release. It strengthens the emulator at almost every level, from CPU accuracy and disk hardware to native tools, packaging and multimedia support. For macOS and Linux users, it’s one of the most complete Unix builds yet.