Skip to content

Nebula 1.0.0

Latest
Latest

Choose a tag to compare

View all tags
@keepvaibin keepvaibin released this 13 Oct 16:15
v1.0.0
78482c2

Nebula runs Super Mario Galaxy natively on Windows. Setup compiles the game from your own copy of the USA release (RMGE01, revision 0); the download contains no Nintendo code or assets.

Install

  1. Download Nebula-Setup.exe below and run it. The file is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows "Unknown publisher": choose More info, then Run anyway.
  2. Select your copy of the game (ISO, RVZ or extracted folder) and choose Install. Setup downloads a compiler and builds the game modules, which takes a few minutes.
  3. Start Nebula from the Start menu.

Saves and settings from earlier versions are kept. Installs of a 0.1.1 beta do not offer this release as an update; run the new Setup once.

Changes since 0.1.1-beta.4

Performance

  • The game's code runs as native x86-64. Guest registers stay in host registers between calls, calls follow the PowerPC calling convention, floating point uses host instructions, and the most-run functions are linked together, which helps most on CPUs with smaller caches.
  • The game's threads run on a cooperative scheduler instead of separate host threads.
  • New materials draw with general shaders while their specialized pipelines compile in the background, textures decode on worker threads, and Setup installs a shader cache, which removes most first-visit stutter.
  • Frame-rate overlays (NVIDIA, Steam, Xbox Game Bar) show the game's actual frame rate, and the display stays on while Nebula is in front.

Controls

  • Xbox controllers, the Switch Pro Controller and the Switch 2 Pro Controller (USB), with remappable buttons in Nebula Settings and in the in-game settings menu.
  • Switch controllers point with the gyro. The pointer hides after 4 seconds without movement and returns with R, as in the Switch release.
  • Tilt steers the Star Ball and ray surfing.
  • Vibration follows the game, with on/off and a strength setting from 10 to 100 %.

Display and graphics

  • Windowed or borderless fullscreen; borderless at the screen's resolution is the default. In windowed mode the window sizes match the chosen aspect ratio.
  • Aspect ratios from 4:3 to 32:9, with the game's menus and HUD placed for each.
  • Internal resolution up to 16x, adjustable while playing.
  • Optional SMAA or FXAA, AMD FidelityFX FSR 1 upscaling with sharpening, anisotropic filtering, generated mipmaps, per-pixel lighting and a longer draw distance. All are off by default.
  • In-game settings menu: F1, View + Menu (Xbox) or Minus + Plus (Switch).

Fixes

  • First-person views and cutscenes no longer show a small copy of the scene in the top-left corner.
  • A long system stall makes the audio skip instead of stopping the game.
  • Exclusive fullscreen is no longer offered: it could freeze when Windows showed something over the game. A saved exclusive fullscreen setting opens borderless.

Requirements

  • Super Mario Galaxy, USA (RMGE01), revision 0, as an ISO, RVZ or extracted folder
  • Windows 10 (version 1803 or newer) or Windows 11, 64-bit, with a Direct3D 12 GPU
  • 8 GB of RAM; 16 GB of free disk space during installation, about 5.5 GB afterwards
  • An internet connection during installation

The least powerful system tested so far, an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with its integrated graphics and 16 GB of RAM, runs the game at a locked 60 FPS at 1440p (16:10).

Known issues

  • Heavy background CPU load can make the audio skip.
  • Some areas, for example the Gateway Galaxy, drop below 60 FPS on weaker CPUs.
  • Some lighting and bloom effects in the Comet Observatory differ from the original.

Nebula is an independent project and is not affiliated with Nintendo. The README explains how it works and how it was built. Report problems on the issue tracker.

Assets 4
Loading