WatermelonDS 0.8.0.rc2 is here!!!

Hi everyone!

WatermelonDS 0.8.0.rc2 is now available.

This release focuses on smoother high-resolution Vulkan performance, important audio and graphics fixes, and several quality-of-life improvements for libraries, saves, and RetroAchievements.

Download: https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/WatermelonDS/releases/tag/0.8.0.rc2

Vulkan performance

This build includes big Vulkan performance and stability improvements.

 Here are some results from the tested sections:

• T820 at 6x, close to 60 FPS in tested sections of Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass, and Dragon Ball Origins

• Snapdragon 865 at 8x, close to 60 FPS in Spirit Tracks and tested Golden Sun sections

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 at 16x, close to 60 FPS in the measured Spirit Tracks section, without DRS or frameskip

As always, these results depend on the game, scene, device, driver, and configuration. 

What's New 

This release also includes:

• Major Vulkan performance and stability improvements

• Better high-resolution gameplay at 6x, 8x, 12x, and 16x

• New 12x and 16x internal resolution options

• Optional DRS, Dynamic Internal Resolution

• Vulkan frameskip with Off, Manual, and Auto modes

• Better Vulkan startup behavior

• Reduced black-screen waiting after loading a ROM

• Fixed several audio slowdown, pitch, delay, crackling, and capture issues

• Fixed the periodic RetroAchievements hitch

• Better support for large RetroAchievements sets

• Many Vulkan graphics fixes in specific games

• Faster ROM scanning for very large libraries

• Better save importing behavior

• Better 7z handling

• NDZ ROM support

• Custom driver controls now only appear on Adreno devices

The full detailed changelog is available in the GitHub release notes!!!

Special Thanks

I also want to give a special thank you to some people who helped test and improve this release:

Devin on Discord, for testing RetroAchievements over long play sessions and helping confirm that the periodic RA hitch was fixed.

Yumi on Discord, for testing audio capture software and helping confirm that captured and streamed audio behaves correctly.

Jow on Discord, for helping improve the audio system. 

You can find Jow on GitHub here: https://github.com/jojodogm-ctrl

Thank you so much for taking the time to test, report, and help validate these fixes. A lot of the improvements in this release came from finding problems, testing different configurations, and going back to fix them. 

Thank you

Thank you to everyone testing, reporting issues, sending videos, and supporting WatermelonDS.

I hope you enjoy the new improvements.

- Sapphire 💙