VMU Profiler

Real-Time Visual Memory Unit Profiler for KallistiOS-Based Sega Dreamcast Applications

Background

The VMU Profiler was created as a profiling tool for the Grand Theft Auto 3 port to the Sega Dreamcast as a way to gather real-time scene and resource statistics on actual hardware, rather than relying on emulators.

Statistics

1. FPS: Frames Per Second
2. SH4: Main System RAM Utilization
3. PVR: Video RAM Utilization
4. ARM: Sound RAM Utilization
5. VTX: Number of vertices in current frame

Features

- Runs in a background thread, no blocking on Maple
- Configurable polling interval, sleeps in between updates
- Configurable background thread priority
- Configurable VMU port to display on
- Configurable frames to average for smooth FPS counting

Usage

int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
    // initialize video
    // initialize audio

    vmu_profiler_start(<optional configuration>);

    // Start the game loop
    while(!done) {
        // Update every frame
        vmu_profiler_update(<verts in current frame>)
    }

    vmu_profiler_stop();

    return 0;
}

Building

Coming Soon

Acknowledgements

100% inspired by the badass FPS monitor in Bloom, the incredible PS1 emulator for Sega Dreamcast by Paul Cercuei.