Lunar IPS
Lunar IPS is a free Windows utility for creating and applying IPS patches, intended as a lightweight replacement for the SNESTool DOS program.
What Lunar IPS is
Lunar IPS is a free Windows utility for creating and applying IPS patches, intended as a lightweight replacement for the SNESTool DOS program. It supports full RLE encoding and decoding, as well as expanding and truncating files. Its encoder makes patches no larger than SNESTool’s and avoids a rare 0x454F46 EOF offset bug attributed to that encoder. When applying a patch, the utility can create a log named ROMFileName.log. It can register the .IPS file type in Windows so a user can double-click a patch and choose a file to patch. IPS patching supports files up to 16 MB; the format’s 24-bit addressing cannot record changes past that point, although an IPS file itself can be any size. Logging and file registration preferences are saved to the Windows registry. The listed version is 1.03, updated February 2, 2022. Minimum listed systems are Windows 95 (32-bit) and Windows XP 64-bit. Command-line support and Croatian, Dutch, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish versions are listed.
Good
- Creates and applies IPS patches.
- Supports full RLE encoding and decoding.
- Can expand or truncate files.
- Can generate a patch log.
- Command-line support is listed.
Watch out
- IPS patching supports files only up to 16 MB.
- The listed version is 1.03, updated February 2, 2022.
- Minimum listed systems include Windows 95 or XP 64-bit.
Who it suits
Lunar IPS may suit Windows users who need to create or apply IPS patches and want RLE encoding, file sizing tools, or patch logs. Its stated file-patching limit matters for changes beyond 16 MB.
Verdict
Lunar IPS provides IPS patch creation and application alongside file handling, logging, and file association options. Users should account for the format’s 16 MB patching limit and the listed minimum Windows requirements.
The facts
Each one read from Lunar IPS's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Current listed release
- The page lists version 1.03, updated February 2, 2022.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Download size
- The listed archive size is 172K zipped and 437K unzipped.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Encoder behavior
- Its encoder avoids the rare 0x454F46 (EOF) offset bug attributed to SNESTool's IPS encoder.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Encoder output
- Its IPS encoder creates files the same size as or smaller than files created with SNESTool.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Encoding
- It supports full RLE encoding and decoding.checked 5 Oct 2026
- File association
- The utility can register the .IPS file type so users can double-click an IPS file and choose a file to patch.checked 5 Oct 2026
- File handling
- It supports expanding and truncating files.checked 5 Oct 2026
- File sizing
- It supports expanding and truncating files.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Logging
- Applying a patch can generate a log named ROMFileName.log.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Operating system requirements
- The listed minimum operating systems are Windows 95 (32-bit) and Windows XP 64-bit.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Other languages
- The page lists Croatian, Dutch, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish versions.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Patch operations
- It can create and apply IPS patches.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Patch output
- The IPS encoder creates files the same size as or smaller than files created with SNESTool.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Patch size limit
- IPS patching is supported for files up to 16 MB; the IPS format cannot record changes beyond that mark because it uses 24-bit addressing, though an IPS file itself can be any size.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Lunar IPS is a lightweight Windows utility intended to replace the SNESTool DOS program.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Settings storage
- The logging and file registration options are saved to the Windows registry.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Translations
- The page lists Croatian, Dutch, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish language versions.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Version and update
- The listed version is 1.03, updated February 2, 2022.checked 5 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2000checked 23 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Minimum Windows versions
- The listed minimum operating systems are Windows 95 for 32-bit and Windows XP 64-bit for 64-bit.checked 5 Oct 2026
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