Comparison

S98Player for iPhone vs MDX Player

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

S98Player for iPhone

This app plays sound logs in S98 format and PMD files from Yamaha FM sound chips. Enjoy chiptunes with features like album art, loop/shuffle playback, adjustable volume, and CarPlay support for on-the-go listening.

Highlights
  • Plays S98 and PMD file formats
  • High-quality FM synthesis
  • Adjustable sound source volumes
  • Loop and shuffle playback
  • CarPlay support
  • File transfer via Files app
Features
Read full description

S98Player plays the FM synth music of the PC-9801 and X68000 on your iPhone and iPad. Alongside sound logs (S98), the PMD, FMP and MDX drivers are built into the app, so you can drop the original song files straight in and play them. Formats - S98 (Version 1 / 3) — .s98 - PMD — .m / .m2 / .mz / .mp / .ms / .pmd - FMP — .opi / .ovi / .ozi / .mfm / .mf2 / .m86 / .m26 - MDX — .mdx (put .pdx in the same folder for songs that use ADPCM) Voiced for the machine The same FM chip sounded different on each computer: the external DAC and the analogue stage after it were not the same. PC-98, PC-88, X68000 and X1turboZ each have their own DAC, output stage, cutoff and per-chip mix. The machine is chosen from the S98 system tag, and can also be set in Settings.plist. Channel monitor Watch every channel on a piano-style keyboard while the music plays, with level meters, stereo panning, rhythm pads and a spectrum analyser. Tap a row to mute it, long-press to solo, and study each part on its own. Waveform seek bar The seek bar is a waveform. It draws the intro and one turn of the loop, and shows which time around you are on by how dark it is. Drag it to jump anywhere. More - Rotate your iPhone for a two-pane view: keyboard and spectrum analyser - Song info shows everything the file contains, unmodified - Album and song details can be edited in the app, album art included - You are told when a PCM file is missing - CarPlay support - Shuffle, and looping over an album Rhythm samples To hear the OPNA rhythm section you need ym2608_adpcm_rom.bin, or the rhythm files (2608_BD.WAV / 2608_HH.WAV / 2608_RIM.WAV / 2608_SD.WAV / 2608_TOM.WAV / 2608_TOP.WAV). Put them in the S98Player folder under "On My iPhone" in the Files app. Song files go there too, in a folder per album. Third-party software - PMDWin Ver. 0.52 Copyright & Programmed by C60 - ymfm Copyright (C) Aaron Giles - 98Fmplayer (fmdriver) Copyright (c) 2016 Takamichi Horikawa - portable_mdx (MXDRV) Copyright (C) 2018 Yosshin (MXDRV: milk. / K.MAEKAWA / Missy.M / Yatsube / GORRY / m_puusan)

About

MDX Player

This app plays MDX music files, a format popular with the SHARP X68000 computer series. It supports background playback, remote control, and loop play, allowing you to relive classic computer music.

Highlights
  • MDX file playback
  • Background playback
  • Remote control support
  • Loop playback
  • Dropbox access
  • Bundled sample sound
Features
Read full description

MDX Player for iOS 1980年代後半〜1990年代にかけて、一部で熱狂的な支持を得た "パーソナルワークステーション" SHARP X68000シリーズ。 X68000シリーズ用の高性能な内蔵音源ドライバとして広く普及したMXDRV。 MXDRV用の音楽データMDX。MDXは演奏データを収録した拡張子.mdxのファイル。 再生に必要なPCMデータを収録した拡張子.pdxのファイルを伴うこともあります。 MDX Player for iOSは、そのMDXの再生に対応したプレイヤーです。 MDXはパソコン通信を媒介として、その数60,000とも言われるほど大量に作られ、流通しました。 伝説的なデータが、今なおその作者のハンドル名と共に、インターネット上に残されています。 * バッググラウンドプレイ * リモートコントロール * ループプレイ * Dropboxアクセス サンプルサウンドとして X68030のテーマ (C) moyashi (hitoriblog.com) をバンドルしています! あの当時を思い出しながら、押入れに眠っているかもしれない5inchフロッピーやMOディスクを掘り出しましょう。

Screenshots

S98Player for iPhone4 screens
MDX Player2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: S98Player for iPhone at every 2 months against MDX Player's every 15 months. MDX Player's advantage is review sentiment (95% vs 83%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

S98Player for iPhone ships an update every 2 months, MDX Player every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
S98Player for iPhone versus MDX Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterS98Player for iPhoneMDX Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews95.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 15 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroaki KimuraNagisaWorks, K.K.

Customer experience

S98Player for iPhone

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%

MDX Player

Written reviews20 reviews
Positive95.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

S98Player for iPhone

No in-app purchases

None

MDX Player

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is S98Player for iPhone free?
S98Player for iPhone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MDX Player free?
MDX Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do S98Player for iPhone or MDX Player have ads?
Neither S98Player for iPhone nor MDX Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, S98Player for iPhone or MDX Player?
S98Player for iPhone ships an update every 2 months, and MDX Player every 15 months. Most recently, S98Player for iPhone was updated on October 14, 2026 and MDX Player on October 5, 2026.

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