Are emulators taboo around here?

[Orcmonkey]

I'm not trying to start any controversy, just wondering if talk about emulators is considered against the rules here.

[HAL9000]

Well, I guess you have to look at the use of the emulator. The agreements that I have seen on emulators is that you MUST actually own the original game. For example, if you are running a Nintendo emulator and playing Super Mario, it is my understanding that you must actually own the Super Mario game for the Nintendo game unit. If you don't actually own the game, use of the game on the emulator is considered piracy.

[Xayd]

I don't think there's anything 'official' on emulators, but the only thing I'd recommend is ya can't discuss ROMs and where to get em. Technical issues I don't think there'd be a problem with.

[Orcmonkey]

Ok, thanks for the responses.

[aym]

I think that you must own the console and the game in order to play the game, otherwise, it's piracy.

[Tiretool]

I think that you must own the console and the game in order to play the game, otherwise, it's piracy.

I'm not sure about the console part... I think all you need is the software.

Personally, I've not yet found a good enough emulator to keep one installed on my computer. All the emulators I've tried (bleem, some Neo Geo emus, etc) have been very glitchy and/or the quality of picture or sound left plenty to be desired.

Can't go wrong using the intended platform for any game in my opinion.

[Orcmonkey]

While I agree that nothing comes close to pulling out the old Super Nintendo and playing some Zelda, I've found some features of emulation to be rather convenient. For example, my favorite (The only one I use) is ZSNES, there are TONS of configuration options, you can fast-forward (Great for RPGs with good stories but boring battles) and save/load at any time is sure handy. I haven't really tried neo-geo or arcade emu's but I recommend ZSNES over all others.

[aym]

Originally posted by Tiretool I'm not sure about the console part... I think all you need is the software. Personally, I've not yet found a good enough emulator to keep one installed on my computer. All the emulators I've tried (bleem, some Neo Geo emus, etc) have been very glitchy and/or the quality of picture or sound left plenty to be desired. Can't go wrong using the intended platform for any game in my opinion.

I was giving an opinion, I based my opinion on the fact that bleem needs the PS game CD to run the game, so you have to buy the game to play it on your PC using bleem, but bleem is illegal, so I think that even if you own the game you can't use an emulator, that's all.
So again it's a personal opinion.

[Tiretool]

Ok, but I disagree with your opinion that one must own a Playstation console, and a Playstation game in order to play said game on Bleem. Anyone can go into a store and pick up a Playstation CD. The "Gaming Police" won't visit your house to see if you own a Playstation console.

I believe that it is perfectly legal to play a console game on your PC using an emulator like bleem "if" you own a legal copy of that game.

[DragonNOA1]

i agree with tiretool, you must own the cd and 3 controllers.

ok, i'm joking about the controllers but i feel you do not have to own a games respective console in order to play it with an emulator on your computer.

[mike breck]

I'm just suprised that Sony and Nintendo haven't cottoned on to the fact that many of us would like the convenience of playing their games on a PC and made their own emulators.

After all, the real profit is in the software. So what does it matter on what platform we play the game, as long as we've paid them for the software.

They could have it both ways.

[RenegadeKing]

I remember some talk about Nintendo making a gameboy emulator a while ago. I'm not sure if it ever happened or if they are still doing it, or if they decided against it. I will try to find something on it..

RenegadeKing

[Tiretool]

You can even play Gameboy titles on a Playstation nowdays. I saw a converter on e-bay yesterday that allowed this.

[BlindFish]

Emulators of recent hardware really aren't any good - they are glitchy and you would be better off buying the hardware... But I do think a legitimate use of emulators is to 'try before you buy'... I tried out an N64 emulator to see if certain games were as good as I'd heard - I now own the console and said games - so Nintendo didn't lose anything by my using an emulator and I didn't waste my money... I think that's fair.

The real question is whether it's OK to run emulators of unavailable consoles and games - these emulators tend to be much more useable (eg ZSNES). The SNES is no longer on 'general release' so is this a legitimate use for emulators?

It's an interesting topic for discussion... How are the copyright owners 'losing out' if these things are no longer on sale?

I have also heard it suggested that the reason the PS1 sold so well was that it was easy enough to copy the software... whereas N64 cartridges just couldn't be copied in the same way, resulting in worse sales perhaps? Maybe trying to avoid piracy actually lost money for Nintendo... who knows.

I certainly don't condone piracy and emulation - but I don't think it's as black and white as is sometimes suggested...

[Prew]

My son plays Megaman with an emulator- I never thought of him breaking some law- now he if was playing an N64 or PS game I'd feel differently. Gee, I was thinking of being nostalgic and playing Ms Pacman on an emulator. Guess I need to rethink that. So how long is a copywrite on a video game-- how long before it becomes public domain?

BTW- the Megaman game runs flawlessly- just looks like some cheesy 2D side scroller Nintendo game. Not sure what the attraction is when there are so much better games available. Why would anyone want to play a Gameboy Pacman game on a PC?

[DragonNOA1]

i thought it was 15 years before it can become public domain, maybe not!?!?

[aym]

I tried a PS emulator (I don't remember its name) and the result was horrible, very bad graphics and sound.
And I tried an emulator for N64, this one was good, the graphics were nearly the same as the N64, and I was able to save anywhere in he game!

[Jenni]

I have SNES and Sega emulators. I never pay them, but my 4 year old loves it. What I want to know is: where do the ROM's come from? Does someone actually sit down and program the whole game? Or do the ROM's exist at Nintendo, and someone has stolen them? Because I know that you can get a pinball emulator and download the ROM's directly from a couple of pinball companies websites.

[aym]

Originally posted by Jenni I have SNES and Sega emulators. I never pay them, but my 4 year old loves it. What I want to know is: where do the ROM's come from? Does someone actually sit down and program the whole game? Or do the ROM's exist at Nintendo, and someone has stolen them? Because I know that you can get a pinball emulator and download the ROM's directly from a couple of pinball companies websites.

I don't know exactly where do ROMs come from, but I don't think that Nintendo makes them, I think that a programmer converts the game from the N64 to the PC, he doesn't rewrite the whole game, just converting.

[RenegadeKing]

I'm not exactly sure how, but I think there is hardware which you put the cartrige in, and hook it up to your PC. Like a drive for cartriges. I'm not sure where you would get them though. Possibly home built?? From there you can get the rom. Roms are just exactly what is on the cartrige in one file. Then the emulator reads it just as the console would.

RenegadeKing

[BlindFish]

Having wondered the same thing I did have a look around on the net... As RenegadeKing surmised there are indeed hardware Rom readers which connect to the PC and are used to copy Roms over... I've even seen one piece of hardware that plugs into the bottom of an N64 (there's a socket there Ninetendo never seem to have got round to using) and as I understand it can be used to read Roms off a CD... so you could download the Rom on a PC and play it on your N64 - though this is obviously highly illegal!

I even found one site where some mad academics took an N64 apart just to try and find out how the thing worked! Nutters....

[mike breck]

I tried a PS emulator (I don't remember its name) and the result was horrible, very bad graphics and sound.

Sorry to hear that.

I've tried Bleem and Virtual Game Station for PS. Bleem tried to enhance the graphics and that caused difficulties with some games. However, VGS just runs the game as it would look on the PS which is fine for me.

Yes, before anyone asks, we do own all the games and a PS, so I don't feel guilty.

[MoxManiac]

As far as the legality of emulating, using and talking about an emulator is 100% legal. It's when you start discussing the loaction of roms is where you get into trouble.

I've been into the emu scene a lot for the past couple years. It's a facsinating part of the internet community, especally to someone who grew up with videogaming as a hobby.

My current favorite emulation right now is Capcom CPS-2 (hardware) Most of the emulators emulate it practically flawlessly, I run it (Kawaks, mostly) at 768x448 with 50% scanlines @ 120hz, and it's just like having the arcade cabinet in my monitor. I love it, as I have been fed up with some of the console ports of these games.

For anyone that's interested in emulation, I suggest checking out http://www.retrogames.com . Note, that site is 100% legal with no rom links; it's just a news and information site regarding emulation.