Should You Use Emulation? - Retro Bird
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- In this video, I talk about some of the misconceptions surrounding emulation and the benefits / downsides of choosing to either use it or not use it.
Should You Use Emulation - Retro Bird / Should You Use Emulation to Play Video Games?
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Games played: Battletoads Arcade via Rare Replay (0:00), Battletoads via Rare Replay (0:25), Saturn Bomberman (0:40), Ghouls n' Ghosts (1:30), Jetpac via Rare Replay (1:50), Ms. Pac-Man via Namco Museum Vol. 3 (3:20), Zombies Ate My Neighbors (7:20)
I'm really thankful that Retro bird does these things for us
Yes!
Hello Mr Gaming, what is your favorite weapon in Zombies Ate My Neighbors?
I'm a huge Scott the woz fan and I highly suggest the Scott the woz episode Eek! Emulation! Why is emulation and roms/iso's wrong when game collections like Sega genesis classics,Sonic origins collection and the castlevania advance collection is legal?
Emulators suck
Mister Wallet always encourages me to emulate.
Mister I'd-Like-To-Physically-Control-My-Collection encourages me as well. Yes, that includes the physical hard drives my ROMs are on.
There is a third way. It is not always possible but crack/hack enable you to use the original hardware with almost free software.
@@PyromancerRift I do that with most of my systems. I only emulate the arcade, 8bit, and 16bit games.
okie dokie brokie
When MAME first came out I was blown away. All these arcade treasures from my childhood were all of a sudden playable on my PC. It didn't have sound yet but that didn't matter, I could play the original arcade Donkey Kong on my PC. Then when the first version with sound came out the flood of nostalgia those sounds invoked was amazing. I knew exactly where I was when I first experienced these games. I was actually surprised how much the sound triggered emotions and nostalgia more than just the graphics. I was back in the roller skate arena where I first played Donkey Kong, I was in that ice cream parlour on holidays where I first play Pengo. Emulation is fantastic. I have been in love with emulation since I first discovered it and these days with the MiSTer FPGA project the golden age of video games is available to all.
Considering I used to own some of the most desired titles for the SNES back in the 1990s like EVO, Mega Man X3, Chrono Trigger and several others before I sold them to Funcoland for crappy N64 titles? Yes, I will happily emulate them to save me the burden of having to buy them all back.
This
I didn’t even sell my collection and I use emulation… because it’s so much easier to access.
My friend let me borrow X3 back in the 90s and then his family abruptly moved with no warning, leaving me with the game lol.
Still got it!
@@chriskoschik391 Must not have been that close of friend if he moved without warning.
@@leeartlee915 nah, just some kid that came over from time to time lol. He was cool and we had fun. Not sure what happened to him lol
I subscribed because I know you work hard for your Nanners.
But can you emulate a nanner? 🤔
But the real question, are emulated nanners an acceptable alternative?
I used to use MAME a lot because I love the old school arcade games, I felt no guilt seeing as how I spent countless quarters on the games when they were in the arcade. Not to mention you can find pretty much any old arcade game without having to hunt them down.
Yeah that's very true. I used to waste a lot of money in the arcades. Mame is awesome.
Not only that, in the case of arcade games, it's damn near impossible for most people to collect them, not even just for the cost, but like where the hell are you gonna put the arcade machines at? They aren't exactly known for their convenience and space efficiency.
To add to this point of view, if someone were to create an arcade alley with lots of old school arcade games, I think that even Emulators fans would visit them to play and contribute to its existence. Most of the time, the problem is availability and price.
Why do you need to feel guilt?
The internet has enabled information to be passed around freely. You don't need to feel bad for utilizing that resource.
If you feel like you benefitted from a game you've played and want to give the rights holder something you could go buy their other products or maybe try to give them a donation or at least spread the word about their work.
Frank paid the coin op manufacturer and was making money to recoup his investment - that is business.
Emulation is great, and I hope we keep seeing more emulated retro game collections get released so more people can play retro games without hassle, and while legally compensating the rights holders. I have to shout out the great Napoleon Dynamite reference @8:40, that gave me an extra good laugh tonight
6:22 SOOOOOO feel you on that one!!!! and THE most SOLID point for emulation!!
Do I want to own an original copy and hardware of a game I want to play? Yes. Will I emulate it if I don't? Also yes.
100%. Most people don’t emulate because they want to steal games. It’s a service issue. The creators of these games don’t sell them anymore, so there’s not much of a choice.
I barely hook up my original systems these days and just resort to emulation outside of the Wii and DS. The controller is very important to making the emulation feel more legit. PS1 usb controllers, gamecube to usb controllers, SNES mini with the og controllers etc etc make it so much more fun
Same. I need the controllers for sure.
Agree I think Wii and DS are the outliers since those consoles provide different gameplay experiences that are harder to replicate without the official hardware.
Super console x
I've, allegedly, used emulation on games I own so I can have multiple save states. Sometimes you want to relive becoming the very best like no one ever was without saying goodbye to you capsule buddy who's been with you for 20+ years.
I've gone the route of FPGA consoles. I can play my original carts and discs plus take advantage of the jail break firmwares. Some consoles give me the option to play on either a CRT or modern television. I like blending the old and new.
Yes. I will not take out another mortgage, e.g. to play little samson or neogeo
you clearly missed that cheap ticket ship its sailed
Emulation is the only way to play many fan translations and hacks. It allows things like overclocking and scaling options. Things like savestates, fast-forward and tons of other things really make it a wonderful way to enjoy classic games better than original.
Since I have the room for a 27" CRT TV and room for consoles, I will always opt for original hardware first as long as it doesn't cost more than $200 CAD for a fully working console and less than $50 CAD for a game. But when costs are inflated by "collectors" or "just because it's retro" then I'm sorry, but I will use a Flashcart on an original console, or full on emulation.
Also to note, I am personally against emulating current generation systems, but do support being able to rip games for BIOS for game preservation in the future.
Whats your opinion on emulating current gen games that you own?
And by using flash cartridges for the overly expensive games, you avoid adding to the demand and driving up the prices even higher.
@@altonb.1396 Well first off, I definitely don't support emulating games you don't own from current generation when they are available at MSRP. I would make the exception that if a game costs twice as much to import or obtain a copy, then I might be a little more willing to emulate, or if a game just never released in your region for you console and the only way to play it would be emulating it. At least in that last case, you aren't costing the game company anything since they never provided you a way to purchase the game legally anyway, so they didn't lose money and got an extra fan of the series that might tell their friends or support a future release.
I can't really see a good reason to emulate current gen games though personally, since I would first want to own that console and would buy a game for that console because I want to play it on there.
I know there are arguments for playing games at actual 30 FPS, or proper 4k like lots of Switch games and I don't want to discount that as a valid use for emulation as long as they own the console and a copy of the game. But personally, with the Switch as a great example, the games that I buy for my Switch are games that I like playing games on-the-go on my Switch. Higher fidelity games that I want to play in greater detail, I will normally just wait for a version on PC like Bravely Default II and FF IX Remake.
I can't really talk to current Xbox or PlayStation though since I haven't owned one since the PS2 and Xbox 360.
@@mariogirod6195 Yeah, there are some games on my GBA, DS and GCN that I never owned when they were current consoles, but finding a current working version of the game is 2-4x MSRP + shipping. And it's not the game developer making that money, it's a regular person profiting off the game developer in the second-hand market and I don't want to support demand based pricing on retro games or scalping.
Don't hate, emulate!
Emulation is not just used to play or preserve old games.
It's a research tool used to understand how these games and old consoles function.
It is used for those things as well tho
lol
It is for the best and the way.
For real, a lot of our understanding of old game's code came from emulation
The debuggers included are rather impressive
I use original hardware when I can but I'm not about to pay $300+ to play the Onimusha trilogy again. Emulation definitely has its place.
Hell ya one of my favorite series
The Onimusha games look awful on a high definition TV
If its fun to play, whether on original hardware or emulator, I say fine sir, PLAY ON!
I think you should definitely use both! They both have a place in the retro videogame community, and are equally as useful and great. Whereas original hardware is awesome, and not only gives you the most authentic / pure experience, but likely the least input lag or bugs, emulation is only slightly worse in those areas and provides the convenience of playing all your favourite game consoles on the same device, or even on the go! Original hardware is faulty, I mean your a collector, you know the pains of getting the NES to read a cartridge, and when it finally does read the game it's been 20 minutes and your no longer interested in playing said game! I'd rather boot up my laptop, or if you want an official emulator, the Virtual Console on my Wii or 3DS, and just play NES games there. I get a better experience, with none of the hiccups of fighting the NES to just do what it was designed to do. Don't take this as a sign that emulation is always the option though. Many consoles past the 4th generation have emulation problems, between the PS1, N64, and ESPECIALLY the Sega Saturn, among other systems of the era like the 3DO and the Atari Jaguar, and more recent hardware like the Xbox, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, DS, PSP, etc. all have frame problems, input lag on certain titles, and a list of games that just aren't compatible with them (for technical reasons, accessories, or something else). In these cases, the best experience would still be the console even if it's fairly expensive.
The big advantage that emulation has over original cartridges, discs and hardware is that the original stuff is temporary. Eventually those consoles will die, discs will completely have rotten away, and cartridges will stop working. Emulation is more of an enigma that transcends time instead of slowly dying till it fizzles out. It can't, because it's all files and data, there's typically no physicality with emulation. Those files can just continue to be passed down further and further for the rest of time, decades after the originals released, stopped working, and were forgotten. Does this mean you should ignore retro game collecting, because in 100 years some of the oldest things in your collection may not work? Absolutely not! There's still an incredible joy to collecting, and if anything knowing this should inspire you to want to play on original hardware more, since there's only so much time in that consoles life that you CAN play that game on that old system before it's impossible. The death of this stuff is also still very far away, gaming is still largely in it's infancy, the home console market has only been around for a little over 50 years, and while it seems like there's a large gap from the Magnavox Odyssey to the PS5, in reality there really wasn't that much passage of time. Music had been around for thousands of years before it evolved into the genres like Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, etc. and films were essentially just operas many, MANY centuries ago back in ancient Greece times.
So to conclude: both emulation and original hardware should be used. They both have strengths and weaknesses over each other, and they will both be around for a LONG time (likely longer than we will live). Enjoy both mediums!
Well said!
FPGA is the way to go, without lag or bugs. Fpga and real hardware
I can feel the momentum of this underrated channel gaining ground!
Big props for mentioning Faxanadu. Until next time, I’ll be drinkin and tinklin.
The only retro console I own and use is my original N64. I still play games from the 80s till now, with anything up to the 2000s I emulate. Wii virtual console introduced me to so many classics and modern emulation frontends like RetroArch are amazing to play classic games looking and playing as good as ill ever need them to be.
I smelled a Napoleon Dynamite reference when you put the SNES cartridge in!
I don't feel bad for emulating games, especially games that have never gotten a re-release. Screw the profiteer for price gouging games. Also the company already made their money years ago, and the developers team no longer work with the company, so they're not receiving any money from the games that they made anyway.
Some emulators now also allow save states for your games. No more having to worry about writing down massive passwords in a notebook (and hoping they actually work) or rage quitting on some of my favorite games like Castlevania 3...
I love emulation as it allowed me to play games that would’ve otherwise been too before my time. One of my greatest gaming memories was emulating Donkey Kong Country with my sister. We had a blast. Over the course of a year, when we got home from school, we’d pick up our controllers and play Donkey Kong Country until bedtime. Let me tell you, the rewind function got a lot of use from level 1 to King K. Rool. That’s another benefit. It makes games more accessible. And to think without emulation, it would’ve never happened. I honestly only own one physical game from before 2000 because I just emulate all of them. If you were wondering, that one game is LEGO Island. Anyways, I have, and will continue, to emulate games for the rest of time, whether it be through RetroArch or official means.
Frank Cifaldi has some great GDC talks on RUclips all about emulation. I highly recommend giving those a watch! We ABSOLUTELY need emulation for game preservation! Old consoles and games are going to go bad eventually, Emulation is the only real way around those issues in a long term standpoint. There are literal tens of thousands of games that we cannot purchase now and emulation is a necessity for keeping those around for future generations!
Also of note is the study conducted by his Video Game History Museum where they found that less than 20% of games were available to consumers by any other method.
yeah, that's what i'm talking about....i love games so much, i just wan't everyone can experience what i experienced in my 30+ year of gaming...and emulation is perfect way to do that, not to mention that is also perfect for preservation, at least with emulators that evolved enough
Since I am a college student and don't have the money or space to emulate older games. Because of that I bought a Miyoo Mini+ which is great and I play lots of games that I wouldn't have been able to with an actual system cause I can't afford it. I think emulation is the future of retro gaming.
I sold most of my retro physical collection and just play that stuff on emulators without looking back.. I actually play more retro games nowadays considering I don’t have to hook up systems and get up to change games anymore
Yeah Retro bird's mention of Denver Colorado is awesome 👍👍
Personally speaking, I like using PC emulators mostly for research and creative purposes; i.e. capturing GIFs/quick footage, creating save data for use on hardware, booting something up to examine a particular moment or gameplay mechanic, etc. I used to use it more for actually playing through games when I had considerably less income to spend, but nowadays I see it more as a good tool for other purposes, and not so much for actually playing and finishing games.
I've been emulating for 20 years now. I got my first PC at 16. It was basically my way of ripping off every form of media I was interested in. I had music, TV shows, Films. So, why wouldn't I rip some games? I had a SNES and a SEGA MD emulator and two folders filled with ROMs on there and a cheap USB controller that was like a Wild Catz Dualshock controller. I thought this was awesome, 16 year old me dug it. I kept thinking, if 8 year old me could have seen this it would have blown his mind!
I've emulated since 2003 on zsnes, and have played and discovered some of the greatest retro games ever using emulation. I only ever emulate incredibly hard to find games, and have used it to discover and play platforms I never had the chance to growing up without enough money to purchase those systems. Psp, saturn, and the almighty PS2. The interfaces have gotten better, the Android integration is superb now, and my childhood game collection I stupidly sold years ago can be reclaimed and played using emulation. I think of it as an awesome time capsule and preservation of retro games some people will simply never play otherwise. And it's awesome
Miyoo Mini Plus or RG35XX H are ideal for cheap on the go emulation of older systems.
Well said. I have original hardware for just about everything and not everyone has the room or the money to have all of these things. Unfortunately as far as the future has in store for us it's best to not have all of our eggs in one basket which is why emulation is a welcome option.
Once my cousin told me "emulation is bad" until he saw he could play the original Star Fox at 60 fps. So, now I point to the fact emulation can also have preformance benefits.
Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield has Cadillac and Dinosaurs. I was playing it about a month ago. They have everything there.
Man, I feel your pain about that arcade game never being ported. Growing up I used to play a ton of that Simpsons Arcade game and always felt like it was such a missed opportunity that it was never ported to the Genesis or Super Nintendo. I’ve only beat it once and that was with a friend in a pizza diner. We pumped countless quarters into that bad boy!!
I’ve seen all from 1980-Now I do both have all NTSC consoles and tons of games physically and through emulation all game console generations from the 1st to Now with the exception of ps5 and xbox x/s with my set up
This man is a national treasure. He's the last bastion of a youtube we actually like. Protect this man at all costs. May he never become a "brand".
I used to be a staunch original hardware guy, but with FPGA devices like the Analogue Pocket playing games so accurately and the cruel, relentless effect the mere passage of time has on old hardware, I’ve since changed my tune. I still keep the old systems and games displayed in my game room, but I don’t have to worry about wearing them down with use.
Home computer emulation is a PITA, also MAME. I’ve never got MAME to work, yet.
It’s just tricky to get BIOS for CD based consoles. You gotta dump them yourself, of course!! Wink wink.
I emulate primarily arcade boards, because I don't have the space to store an endless number of arcade cabs, boards, and/or carts... but I personally think it's always better to get the original hardware when you can for home consoles. I'm not above flash carts and ODEs to save money, though. Buy a few key games you always wanted to own if you care about that sort of thing, flash cart or ODE the rest. It's like emulation lite, 🤣.
Emulation almost seems necessary or at least considered for games that the average person can't play without huge amounts of disposable income.
And that goes hand in hand for ODEs and everdrives as well. I mean telling someone all you need to play Panzer Dragoon Saga is around a Saturn and $1,000 that doesn't sound very inviting does it?
That being said, I've never been a fan of emulating modern consoles like the switch mainly since you can still support those developers who made those games while, well no one is exactly making Saturn games anymore are they?
I just started drinking at least 100 oz of water a day, and im tellin' ya! I can't believe how much better i feel.
So, I salute you, Mr. 8-Glasses-a-day! Good show!
Such a divisive topic, i'd emulate retro games I own for ease of capture while streaming etc, or a super rare old and hard to aquire title, but generally I would always seek out an original version if I can find or afford it.
Everdrives and the like I find are a better authentic gaming solution provided you own the hardware.
*Newer current or last gen system emulation* im not interested in at all.
MAME and FBNeo are amazing pieces of Software made for old school arcade fans.
Glad you pointed out official and non official emulation, like the Hamster Titles on MS/PSN store and the Mini consoles - all emulating a different hardware.
Also FPGA is often touted as original hardware, it is actually hardware emulation via basic means of replication, its actually about as genuine as a full size print of the Mona Lisa is to its original imo lol, but it is an amazing way to experience near perfect renditions of many systems.
Yes, emulation is great and with many emulators supporting retro achievements it makes it super fun to play these old games trying to get all the achievements for it
Great video! I'm personally in-between. In a perfect world I would use original hardware and CRTs for every single older system but it's just not feasible for me and I don't have the space for so many consoles. So I made a compromise, I use original hardware for everything from the PS1/Saturn generation on and newer, as typically that's where emulation can get a bit wonky depending on the system. And as a bonus I can use my GameCube for the whole GB/GBC/GBA library thanks to the Game Boy Player. For older stuff I mainly use a MiSTer FPGA paired with original controllers and I love the experience! It's as close to original hardware as I can get without dealing with a bunch of old consoles which may require mods and all that jazz. I also have an Analogue Super Nt but the MiSTer largely replaced it, I only tend to use it occasionally with the SGB2.
While owning the original version of a game, and the hardware, are preferable, it is harder and harder to do so, as time goes on. Some games are either super expensive, or just don’t exist anymore. The same can be said for hardware.
I have no problem with emulation. I just want to play the games. Whether on a computer, phone, or new console, I am cool with playing a game I am interested in. I mean, we don’t look for an original reel-to-reel film of Gone With The Wind to watch at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, do we? No, we just stream it or pop in a DVD/BluRay.
When it comes to ROMS, that’s where it can get dicey. Personally, if the only way I can play an old game is to emulate a ROM, I don’t see a problem with it, as the publishers and developers aren’t selling the game anymore, and aren’t making anything from it. If it’s available to buy in a way that the publishers and developers are going to make something, I’ll buy it. If not, what difference does it make?
There are so many aspects to this subject. When you talk accuracy, I find that if the emulation is good (like the classic mini systems), it is nearly impossible to tell the difference. My Nintendo mini slows down in the same rooms in Zelda as the original game does. I was blown away when I first experienced this. Another good video.
I have enough trouble choosing a game to play from my collection, nevermind choosing from every rom in existence
I prefer og hardware and particularly the original controller designs, but I'm happy with emulating games from hardware I didn't grow up with. I just wish the Turbografx 16 mini would get reproduced so I could even enjoy that emulation without breaking the bank.
I genuinely feel lucky to at least know that if I’m fortunate enough to live into being an elder that video games and future virtual reality will be there..
I mean.. Hopefully it’ll all be there but yeah.. Gamer geezers will have it sweet :p
One extra bonus to emulation is playing foreign games can be a little easier (no region lock) and its easier to play games with fan translations/romhacks.
Retroarch is getting really good specially with those shader that emulates crt tv or even the screen of a gbc/gba. I love my physical games, but most game are overpriced now.
Great points brought up, here. And on a personal note, I've never permitted myself to sway towards either direction. Here I sit, surrounded by all these physical gaming things from the past. I can't bring myself to giving them up, regardless of the major $$$'s that they could introduce into my banking account. And yet, they're really doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. Jewel cases. Plastic boxes. Cardboard boxes. Full of gaming artwork and all that. Gathered from a by-gone era when they were all really cheap. And, so far, I've given up... N-64 boxes. And the holy grail... Clay Fighter... 's box. (Still got the game, itself.) Once they are gone, they are gone. And yet... I just can't.
And yet, I resist the words of the powerful corporations that state how piracy is evil, because it takes away from the work and money given to people... whom have probably retired from game making, 20+ years ago. Because letting some soulless conglomerates tell me that I can't play Super Mario Bros because they aren't willing to pay money to keep the copyright holders from companies X, Y and Z together feels very wrong. At least, they can't touch these nearly bulletproof cartridges from a million years ago. They would if they could. And I know that they would tell you it is wrong if you aren't paying $9.95 a month to rent them for 30 days. But, piracy is the people's way of keeping games available. And under control in the pricing range, too. Little Sampson is a great example. Good for it for being too darn rare and good to go for $5 on the flea market table. I gladly paid $10 from 'Arg, matey' China for a bootleg cart. (1 of only 2 of those in my collection.) And the KinHank 12 TB drive sits on the shelf, waiting for a dedicated PC to go into that flawed Simpson's A1Up cab. No way that I'm getting real copies of a billionth of the things stored on there.
It is a weird place to be, all right. Should one be bullied by big business and dump all their mortal worth into the 'real thing' until they can't afford rent? Or enjoy the freedom to play what you want... even if the 1% wish that the police would confiscate all the stuff while bashing your skull in with Billy Clubs? I guess it's a matter of how comfortable those puppet strings feel as they pull on your arms.
Of course, I recently realized that with all these new AI tools out there, we're probably going to have a new form of theft going on real soon... AI recreated gaming. Probably train the stuff on all these 'Let's Play' video footage, circumnavigating all the potential future issues of games that remain hosted remotely on Cloud Servers... especially when two copyright holders disagree, and that game goes into the virtual grave... because nobody can get a DL of the software. Yea. That stuff is definitely coming down the pike.
Guess I'm saying that not all forms of piracy is bad. Sure. That triple AAA title that released yesterday will do great harm to the three thousand person teams across four continents that made it possible if everyone just gets it for free from Arg.Con. But we shouldn't let Cadillacs and Dinosaurs remain untouchable if Company G kept it all to themselves on full sized cabs, either. (And what about that Street Fighter that has a suicide battery that erases vital code for going dead? Skunk move there, Capcom.)
I'm a simple man. I see a new Retro Bird video, I watch.
Ok so I JUST noticed that your shirt color in your thumbnail rotates between blue green yellow and red in the same order every time. Nice Easter egg! 😂
A good eject button makes all the difference. That's why the PSP 1000 is the best model, that sweet spring loaded umd drive.
Retrobird always cancelling plans to hang out with me for some good ol' fashioned drinkin' and tinklin' I tell you what
Emulation has become a part of my childhood ever since I lived in a country where I couldn't get every single game console I wanted
I actually have emulators on my old pc as a backup for my original games and I also have many other games in rom form for the many emulators I have. Prices are steep on some games so therefore it’s better so I can play rare or expensive games
While nothing beats original hardware on a CRT for responsiveness and accuracy, emulation is a perfectly viable way of keeping these games available to all. There's only so many physical copies left, and no new CRTs are being made, so emulation will become more important as the years go on.
Ethically speaking, I believe in compensating the creators, so if a retro game is available commercially, I'll pay for it. But I'll usually continue playing my dirty dog ROM, because I don't want the modern enhancements, just the original game.
I am nowadays playing the old games via emulation. There are a huge lifesaver to me and many of my friends wanted to give it a shot as well.
But I have huge respect for those who can play those games in the original hardware despite the prices of retro games these days 👍
Sold off my collection and consoles and the ridiculous cables everywhere and got a pc with crt emudriver connect to my pvm. So much happier now
I will do what I must!
For older games I think it's totally acceptable to emulate them. Makes them more accessible, and I don't see a point in paying a fortune for the original hardware and software when the original makers are not even profiting off it anymore anyway.
I haven't watched the video yet, just clicked on it actually, but to answer the question posed?
Yes. Yes you should.
I have 15 systems and over 250 games and i often emulate. Sometimes its just easier to hook up a pc and not have to hook up all the old consoles. Not to mention you can save your lasers on all your disc based systems. Also save states are great. And upscaling. Playing super mario sunshine in HD is incredible
I play as much on original hardware as I can, I still have most of my original consoles and games and I did my aftermarket collecting in the early/mid 2000s before the prices got out of hand. My recommendation now to others is emulation and to try to get the real controllers for a few specific machines with USB adapters or modern remakes of them if they exist. Like if you wanted to play N64 games, the C buttons do not translate well to being mapped to a right analog stick for every game, you need some form of the real controller layout for a lot of the library. It's a pultry amount of money to spend versus trying to buy everything needed for the original experience and worth it in my opinion.
I personally don't emulate, other than a few compilation discs, but I absolutely understand why people do and I'm glad it's out there. I enjoy the nostalgia of original hardware, but I admit it can be costly, cumbersome and takes up a lot of valuable space. Top reason to emulate though; avoiding the cord jungle behind the TV. I guarantee there are a few wild animals living in mine.
I don't want to emulate games, but some games and consoles are just too darn! Expensive!. Also, some games don't get released in certain countries so emulation is the only option. I'd rather play the original game on the original hardware but needs must and all unfortunately.
You. Yes, *YOU* 🫵🏼 are STUPID for “not wanting to emulate games”. ITS SO FUCKING DUMB IT MAKES ME LOSE BRAIN CELLS. Emulation is *THE ONLY WAY* to play retro games. -_-
Emulation is great, and back in the 90s when I first got interested in it, it seriously had potential but was nowhere near as good as it is now. Back then you'd have to go sit at a computer desk just a few feet in front of the screen. That alone kills the original feel of sitting across the room from a bigscreen TV, but to make things even worse there really were no good PC controllers that worked well for console games so you'd probably have to get used to that keyboard and the arrow keys. Of course, even the emulators of the 8 and 16 bit eras were still very buggy and primitive at the time and it was a miracle the weak systems of the day could even play them at all, but those days are long gone.
These days emulation of those older systems is nearly perfect no matter what emulator you use, thanks to all those bugs being worked out and more powerful processors allowing more accurate emulation. Not only that, you've got computers you can plug into a TV and interfaces suitable for using a controller so you don't have to sit at a desk, and there are some amazing controllers these days that can be connected wirelessly or wired.
Yeah, you don't get that pristine look without an old-fashioned CRT, but you can apply filters for scanlines and other CRT-style effects and it is the next best thing. I would never go back. Give me an emulator with good performance, post-processing filters and other features, some games, and a modern 55+ inch screen and I'm happy. I would never go back to the past for an old CRT with original hardware, emulation is so much better.
If you want to play rare and obscure games and systems and do not have an abundance of disposable income, emulation is a no brainer. I can't afford the MVS or AES but I can afford a Neo Geo CD. Emulation allows me to play the other ~20 AES and ~50 MVS games not released on CD. Also, I don't consider flash carts or burned games emulation, just a low cost way to play the games I can't afford or sometimes even find.
I love emulation. Plus if I want original, I just get the import version.
I am pretty "hard"core about original hardware but heres the thing. I played beat Chrono Trigger for the first time on an emulator in like 2002 when they were actually terrible and its still one of my favourite games of all time. Nowadays they are a lot better and we have much more powerful devices.
I also think there’s a discussion to be had about the longevity of physical media. Many owners of original copies are emulating them due to these concerns.
One big point for emulators is playing fan translated patches for games that were never localized. Which is what I did for games like Rent A Hero on the Dreamcast. Amazing game, but never localized officially
for many people, myself included, emulation is just the only way you really can go because the retro market is so ridiculously expensive. personally, I enjoy modding systems so that I can play backups of games and not go bankrupt, but still play on the console so it feels like an authentic experience. The PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Wii, and the Nintendo 2DS especially have been fantastic for this.
I've got to play many games I missed out on bc we typically had one console per generation growing up bc of emulation, both pirated and not pirated
I personally am not a huge fan of emulation and prefer the original versions, but I do enjoy it in some instances when it is provided by the original developer like the 3ds eshop (rip) and the Mario 3d all stars collection
Emulation has got me to buy more games than I ever used to. I emulated Panzer Dragoon Saga, and then promptly bought a Saturn, a japanese copy of the game, and every Saturn rerelease that's come out recently. That's my favorite game of all time now, and so my favorite example, but there are so many games I never would have bought had I not emulated from arcade classics to Gamecube rereleases, to everything Falcom has ever made
A lot of modern backwards compatibility uses emulation. I like suggesting downloading PS1 titles on the PS3 because they work and they're cheap. Mega Man Legends games and Suikoden are at a nice and affordable level with the added bonus of still using a Play Station controller.
For me I have the same Oppinion like my Buddy RetroBlastUS (which has a great podcast by the way): Everyone should experience and have a chance to play the games no matter how and where. And of course Legal. Between I have a Question myself to you: What gives a Game an Identity? I ask this because someone said to me that Exclusive Games to Platforms have an Identity only because of that Exclusive Deals. For me that is Bullshit. Every Game has it's Own Identity from the start like the Consoles. But I'm curious to know what u think about that :)
I got the MODE for Dreamcast and Saturn.
Next on my list is the Neo Geo with the Flashcarts.
Then onto building an actual Arcade Cabinet.
Emulation is a necessity for preservation
"Drinkin' and Tinklin" 😂😂😂
Yes of course. It's vital for preservation of the interest and keeping the memories alive.
I don't currently want to spend the money setting up an NES, SNES, and Genesis over component (not to mention figuring out how to handle the extra outputs) so I use raphnet adapters to use original controllers and emulate through a Wii to my 27" trinitron 240p over component cables and it's a very decent experience for me for the time being while maybe planning to get real consoles long term.
Although there is something about original hardware which is why I just bought IPA screen modded GBA and a bunch of cartridges and a Gameboy player despite having a decent Anbernic emulator handheld.
To me it's similar to grabbing one of my records from my collection and listening to it compared to looking up a video of the song on RUclips or grabbing a beautiful book off of my book shelf as opposed to viewing a PDF file on my computer.
Being birthed in the 90s . When the 2000s rolled around emulation was a way to play games with money we didn't have and for my circle discover games and genres everyone else who was emulating had no clue ever existed ... Evo Gaia for snes I found . But I instantly knew my friend Matt would love it....but I guess it was really the most magical cuz my friend group and I predated the top 10...must play guides
I even went above and beyond and got a patch translator for znes and played front mission and the sayian dimestsu games
Piracy does not equal a lost sale. It's as simple as that
Yes and don't forget, even if you CAN find the original games with their respective hardware there may be reasons to play your games using emulation, including (as mentioned in the video) preservation, convenience and lack of necessary hardware (on the go for example).
As a kid my family did not have a console just the big fat family computer wich was used for work and school. But sometimes I could use it to play NES and SNES games. Without Emulation I wouldn’t have bought as an adult a Switch, a PSP, a PSVita, a New 2DS XL, a Switch Lite, a PS4 and the RG35XX-H. I became a gamer because I pirated many games but now it's my respondibility to support the devs.
Never pirate current gen consoles!
I agree 100% with you on this one. Awesome video, probably the best one on this topic from the point of view from someone who just wants to be able to enjoy games.
Original hardware is best, but it won't be around forever. Consoles , Cartridges, and CRTs are degrading as they age. Emulation has some drawbacks such as inaccuracies and input lag, but it gets the job done in most cases. I currently use a Raspberry Pi02W with the CRT-Pi filter and it really makes a difference in how the games look. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done for me. I would love to get a mister and a CRT, but it's out of my price range for now.
People who refuse to emulate are the same people who never go over the speed limit.
Correct on one point. Billy Mitchell didn't realise he was playing Donkey Kong on mame.
I think emulation has its drawbacks and bonuses but I also think it's incredibly important for game preservation and history. And I fully support the development of emulation as long as it's done properly.
However my personal opinions and the way I like to consume my games is on original hardware playing it in its original way on an original TV for the time. However that's just my preference and I like to do it that way when I have the option to.
All you need in this day and age is a MiSter and CRT 👍