How do you feel about emulators?

[DaHeckIzDat]

I may (or may not) have just ordered a Powkiddy V90 off Ebay. It's a handheld game emulator made to look like a Gameboy SP. It has emulators for dozens of different retro consoles, from the NES to the PS1, and supposedly 3000 games built in. It's a cheap product, only $40 compared to the $150-$200 high end ones, but reviews say it gets the job done fine for what you pay. The delivery date (if indeed I have actually ordered one) is somewhere between October and...the end of December. Ugh...



Anyway, what are you guys' thoughts on gadgets like this? Ones that pack a crap ton of old games into it that either aren't for sale anymore or have become ridiculously expensive?

[ActRaiser]

All for it.

I'm 100% in favor of emulating games that are no longer sold or there is no other way to play, such as, arcade games.

[VideoGameCritic]

It's funny - about 20 years back there was a lot more concern about copyright infringement. You didn't see many gadgets like these. At the time, games were pretty cheap too, so I was wary of emulation.

But nowadays games are relatively expensive and many are nearly impossible to obtain in their original state. So I think emulation is probably the optimal route.

I've noticed these devices and multi-carts are all over Ebay and Amazon and nobody seems to care any about the legalities.

[DaHeckIzDat]

nobody seems to care any about the legalities.

I think a big reason for that is that most of these gadgets are being made in China, where there are very few (if any) copyright laws. A couple years ago, the rapper Soulja Boy tried to market his own video game console which was actually one of these emulation machines, and Nintendo dropped a legal train on him.

[VideoGameCritic]

I agree that China is behind most of these knock-offs, but is Amazon/Ebay responsible in any way for actually selling the products? Or do they just play dumb as long as the money is rolling in?

[Alucard1191]

Pretty sure Ebay can just play dumb with stuff. They're just the facilitation board, not the actual seller. Gives them deniability and all that.

As for Emulation in general, I used to be not as supportive of it, but nowadays? Have at it. Many of the games of our youth have either gotten crazy expensive or were never released, period. MAME I view almost as a historical collection for example. The vast majority of old arcade games never received any kind of home release, so absolutely emulate them.

There are also improvement patches for games like 7th Saga or Gradius 3 that can fix issues with the game. (Game balance and slowdown for these two examples.)

Heck, you can even fairly easily emulate N64 and Saturn now, allowing those of us without the original hardware/software to enjoy that era of gaming.

While I wouldn't support emulating a modern day system or pirating games you can easily buy (and often cheap) on steam or the nintendo store or what not, I feel anything even remotely old is fair game.

[Matchstick]

Glad to see such positive feedback regarding emulators. I could tell from a few reviews and comments on this site that many of us have embraced reproductions and flash carts - myself included.

While I feel it's important not to over-do it (nobody wants to be "that guy" with one of those 100-CD spindles full of burned PS1 games...) I completely support those who choose to emulate or reproduce an expensive game, versus paying scalpers online. For games that are long out of print and have no modern way of obtaining them (Steam, GOG, eShops, etc) then the original developers and publishers are not getting your money for it, anyway, whether you choose to buy an expensive used copy on eBay or download the ROM, yourself.

I understand collecting and the value certain retro games have gained over the years. I'm totally fine with that, and I would never advocate going the emulation route when there are other practical, realistic options available. Modern reprints by Limited Run and similar companies are viable options, too.

I miss the Wii Shop Channel in so many ways. Legit, affordable, and modern means for playing games like MUSHA, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, and so many others. And you didn't have to buy another console just to play the one or two games that you were interested in trying.

Sometimes, the greatest challenge can be just finding an affordable, working console to play these games on. This has been the greatest barrier to me picking up a 3D0 or a PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16. Paying hundreds of dollars for a console that may-or-may-not work, followed by hundreds of dollars on games, just isn't a practical option for many of us out there.

As AcrRaiser said, this is especially true of older arcade games. Aside from buying the original cabinet, or finding a full-loaded retro arcade, how else am I going to be able to play Konami's Aliens-themed game again, or Atari's machine based on the '89 Batman flick??

[Crummylion]

As someone who grew up in the more modern generation, I'd be lying if I said my first introduction to nes classics like Duck Hunt weren't bootleg tv plug and plays. I already knew of Super Mario and his arcade classic on the GBA, so seeing Mario Bros with worse graphics (the nicest way to explain it from the perspective of a five year old) was jarring. This was just a common thing to find in the mall, and they STILL sell them after the release of the NES and SNES Classic Edition. I only know of 7 Granddad thanks to Vinesauce memes, but I wouldn't put it pass someone young if they genuinely had fond memories of it thanks to a bootleg system.

While I feel it's important not to over-do it (nobody wants to be "that guy" with one of those 100-CD spindles full of burned PS1 games...) I completely support those who choose to emulate or reproduce an expensive game, versus paying scalpers online. For games that are long out of print and have no modern way of obtaining them (Steam, GOG, eShops, etc) then the original developers and publishers are not getting your money for it, anyway, whether you choose to buy an expensive used copy on eBay or download the ROM, yourself.

Despite what I said implying nothing will stop pirates and bootlegs, we kinda do owe a lot to them. Most of the retro games rereleased today hardly ever use the source code (yeah, yeah, it's largely tradition for some studios in some countries to delete their entire source code,) and rely solely on roms. The existence of the Wii Shop Channel and Virtual Console was made in response to piracy. Most LucasArts games sold on Steam and GOG, and a handful of adventure games for that matter, rely on the ScummVM. Where there's demand, there will be supply some way somehow.
Why Nintendo decided to have a change of heart and insist we give our money to scalpers instead of them though is beyond me.

[WorstInTheLobby]

I've been using Emulators for over 20 years lol. Love em always will. especially the FCEUX(NES) and Gens(Sega)

[DrLitch]

I know some people who are vehemently anti emulation but for my two cents the physical media that folks collect will eventually decay and be unusable. Emulation keeps these old games alive, as digital antiques, for future generations to enjoy. Not like Nintendo are ever going to release their entire library to the masses. The arcade and old DOS games are often from developers who no longer exist. Sony cannot be bothered with backwards compatibility while Nintendo's attitude to their own library yields half baked remasters and a small smattering of classic content for Switch owners. The emulation scene not only keeps the old digital masterpieces (and junk) alive, but the endevours of the community often lead to enhancements to the original content. You can now play the original Legend of Zelda with a graphical overhaul for instance, or enjoy a modern title like Breath of the Wild with much longer draw distances, lusher textures, 4K visuals, and higher frame rates. Nintendo released the Mario 3D collection less Mario Galaxy 2 while every remaster on this collection has an equal or superior in the emulation space. The great thing for those that wish to emulate is the vast array of possibilities product wise. A $300 laptop will emulate any system at full speed and HD visuals (barring perhaps the WiiU/Switch/PS3/Xbox360). An entry level gaming PC will run everything, probably even PS4 emulation once it matures. Then there are the little mini computers like the Raspberry Pi, Latte Panda and a plethora of other gizmos. There are folks that have build arcade cabinets powered by a little Raspberry Pi and a small SSD to store the games. The mini console scene is buzzing because of the Raspberry Pi now that 3D printing is popular. You can be the proud owner of a Dreamcast mini with 200+ games. Ditto for N64, PS1 and so on. Hard to beat that, 100's of thousands of titles, more than one could enjoy in a lifetime.