Video Games on Your Computer or The Lowdown on Emulation

I know I said that this week would be a video comparison of the Intellivision and Atari 2600 but due to technical difficulties (MS Movie Maker acting like the hell-spawn that it is) I’ve come up with a last minute posting on a topic that I think most people are interested in but don’t really know the details of, emulation.

Please note that I’m not a legal expert. This is just what I have learned about emulation, so don’t expect this to hold up in court or anything.

Emulation started in the 90’s when home computers not only were growing in popularity but also in power. Today almost everyone has a computer and most of them should be able to play games designed for older systems.

So what is “Emulation” exactly? It’s basically the playing of games that were designed for one system on another system (usually a PC). The computer “emulates” or mimics the console in order to run the game.

“This is great!” you shout. “I have a computer and now I can play old games without paying a lot for the system.” Well, no. Technically you can’t. Emulation is a legal mess and several steps must be taken by the user in order to avoid copyright infringement. Emulating games without owning them it is illegal, naughty, and you shouldn’t be doing it. People put their time and effort into creating something that you’ll enjoy. Don’t they deserve something for that?

In order to emulate a game you must first own the game in which you are emulating. This is to avoid copyright infringement as you are allowed to make copies of media (games, movies, music) that you own but only for your own personal use. So let’s say you have the Super Mario cartridge but how do you get the game to your computer? Well, it involves creating a circle of M&M’s around the cart while wrapping it with a USB cable and then chanting “ooga booga” whilst dancing.

In all seriousness though, you are required to make a copy of the cartridge that you actually own. This means that downloading the ROM from online is technically illegal. The unfortunate part of this is it requires special hardware that can be difficult or even illegal in some cases, to own. Taking the NES for example, a ROM “dumper” as it is known can be built if you are electronically inclined or purchased online. The ROM itself is stored on the chips inside a NES cart as seen below.

Once you have your ROM it is time to pick an emulator. An emulator is a program that allows you to play your ROMS. There are several different ones to choose from and while I recommend that you stick to the more popular emulators as there will be more people to help you. Older consoles are the easiest to emulate. They take little power, minimal set up, and there are loads of people using them. When you get to newer consoles however things get more difficult.

CD based consoles are some of the most difficult to emulate in my opinion. This is because the console itself has a program that loads first when you turn it on in order to read the disc. A good example is the Playstation. Remove the disc, turn it on, and you’ll get an option screen for memory cards whereas the N64 will do nothing without a cartridge.

The trouble is these “programs” are actually BIOS images that are hardwired in the console. Now, technically you are allowed to copy the BIOS just like you are able to copy the games, however there is a catch. You cannot download the BIOS legally; you must pull it directly from the console that you own. There are instructions for doing so online but similar to copying the ROM it will require additional hardware. There are emulators for some consoles that can actually mimic the BIOS itself however it depends on the system.

Most emulators let you use the keyboard or a USB controller like a corded PS3 one. There are also adapters that let you connect various vintage controllers to your computer. The GameOn USB converter, below, is the one I use. It can connect GameCube, original Xbox, and Playstation controllers. Emulators also let you use save states which takes a “capture” of the exact point in the game that you are at. This way you don’t have to beat Sonic 2 in one sitting or leave your Genesis running constantly.

I still feel that playing the game on the actual console is the best way to play. There are no compatibility issues, you’re using the controller that is intended for the game, and it is a nostalgic trip to the sure. Plus you don’t have to worry about legal issues and the additional hardware for creating ROMs as it is sometimes just as expensive (if you don’t build it yourself) as an actual console.

However if you are interested in emulation but don’t want to go through all the legal hassles, there are websites that allow you to play vintage games directly. VirtualNES.com is a great example. They have numerous games available and seem to run well. It requires that you have Java installed however and I did notice that you couldn’t press three buttons at once, so getting the top of the pole in Super Mario Bros. is going to be a problem. Despite that I think it’s a great way to try out a game before buying the real thing.