Console emulator - Arguments for/against emulation

A console emulator is a program for a computer, or other computing device, that can emulate a video game console or handheld, so a computer can be used to play games that were created for that console or to develop games for that console. Such tools are often used to translate games into other languages, to modify (or hack) existing games, or to produce homebrewed demos. Console emulation can also be achieved between consoles (hence cross-console emulation), making a modern video game console emulate a less advanced one.

Including:

• Console emulator - History
• Console emulator - Arguments for/against emulation
• Console emulator - Other uses

Read more here: » Console emulator: Encyclopedia - Console emulator

Console games for emulators are generally distributed as ROM images (or simply "ROMs") on the Internet. Without the permission of the copyright holder or the Entertainment Software Association, this practice is illegal—although few copyright holders appear to care about older games (see abandonware); many copyright holders are defunct; and a few copyright holders have even released their games and demos gratis or even as free software. This illegality is also controversial for long-time gamers and so called old-school gamers. One reason fo ...

See also:

Console emulator, Console emulator - History, Console emulator - Arguments for/against emulation, Console emulator - Other uses

Read more here: » Console emulator: Encyclopedia II - Console emulator - Arguments for/against emulation

Emulation was occasionally employed by console manufacturers in the early 1980s to allow games from other (and sometimes competing) hardware to be run on the manufacturer's device. The Atari 2600 was by far the most frequent recipient of this behavior. Atari's platform was easily the most popular and widespread early game consoles, and many developers touted compatibility with the system's vast library of games as a marketing ploy to attract customers. Coleco's Colecovision and Atari's own Atari 5200 provided add-on peripherals that allowed ...

See also:

Console emulator, Console emulator - History, Console emulator - Arguments for/against emulation, Console emulator - Other uses

Read more here: » Console emulator: Encyclopedia II - Console emulator - History

One advantage to ROM images is the potential for ROM hacking: amateur programmers and gaming enthusiasts have produced translations of foreign games, rewritten dialogue within a game, and applied fixes to bugs that were present in the original game. Software that emulates a console may be improved with additional capabilities that the original system did not have, such as anti-aliasing, audio interpolation, save states, online multiplayer options, or the incorporation of cheat cartridge functionality. Some popular console emulators include gnuboy, VisualBoyAdvance, FCE Ultra, nester, Snes9x, ZSNES ...

See also:

Console emulator, Console emulator - History, Console emulator - Arguments for/against emulation, Console emulator - Other uses

Read more here: » Console emulator: Encyclopedia II - Console emulator - Other uses