Emulation

[The Doctor]

Ah, emulation. A controversial, yet extremely fun topic.

What are the best emulators you've found? What are the new advances coming out? Discuss them all here.

I'll start out with my favorite emulators, and for what systems they're for.

N64 - Project64: P64 is a fantasztic Nintendo 64 emulator. Most games work on it, with only minor issues. My main problem with it is that you might have to experiment with video plugins in order to get the best performance, as the included D3D8 sometimes gives me error messages.

PSX - ePSXe:
Now, admittedly, I haven't had much chance to experiment with this one. However, I've heard great reviews and it so far seems to be working for me. I'll give a fuller report later on.

Genesis - PGEN:
If you have an Action Replay Max for PS2, PGEN is the way to go. It is absolutely top notch, and highly useful. It plays pretty much any Genesis game out there.

GameBoy Advance - VisualBoy Advance.
No contest, out of all the GBA emulators I've tried, this is the best.

So, what does everyone else use? Who mods their systems? What games would you recommend?

 

[The Doctor]

OK, I'm thinking about modding my slim PS2. My question is: Is it worth it? I rarely use the PS2 anymore, but if something goes wrong I'll still be a bit upset. I want to hear from other people who have modded their PS2's, as well as anyone who wants to chip in.

Also, what is the best way I should set about doing this?

 

[Lee]

The best way I can think for modding your PS2 (obviously for saving your games) is you can get an external hard drive and link it up using the USB ports on the machine. You do need some disk to over ride it to get it to work but that way you can play your movies as well through the device. Worth giving it a google.

Also just a Mod note for this: Modding a console is not illegal, downloading games which you do not legally own is. It's for that reason we're not going to allow you to tell people where a good place to download emulators and games is. if you want to know use Google or something, just don't use these forums for that.

 

[The Doctor]

Problem is, I have a slim PS2. I've heard of a method where you use duct tape on something and create a swap magic disc out of a copy of SvR07, but I'm not sure if it works or not.

Also, I've tested ePSXe and it works pretty well. The main problem is that sometimes (in te game I tested it with at least) cutscenes get out of sync with the audio and it stutters from time to time. The cutscenes eventually right themselves, however. If you can ignore this, than it's a good emulator.

 

[ABMorales787]

I tend to use my emulators on the PSP. With the exception of the DaedalusX64 or however you call it, they all work marvelously even the arcade ones. However for the computer I enjoy the Visualboy Advance. It has a lot of good features.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

there's also some pretty good Nintendo DS emulators out there namly Ideas and No$GBA which doubles as a GBA emulator as well.

 

[Dave]

OK, dokie.

Let me start off by saying this: Emulators are an affront to the Lord and all of you are going to Hell in a hand-basket. I mean, how else is Cliffy B going to be able to afford another solid gold Hummer?

Hmm!?

Seriously though, I have never managed to get an emulator working for me completely. The ones I have downloaded have never worked and I have tried everything to get them to work. Nevertheless, Emulators are just like things like the Pirate Bay and Limewire. People are just getting sick of paying top dollar for games that are underwhelming and over-priced. The fact of the matter is that computer games are just like music and video. They can be reproduced easily and for a fraction of the cost.

I would love to get an emulator to work but I doubt I ever will and I spend enough money on XBOX games anyway. I have enough to get me by and I kind of enjoy playing games to their best quality on my TV. I am not against Emulators but I doubt I will ever realistically use one.

 

[ABMorales787]

I don't see anything wrong with emulation. It's not like the video game companies can make much money out of something that isn't in the market anymore. It's not really wrong. Unless your emulator plays PSP games or DS. They are still active gaming platforms and still provide revenue. There it classifies as pirating. Its not really something complicated to work the programs. I'm already working on a thread on how to create your own 2D fighting game. If Lee gives me the nod, I could make one on how to work an emulator. Of course no links or more modern games, and I'd only teach about the ones for the computer.

 

[Dave]

Well since Lee isn't the mod for Video Games any more, I would say go ahead and do it. I think something like that could be very good for people like me. People that do not know how to get the emulator to start working. Let's be honest, some of them are insanely complicated and someone to help set them up would be a gigantic leap forward.

Anyway, the ethical reasoning behind an emulator is quite an interesting topic. You see, emulators are illegal and for good reason. You are playing illegal copies of games that run on the basic operating system of a console that has gone out of fashion or has been replaced. Make no mistake though, companies are still making money from dead consoles. The thing is though, emulators are fantastic. They let you get a go of some of your favourite games at a very low price. As I say, I would love to get one running and see what it would be like to play some of the games of my childhood. However, I really would not know where to start and I just cannot be bothered finding out.

 

[The Doctor]

I am 100% for emulators for dead consoles. My two favorite emulators are N64 (for a variety of games) and PSX (for MegaMan Legends 2). I own a copy of MML2, but it's scratched up and I therefore can't play it. I've never been able to finish the game, so using an emulator lets me play it without having to buy another copy.

Same thing with my N64 games. I don't want to have to lug out the N64, hook it up, blow away the dust, and find a controller, just to play Star Fox 64. And THEN I'll have to put it all away again. It's a waste of time.

With emulators, you can play old classics on the go with a laptop. You can do savestates, which is extremely useful for portability.

I'm AGAINST piracy, however. Rent or buy your newer games, please.