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Difference between revisions of "Emulation"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
(Major update. Add general information about emulation before the old list of emulators.)
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{{cleanup|Outdated, messy, should probably be moved to the Glossary namespace instead.}}
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{{cleanup|Emulator list is out of date. Could use more freeform text VS current heavily headers-based form}}
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:'''A full list of our articles with regards to emulation can be found in our [[:Category:Emulation|Emulation category]].'''
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An emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the host) to behave like another computer system (called the guest).<br>
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For instance, SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics (software) running Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog game (1993) on any current 20xx era PC.
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Emulation can be defined as a piece of software duplicating the processes of another system. At '''PCGamingWiki''', we refer to emulation as the duplication of game console systems or older PC operating systems.
 
  
 
{{mm}} [http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page Emulation General Wiki] - A large wiki dedicated to video game emulation
 
{{mm}} [http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page Emulation General Wiki] - A large wiki dedicated to video game emulation
 
{{mm}} [[Wikipedia:Video game console emulator|Video game console emulator]] at Wikipedia
 
{{mm}} [[Wikipedia:Video game console emulator|Video game console emulator]] at Wikipedia
 
{{mm}} [[Wikipedia:List of video game emulators|List of video game emulators]] at Wikipedia
 
{{mm}} [[Wikipedia:List of video game emulators|List of video game emulators]] at Wikipedia
 +
 +
==General usage==
 +
To run software using an emulator, one usually needs the following:
 +
* Emulator program binaries for the host platform
 +
* Original software, copies of which are sometimes called "dumps"
 +
* BIOSes or firmware copies, when applicable
 +
 +
==Commercial re-releases==
 +
Emulation is an extremely cost-effective way to distribute old games for more recent hardware, so it increases chances of old games being officially re-released. Re-releases / remakes using emulators are gaining ground and visibility on official stores.
 +
* Gametap (now defuncted) offered emulated games.
 +
* On consoles, Nintendo VC and PS2 Classics are emulation-based services
 +
* Dosbox is used by Steam and GOG.com for almost all DOS games
 +
* Neogeo games available on Humble Bundle are pre-configured emulator+game packages.
 +
Emulation-based official releases almost always fail to provide the following information, that PCGamingWiki game page may document:
 +
* compatibility with any other emulator <ref>https://www.gog.com/forum/general/rom_based_gog_games_compatible_with_third_party_emulators_thread/page1</ref>
 +
* emulator release used, hardware configuration for PC games
 +
* exact version of the game: PAL/NTSC release, World/USA/Japan/Europe/other release, disk/CD version, etc.
 +
 +
==User benefits==
 +
===Features extension===
 +
Emulation allows modifying or extending the behavior of the original software, for instance:<br>
 +
* Resolution increase and custom textures for 3D hardware-rendered games
 +
* Netplay (for games that originally offered couch co-op)
 +
* Game modification and translation, via unofficial patches
 +
* Input-based gameplay record and playback. Emulators can be very convenient for speedruns and TAS in particular
 +
* Hardware customization. DOS games on GOG.com or Steam are pre-configured, but one is free to change the guest sound card or the display device, since these are virtual and handled by the emulator. This is explained in greater detail in the [[DOSBox]] article.
 +
===DRM-free backups===
 +
Official re-release providing dumps of the original software in clear (unencrypted / unobfuscated) means that the game is in effect DRM-free and not locked to the bundled emulator so that it instead could be used on another emulator for the host platform (one which provides netplay features for instance), or any other host platform given there exists an emulator for the guest system on it.<br>
 +
Last, unobfuscated DRM-free emulation-based releases are the most convenient way to acquire backups for the games.<br>
 +
An alternative is to buy the original game, and dump it using an appropriate device. However, it could be less than obvious depending on the hardware/game, and making private backups is not something that every jurisdiction in the world allows.
 +
 +
==Goals and legality==
 +
Backups were mentionned above: emulation is important for preservation, as game companies often fail to properly preserve the games and document them for later generations.<br>
 +
Emulators are considered legal to develop and to distribute, as long as they are not bundled with copyrighted software. There are a few precedents, such as Bleem! vs Sony case for example<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleem</ref>.
 +
 +
==List of PCGW emulator pages==
 +
 
<!--- PLEASE LEAVE ALPHABETIZED BY COMPANY - CONSOLES ARE ORGANIZED BY RELEASE YEAR AND/OR HANDHELD/HOME CONSOLES--->
 
<!--- PLEASE LEAVE ALPHABETIZED BY COMPANY - CONSOLES ARE ORGANIZED BY RELEASE YEAR AND/OR HANDHELD/HOME CONSOLES--->
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==Atari==
+
===Atari===
 
* [[Emulation:Atari 2600|Atari 2600]]
 
* [[Emulation:Atari 2600|Atari 2600]]
 
* [[Emulation:Atari 7800|Atari 7800]]
 
* [[Emulation:Atari 7800|Atari 7800]]
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* [[Emulation:Atari Jaguar|Atari Jaguar]]
 
* [[Emulation:Atari Jaguar|Atari Jaguar]]
  
−
==Microsoft==
+
===Microsoft===
 
* [[Emulation:Xbox|Xbox]]
 
* [[Emulation:Xbox|Xbox]]
 
* [[Emulation:Xbox 360|Xbox 360]]
 
* [[Emulation:Xbox 360|Xbox 360]]
 
* [[Emulation:Xbox One|Xbox One]]
 
* [[Emulation:Xbox One|Xbox One]]
  
−
==Nintendo==
+
===Nintendo===
 
'''Consoles:'''
 
'''Consoles:'''
 
* [[Emulation:NES|NES]]
 
* [[Emulation:NES|NES]]
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* [[Emulation:Nintendo 3DS|Nintendo 3DS]]
 
* [[Emulation:Nintendo 3DS|Nintendo 3DS]]
  
−
==Sega==
+
===Sega===
 
'''Consoles:'''
 
'''Consoles:'''
 
* [[Emulation:Master System|Master System]]
 
* [[Emulation:Master System|Master System]]
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* [[Emulation:Sega Nomad|Sega Nomad]]
 
* [[Emulation:Sega Nomad|Sega Nomad]]
  
−
==Sony==
+
===Sony===
 
'''Consoles:'''
 
'''Consoles:'''
 
* [[Emulation:PlayStation|PlayStation]]
 
* [[Emulation:PlayStation|PlayStation]]
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* [[Emulation:PlayStation Vita|PlayStation Vita]]
 
* [[Emulation:PlayStation Vita|PlayStation Vita]]
  
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==Other==
+
===Other===
 
* [[Emulation:3DO|3DO]]
 
* [[Emulation:3DO|3DO]]
 
* [[Emulation:Arcade|Arcade]]
 
* [[Emulation:Arcade|Arcade]]
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* [[Emulation:Android|Android]]
 
* [[Emulation:Android|Android]]
  
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[[Category:Emulation| ]]
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{{References}}
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Emulation]]

Revision as of 18:30, 10 May 2020

This page may require cleanup to meet basic quality standards. The specific problem is: Emulator list is out of date. Could use more freeform text VS current heavily headers-based form. You can help by modifying the article. The discussion page may contain useful suggestions.

An emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the host) to behave like another computer system (called the guest).
For instance, SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics (software) running Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog game (1993) on any current 20xx era PC.

Emulation General Wiki - A large wiki dedicated to video game emulation
Video game console emulator at Wikipedia
List of video game emulators at Wikipedia

General usage

To run software using an emulator, one usually needs the following:

  • Emulator program binaries for the host platform
  • Original software, copies of which are sometimes called "dumps"
  • BIOSes or firmware copies, when applicable

Commercial re-releases

Emulation is an extremely cost-effective way to distribute old games for more recent hardware, so it increases chances of old games being officially re-released. Re-releases / remakes using emulators are gaining ground and visibility on official stores.

  • Gametap (now defuncted) offered emulated games.
  • On consoles, Nintendo VC and PS2 Classics are emulation-based services
  • Dosbox is used by Steam and GOG.com for almost all DOS games
  • Neogeo games available on Humble Bundle are pre-configured emulator+game packages.

Emulation-based official releases almost always fail to provide the following information, that PCGamingWiki game page may document:

  • compatibility with any other emulator [1]
  • emulator release used, hardware configuration for PC games
  • exact version of the game: PAL/NTSC release, World/USA/Japan/Europe/other release, disk/CD version, etc.

User benefits

Features extension

Emulation allows modifying or extending the behavior of the original software, for instance:

  • Resolution increase and custom textures for 3D hardware-rendered games
  • Netplay (for games that originally offered couch co-op)
  • Game modification and translation, via unofficial patches
  • Input-based gameplay record and playback. Emulators can be very convenient for speedruns and TAS in particular
  • Hardware customization. DOS games on GOG.com or Steam are pre-configured, but one is free to change the guest sound card or the display device, since these are virtual and handled by the emulator. This is explained in greater detail in the DOSBox article.

DRM-free backups

Official re-release providing dumps of the original software in clear (unencrypted / unobfuscated) means that the game is in effect DRM-free and not locked to the bundled emulator so that it instead could be used on another emulator for the host platform (one which provides netplay features for instance), or any other host platform given there exists an emulator for the guest system on it.
Last, unobfuscated DRM-free emulation-based releases are the most convenient way to acquire backups for the games.
An alternative is to buy the original game, and dump it using an appropriate device. However, it could be less than obvious depending on the hardware/game, and making private backups is not something that every jurisdiction in the world allows.

Goals and legality

Backups were mentionned above: emulation is important for preservation, as game companies often fail to properly preserve the games and document them for later generations.
Emulators are considered legal to develop and to distribute, as long as they are not bundled with copyrighted software. There are a few precedents, such as Bleem! vs Sony case for example[2].

List of PCGW emulator pages

Atari

Microsoft

Nintendo

Consoles:

Handhelds:

Sega

Consoles:

Handhelds:

Sony

Consoles:

Handhelds:

Other


References