General Emulation Thoughts

[Keatah]

I've actually just gone through the same experience as madhatter667. I've been collecting AND emulating for years, but I recently moved and I'm also going to be a dad for the first time later this year. So I had to make the painful decision to sell my ENTIRE collection. I just sold it yesterday to a local game shop here in Phoenix for $1200. I had a nice sized collection of classic consoles, games, boxes ect...the only thing I kept was a NES controller that was modded to USB and a more modern USB controller with lots of buttons. Like I said I've been emulating for many years ao I have several emulators and all the roms for my favorite systems (most of which I used to physically own) and MAME for arcade games.

 

Anyways, it was hard to sell it all off, but I feel like a little bit of a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I'm looking forward to a future of full time emulation. I'm just trying to focus on all the pros of emulation.

 

That's a good thing. Don't fret it my man.. Emulation has your back and will see you through.

[Inky]

Or just go buy a real Gyruss machine. That way you won't get scorned and looked down upon. If you use emulation, better keep it a secret!

 

Problem with that...

 

$$$

 

 

I only practice on emulation anyway. I don't go for scores on it. I have my bi-monthly trip to Galloping ghost for that last part.

[Keatah]

Hello all.

It's been a little bit since I posted. I do that. Been digging on Facebook more than the boards lately.

I drift back and forth on my opinions of emulation. Always seems like cheating. Lol. I have friends that would argue that the PC is the master race. Lol.

 

I have in my time owned a lot of different stuff. Not nearly to the point of "everything," but a fairly sizeable chunk of systems. I moved a few years ago, and a)I lost a lot of software, and b)I sold a lot of game stuff to help make space, and cover some much needed funds. I have mad seller's remorse. No. Really. I kept my 2600, 7800, 8 bit computers in terms of Atari. Kept NES/Famicom, SNES, GC for Nintendo. Kept my PS2 for Sony hardware. Sold off Lynx, Jag, ST computers, PC Engine/TG16, 5200s, DS, downsized the NES/SNES collections to fit in one large bin instead of two. On one hand, I don't have the space for what IS left right now (a lot of it is stored away), yet I still get the itch to play a lot of it.

 

Enter emulation? I have the HDD space on my computer. It takes up no extra space. I have found decent ones that function with Win10. I know there are plenty of guys on here that emulate. Configure a game pad and rock out? Does anyone suffer from "but this isn't real!" like I do? Lol.

 

I won't kid you or anyone else. I actually did a long long time ago. Back in the days of Microsoft Arcade and the Activision Action Packs and Window 3.1. But as more and more emulators developed over the ensuing years I found myself desiring original hardware less and less. And emulators more and more. It was a gradual transition that just kinda crept up on me.

 

Suddenly I found myself with this one single box that was like magic. It could play everything and anything. Something I dreamed about since being a 10-year old kid. How often do real childhood dreams come true?

 

As far as it being real.. Bagghhh, what is real when it comes to pushing bits around a computer? The essence of the game code is preserved perfectly and without a doubt better than the original hardware. I continue to argue the games are better now that they are operated on and processed entirely in the digital domain. And you get all sorts of little trinkets and goodies that would be difficult or impossible to achieve on the original hardware.

 

Reliability. Convenience. Versatility. Consistency. All top reasons why emulation is fast becoming the premier way to play classic games. Emulation is refined and elegant. Sophisticated. Svelte. Absolutely Fantastic.. Believe it! Live it! Love it!

[Gentlegamer]

Keatah, do you use a multi-emulator frontend?

 

I use GameBase. It was designed for C=64 but works great for multiple systems.

[Keatah]

I tend to use the standard windows file system. My main emulation rig is a blank windows desktop. A folder for each machine. I have Autohotkey set up to "induct" new disk images when needed. Been working this way for years. I also have a folder with all my current favorites.

 

Any one single system or game on a certain system only 2-4 clicks away. The documentation scans and box scans work the same way.

 

I do have a couple of front-ends set up. When it's party time with guests and for emulation evangelical demonstrations I'll use them.

 

A lot of the times I;ll simply drag'n'drop a disk image onto an emulator and just rely on the standard windows file system to keep things organized, or use the built-in rom selector (if it's good) like from stella.

[Yar_2084]

I love emulation. I don't have the money or space to collect for 10 different systems. I understand why collectors don't like it, but ultimately, who's getting hurt here?

 

I use a first gen Nintendo Wii for consoles and an R4i card for Gameboy/Color and also Turbografx 16/PCE on my Nintendo 2DS and I love both.

 

PS, nice to see a post not slating emulation.

[Gentlegamer]

I tend to use the standard windows file system. My main emulation rig is a blank windows desktop. A folder for each machine. I have Autohotkey set up to "induct" new disk images when needed. Been working this way for years. I also have a folder with all my current favorites.

 

Any one single system or game on a certain system only 2-4 clicks away. The documentation scans and box scans work the same way.

 

I do have a couple of front-ends set up. When it's party time with guests and for emulation evangelical demonstrations I'll use them.

 

A lot of the times I;ll simply drag'n'drop a disk image onto an emulator and just rely on the standard windows file system to keep things organized, or use the built-in rom selector (if it's good) like from stella.

 

I really like GameBase because as the name implies, it's not just a front end, but also a game data base. You can put in all sorts of data and sort by year, publisher, developer, genre, etc.

 

I recently found a RetroBit SNES controller that I can use through my SNES to USB adapter, and it works great on my emulation set up.

 

Edited May 4, 2016 by Gentlegamer

[keepdreamin]

Nothing wrong with emulation, what I don't understand is people who buy the Retron 5. To me it's a solution in search of a problem. It's subpar hardware, with crippled versions of emulators. If you're going to emulate, use decent hardware and the most up to date emulators. original hardware is mainly for nostalgia at this point, the retron is in some weird grey area I don't understand.

[Keatah]

Overall, emulation is at the refinement stage. No new ground is being broken. But refinements and auxiliary features continue to roll in. More like a slow steady-state expansion.

 

Emulation has exploded in popularity for casual gamers as a way to experience the classics for the first time. A newcomer to the hobby is likely to first try out something downloaded and perhaps later on seek out the original hardware - ebay, craigslist, swap meets, especially if it's the first systems from the 1970's and 1980's.

[Keatah]

Most people here know I abhor updating software and operating systems unless a clear and tangible benefit is realized without major disruption. If you didn’t, now you do.

 

Emulators are sometimes fun to upgrade. It be like taking your classic console into the shop for a cleaning and rebuild and perhaps a mod. Each update tends to offer improved accuracy. But not speed. And there is always the chance you'll need to reconfigure from scratch. Overall, the gains outweigh the annoyances. This is one class of software where updates are a good thing.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Keatah

[PhoenixMoonPatrol]

I agree. I'm pressed for room in my entertainment center and my cash flow isn't just endless,I can't buy all these systems and their games. For example Commodore 64. I'd never buy one now because i have no more room,but was very curious to see its games. I downloaded the Vice C64 emulator and just found one of the coolest versions of Zaxxon,which plays on the emulator. So yeah I'm loving emulation and very thankful for it,its beautiful. Because I'd have have never known or played this great version of Zaxxon. Plus having so many control pad and stick options just makes it even better.

 

Overall, emulation is at the refinement stage. No new ground is being broken. But refinements and auxiliary features continue to roll in. More like a slow steady-state expansion.

 

Emulation has exploded in popularity for casual gamers as a way to experience the classics for the first time. A newcomer to the hobby is likely to first try out something downloaded and perhaps later on seek out the original hardware - ebay, craigslist, swap meets, especially if it's the first systems from the 1970's and 1980's.

Edited May 5, 2016 by PhoenixMoonPatrol

[Keatah]

Be sure you always get a build from http://vice.pokefinder.org/

..because the one on the "official" vice page never rendered the blue commodore screen correctly. I believe that's still the case.

[Keatah]

I strongly prefer messing around and fighting with emulation configuration options far more than I do playing with physical consoles. There's just too much of the physical stuff that its beyond overwhelming. So I said goodbye to it all decades ago. Except the Apple II paraphernalia - everyone knows that by now - but I still keep repeating it over and over.

 

Emulation satisfies a childhood dream. Emulation makes access to a lot of things very practical. And it doesn't intrude on normal activities.

 

Situation: I'm getting the itch to play Demon Attack. And as soon as I hit I'll be off and playing it in record time.

[Gentlegamer]

You can do fun things in emulators like turn off background or sprite layers and see how the game is put together.

[Keatah]

Or underclock some of them. Play games in slo-mo at 10fps.

[kaufenpreis]

I do like OG hardware.