feature,
Do you ever mourn the loss of your old beloved Nintendo Gameboys you would bring everywhere? Ever miss the chip tunes and the pixelated graphics of your old gaming systems?
Well, no need to fret! Introducing, gaming emulators! These programs and apps will take you back to simpler times, getting rid of the hassle of hunting down your old games in random garage sales and online shops.
The first emulator anyone should ever know about is My Boy! GBA Emulator on Android. It’s a very simple starter emulator, and it helps that there’s a good selection of games to play. With a collection including Pokemon Generation III, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Advance, it’s refreshing to go back to the basics. It just goes to show that 3D graphics and surround sound is needed for a game to be good. Although fair warning, these games may take more of your time than you anticipated.
There are multiple other GBA emulators for other platforms, but My Boy! has been the most reliable one to date. Another available emulator for Windows and Mac OS that does the job as good as My Boy! is mGBA, which does the job as good as this one.
The second emulator that is a must-know is PPSSPP. The PlayStation Portable is not considered retro because games from the PSP have higher graphics since the console’s release was in 2004, fairly recent compared to the 8-bit to 32-bit styling of the consoles from the 80s and 90s. However, it is a fairly nostalgic console for the current generation. Game titles like Tekken 6, God of War, Assassin’s Creed, The 3rd Birthday, and other PSP exclusives make the console worth emulating.
PPSSPP is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile.
RetroArch logo on a box, with multiple consoles bursting out. Source: RetroArch.com
RetroArch page, opening Knuckles’ Chaotix on Sega. Source: RetroArch.com
RetroArch! is a software that makes emulation easier. It’s one program that handles multiple emulators (or cores as it’s termed in the software), so you only have to worry about one application to fulfill your emulation needs! It emulates everything retro, from old arcade machines and Atari models to Super NES and GameCube.
It can run almost everywhere; Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and phones that run on Android and Apple, but also on gaming consoles like PS3, PSP, PSVita, Wii, and more! It’s completely configurable, open-sourced, and free.
Now, the talk about emulators has brought up the actual legality of playing old video games in new technology. Emulation has always been in a gray legal area. While emulators themselves are not illegal, the ROMs (read-only memory) for the games are. ROMs are the copyrighted game files, and the distribution of them harms the company that owns them. However, since it has been literal decades since the games have been released with no plans for re-releases, and a large number of companies from the 70s and 80s have been bought out or shut down. That leaves the consumers to search far and wide for an overpriced cartridge of an old retro game.
The people who archive old games and turn them into ROMs for emulators aren’t looking to steal copyrighted content, they are just solving a distribution problem that the gaming industry won’t. Video games don’t have a concentrated application where it can be largely found, like what Spotify is for music. Therefore, the community is on its own to scour the hidden treasures of yesterday’s past. //by Kiara Gabriel
Feature: Nostalgic Gaming
Do you ever mourn the loss of your old beloved Nintendo Gameboys you would bring everywhere? Ever miss the chip tunes and the pixelated graphics of your old gaming systems?
Well, no need to fret! Introducing, gaming emulators! These programs and apps will take you back to simpler times, getting rid of the hassle of hunting down your old games in random garage sales and online shops.
A laptop running a GameBoy Advanced emulator, playing Pokemon Emerald.
Source: twitgoo.com
The first emulator anyone should ever know about is My Boy! GBA Emulator on Android. It’s a very simple starter emulator, and it helps that there’s a good selection of games to play. With a collection including Pokemon Generation III, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Advance, it’s refreshing to go back to the basics. It just goes to show that 3D graphics and surround sound is needed for a game to be good. Although fair warning, these games may take more of your time than you anticipated.
There are multiple other GBA emulators for other platforms, but My Boy! has been the most reliable one to date. Another available emulator for Windows and Mac OS that does the job as good as My Boy! is mGBA, which does the job as good as this one.
The PPSSPP start menu. Source: elandroidelibre.com
The second emulator that is a must-know is PPSSPP. The PlayStation Portable is not considered retro because games from the PSP have higher graphics since the console’s release was in 2004, fairly recent compared to the 8-bit to 32-bit styling of the consoles from the 80s and 90s. However, it is a fairly nostalgic console for the current generation. Game titles like Tekken 6, God of War, Assassin’s Creed, The 3rd Birthday, and other PSP exclusives make the console worth emulating.
PPSSPP is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile.
RetroArch! is a software that makes emulation easier. It’s one program that handles multiple emulators (or cores as it’s termed in the software), so you only have to worry about one application to fulfill your emulation needs! It emulates everything retro, from old arcade machines and Atari models to Super NES and GameCube.
It can run almost everywhere; Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and phones that run on Android and Apple, but also on gaming consoles like PS3, PSP, PSVita, Wii, and more! It’s completely configurable, open-sourced, and free.
Now, the talk about emulators has brought up the actual legality of playing old video games in new technology. Emulation has always been in a gray legal area. While emulators themselves are not illegal, the ROMs (read-only memory) for the games are. ROMs are the copyrighted game files, and the distribution of them harms the company that owns them. However, since it has been literal decades since the games have been released with no plans for re-releases, and a large number of companies from the 70s and 80s have been bought out or shut down. That leaves the consumers to search far and wide for an overpriced cartridge of an old retro game.
The people who archive old games and turn them into ROMs for emulators aren’t looking to steal copyrighted content, they are just solving a distribution problem that the gaming industry won’t. Video games don’t have a concentrated application where it can be largely found, like what Spotify is for music. Therefore, the community is on its own to scour the hidden treasures of yesterday’s past. //by Kiara Gabriel
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