Your view on emulators.

[NoNameMcgee]

They are not illegal as far as I'm aware, they're only illegal if you use them for piracy reasons, which lets face it, most people do; even those on the official forums for these things who try to convince everyone they dont condone piracy and won't tolerate any mention of piracy. How many people do you think really own the games for the ISOs they are playing on these emulators? how many people do you think really connect to their real system to copy over the BIOS instead of downloading one off piratebay? How many people really use the emulator for the purpose of playing in a higher resolution and using anti aliasing, all the while having to put up with the shitload of bugs, crashes, and almost certainly unstable framerates that come with it?

Hardly anyone, thats who. It's not illegal by itself but what people use them for is illegal. Anyway I'm just stating facts here, it's not like i've never used one.

FYI im talking about newer emulators such as PS2 emulators.. Obviously PS1, N64 and earlier can mostly be played bug free and smooth, but then again the games and consoles arent available new anymore anyway so piracy on those doesnt even count in my book.

 

[spartan231490]

On a forum I was on a while ago, a member was suspended because he asked if anyone knew of any good PSX emulators. The reason he was suspended was for "encouraging illegal activities".

But are emulators illegal? And what's your view on them?

I don't see how they can be illegal. The ROMs can be illegal because that is the property of whoever made the game. But I don't understand how an emulator can be illegal because, I it's not a copy of the patented technology, it's programming a computer to act like one.

Fair enough, I'm not a lawyer, but That's how I view it.

 

[Lionsfan]

I've never used an Emulator, it just didn't appeal to me, I didn't start seriously gaming until the N64 and my luckily forced me to keep all my games and stuff, rather than sell them and buy some shitty game. Although there are a few other games I want, so I might look into it in the future a bit

 

[Chibz]

On a forum I was on a while ago, a member was suspended because he asked if anyone knew of any good PSX emulators. The reason he was suspended was for "encouraging illegal activities".

But are emulators illegal? And what's your view on them?

Emulator itself: Perfectly legal. The code behind the emulator isn't owned by anyone other than the person(s) who coded it.

ROMs: Questionably legal. The IP is owned by the company/companies concerned. Then you have stuff like legal backups (which are allowed) as long as you don't spread them to other people. It's not cut and dry like people like to think.

Being banned for posting info on emulators is nothing short of stupid.

 

[squballs1234]

Is it still considered illegal to download ROM files for games that aren't made anymore? The hard copies of really old games can't really be found anywhere but eBay and if you download them, than the collector that wants 150 bucks for a 10 dollar title is losing business not the game company, am i right?

 

[Spectral Dragon]

Well, it seems the Emulators are legal, but not the code to existing games on these.

Still, I think that it's moral - I've gotten an emulator to play Shadow Of The Colossus on, since I've seen maybe 3 used copies when I've searched for it. Got it, it didn't work. So, I own a copy of it on the PS2, but can't play it there.

Same with old GBA games that you have pretty much no chance of finding. Still games I've already payed for, but for some reason can't play.

 

[Thundero13]

I only use them for demo's, and even then I rarely do it, too much hassle for me to be honest, and they're always really glitchy

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

Emulators are great fun and ineffably useful.

ROM legality is an issue, and a moral quandary is raised regarding age and availability of the game. If a game is obscenely difficult to get hold of, the original developers and publishers have either closed doors or have seemingly abandoned the software, and emulation of it is victimless then download away and relish the high-quality games of old in all their splendour.

Now for the caveats: if I downloaded a ROM, which for the longest time was not in production, and it then begins being sold again by either the publishers or someone who bought the license, through their new consoles online hub (like Nintendo have done), should I delete the ROM and go out and buy a Wii? I'd say no, I'd have to be nigh on saintly to be that concerned with following the law and making sure someone who now owns it gets my money. If I can buy a game for their new console, and I have yet to download a ROM of it, I'd buy it. It's better to support the industry in all it's facets, even if this latest retro-download-service is a bit really obviously two faced (no effort for lots of income off nostalgia, and they get to look good for "supporting the back catalogue", it's all corporate BS). If I however happened to own the old cart, would I still download a ROM? Probably, since, while illegal, I consider my debt paid to the devs and publishers, since I bought it when money went right back to them.

Morally, it's quite ambiguous, usually these games have made their money and then some, and the new owners (or old owners who just now take notice) aren't being much hindered, if at all. In the case of Nintendo buying games for other retro consoles, and making good emulation for them, I genuinely say bravo and encourage people to go out and buy those. Effort has been made, and they're not very expensive.

Piracy of games that the developers and publishers still depend on to keep themselves in business, is still reprehensible and should be condemned by all gamers in 90% of cases. It's rarely justifiable.

 

[Yoshemo]

The way I see it, if the game companies no longer sell the games and can't make a profit from them anymore, then emulators are ok.

 

[JustPhil]

I started using a PS1 emulator when I realised that Driver 2 runs like arse on the proper playstation hardware.
Ever notice that it took about 3 seconds for the ingame timer to decrease by just 1? Yep, that was the poor framerate holding it back.

On an emulator it's a heck of a lot smoother and a truck load more fun.

 

[Paularius]

I think i'd be lost with out my DOSBox. I think it counts as an emulator? So yes i think there pretty awesome.

 

[Rockchimp69]

Emulators are legal, pirating a ROM instead of making your own isn't.

That's the US legal view on it, and I agree with this.

But sometimes you can't get hold of old games and the only way to relieve old times is by getting pirated roms?

Obviously the law has to draw the line somewhere but do you have to?

 

[ntw3001]

I really can't tolerate Pokemon running at its default pace. There's only so many times one can tolerate a two-minute intro every time one plods into a Pidgey; it's a grave error to require the player to bring a book along. I don't really have any excuse for getting the game for free, of course. It's not a game I would have bought, but running it a six times the speed transform it into a game I would buy, if it were commercially available.

 

[Chibz]

emulators are basically piracy, did you know that?

How is the emulator itself piracy?

1. Programming a program is legal.
2. Back-ups of a game you legally bought is legal.

Therefore...

Making a program to run legal back-ups you made is legal.

 

[CScuff]

An emulator, I suppose, is like a bong. The reality is that it will PROBABLY used for something illegal, but as a standalone item, is not illegal itself. So talking about an EMULATOR shouldn't be grounds for a forum ban, but asking about ROMS certainly should.

 

[nexekho]

I've recently been playing some of my Cube games in an emulator... F-Zero GX looks incredible at 1050p, so much detail you can't see at the paltry 480p a Cube/Wii can kick out.

 

[Feylynn]

Emulators are cool in my opinion as long as you use them appropriately.
They take so much power to emulate it prevents them from being used for piracy of recent games and they allow a large audience to easily access classics they missed out on or to continue playing their favorites long after the batteries in your snes cartridges die and corrupt your saves.

If you have money and a PS3 you should definitely support the ps1 classics on the PSN but that's a limited library and isn't an option for a lot of people. Besides most of the classics you would go out of your way to find are games you owned previously and loved before they stopped functioning.
Don't you love ps1 discs and bad lasers?

 

[DustyDrB]

Some games you just can't find anymore. Others you can only find second-hand in not great condition at ridiculous prices (and same for the consoles they were made for as well). If games like these haven't been released as a downloadable title on the PC, Wii, Xbox Live, or PSN, then emulate away. Go wild.

 

[fix-the-spade]

But are emulators illegal? And what's your view on them?

Something of a legal grey area, emulators themselves are in no way illegal, but they are reliant on pirated software to work, which will get you in trouble.

But the easy answer is that yes, they are or soon will be illegal as the definition of piracy gets ever wider. In some cases such as rare or old games it's probably the only practical choice you'll have to play them.

I can't see anyone coming after you for usings emulated old console games, but it's legally questionable at best.

 

[demoman_chaos]

I see them as a good thing. Gives people a chance to enjoy old classics they can't find by other means. I used to play them fairly often, but haven't fiddled with them in a long while. Playing on an emulator isn't the same as playing it on the real thing.