Why I appreciate emulation and the joy and nostalgia it brings.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Glad there is this EMULATION section otherwise I'd have no idea where to post this ? I did this earlier today and the waves of nostalgia just brought me right back to when I was younger, in many way happier and the fascination and excitement that I would feel just enjoying some C64 slideshows, music demos etc, this would continue later on a bigger level once I upgraded to a Commodore AMIGA but still, it was all just so much fun. Specifically what I did earlier was watch a slideshow demo disk playing c64 tunes in FS-UAE AMIGA EMULATOR ON MY 2011 MacBook Pro running LINUX MINT. Because hell yeah! ? Now, I have the C64 and Amiga Forever packages by Cloanto on my much more powerful desktop, but I had been itching to try some AMIGA emulation on the an old Macbook Pro I found months ago, I had recently decided to throw Linux Mint on it as MacOS was getting pretty dated on it and it has been GREAT. After a couple days of researching, trial and error I finally got FS-UAE installed on it, transferred some Amiga disks (.ADF files) over and as a test this was the first thing I did with it. hearing the disk loading sounds and seeing it de-crunch the programs and immediately start playing the musical slideshow was probably the most fun I've had so far with this old Macbook. Part of me was more satisfied doing it all in this way then simply loading up the far simpler AMIGA FOREVER interface on my Desktop, it amuses me that I am enjoying C64 sight's and sounds in an AMIGA emulator on a Macbook running Linux because I am just a big nerd like that. 

Anyone do things like this simply because they can? Go about it in maybe a less straight forward way and enjoy it more? Has emulation helped you enjoy a platform or games or operating systems that you just might not be able to enjoy otherwise today due to lack of original hardware / software or perhaps financial or space restrictions? Share any stories of emulation that bring you joy. Myself I am so thankful that the emulation of AMIGA that I laughed and scoffed at back in the day continued to grow and improve to the point I can simulate a setup I could have never dreamed of owning back in the day let alone today, I am thankful for it. 

[Hwlngmad]

Emulation is how I got started back into playing video games.  Honestly, without it, I wouldn't be playing much if at all without it.  It really helps not only with nostalgia but with explorations in consoles and/or handhelds I had and/or previously didn't even experience.  It is still mind blowing to me to have a device like the Retroflag GPi with 17k games on it.  Truly great stuff.

[Keatah]

Represents many things. Good times, the cooler fall seasons, the nostalgic flavors and slower times of yesteryear, discovery, and re-discovery. And more.

 

Having thousands of games and programs available in one small box in a modern-rustic cozy den during winter is really relaxing and satisfying. Pot pie cooking in the oven. Snowing outside. A small backlog of literature to read. Diffuse lighting to set the tone. With half the room somehow being reminiscent of a blanket fort.

 

At first emulation was a crude way to play arcade games that were believed lost forever. Focus was on getting things to run. Eventually the scene grew to encompass home computers and game consoles. Then over time accuracy and compatibility and ease-of-use became increasingly refined to what we have today. And there's no sign of development slowing anytime soon.

 

It's like being a kid all over again, but in the 21st century. The stuff of childhood running on modern hardware is magic. Accessing thousands of titles in a reliable form is just icing on that proverbial cake. What's remarkable is that a modern piece of silicon can be transformed into any vintage console or cabinet or computer of choice.

 

That magical morphing ability especially shines when playing arcade games. It's quite the thing having the essence and contents of an 80's arcade preserved in a small set top box. Having the games of hundreds of cabs in the comfort of home is unbeatable. No maintenance, unparalleled reliability, added versatility, superb convenience. No worries about acquiring impossible-to-find parts for upkeep. No need for travel or clutter.

 

Having a room full of bulky heavy arcade cabs is a burden. So much space is consumed per game. They're just not intended for the home. And even in a garage you can only set up maybe 4 or 5 in a practical layout.

 

For those of us hobbyists still having original hardware from back in the day, well.. Emulation is a perfect supplement and enhancement to working with it. Emu + PC side tools allow for disk image manipulation and testing ideas and experiments at high speeds. And it keeps the mileage off cherished hardware. For the technical minded emulation bring unprecedented development tools to the table. The kinds of tools that designers of yore couldn't possible imagine.

 

Emulation is really the modern way to go. Practical. Reliable. Versatile. Convenient.

[Draxxon]

By now, emulation itself feels so old. I mean, I was in college in 1997 and remember playing NES on nesticle in the computer labs (along with a 15-pin sidewinder controller) and blowing peoples minds. (And getting kicked out of the lab a lot.) Looking up from the back of the lab and seeing one screen with castlevania playing must have been like magic.

Over the years people have come to love it or hate on it for various reasons. There are Pro and Cons, and we all know what they are. So, I get both sides of the argument.

This is what I will add. When it comes to the "original hardware is best" argument, I feel like I have personally "been there, done that". I don't even need a CRT monitor. I want to play the new/current/modern version on my living room tv. Even if its inferior. I want to experience ALL of gaming, as it is happening. But, like i said, emulation itself is so old now that its everywhere. It not the hot new thing in 1997 anymore.  

 

 

What has been fun is watching emulation from the old days go from not very accurate to very accurate. I think watching the time gap from a systems release to its emulators release is interesting too. Seeing it go from a thing that computer/gamer nerds did to bootleg games to being used inside classic mini consoles nowadays kind of blows my mind.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Draxxon

[Hwlngmad]

On 9/12/2021 at 2:43 AM, Keatah said:

Represents many things. Good times, the cooler fall seasons, the nostalgic flavors and slower times of yesteryear, discovery, and re-discovery. And more.

 

Having thousands of games and programs available in one small box in a modern-rustic cozy den during winter is really relaxing and satisfying. Pot pie cooking in the oven. Snowing outside. A small backlog of literature to read. Diffuse lighting to set the tone. With half the room somehow being reminiscent of a blanket fort.

 

At first emulation was a crude way to play arcade games that were believed lost forever. Focus was on getting things to run. Eventually the scene grew to encompass home computers and game consoles. Then over time accuracy and compatibility and ease-of-use became increasingly refined to what we have today. And there's no sign of development slowing anytime soon.

 

It's like being a kid all over again, but in the 21st century. The stuff of childhood running on modern hardware is magic. Accessing thousands of titles in a reliable form is just icing on that proverbial cake. What's remarkable is that a modern piece of silicon can be transformed into any vintage console or cabinet or computer of choice.

 

That magical morphing ability especially shines when playing arcade games. It's quite the thing having the essence and contents of an 80's arcade preserved in a small set top box. Having the games of hundreds of cabs in the comfort of home is unbeatable. No maintenance, unparalleled reliability, added versatility, superb convenience. No worries about acquiring impossible-to-find parts for upkeep. No need for travel or clutter.

 

Having a room full of bulky heavy arcade cabs is a burden. So much space is consumed per game. They're just not intended for the home. And even in a garage you can only set up maybe 4 or 5 in a practical layout.

 

For those of us hobbyists still having original hardware from back in the day, well.. Emulation is a perfect supplement and enhancement to working with it. Emu + PC side tools allow for disk image manipulation and testing ideas and experiments at high speeds. And it keeps the mileage off cherished hardware. For the technical minded emulation bring unprecedented development tools to the table. The kinds of tools that designers of yore couldn't possible imagine.

 

Emulation is really the modern way to go. Practical. Reliable. Versatile. Convenient.

100% agreed.  Love the fact that I can fire up my Nvidia Shield TV and everything (mostly) works really well while have thousands of games from over 40 different systems to choose from.  I would like to get something that is more comprehensive and better than what I have now.  However, seeing as how I don't use it as much as I do my modded handhelds it works well for what I want at the current time.

[zzip]

The emulation scene exploded right around the time I was making the jump from Atari ST to PC (1994/95 ish).   For me, this really helped ease the transition as I could have Atari ST and 8-bit emulators running on my PC and keep the old software that I cared about.  Sure they weren't 100% accurate in those days, but they were good enough to run a fair amount of software already.

[Gentlegamer]

[James Vontor]

On 9/12/2021 at 3:33 PM, Draxxon said:

 I want to experience ALL of gaming, as it is happening. But, like i said, emulation itself is so old now that its everywhere. It not the hot new thing in 1997 anymore.  

 

Yes truth, which is why I am confused people try charging for them on phone store. 

[PressureCooker2600]

I just got back into emulation with Retroarch after years of just playing my X-Box 360. Now I can get my Advance Wars fix on my Kindle Fire. It feels great to be back! The NES and SNES Classics got my retro juices going and made me want to look for a great emulator for my tablets. New games are great but nothing beats the classics. But that's just my opinion.