So what is Emulation you ask?
Well, by Definition Emulation means: The act
of one computer or processor acting like another. So emulation is
the act of mimicing or simulating a computer with another computer or program.
Emulation is all about preserving the gaming spirit and remembering those
great days when those classic arcade games, 8-bit and 16-bit systems ruled!
So what's an Emulator?
An emulator is a program, software, or hardware
that allows a computer to perform the functions of, or execute the programs
designed for another type of computer or processor. A computer emulator
is a program which can mimic the behavior of another computer system.
For example, the ZSnes Emulator simulates the Snes's graphics and sound
processing, the Snes's main cpu, joypad controls, layering, sprites, etc...
and makes your computer "act" like the Snes system.
Put in simpler terms, it's just a program that
makes your computer think and perform as if its an Nes, or an Snes, or
a Sega Genesis, and so on... Pretty cool huh? Yea I thought
so too my first time... It's awesome. And the best part of
it is that almost all of it, is for free and completely legal. None
of that WareZ stuff. Emulators are the results of hard working programmers
or even normal people with some background in computer programming, compiling,
coding, debugging, etc... and they should be respected.
Where can I get these Emulators?
Well, for starters you can get some of most popular
and best emulators around, from my site, and I have links to where you
can find emulators that aren't here. Well the point is that you can
get them almost anywhere
on the Internet.
What are RoMs?
RoMs are the "games" for these different emulators.
Roms are just the files that contain whatever was stored in the original
cartridge. It's the the same thing as if you went to buy an Snes
game, but it's just the file of it, without all that fancy covering.
You just load up the emulator and then load up the game through the emulator,
and you are ready to experience emulation. **Note**
You can't play Genesis roms on the Snes emulators, Nes roms on the Snes
emulators, Game Boy roms on the Genesis emulators, and so forth, because
all the different games are in different formats and the emulators won't
recognize them unless they are meant for them.
For example the most common Snes games are in
.fig, .smc, and .sfc formats. Most common Sega Genesis games are
in .smd and .bin formats. The Nes games are usually in .nes formats.
So as you can see the Emulators will only recognize their own specific
file formats.
Where can I get these RoMs?
They are everywhere! I have many links
to
RoM sites and Message Boards in my RoM
Section...But since almost all games are for free, not everything is legal.
Check is
this stuff legal? for
more info about the matter.