Hmm....

- Convenience (Not too many clutter, just basically one "system" to play all old systems.)
- Features (Saves states and fast forwards.)
- Lessened loading times (A godsend in the 32-bit systems.)
- Doesn't break down.

 

I prefer accuracy usually, not a huge issue with snes though. (bsnes is good for that)

 

Even though emulated games can supass the technical limitations of the original hardware, I still have fonder memories of playing Yoshi's Island or Secret of Evermore with the real SNES controller in hand, and the SNES hooked up to an old 32cm tv from the early 1980's then I ever had playing on a PC. At times I still prefer to hook up the SNES for a brief gaming session here or there, even with the flaws I still enjoy it mroe.

 

Unless you don't have a gamepad, there's no real reason to be playing "the real thing"...

 

Recording, I make game videos.

Recording games in tailored resolutions for youtube to fill the widescreen box is brilliant

 

In addition to the already mentioned reasons:
- More easy to record video
- Pause emulation/Rewind/Savestates
- If you rip your ISOs/ROMs, you can easily switch between your other games w/o even having to move from your chair
- Some emulators support netplay
- You can have infinite memory cards and etc... w/o having to buy real ones
- You can emulate multi-taps and other peripherals
- Some emu's have cheat databases, etc...
- Region free gaming
- Customizable/configurable...

edit: oh kaizen beat me to the "recording" reason xD

 

The real thing still wins if you've got a decent CRT TV with RGB connexion and a console in good condition.

That's undisputable.

Because emulators use various scaling and filters that greatly alter original pixel design and colors.
And they do not render the absolutely 100% exact same signal and info as the consoles, it's 'something else' even if not really noticeable on the most achieved emus.
Add to this the unevitable input lag produced by vsync or buffering and the numerous Windows OS layers and you've got your answer.

BUT !

If you're playing on a LCD/Plasma flat panel (tv or monitor) emulators win because they benefit from the PC's gfx scaling/filtering, wich are much better than the default internal 'on-board' scalers/filtering features found on most flat panels.

If you don't own an RGB enabled CRT TV, forget about your real console/hardware and just connect your PC to whatever flat panel you own.

EDIT: or else you'll have to buy rare and expensive dedicated external scalers for your flat panel, but they won't beat PC emulators no matter the price.

 

Even though emulated games can supass the technical limitations of the original hardware, I still have fonder memories of playing Yoshi's Island or Secret of Evermore with the real SNES controller in hand, and the SNES hooked up to an old 32cm tv from the early 1980's then I ever had playing on a PC. At times I still prefer to hook up the SNES for a brief gaming session here or there, even with the flaws I still enjoy it mroe.

its true that there's a feeling of nostalgia when playing the real consoles that makes the experience different than the emulated ones.

when i get enough money, i'm going to start collecting old video game consoles and games

 

I prefer playing in console, because there isn't a PS3 emulator =P /Jk

 

its true that there's a feeling of nostalgia when playing the real consoles that makes the experience different than the emulated ones.

when i get enough money, i'm going to start collecting old video game consoles and games

I would buy as many classic consoles as you like, particularly N64 and previous for a few reasons.

The 360, PS3, and Wii aren't going to last 15+ years like the previous systems. The newer consoles are going to be even more delicate. I won't be spending $400 + $60 a pop to play games tied to a system with maybe a 5 year lifespan.

Virtual games are going to be more prevalent and tied to consoles like the Wii and you won't be able to transfer them to new systems. Imagine paying hundreds of $$$ tied to a console.

DRM, online activations, etc are coming to consoles. The gaming industry wants to kill the second hand gaming industry. Games are going to be tied to one system even when they're retail.

So you'll be paying $400 for a delicate system, $60+ for games you can't resell, trade, or even give away, and are tied to one console. Isn't technology wonderful?

And don't forget those partial games you'll be buying in pieces!

Me, I'll just stick with the consoles I own.

:evil:

 

You forgot to mention one important thing... some emulators even offer a NetPlay function which allows you to play online which in most cases is working decent.well there's something weird atleast to me when coming to emulate old systems

I prefer the real deal too but when going to emulators for example Kega Fusion.the max settings to emulate accurately the game are:

-2xsAI filter,Brightness:Monitor,Scanline 0% and about the Filtered,Fixed Aspect options and VSync i'm not sure what's the difference if It's major at all.
-44100 Hz sound,SuperHQ,Filters(Overdrive-..not important)
-Auto-detect countries so u can play at 60 fps which is the actual game speed

to emulate accurately the console as possible on kega:
-TV (RF)/TV (CBFS)/MD NTSC (Blargg) filter,Scanlines(idk whether 25 or 50 or 75 or 100 is the most accurate option)Brightness:TV(however most CRT have deep and vibrant satured glare so I think it's debatable whether u should put TV or Monitor
-22050 hz sound and the other stuff off maybe atleast the filter option
-and select the region according to the place u live or atleast the way you are used to play on the real thing like PAL 50fps

given the options I'll never go to the 'console' preset because it's stupid to play with 22050 sound and some blurred screen which the filter RF gives when you know you have 2xsai and kick ass 44100 with SuperHQ I don't know that's like playing a PC game to medium video settings when your PC can handle high/maximum/very high/ultra high settings or whatever that is at ease.

 

personally emulators have convenience and flexibility. plus some games are only properly playable on emulator (Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds on Amiga)
but even though it feels good playing my commodore 64 games on an emulator, it feels even better playing them on my working commodore 64's when i have the time to.

 

You're wrong about Kega:

- 2xSaI heavily messes up the shape and colors of the original pixel design. Even bilinear or simple interpolation are more accurate.
- The zoom and 'ntsc aspect' features seem to scale the picture to the window/screen resolution, thus altering the pixel ratio.
- Kega/Regen version of Blargg's NTSC plugin isn't complete yet, and its own scanline feature (the one that should be used) doesn't work yet either.
Putting over this Kega's wrong and inaccurate (not matching the actual scanlines/shadow mask positions) integrated scanlines options is a bad idea.
Moreover, Blargg's plugin was designed to simulate the typical artifacts and bleeding most NTSC users who did not experience RGB (the real accurate video signal) only know about. Zsnes's port of Blargg's filter is much more complete and features an 'rgb' setting, wich is the 'right' one.
- Forgotten's ScanLine Tv plugin for now is still the most 'accurate' in crt emulation for Genesis emus, because it puts the lines where they should be.
- Uncheck 'sleep while waiting' (more cpu demanding but heh) and 'Vsync' if you care about accuracy and that your pc and monitor can handle this without trearing or overheating.

 

Hmmmm. But I must say something. SuperEagle filter gets Desmume screen much smoother than it's default settings.

 

its true that there's a feeling of nostalgia when playing the real consoles that makes the experience different than the emulated ones.

when i get enough money, i'm going to start collecting old video game consoles and games

no need to get enough money just try to save some and visit your local flea-market place... believe me you can find gold there!

 

SuperEagle, 2xSaI, HQxx, etc. can be nice, of course !

But they're far from bringing 'accurate' picture emulation.

 

Aside from the mentioned reasons, emulation might be able to do something that can heavily alter the original creation, for better or for worse: color mods for monochrome or black-white systems (I did one... ), high res textures, etc...

It creates a whole different experience to the player, and may even spark new ideas for developers.

 

Emus are way better than the original consoles, I own quite a few, but I would rather prefer playing on my PC. Games have a lot of improvements in emus, like DeSmuME, it has better graphics that the original Dsi (DSlite). The same with the NES and N64

Save states are a cool feature

 

If your PC goes in the shop, like mine will be, or croaks, emulators mean squat. If you have a few oldies, you can play them while your PC is being fixed.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

...if you build your own pc, it won't go to a shop ..or break in a serious way

 

Puhleeze, things break. Unless you know of a shop that sells 100% perfect hardware that never breaks, you can build your own system and have parts break. Its ridiculous to think that because you assemble a system means the parts you're assembling will never fail.

The newer hardware that's being made is more sensitive than older hardware, stuff is going to break no matter how good a person is at assembling it.

 

Puhleeze, things break. Unless you know of a shop that sells 100% perfect hardware that never breaks, you can build your own system and have parts break. Its ridiculous to think that because you assemble a system means the parts you're assembling will never fail.

The newer hardware that's being made is more sensitive than older hardware, stuff is going to break no matter how good a person is at assembling it.

You don't sound like a competent system builder.

The WORST failure I've had; psu failure, motherboard failure and hard disk corruption.

...was fixed within 4 hours and a trip into the city, of which consumed 2 hours.

Why wait for a shop?

 

I'm not a system builder, but a competent system builder may prefer to pay someone to fix their computer than to spend one's free time fixing the system. Even if the builder decides to fix it, his free time to fix it may be limited. Some people have jobs and very little free time to be fixing hardware. I guess its priorities and how much money you want to spend vs how much free time you want to give up fixing stuff.

I prefer to trust an expert to do what needs done. I don't try and do everything myself.

 

Well, as much as I love playing game in the emulator (more freedom, not to mention cheat engine ), I prefer playing games on the original console. No real reason, just feels better.

 

So last weekend was the CA Extreme Classic Arcade Expo:

California Extreme | An arcade game and pinball celebration

I can say from experience that I do *much* better on a 25+ year old Donkey Kong Jr. arcade cabinet than I EVER did using MAME with a gamepad.