Can I get a terminology and definitions list please.

[Just a romainian guy]

I still don't know a lot of technical, and emulation terms, and i don't see a glossary on here or the repo nor have I seen someone ask for this on the forums.

If somebody could give me a list of terms, and their definitions I would be grateful.

If somebody has actually already asked this question and got their answer then I would like a link to the forum post, and then i will promptly delete this post if required.

Thank you

 

[bjork]

Are you a cop. You have to tell us if we ask etc

Anyway, look here

Emulation General Wiki

The Emulation General Wiki is dedicated to all things emulation.

emulation.gametechwiki.com

 

[Clippy]

Not sure what kind of terminology you're looking for. It would probably be easier if you asked about terms you came across so that we can answer and maybe compile those answers into a beginner's guide or something.

For now, you can look here. Scroll down to the FAQs and guides section. Everything you could possibly need to know and much more is there for you to read.

 

[Just a romainian guy]

Are you a cop. You have to tell us if we ask etc

Anyway, look here

Emulation General Wiki

The Emulation General Wiki is dedicated to all things emulation.

emulation.gametechwiki.com

I know my name doesn't help, but you have to trust me. I'm just a guy. Also thank you

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 7:57 PM

Not sure what kind of terminology you're looking for. It would probably be easier if you asked about terms you came across so that we can answer and maybe compile those answers into a beginner's guide or something.

For now, you can look here. Scroll down to the FAQs and guides section. Everything you could possibly need to know and much more is there for you to read.

I made this post because I was looking for persona 1 roms, and I saw one that said it was for PS Eboot, and I thought "i don't know what that is" and I realized I actually don't know the definition of a rom or a BIOS even though I've had to mingle with both. And then it realized I don't know a lot about a lot. So here I am trying to learn.

 

[moonbits]

You could ask an AI to compile it for you. But since we are here:

An Eboot is a specific file name/format that the PSP expects within a folder to execute software. Most PSP games live in the GAME folder and in order for the PSP to read them they must have that name/format

Persona 1 ROM -> Converted into EBOOT.pbp

You can go to the Repository, download a PSP Eboot and see the file for yourself.

 

[DinoRexMax]

I made this post because I was looking for persona 1 roms, and I saw one that said it was for PS Eboot, and I thought "i don't know what that is" and I realized I actually don't know the definition of a rom or a BIOS even though I've had to mingle with both. And then it realized I don't know a lot about a lot. So here I am trying to learn.

Should've specified the glossary was for shorthand terms on the Repo to start with, would've been less confusing.

like @moonbits already said, EBOOT refets to PS1 roms that have been converted for use on a modded PSP, tricking it into playing it as one of those PSClassic store downloadable games. But, y'know for free?

Translation is a game translated into another language (duh) (with number of language patches available listed between the game's genre and bottom stats like region, comments, likes, etc.)

Undub means that it's the localized rom repurposed to have the original (usually Japanese) audio put back into it to please the Subs over Dubs crowd.

Hack means it's a rom pre-patched with some sort of modded code that can range from anything from imported characters, reskinned sprites, enchanced colours or text, removal of censorship, or a total upheaval of the game's mechanics.

Port means it's a game revised to play on a system it wasn't originally on (i.e. There's a Mario 64 rom that's made to be played on the Dreamcast).

Prototype is for games that were never finished of released, sometimes scrabbled together form pre-release demos or recovered from data leaks online.

Homebrew means it's a completely original game made from the ground up, but made to be played on the architecture of a specific system for the fun or convenience of it. Although, sometimes (like Final Fantasy Renaissance) it's just an original game being hosted on the Repo.

If there's multpile tags like this on a game's entry, it usually means that either the game falls under multiple categories or has multiple download links for each category (like Hack/Undub).

 

[OPT1MUS]

@Just a romainian guy - Other terms / definitions you could need:

— Interpreter: A method where the emulator reads the guest code one line at a time and executes it. This is highly accurate but very slow.

— Dynamic Recompiler (Dynarec / JIT): A more modern approach where the emulator translates "chunks" of guest code into host code all at once. This is much faster than an interpreter.

— Cycle-Accurate: An emulator designed to match the exact timing of the original hardware's CPU cycles. These require immense processing power but provide the most "authentic" experience with the fewest glitches.

— HLE (High-Level Emulation): Instead of mimicking the hardware, the emulator mimics the functions of the system's operating system (e.g., "draw a square"). It's fast but can be less compatible.

— LLE (Low-Level Emulation): The emulator mimics the actual circuitry and hardware components. It is much more demanding on your PC but much more accurate.

— ROM (Read-Only Memory): A digital copy of the data from a cartridge-based game.

— ISO / Image: A digital copy of the data from a disc-based game (CD, DVD, Blu-ray).

— BIOS (Basic Input/Output System): The "startup" firmware of the original console. Many emulators require a copy of the original BIOS to function legally or accurately.

— Save State: A feature that "freezes" the entire state of the guest system’s RAM at a specific moment, allowing you to reload exactly where you were, regardless of the game’s actual save points.

 

[Just a romainian guy]

@Just a romainian guy - Other terms / definitions you could need:

— Interpreter: A method where the emulator reads the guest code one line at a time and executes it. This is highly accurate but very slow.

— Dynamic Recompiler (Dynarec / JIT): A more modern approach where the emulator translates "chunks" of guest code into host code all at once. This is much faster than an interpreter.

— Cycle-Accurate: An emulator designed to match the exact timing of the original hardware's CPU cycles. These require immense processing power but provide the most "authentic" experience with the fewest glitches.

— HLE (High-Level Emulation): Instead of mimicking the hardware, the emulator mimics the functions of the system's operating system (e.g., "draw a square"). It's fast but can be less compatible.

— LLE (Low-Level Emulation): The emulator mimics the actual circuitry and hardware components. It is much more demanding on your PC but much more accurate.

— ROM (Read-Only Memory): A digital copy of the data from a cartridge-based game.

— ISO / Image: A digital copy of the data from a disc-based game (CD, DVD, Blu-ray).

— BIOS (Basic Input/Output System): The "startup" firmware of the original console. Many emulators require a copy of the original BIOS to function legally or accurately.

— Save State: A feature that "freezes" the entire state of the guest system’s RAM at a specific moment, allowing you to reload exactly where you were, regardless of the game’s actual save points.

I would like to thank you and @DinoRexMax . This Definitely helped.

Too bad there isn't a page on the forums or on the repo to explain some of this.

I know that a page that explains EVERY sort of emulation term would probably be 200+ lines and hard to format or make it easy to understand for new people, (and it would probaly just be easier to send people a link to the emulation wiki) but a page for the game entry tags on the repo would be nice.

 

[OPT1MUS]

@Just a romainian guy - Don't mention it
Well, regardless of the emulators, the terms, notions and various technicalities are nearly always the same, more or less.
In the end, if you think about it, it all boils down to:

-- Hardware to emulate (how it works)
-- Software that runs on it (interaction between HW and SW)
-- BIOS (optimal management, for performance and compatibility)