Emulation vs. Original Hardware

[Gordo101]

They're for different purposes. Emulation is great for convenience and accuracy, and gives you practically god-like access to some of the best games to exist.

I prefer original hardware, even on consoles I don't have nostalgia for because there's slightly better accuracy and just... Vibes? There's something about popping in a cartridge and flipping a switch that feels a lot nicer. That being said, it's more expensive. I play on original hardware if I own a game, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to pay 400 dollars for chrono trigger.

My personal favorite method is picking up an Everdrive though, as it lets you play original hardware, but practically any game.

Big fan of flash carts as well! There's also some magic to playing romhacks and homebrew on original hardware.

 

[Mpampakas]

Unless there is a physical reason like a DS game looking like ass on the emulator because of shell shading black magic or a heavy reliance on the physical layout of the console (DS again) then emulation is just better.

 

[Ikagura]

Unless there is a physical reason like a DS game looking like ass on the emulator because of shell shading black magic or a heavy reliance on the physical layout of the console (DS again) then emulation is just better.

MelonDS manages to make DS games look decent. I used DesMume HD but it wasn't as accurate.

I agree about touch control being harder to handle with a mouse (unless it's only touching spots).

 

[Mpampakas]

MelonDS manages to make DS games look decent. I used DesMume HD but it wasn't as accurate.

I agree about touch control being harder to handle with a mouse (unless it's only touching spots).

Well it has been 5+ years since i had the shell shading problem so hopefully it has been solved with black magic.

 

[Ikagura]

Well it has been 5+ years since i had the shell shading problem so hopefully it has been solved with black magic.

By the way, what exactly is shell shading? I didn't play many games but I should test more 3D ones.

 

[bombatomba77]

I actively do both, but I don't play so much on my television consoles anymore, mostly because I got out of the habit when my kids were growing up. Plus I've been PC gaming for the better part of fourteen years now, and at least for me, allows me to play my games just about anywhere I can setup my laptop

 

[Miles Miles]

I would say emulation is better in most cases. You can play on almost any device and it's free. You can also buy controllers that look and feel like the original for a more genuine experience.

Sure nothing will be exactly like playing on original hardware, but unfortunately there's a bunch of problems. Hardware and games these days are often expensive. Trying to plug retro consoles to modern screens is an absolute pain, and the output looks like shit. Sure you could play on a CRT, but those are much harder to come by now, and also very heavy. Hardware failure is also a massive issue since retro hardware is now multiple decades old.

If you have a ton of money and space real hardware probably is the best option, but for most people emulation is just significantly more practical and convenient.

 

[Sfjeov]

I do think that it's nice to play games on original hardware, but I don't own a lot of consoles besides an xbox one as a kid, so emulation wins out cuz it's cheap and convenient.

 

[Mpampakas]

By the way, what exactly is shell shading? I didn't play many games but I should test more 3D ones.

Forgive my grammar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel_shading
Pretty much it is stylized graphics and could not be up-scaled from DS resolution (256 x 192) to 1080p so it looked terrible unless you play on original resolution and strain your eyes.

 

[Natsuyasumi]

Original hardware is awesome and important, but who can afford it? Also, I live a pretty simple life and don’t really have the space for all the different original systems that I want so, emulation for me.

I have invested in a few controllers that mimic the ones used by systems, and that really gives me the same vibe as original hardware, if not 1:1 reproduction. Playing everything from Super Mario world to Final Fantasy 10 on my MacBook Pro is pretty much all I want in life.

 

[lestagio]

Original hardware is awesome and important, but who can afford it? Also, I live a pretty simple life and don’t really have the space for all the different original systems that I want so, emulation for me.

I have invested in a few controllers that mimic the ones used by systems, and that really gives me the same vibe as original hardware, if not 1:1 reproduction. Playing everything from Super Mario world to Final Fantasy 10 on my MacBook Pro is pretty much all I want in life.

Yeah how I've picked up most of my stuff has been off of friends, lucky tag sales...

That said, you definitely have to commit to the life a bit. I've got a whole section of my basement purely dedicated to my games and my games only, but it's certainly a hassle to get everything set up.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

Emulation for life.

 

[Natsuyasumi]

Yeah how I've picked up most of my stuff has been off of friends, lucky tag sales...

That said, you definitely have to commit to the life a bit. I've got a whole section of my basement purely dedicated to my games and my games only, but it's certainly a hassle to get everything set up.

Yeah, exactly. Even if prices were still low, I just wouldn't have room in our life for all the stuff I would want.

I found a Wii for $20 at goodwill some years back, a friend gave me a PS3, someone else gave me a Gameboy. I have the Wii and the PS3 jailbroken and loaded with ROMs, and I have a flashcard for the Gameboy. That's probably the most original retro hardware I'll ever own. I also have a Switch and PS4 so I'm pushing it as it is with consoles

The only thing I would make an exception for would probably be a Dreamcast. Dunno why, but I would just love to have one of those. I guess I miss the controllers and you can't find repros of them anywhere.

 

[chetstarr]

i prefer emulation thanks to all the quality of life stuff like save states etc