Emulation vs. Original Hardware

[χKai]

Well, let's look at the definition..
To 'emulate' is to perform the same or similar task as another, but better.

Yeah, definitely gotta say. Being able to save states in multiple slows, speed-up slow-down and rewind gameplay, as well as toggle background layers, FPS, and controller input displays is definitely better than.. Not having those things. ?

But is it really enough to make the game better? Does it really enhance the experience of the whole thing? Debatable. Let's find out.

You've got the fact that a lot of the original game controller hardware is infact, vastly superior to 3rd party designs. But that also is not  always the case, some controllers are specifically created for certain consoles or game genres (I'm thinking of the Hori Fighting Commander) and are even better as 3rd party hardware than the controllers that came sold with the product. So yeah, I can emulate a controller.

The games themselves; alright, this one is trickier. Depending on whether or not the game (gonna assume ROM or ISO) is open-source makes a world of difference in whether it's gonna be difficult for programmers to make emulators... able to emulate it. Some experiences will be as smooth and accurate as the original (as far as the emulator program itself allows), and others will be a lot more difficult, sometimes with lag or graphical errors on display. It really boils down to whether the people who programmed the emulator designed it to be able to run with that particular ROM or ISO, and especially with closed-source material. That said, if there is a video game, then a fanbase exists for it, and most of those games have already been included in many emulators, closed-source or otherwise. So yeah, the games are better.

Then you've got the fact some games are mere ROMhacks, never licensed or ever will be by the companies who made, developed, or promoted the IP to begin with. Some of them may be as small as a slight graphical fix, and others are an entire new game for us fans to enjoy. The only way to experience these games is to either have them printed onto cartridge, a task easier said-than-done unless you have the equipment or social connections, or the other option.. Emulation.
Well, it's better to play them than not to play them. ?

Thus concludes my synopsis; Emulating is better. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be called emulating. I shudder to think what people would have called it. Game-jacking? Game-fronting, almost everything else I can think of sounds inherently bad. Let me know what you come up with.

 

[DragonMals]

Emulation Versus OG hardware.... This is definitely a mixed bag.

Throughout my whole life, I would sought to use emulation when my family decided to stop using our systems due to the sake of preserving them in the best quality possible, and when it comes to it, it really depends. Some systems have near 100% accurate emulation, but for consoles past the 7th generation like the Xbox One, PS4, and such (except for the Switch cause y'know), they still have a bunch of catching up to do for the best possible experience. And it's not to mention emulation on other consoles. That's where all of the compabillity comes to the type of console you're emulating. Now with that, I'm only familiar with (3)DS, Wii, and Android emulation and I would say for Android that it's pretty standard to what PCs can handle, but with a little bit of a downside due to them still not being as powerful as Windows, Linux, and whatnot. While Android is a heavily modified Linux to theoretically whatever Linux has can also be done on android, their architectures iirc are very different from each other, so compatibbilty still has to be adjusted for the former rather than copy and pasting what the latter offers.

DS cannot handle SNES and GBA games aswell (if we talk about GBA emulation on an NDS flashcart, NOT the GBA slot which is GBA parts into a DS), and Wii I think can't handle DS, but due to the strong Virtual Console, it can handle a plentiful amount of stuff. It can even handle GameCube stuff if we don't talk about the native gamecube support either (Nintendont)

 

[fishboneKiller]

i much prefer original hardware, i got a good crt from goodwill for 5 bucks (yes, really) and ever since ive been doing most of my retro gaming on that crt. plus, i prefer playing stuff with the original controllers, especially for stuff on n64. however, i also really like doing retroachievements, and there's no shot those are ever getting real hardware compatibility, so ive been stuck on emulators to do those.

 

[miguk miguk]

If you went back through time and handed young me a mid-budget Anbernic loaded with 3000+ games (let alone a Steam Deck or ROG Ally X), including improvement hacks, I wouldn't touch a console until the PS2/Gamecube. (Also, I might need a doctor for the shock, and better security to protect what is basically a super computer.) And then I'd just play with the Anbernic until those got emulated.

 

[loopy]

I don't expect PS Vita, Xbox 360 (and to a lesser extend PS3) emulation to ever be flawless in my lifetime, even at native resolution with no enhancements. And encountering bugs when emulating really kills my gaming vibe. So I want original hardware for those.

Also DualScreen and Vita touchscreen can never be properly emulated and not feel a bit off, especially for rhythm games. Or Pokemon Ranger, Chibi Robo Park Patrol, TearAway, and other touch centric games.

I have a
- PS1
- PS2 x3
- PS3 x3
- PS4 Pro
- PS Vita x2
- PS Vita TV
- Dreamcast
- Gamecube x4
- Wii
- WiiU x2
- DSi XL x2
- New 3DS XL x2
- Switch
- Xbox x2
- Xbox 360 x2
- Xbox One X
- A spare battery for each handheld + the WiiU gamepads.
All hacked/modded except XboxOneX
Some huge harddrives with the full game libraries, or for PS3, PS4 and 360 at least all the consoles' exclusive titles.

I have 2 units of most consoles/handhelds, so that if one dies in 10 years, I wont be forced to buy a new one at a premium as I expect them to be very rare by that point. They're somewhat affordable now, so rather buy it now, then be kicking myself later down the line for not doing so.

Yet I still have an urge to buy an extra modded Xbox 360 and Vita TV...... Why am I like this?

 

[Sumea]

For me, these days, the hardware near your screen or even your screen does not matter as long as the input latency is not hindering your play, and I have emulated retro games on screen that has very perceivable input lag if you use a mouse with it (A large 1080p TV from decade back now). But the controllers make big difference so I have few options for most systems.

Main ones are older Sega Ones, and make me hate it most because universal mapping for something like retroarch is a pain. I have both 8bitdo modded bluetooth enabled Sega Mega Drive 6 button pad and a Saturn controller that is wired USB, compatible with Switch, PS3 and PC so plenty for me. Having the 3 or 6 button layout makes many games on these systems just feel way more right than anything attempted mapping wise for basic playstation or xbox like controller, but also the mapping you make for these controllers is wild for a basic controller too.
I also have other 8bitdo or such solutions for a SNES, Famicom/NES like pad, healthy arrangement of dualshocks a 8bitdo bluetooth adapter and some arcade sticks and you can make old games feel right at home. The actual hardware with emulation quality I have been experiencing is not that important.

I do agree with daratmp about general cut off where modded consoles would come to play. Switch emulation is not all that even if impressive, same for Vita when I have original and very cräcked hardware, PS2 gamecube Wii Wii U and PS3 DS 3DS and rest of the works. Dreamcast emulation now seems very mature as does PS1 so I am not getting a Dreamcast and sometimes retroarch a PS1 game instead of PS3 or PS2 but a lot of times just using original hardware is less hassle than emulating for DS, Wii and Wii U.

 

[Macky]

If you have money and are willing to spend some cash, OG Hardware all the way. There isn't even a technical reason and for me its extremely nice to play with the OG hardware and controller. I spent so much money maintaining my Dreamcast and buying ridiculously expensive games over $100 /game. This isn't a viable option unless you're going for OG Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS2 consoles which prices are fairly cheap (for most games). Anything older than that be willing to spend triple digits for one game (I'm looking at your Sega Saturn game prices).

This is not mentioning going down the CRT Rabbithole and getting the best quality for these old systems. If you have the space for a bulky CRT then i implore you go and try to find a decent CRT Monitor/TV. This is the other hurdle to get into original hardware, just finding a CRT to play on that isn't just one of those regular TubeTVs. I had to search on Facebook Marketplace for 2 years until one came up locally for $50 couple of years ago. You can always find on ebay but expect to pay around $100-300 for one (tripe digit figure again) and dont mention that it could get damaged in transit to your place wasting your money because they can be fragile.

If you're looking to play games on a HDTV on original hardware that doesn't want to make you scoop out your eyes with a spoon, I would recommend getting a retrotink 5X which costs $320 (that triple digit figure again just to play games).

HOWEVER

Not everyone can afford to do so and the retro game market since the pandemic has increased prices tenfold for literally everything. Emulation is just fine if you have the PC hardware to do it. So just emulate my dude if dont wanna go into debt.


tl;dr original hardware 2 much moneyz just emulate.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

I mean, i would prefer to have the original hardware.

But, you see, i like having my kidneys, so emulation is a good compromise.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

N64 is better on real hardware. Emulation struggles with its 2D elements and with any game beyond the most iconic ones. Paper Mario, for example, kinda sucks to run because of issues with 2D bitmaps in emulation.

The other issue is the controller. N64 controller may be a stupid trident/bunch of bananas/weird boat that you play games on, but its stick has more travel than other sticks. This means that games were designed around that stick and man, they don't play well without it. F-Zero X is one of the BEST on original hardware, but becomes overly twitchy on emulation without the OEM controller.

Post automatically merged: Feb 3, 2025

If you have money and are willing to spend some cash, OG Hardware all the way. There isn't even a technical reason and for me its extremely nice to play with the OG hardware and controller. I spent so much money maintaining my Dreamcast and buying ridiculously expensive games over $100 /game. This isn't a viable option unless you're going for OG Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS2 consoles which prices are fairly cheap (for most games). Anything older than that be willing to spend triple digits for one game (I'm looking at your Sega Saturn game prices).

This is not mentioning going down the CRT Rabbithole and getting the best quality for these old systems. If you have the space for a bulky CRT then i implore you go and try to find a decent CRT Monitor/TV. This is the other hurdle to get into original hardware, just finding a CRT to play on that isn't just one of those regular TubeTVs. I had to search on Facebook Marketplace for 2 years until one came up locally for $50 couple of years ago. You can always find on ebay but expect to pay around $100-300 for one (tripe digit figure again) and dont mention that it could get damaged in transit to your place wasting your money because they can be fragile.

If you're looking to play games on a HDTV on original hardware that doesn't want to make you scoop out your eyes with a spoon, I would recommend getting a retrotink 5X which costs $320 (that triple digit figure again just to play games).

HOWEVER

Not everyone can afford to do so and the retro game market since the pandemic has increased prices tenfold for literally everything. Emulation is just fine if you have the PC hardware to do it. So just emulate my dude if dont wanna go into debt.


tl;dr original hardware 2 much moneyz just emulate.

Bless my soul. I want to get a JP Saturn and import stuff, but I'm not a flow of cash. I might be screwed.

 

[loopy]

N64 is better on real hardware. Emulation struggles with its 2D elements and with any game beyond the most iconic ones. Paper Mario, for example, kinda sucks to run because of issues with 2D bitmaps in emulation.

Pretty sure that if you use any emulator with the ParaLLEl-RDP and -RSP plugin, you wont have those issues. And if you use the Ares emulator, you wont be able to tell the difference between a real N64 and it atall.

 

[Deleted member 884]

Emulation because when it come with grinding you can speed up things, and the game is less boring in that case. Like with Pokémon or other JRPG, talking about GB, GBA or NDS.
And because you can play games otherwise could or would be unaccusable to many, or to everyone because are unavailable on Ebay, Amazon or other sites when you can find second hands games.

 

[albrown267]

I have no issue with emulation from a monetary and legal standpoint, but I have heard that downloading roms from hard drives/USBs can occasionally give out bad stuttering and long load times.

Maybe its the hardware that one uses which needs upgrading.

 

[Sumea]

I have no issue with emulation from a monetary and legal standpoint, but I have heard that downloading roms from hard drives/USBs can occasionally give out bad stuttering and long load times.

Maybe its the hardware that one uses which needs upgrading.

What I understand, most modern systems should be accessing older roms by just copying them to RAM. This is also an option, albeit one with very long initial load time for CD-ROM based systems, depending on emulator. But yes, in theory, load sections or data streaming utilizing games could possibly stutter when played from USB stick, though most modern USB2 sticks should offer enough data read rate and USB3 sticks more than definitely. Still, if this is a use case and issue; CHD Packaging is one way to both reduce the file size and such stutters from slower data media.

In three of my numerous retroarch setups, SD card or such is not an issue. My Switch loads roms and CHD CD Images just fine, and comparable speed to my PC doing it. Heck, thanks to my shaders especially on PC the switch might load faster. On my Vita, I load roms from the official vita memory card, one of the few good things the otherwise useless extra 16 gigs is for. The initial loading is very, very long but does not cause stuttering during games. My Wii U retroarch setup reads from SD card, and Wii U's SD implementation is for sure a version or two behind, likely similar to ones in 3DS and Wii, but retroarch loads and maintains stutter free experience fairly nicely. Of course, here I am comparing mainly SD to the USB stick example but more often than not the comparison applies, especially with SD reading device like Wii U or 3DS.
Oh yeah, 3DS also has fairly long initial load times. PS1 emulation aside being hit or miss per game, also requires CHD packaing to avoid game breaking stuttering (and I am not sure if it eliminates it), but there the theory is confirmed, but also 3DS has other issues than slower than modern flash storage.

 

[Twapsel]

I Definitely Prefer Emulation​

I completely understand why so many people prefer original hardware. On one hand, it's 100% accurate— emulation cannot easily replicate the accuracy of original hardware (and maybe FPGA). On the other hand, there’s something special about inserting a physical cartridge into a console, maybe even blowing into it beforehand (even though you're not supposed to), and then playing the game on a CRT with an original gamepad. I grew up with these consoles myself, so I know firsthand that this adds an extra layer of nostalgia.

That said, I can still enjoy a game without these nostalgic elements, and I don’t necessarily need 100% accuracy. As long as an emulator is at least somewhat decent, it’s more than good enough for me. Plus, emulation offers a lot of advantages that I wouldn’t want to give up:

• Romhacks and Fan Mods: I use a lot of them, including fan translations, improvements like colorization and bug fixes, and even entirely new fan-made games.
• RetroAchievements: While I do use achievements in newer games, I actually find them even more important for retro games because they add a new layer of engagement to old favorites. In fact, RetroAchievements are one of my main reasons for preferring emulation.
• Playing on Different Hardware: I do 90% of my gaming on handheld devices. Without emulation, I wouldn’t be able to play NES, SNES, or PS1 games on a handheld at all. Playing GB, GBC, and GBA games would also be much less convenient. I do have a GBA with an AGS-101 mod, but swapping cartridges is far more cumbersome than simply having everything on one device. Also the better screen and the rechargable battery make my emulation handhelds more convenient. Additionally, emulation allows me to play games like Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! on my smartphone, while enjoying other games on my PC or a retro box setup on my TV. Plus, I can sync my save files across all my devices. This level of flexibility is something I never want to give up.

 

[Dakarus]

I just emulate everything now, I haven't bought any retro games since 2019.

 

[baroterri9000]

I play both and have invested a bit of money in my retro setup - but emulators definitely have a lot more advantages.
Mature emulators, like PCSX2, Dolphin and Duckstation, will almost always:

• Run nearly all content well.
• Allow for enhancements, like higher render resolution, texture packs and more.
• Allow for game-specific settings that original hardware doesn't allow.
  • My favourite is fixing bad control schemes. Eg - Shinobi (PS2) inverts the right stick on the x axis only, and has no in-game option to change this. PCSX2 allows for per-game controller profiles that let me play with a better control scheme.
• Provide a higher fidelity experience than what the original console can provide.
  • Breath of the Wild on Cemu is the best example of this. You can run that game at almost any resolution, at a high frame rate and with incredibly high quality textures. The result is a beautiful graphical experience that rivals PC games.
• Have a very low cost of entry, especially if you have a half-decent PC.
  • I was able to run Mario Kart Double Dash on Dolphin at 1080p with an HD texture pack on an i7500 + GT1030 (which is a very, very weak GPU).
  • This is thanks to how well optimised these emulators have become over the years.

If supported, your games will look and play much better on emulator. HOWEVER, these are the things emulators can't do:

• Not everything emulates well. Some obscure games won't run well, even on popular, well-maintained emulators, and many systems just don't have good emulators yet.
  • A notable example is the N64, which we still don't have a cycle accurate emulator for yet.
• Some peripherals, like light guns, can't easily be emulated on PC.

The most important factor that can never be emulated is the feel and imperfection of playing on physical hardware. I'm an idiot who bought a really nice CRT, good quality RGB SCART cables and EverDrives for most of my consoles. It's a very expensive endeavour, but there's no emulation that can mimic the experience of sitting in front of a humming fishbowl TV with your old, worn out (and sometimes slightly wonky) controller in hand.

I've read other guys here compare physical hardware to vinyl - I think that's hit the nail on the head. Had I not collected most of my hardware slowly over the years, I wouldn't touch the physical side of the hobby.

 

[Nidstang]

I prefer original hardware, because I like the feel of original controllers and physical games, and playing older consoles on a CRT. FPGA consoles are cool too, and allow that physical feel to live on in a modern way.

However, software emulation is totally fine, and I use it a lot too, especially for hard to find/expensive games, to play uncensored versions/English patched versions of games (though an Everdrive would make these things possible on hardware too), or to play console exclusive shooters with mouse and keyboard.

 

[Graw]

I grew up with the original 8 and 16 bit hardware but I've been emulating games since pretty much computers were good enough to emulate console games and I don't really see a reason to go back to playing games on actual hardware. I have boxes of consoles and games I've had since I was a kid I haven't touched since 2010 or so when I got rid of my last CRT tv.

These days I usually just emulate games on my phone with one of those 8bitdo snes style controllers or just with a touch screen if it's a turn based game or something. I think phones are probably one of the better ways to play DS games these days. I never had one but my cousin did and I just remember the touch screen and stylus being really annoying but the phone screen seems to work pretty well with DS games I've played on it.

I just wish I knew more about phone hardware and gaming on phones before I got my current phone because switch emulation kind of sucks with a Mali chipset. Older 2d games work alright, most 3d games don't, newer 2d games made using 3d engines are hit or miss but mostly don't seem to work. The new Dragon Quest remake does not work sadly. I might actually have to bust out the computer to play that one. Unless maybe Strato comes out some day.

 

[dr grim]

Both are fine because i ain't paying 800 euros for a chrono trigger copy.

 

[RetroLaw]

I prefer emulation by far.

1) Saves states. Saves a lot of time for learning the games. I would never have enjoyed beat em ups as much if I couldn't save before the bosses and hard parts to practice.

2) Playing with any controller. I love playing with a fight stick and can only do that on more "recent" consoles (basically since PS3).

3) Fast forward. There are RPG I would never play or replay if I couldn't speed up the fights.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I prefer emulation by far.

1) Saves states. Saves a lot of time for learning the games. I would never have enjoyed beat em ups as much if I couldn't save before the bosses and hard parts to practice.

2) Playing with any controller. I love playing with a fight stick and can only do that on more "recent" consoles (basically since PS3).

3) Fast forward. There are RPG I would never play or replay if I couldn't speed up the fights.

And while some purists would talk about states or speeding up I think it's up to the person.

 

[Toppis]

I like playing all my games on original hardware, but sometimes I play on an emulator if the English patch is not working on original hardware or if burning the English patch to a disc is not possible

 

[newageretrohippie]

For me, these days, the hardware near your screen or even your screen does not matter as long as the input latency is not hindering your play, and I have emulated retro games on screen that has very perceivable input lag if you use a mouse with it (A large 1080p TV from decade back now). But the controllers make big difference so I have few options for most systems.

I agree, input latency is bad (and jitter worse... and aperture error is the worst!). I'm at my mom's house right now, and she, for some reason, bought a CRT teevee in 2007, so I've been gaming on that. it has component input, so i got an HDMI->VGA and a VGA/SCART -> Component, and I've just been running everything through that. It really is a big difference between playing on a flat screen.

They have been making some new analog screens these days too (mostly for surveillance and backup cameras), but you can game on them, and they are CHEAP too! Look up "Analog HD" (AHD). I have a couple of them, and some company is sending me another one for free!

 

[Sumea]

And while some purists would talk about states or speeding up I think it's up to the person.

This. I emulate retro stuff almost exclusively (I have Retro Hardware in form of PS2, GameCube, Xbox, Wii, if we're counting PS3 and Xbox 360), and not understanding cheating in single player games at all, I will play every game to the rulesets given by the system and game. If it saves, I save, if the game lets me make a temporary save (one use save state) I will use it, if the game does not let me I do not use states. I do not fast forward I take and experience Koudelka as it plays, slow and animating everything in battles without skip button. To me line for "cheating" starts at anything that was not made possible by original system and rules set by developers in the game. I personally see it like cheating in solitaire; What are you even accomplishing with that, is it fun? You sure ain't respecting the game of solitaire if you come up with rules to make filling a solitaire easier.
Of course, I view fast forwarding depending on game a gray area, save states a dark gray area, so I do not get extra judgemental over other people preferring them, but I personally let games experience be as vanilla as can be to me.

I enjoyed many types of games for first time with this self imposed thing. FF3 on NES/Famicom, FF6, Koudelka from start to finish. Heck, I even started a run of Megami Tensei for Famicom writing down it's passwords; The one thing I would be 100% fine anyone else or even myself doing, I still elect to likely collect that "hardcore" cred on retroachievements by taking a feel with jotting down passwords. Though, my run in megaten has been very surface level thus far, but if I find my notepad, I can continue it on any system I have retroarch and the game on, so, Vita, 3DS, Switch, my PC, Wii U, Wii or Xbox.

 

[RetroLaw]

and not understanding cheating in single player games at all, I will play every game to the rulesets given by the system and game

This is not cheating. You're still learning the game while not wasting time going through parts that you already mastered.

What are you even accomplishing with that, is it fun

First, gaming isn't an accomplishment, it's just for fun.
People don't have fun waiting for slow animations, load time, or going through menus. This is why there are hacks with qol improvement.

Not using saves states to learn the game doesn't make you a better gamer, just one that has lot more time to waste. I still get hardcore cheevos once I learned the game, and I did it way way faster than if I had to waste time doing meaningless thing just for the illusion of being part of the gaming elite.