Original Hardware vs emulation?

[IrkenElite]

I love, but I'm definitely a fan of playing games on OG hardware. Most of my console collection has been upgraded with ODE's or flash carts , alongside with special controllers for any special games that can use them. So many quality of life upgrades exist at this point for retro consoles, so happy I kept them to keep upgrading over time.

 

[VampireLord1024]

Original hardware but emulation is nice too.

 

[Deadgar64]

Kinda depends on what I'm playing.
Some of the old-old games like on the Master System, NES, PC-Engine are WAAAAAYYYYY too hard and frankly impossible for me to enjoy without save states. I feel people in general have less time to just sit with something to develop the kinds of familiarity and reflexes those games demanded at the time.

That's not an indictment on design or anything; Games are products of their times and, to me, they all make sense from that point of view. But really anything older than a PS2 and I'm firmly in the "EMU" camp if simply for my sanity and time's sake, lol.

I do like messing with the old hardware tho. Mods, restoration and the like. But I feel like that's an altogether different fascination.

 

[RandomHajile]

Kinda depends on what I'm playing.
Some of the old-old games like on the Master System, NES, PC-Engine are WAAAAAYYYYY too hard and frankly impossible for me to enjoy without save states.

Might be easier if you had the CD or expansion that lets you save. Now, funny thing, I still own my TG-16 with Super CD (recently had someone repair the drive too) and while I do love to play my CD games on actual hardware, I find it easier to play them on emulators.

I'm about to turn 50, I grew up playing these games when they were new, and I don't know if this is weird or not, but I still mostly prefer playing on emus. There's a lot of reasons. First is save states, since being an adult I have to constantly stop my games to handle family stuff so being able to save at any point is a must. Secondly, I like to run with filters and widescreen so it looks better on my HDTV (I have a devoted laptop that I use as a multi-console to run all my emus). and thirdly, I like not having to fumble for a new cartridge or CD everytime I want to switch. Now granted, I have an Everdrive on my SNES and my TG-16, but it feels silly to me using that instead of my original carts and if I'm just going to use roms, why not cut the middle man out and just play on the emulator?

Just my own experience, not saying it's better.

 

[Geass]

I don't have proper CRT setups for things like my genesis, dreamcast or ps1 so I just play stuff through emulation, I have kinda considered getting one of those Mister devices if I end up buying the proper setup to enjoy it but I heard emulation can be spotty for those.

I enjoy playing all my games as pure as possible though when emulating, I don't go crazy with any visual hacks/enhancements like hd textures and I dont use save states unless I specifically have to attend to something and stop playing all together.

 

[otogirisou]

emulation, because it's more accessible.

 

[DunkeyKong]

For now it's emulation, I do like to have original console but unfortunately some of them ain't cheap and I want to save money (probably not because I'm broke after that)

 

[NakaGX]

I do both. I LOVE original hardware and the pure gaming experience, especially now that I've got a CRT again after 15 years and being blown away at how good games look via component or s-video. That being said, there's plenty of systems I don't care to own because of ridiculous costs and space constraints (looking at you, PC Engine), so I rely on emulation for that.
I've been wanting to acquire one of those MiSTERs just so I can play everything pre-5th gen that I don't have, as well as arcade games, on my TV.

 

[Kyyo]

I highly prefer emulating stuff. I personally LOVE how emulation has growned up 'til this year. For example, with only a recent phone you can emulate even Nintendo Switch and play PS2 games without many issues. When you play on PC is even better 'cuz you can emulate on very high resolutions. All you need is a decent hardware and a controller. I have many consoles that I bought throughout the years but I never really use them (except my PS3 and PS4 of course). However, I also love playing on console sometimes.

 

[Xeno]

Emulation is great, run all the consoles from one device, like the Steam Deck. I have a few OG handhelds, PSP, Vita, 3DS, Switch Lite and Gameboy Color. They don't take up much space so I don't mind hanging onto them. I did recently get a 13 inch CRT. I set up a Raspberry Pi 3b+ for emulation up to PS1, it uses the headphone jack as a composite A/V output. I modified the Raspberry Pi to output 240p and it looks amazing. My wife found a GameCube in storage so I plan on modding that.

 

[Ravl]

I tend to play everything through emulation these days, either on my pvm or vga monitor (it supports 480p so it's ideal for Gamecube and Dreamcast). I do use all the original controllers with on my pc though: I basically own all of the originals and even most official replicas such as the NSO ones and the Hori PCE Turbopad.
I recently got a CIB sealed old jp copy of the pc version of Puyo Puyo Fever just for the included usb Saturn pad

 

[PhrawzT]

I always prefer to use original hardware whenever I can. I have flash carts for my SNES, Genesis, Turbo Grafx, and Gameboy as well as a Fenrir for my Saturn. I have also modded my Xbox, PS2 and Wii to play games off a hard drive.

 

[moonbits]

I prefer original hardware but given how expensive it is to obtain some devices, I am okay with emulation. Without any upscaling or alterations to the emulation; applying a CRT filter is good enough for me in most cases.

I like having controllers that plug into PC that replicate the original experience like the RetroBit Sega Saturn pad for example. I'd like to have one for N64, Playstation and Dreamcast.

 

[Kannibal]

For me, the value of using emulation or original hardware heavily depends on the game or situation.

There have definitely been great strides in emulation accuracy, including FPGA emulators and external devices for running backups on original hardware. Input delay in software emulators still needs a lot of work. I’m not happy with making compromises like using run-ahead to reduce input delay when I have original hardware for comparison, so I can’t see myself relying on software emulation. I still use them for testing games on the fly. FPGA emulators like the MiSTer FPGA are great because, even when there are minor inaccuracies, the FPGA itself does not add input delay. With external devices for running backups, the biggest issue is usually stuttering due to bandwidth or certain parts of the game not working. Despite those issues, the game is still processed by the original hardware.

With original hardware and a retail copy of a game, you have peace of mind knowing the game performs as the developer intended.

I don’t mind making compromises for games that are hard to obtain or only available on prohibitively expensive platforms, including obscure games that require specific or rare devices. But for genres like fighting games, rhythm games, SHMUPs, and beat 'em ups, I prefer the native input delay of original hardware, or even less, if the delay was caused by the original input device. The major exception is when a reliable program like Fightcade exists, which uses emulators that provide a widely accepted delay.

I’m far from a competitive player, but after practicing a handful of games a lot, I begin to notice their quirks as I experiment with different versions or platforms.

 

[Ravl]

ìI'd like to have one for N64

The NSO controller is basically a 1:1 replica of the original, flaws and all.

 

[DigitalElixir]

I prefer original hardware as much as possible. Most of my consoles (PSX, PS2, Wii, etc) have been future proofed and modded to use flash carts, IDE's, etc.

I don't mind using emulation if I have to, but I'm never satisfied because to be me, something feels "off". I know some texture, or code of the game isn't being processed correctly by the emulator and that doesn't sit well with me. It's likely an unpopular opinion.

 

[BinaryMessiah]

Original hardware, but modernized. I've spent a lot of time and money modding pretty much every console I own to be modernized, either a handheld with a modern screen or amenities or disc based systems to have ODEs or modded hard drive. I also have high-end upscaling accessories for every console. I prefer original hardware, but I want it to look good and be accessible on modern TVs.

I'm not against emulation in any way. Original hardware is insanely expensive these days and the older consoles are starting to fail in various ways.

 

[It's Thinking 2]

Physical first, then emulation. But emulation allows rom hacks. Unless you get a repro cart.

 

[lucasgvse]

For retro, i'll always prefer emulation. I'm not that good on video games, specially old ones because most of the time they have """""""""""""bad"""""""""'""" game design. Okay, not necessarily bad, but old-fashioned. Thank god i can use save states and rewind, it helps a lot. I don't like when i feel i'm having a hard time because of a bad design decision.

If i had these tools on original hardware i'd like to use it, cuz i don't feel comfortable playing on a desktop or laptop. That's why i love the retro handheld chinese scene.