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{{Short description|Program that reproduces video game console's behavior}}
{{
{{for|computer system emulators|List of computer system emulators}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Console emulator|Terminal emulator}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2015}}
[[File:StarFox64 Emulated with Project64.png|thumb|right|[[Project64]] running ''[[Star Fox 64]]'' on [[Windows 8]]
A '''video game console emulator''' is a type of [[emulator]] that allows a computing device{{refn|group=fn|These target platforms usually have available compilers to allow such emulators to be available.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
The code and data of a game are typically supplied to the emulator by means of a [[ROM file]] (a copy of game cartridge data) or an [[ISO image]] (a copy of optical media).{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} While emulation softwares themselves are legal as long as they don't infringe copyright protections on the console,<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Rich Wordsworth |date=2016-09-25 |title=Are game emulators legal? |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/are-game-emulators-legal-1329264 |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Emulating the gaming world on DS |url=https://www.engadget.com/2008-05-22-emulating-the-gaming-world-on-ds.html |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=Engadget |date=15 July 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> emulating games is only so when legitimately purchasing the game physically and [[ripping]] the contents. Freely downloading or uploading game ROMs across various internet sites is considered to be a form of piracy,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=Thomas |date=2021-06-01 |title=Nintendo wins $2.1million in legal case against ROMUniverse owner |language=en-GB |work=NME |url=https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nintendo-wins-2-1million-in-legal-case-against-romuniverse-owner-2953463 |access-date=2023-05-24}}</ref> and users may be sued for [[copyright infringement]].<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Scharon Harding |date=2018-07-26 |title=Yes, Downloading Nintendo ROMs Is Illegal (Even if You Own the Game) |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/why-most-roms-are-illegal,37512.html |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephen |first=Bijan |date=2019-04-18 |title=How the Game Boy found a new life through emulation |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/18/18311740/game-boy-emulation-new-life-old-technology |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref>
==History==
By the mid-1990s, [[personal computers]] had progressed to the point where it was technically feasible to replicate the behavior of some of the earliest consoles entirely through software, and the first unauthorized, non-commercial console emulators began to appear. These early programs were often incomplete, only partially emulating a given system, resulting in [[Software bug|defects]]. Few manufacturers published technical specifications for their hardware, which left programmers to deduce the exact workings of a console through [[reverse engineering]]. [[Nintendo]]'s consoles tended to be the most commonly studied, for example the most advanced early emulators reproduced the workings of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], and the [[Game Boy]]. The first such recognized emulator was released around 1996, being one of the prototype projects that eventually merged into the [[SNES9X]] product.<ref name="game over white paper"/> Programs like Marat Fayzullin's iNES, VirtualGameBoy, Pasofami (NES), Super Pasofami (SNES), and VSMC (SNES) were the most popular console emulators of this era. A curiosity was also [[Yuji Naka]]'s unreleased NES emulator for the [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]], possibly marking the first instance of a software emulator running on a console.<ref name="nextlevel">{{cite web | url = http://www.the-nextlevel.com/features/interviews/yuji-naka/ | title = An Interview with Yuji Naka | date = 15 June 2004 | website = The Next Level | access-date = 9 June 2014}}</ref> Additionally, as the [[Internet]] gained wider availability, distribution of both emulator software and ROM images became more common, helping to popularize emulators.<ref name="game over white paper"/>
Legal attention was drawn to emulations with the release of [[UltraHLE]], an emulator for the [[Nintendo 64]] released in 1999 while the Nintendo 64 was still Nintendo's primary console
This rise in popularity opened the door to foreign video games, and exposed North American gamers to Nintendo's censorship policies. This rapid growth in the development of emulators in turn fed the growth of the [[ROM hacking]] and [[Fan translation of video games|fan-translation]]. The release of projects such as RPGe's [[English language]] translation of ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'' drew even more users into the emulation scene.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Three Kids With No Experience Beat Square And Translated Final Fantasy V Into English|url=https://kotaku.com/how-three-kids-beat-the-odds-and-translated-final-fanta-1794628286|access-date=2020-11-02|website=Kotaku|date=25 April 2017 |language=en-us}}</ref> Additionally, the development of some emulators has contributed to improved resources for [[Homebrew (video games)|homebrew]] software development for certain consoles, such as was the case with [[VisualBoyAdvance]], a [[Game Boy Advance]] emulator that was noted by author Casey O'Donnell as having contributed to the development of tools for the console that were seen as superior to even those provided by Nintendo, so much so that even some licensed game developers used the tools to develop games for the console.<ref name="book-odonnel">{{cite book |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Casey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N_OkBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA241 |title=Developer's dilemma : the secret world of videogame creators |date=2014 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=9780262028196 |___location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |page=241 |access-date=15 September 2022}}</ref>
On April 17, 2024, [[Apple Inc|Apple]] began allowing emulators on the App Store,<ref>{{Cite web|title= Apple Allowing Game Emulators in the App Store|url= https://www.macrumors.com/2024/04/17/what-to-know-about-iphone-app-store-emulators|access-date=2024-06-16|date=17 April 2024 |language=en-us}}</ref> lifting a ban that had lasted nearly 16 years. Following this decision, numerous emulators such as Delta, Sutāto, and RetroArch appeared on the store.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Delta Emulator|url=https://faq.deltaemulator.com/getting-started/how-to-install-delta |date=22 April 2024 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Sutāto Emulator|url= https://sa-moo-rai.com/SurpriseGB/ |date=29 April 2024 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Retro Arch |url=https://www.retroarch.com/index.php?page=platforms |date=17 May 2024 |language=en-us}}</ref>
==Methods==
Emulators can be designed in three ways: purely operating in software which is the most common form such as [[MAME]] using ROM images; purely operating in hardware such as the [[ColecoVision]]'s adapter to accept [[Atari VCS]] cartridges,<ref name="game over white paper"/> and mixed.
An emulator is created typically through [[reverse engineering]] of the hardware information as to avoid any possible conflicts with non-public intellectual property. Some information may be made public for developers on the hardware's specifications which can be used to start efforts on emulation but there are often layers of information that remain as trade secrets such as encryption details. Operating code stored in the hardware's [[BIOS]] may be [[Disassembler|disassembled]] to be analyzed in a [[clean room design]], with one person performing the disassembling and another person, separately, documenting the function of the code. Once enough information is obtained regarding how the hardware interprets the game software, an emulation on the target hardware can then be constructed.<ref name="game over white paper"/> Emulation developers typically avoid any information that may come from untraceable sources to avoid contaminating the clean room nature of their project. For example, in 2020, a [[Gigaleak|large trove of information related to Nintendo's consoles was leaked]], and teams working on Nintendo console emulators such as the [[Dolphin (emulator)|Dolphin]] emulator for GameCube and Wii stated they were staying far away from the leaked information to avoid tainting their project.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/using-leaked-nintendo-source-code-poses-serious-legal-risk-to-emulators/ | title = Using Leaked Nintendo Source Code Poses Serious Legal Risk to Emulators | first = Matthew | last= Gault | date = May 6, 2020 | access-date = May 6, 2020 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}</ref>
Once an emulator is written, it then requires a copy of the game software to be obtained, a step that may have legal consequences. Typically, this requires the user to make a copy of the contents of the ROM cartridge to computer files or images that can be read by the emulator, a process known as "dumping" the contents of the ROM. A similar concept applies to other proprietary formats, such as for [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] CD games. While not required for emulation of the earliest arcade or home console, most emulators also require a dump of the hardware's BIOS, which could vary with distribution region and hardware revisions. In some cases, emulators allow for the application of ROM [[Patch (computing)|patches]] which update the ROM or BIOS dump to fix incompatibilities with newer platforms or change aspects of the game itself. The emulator subsequently uses the BIOS dump to mimic the hardware while the ROM dump (with any patches) is used to replicate the game software.<ref name="game over white paper"/>
ROM files and ISO files are created by either specialized tools for game cartridges, or regular optical drives reading the data.<ref name="techwiki">{{Cite web |title=Ripping Games - Emulation General Wiki |url=http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Ripping_Games |access-date=2018-04-21 |website=emulation.gametechwiki.com |language=en}}</ref> As an alternative, specialized adapters such as the [[Retrode]] allow emulators to directly access the data on game cartridges without needing to copy it into a ROM image first.
==Perspectives==
Outside of official usage, emulation has generally been seen negatively by video game console manufacturers and game developers. The largest concern is nature of [[copyright infringement]] related to ROM images of games, typically distributed freely and without hardware restrictions. While this directly impacts potential sales of emulated games and thus the publishers and developers, the nature of the [[value chain]] of the industry can lead to potential financial harm to console makers.<ref name="game over white paper"/> Further, emulation challenges the industry's use of the [[razor and blades model|razorblade model]] for console games, where consoles are sold near cost and revenue instead obtained from licenses on game sales. With console emulation being developed even while consoles are still on the market, console manufacturers are forced to continue to innovate, bring more games for their systems to market, and move quickly onto new technology to continue their business model.<ref name="game over white paper"/> There are further concerns related to intellectual property of the console's branding and of games' assets that could be misused, though these are issues less with emulation itself but with how the software is subsequently used.<ref name="game over white paper"/>
Alternatively, emulation is seen to enhance [[video game preservation]] efforts, both in shifting game information from outdated technology into newer, more persistent formats, and providing software or hardware alternates to aged hardware.<ref name="noelle-destructoid">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-19 |title=Pirating Metroid aside, emulators play an important role in games preservation |url=https://www.destructoid.com/emulators-play-an-important-role-in-video-game-preservation/ |access-date=2022-09-25 |website=Destructoid |language=en-CA}}</ref> Concerns about cost, availability, and longevity of game software and console hardware have also been cited as a reason for supporting the development of emulators.<ref name="noelle-destructoid" /> Some users of emulation also see emulation as means to preserve games from companies that have long-since gone bankrupt or disappeared from the industry's earlier market crash and contractions, and where ownership of the property is unclear. Emulation can also be seen as a means to enhance functionality of the original game that would otherwise not be possible, such as adding in localizations via ROM patches or new features such as [[save game|save states]].<ref name="game over white paper"/> In November 2021, [[Phil Spencer (business executive)|Phil Spencer]] stated that he hoped for video game companies to eventually develop and propagate legal emulation which would allow users to play any game from the past that they already owned a copy of, characterizing it as "a great North Star" for the industry to aim towards in the future.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=2021-11-17 |title=Microsoft gaming chief calls for industry-wide game preservation |url=https://www.axios.com/2021/11/17/microsoft-old-games-preserve-emulation |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Phil Spencer hopes for industry-wide emulation, even as Xbox emulation ends |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/emulation/xbox-backward-compatibility-ends |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=PCGamesN |date=18 November 2021 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Legal issues==<!-- This section is linked from [[Emulator]]. -->
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===United States===
As computers and [[Internet|global computer networks]] continued to advance and become more popular, emulator developers grew more skilled in their work, the length of time between the commercial release of a console and its successful emulation began to shrink. [[History of video game consoles (fifth generation)|Fifth generation]] consoles such as [[Nintendo 64]], [[PlayStation]] and [[History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|sixth generation]] handhelds, such as the [[Game Boy Advance]], saw significant progress toward emulation during their production. This led to an effort by console manufacturers to stop unofficial emulation, but consistent failures such as ''[[Sega v. Accolade]]'' 977 F.2d 1510 (9th Cir. 1992), ''[[Connectix Virtual Game Station|Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corporation]]'' 203 F.3d 596 (2000), and ''[[Bleem!|Sony Computer Entertainment America v. Bleem]]'' 214 F.3d 1022 (2000),<ref name="Sony v Bleem Legal Opinion">{{cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?q=SONY+COMPUTER+ENTERTAINMENT+AMERICA+v.+BLEEM&hl=en&as_sdt=2,1&as_vis=1&case=11837224078052556056&scilh=0|title=Sony Computer Entertainment America v. Bleem, 214 F. 3d 1022|date=14 February 2000|publisher=Court of Appeals|publication-date=4 May 2000|work=Google Scholar|access-date=15 June 2016|department=9th Circuit 2000}}</ref> have had the opposite effect
Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted code remains illegal, according to both country-specific [[copyright]] and international copyright law under the [[Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works|Berne Convention]].<ref>''see [[Midway Manufacturing Co. v. Artic International, Inc.]]'', 574 F.Supp. 999, aff'd, 704 F.2d 1009 (9th Cir 1982) (holding the computer ROM of Pac Man to be a sufficient fixation for purposes of copyright law even though the game changes each time played.) and Article 2 of the Berne Convention</ref>{{Better source needed|date=June 2016}} Accordingly, video game publishers and developers have taken legal action against websites that illegally redistribute their copyrighted software, successfully forcing sites to remove their titles<ref>{{cite web | url = https://realgamernewz.com/1570/coolrom-com-forced-removal-of-nintendo-roms-due-to-copyrights/ | title = COOLROM.COM FORCED REMOVAL OF NINTENDO ROMS DUE TO COPYRIGHTS | date = February 3, 2015 | access-date = August 4, 2018 | work = [[RealGamerNewZ (website)|RealGamerNewZ]] }}</ref> or taking down the websites entirely.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/22/17600008/nintendo-roms-lawsuit-cease-desist | title = Nintendo sues to shut down two big ROM sites | first= Owen | last = Good | date = July 22, 2018 | access-date = August 1, 2018 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon Under United States law, obtaining a [[core dump|dumped]] copy of the original machine's [[BIOS]] is legal under the ruling ''[[Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc.]]'', 964 F.2d 965 (9th Cir. 1992) as [[fair use]] as long as the user obtained a legally purchased copy of the machine. To mitigate this however, several emulators for platforms such as [[Game Boy Advance]] are capable of running without a BIOS file, using [[high-level emulation]] to simulate BIOS subroutines at a slight cost in emulation accuracy.{{citation needed|reason=Don't mean to be too harsh here but without a citation it leans on original research.|date=June 2016}}
Newer consoles have introduced one or more layers of [[encryption]] to make emulation more difficult from a technical perspective but also can create further legal challenges under the DMCA, which forbids the distribution of tools and information on how to bypass these layers. The [[Nintendo Switch]] emulator [[Yuzu (emulator)|Yuzu]] had been sued by Nintendo because the group behind the emulator had provided such information on how to obtain the required decryption keys, leading the group to settle with Nintendo and removing the emulator from distribution. Forked projects from Yuzu since appeared, taking the route of informing users what decryption items they would need but otherwise not stating how to acquire these as to stay within Nintendo's stance against emulation and copyright infringement.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/24098640/nintendo-emulator-yuzu-lawsuit-switch-aftermath | title=How Nintendo's destruction of Yuzu is rocking the emulator world | date=14 March 2024 }}</ref>
===Impersonation by malware===
Due to their popularity, emulators have also been a target of online scams in the form of [[Trojan horse (computing)|trojan horse]] programs designed to mimic the appearance of a legitimate emulator, which are then promoted through [[Spam (electronic)|spam]], on [[YouTube]] and elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/dont-be-fooled-that-free-nintendo-switch-emulator-is-a-scam/|title=Don't get conned: That free Nintendo Switch emulator is a scam|last=Musil|first=Steven|date=30 March 2017|work=[[CNET]]|access-date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Some scams, such as the purported "PCSX4" emulator, have even gone so far as to setting up a fake [[GitHub]] repository, presumably for added trustworthiness especially to those unfamiliar with [[open-source software]] development.<ref name="fenlon">{{cite
==Official use==
Due to the high demand of playing old games on modern systems, consoles have begun incorporating emulation technology. The most notable of these is [[Nintendo]]'s [[Virtual Console]]. Originally released for the [[Wii]], but present on the [[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] and [[Wii U]], ''Virtual Console'' uses software emulation to allow the purchasing and playing of games for old systems on this modern hardware. Though not all games are available, the Virtual Console has a large collection of games spanning a wide variety of consoles. The Virtual Console's library of past games currently consists of titles originating from the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], [[Game Boy]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Nintendo 64]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[Nintendo DS]], and Wii, as well as [[Sega]]'s [[Master System]] and [[Sega Genesis|Genesis/Mega Drive]], [[NEC]]'s [[TurboGrafx-16]], and [[SNK]]'s [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]]. The service for the Wii also includes games for platforms that were known only in select regions, such as the [[Commodore 64]] (Europe and North America) and [[MSX]] (Japan),<ref name="Nintendo Japan Virtual Console overview">{{cite web|url= https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/features/virtual_console.html|title=Nintendo Japan Virtual Console overview|publisher=[[Nintendo]]| language=ja|access-date=2007-02-25}}</ref> as well as Virtual Console Arcade, which allows players to download video [[arcade game]]s. Virtual Console titles have been downloaded over ten million times.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url= http://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-nintendos-satoru-iwata/1100-6185358/|title=Q&A: Nintendo's Satoru Iwata|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|first1 = Tor|last1= Thorson |first2= Randolph|last2= Ramsay|date = 20 February 2008}}</ref> Each game is distributed with a dedicated emulator tweaked to run the game as well as possible. However, it lacks the enhancements that unofficial emulators provide, and many titles are still unavailable.{{Which|date=June 2016}}
Until the 4.0.0 firmware update, the [[Nintendo Switch]] [[Nintendo Switch system software|system software]] contained an embedded NES emulator, referred to internally as "flog", running the game ''[[Golf (1984 video game)|Golf]]'' (with [[motion controller]] support using [[Joy-Con]]). The [[Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]] was believed to be a tribute to former Nintendo president [[Satoru Iwata]], who died in 2015: the game was only accessible on July 11 (the date of his death), ''Golf'' was programmed by Iwata, and the game was activated by performing a motion gesture with a pair of Joy-Con that Iwata had famously used during Nintendo's video presentations. It was suggested that the inclusion of ''Golf'' was intended as a digital form of [[omamori]]—a traditional form of Japanese [[amulet]]s intended to provide luck or protection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/27/16822340/nintendo-switch-golf-game-hidden-removed|title=
Due to differences in hardware, the [[Xbox 360]] is not natively backwards compatible with original [[Xbox]] games.{{Refn|group=fn|The Xbox architecture is similar to a PC with an [[x86]] architecture, whereas the Xbox 360 is a [[PowerPC]] system.}} However, Microsoft achieved [[List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360|backwards compatibility with popular titles]] through an emulator. On June 15, 2015, Microsoft announced the Xbox One would be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 through
Commercial developers have also used emulation as a means to repackage and reissue older games on newer consoles in retail releases. For example, Sega has created several collections of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (series)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games. Before the ''Virtual Console'', Nintendo also used this tactic, such as [[Game Boy Advance]] re-releases of [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] titles in the [[Classic NES Series]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Classic NES Series (Concept)|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/classic-nes-series/3015-3653/|access-date=2020-11-02|website=Giant Bomb|language=en}}</ref>
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=== Bypassing regional lockouts ===
Some consoles have a regional lockout, preventing the user from being able to play games outside of the designated game region. This can be considered a nuisance for console gamers as some games feature seemingly inexplicable localization differences between regions, such as differences in the time requirements for driving missions and license tests on ''[[Gran Turismo 4]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tcrf.net/Gran_Turismo_4#License_Test_Changes|title=Gran Turismo 4 - The Cutting Room Floor|website=tcrf.net|language=en|access-date=2018-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/pal-versus-ntsc-versions-of-gt4-what-are-the-differences.87195/|title=Pal versus NTSC versions of gt4: What are the differences?|date=12 April 2006 }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=June 2016}} and the PAL version of ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' which added more ingame skills, changes to some bosses, and even more bosses, Dark Aeons,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finalfantasy.neoseeker.com/wiki/Dark_Aeons|title=Dark Aeons}}</ref> that weren't available in the North American NTSC release of the game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finalfantasy.neoseeker.com/wiki/Version_Differences_(FFX)|title=Version Differences (FFX)}}</ref>
Although it is usually possible to modify the consoles themselves to bypass regional lockouts, console modifications can cause problems with screens not being displayed correctly and games running too fast or slow, due to the fact that the console itself may not be designed to output to the correct format for the game. These problems can be overcome on emulators, as they are usually designed with their own output modules, which can run both NTSC and PAL games without issue.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
=== Cheating and widescreen functionality ===
Many emulators, for example [[Snes9x]],<ref>{{cite web|author=
Similar systems can also be used to enable Widescreen Hacks for certain games, allowing the user to play games which were not originally intended for widescreen, without having to worry about aspect ratio distortion on widescreen monitors.
== See also ==
* [[List of video game console emulators]]
* [[Fantasy video game console]]
==Notes==
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{{Video game consoles}}
{{Video game platforms}}
{{Portal bar|Video games}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Video Game Console Emulator}}
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