Roms and emulators

[Alice the Sister]

I don't want to assume everybody knows what ROMS and Emulators are... so I'll explain.

An emulator is a program on your comp. that emulates a video game system.

A ROM is the game that is used by the emulator.


Most of the time this is considered illegal, (because of copyrights)


Which brings light to this thread's purpose,


Do you believe downloading ROMs and Emulators is illegal? Or immoral?

Or do you think it's right?

Sub-topic: Do you download ROMs and emulators?

edit don't post any links to roms or emulator sites, it's against the rules probably.

 

[RazorX]

I do know what they are, I've been using them for ages. No I don't believe it to be wrong mostly because the emulators I use are for SNES and they don't sell games anymore so I'm not stealing.

 

[Ajnin]

I know why they are against rom and emulations, because it sucks the value out of the games if everyone can play it. Think about it, how they gonna sell a ffvi and chrono trigger playstation game when everyone can go online and download the suckas.

That being said going down to the local video game store and picking up an old snes and the game you want would probably be less than what they're selling for these retrogames. Besides, I enjoy playing games for the snes that weren't originally released in the US or in english, terranigma, seiken deitsu III, FFV, well I played part of that one, I didn't enjoy it, you get the point. I look at it like fansubbing of anime, they don't release it in the US or in english, they have no right to complain when we go out of our way to play the game. BTW, I played translated versions of those games, I didn't actually play them in Japanese.

 

[the_malevolent_milk_man]

I've been using a PSX emulator ever since mine broke. If I had known about emulators sooner I would have ditched my psx and just played them on my computer because it's so much more convienent for rpgs. I'd still use my console for action games but emulators have alot of really nice features. I love being able to save states anywhere so I don't have to worry about finding the save point before I have to leave.

The thing that first got me into roms was FFV. This was before it was even being thought of being translated. Figured it was a lost cause and dl'd the translated rom.

As for movies I have a few gigs of fan subs. There's simply no other way to get good anime without learning japanese.

 

[Ryder]

The basic concept of roms/emulators is theft. But (and I hesitate a little) what do you do about games that are totally out of print/production for the old systems like snes? You can't exactly buy the oldies games anywhere. I don't have emulators myself, but I'm not eager to criticize those who use them to dig for old snes or atari or nintendo games that virtualy don't exist anymore. And roms of games you own is obviously no biggie. A good question though, how many people once they start playing with emulators limit themselves to downloading old roms? I don't know too many people with emulators that don't download quite a few games that they could still easily obtain from vendors. Ergo I'm not really sold on that rom/emulator stuff... People love the old games, but a lot (not all, I know) but still a lot of people with oldies have PS games and all kinds of roms for stuff you can still pick up in stores or order.

 

[RazorX]

Well I have to limit my emulators to stuff like SNES because my computer is too slow to run a PS emulator.

 

[Ryder]

I didn't PS was that intensive, how old's your computer RazorX?

 

[RazorX]

Its a 500. But then theres also the fact that my computer has it in for me! Every game I ever get always ends up not working

 

[Ryder]

500mhz

ram - 64?

video card - Geforce 1? 2?

Built cheap by buying the parts and getting someone good (and preferably a friend who wont charge much/anything) to put it together and you could probably replace that for not too much...

AMD 1800mhz (maybe 2000mhz) (estimate, amd works different)
256+ ram (512 if cheap ram)
Geforce 4 (forgot which, but only one model of 4 is worth buying)
DVD-rom & burner-rom
Nic 10/100/1000
Standard moniter 19"
100gig+ high speed hard drive

Probably (with a good motherboard) 1300$-1500$ Cdn, that's what? 1000$-something us, oh nevermind, your in Canada. It's finished price, can trim that to under a thou Cdn easy if ya drop the moniter and scale back the ram. This is guess work with some prices several months old, but it's all very cheap if ya can find someone to asemble parts and buy it in pieces. 1 processor, 2 128 stick ram maybe, throw in a hard drive, etc...

I've seen a used computer, with these EXACT specs,
1800mhz
256 ram
DVD rom
nic 10/100
Sound blaster AWE32 card
75gig hard drive (fast!)
Geforce 3 (not too bad)

sell for only 800$ Cdn! (I sold it ) So I know used computers is a mine field of lemons, but it's good too.

 

[ziggackslam]

These days memory is very expensive, especially for Compaqs. I wish I could buy a new computer, or a laptop. If only they sold alienware cheaper here...over there in Canada....wow! I dont even want to think about the price of those bad boys! (BTW, for those that dont know what alienware is, its a computer manufacturer that creates excellent gaming computers)

 

[MetalBlade]

Sure I know what Roms and Emulators are. And yes I think in a way it is illegal, but so is downloading music. That does not mean that I don't do it.

 

[ziggackslam]

ok....I admit Ive downloaded roms and emulators... but I dont have them anymore.

 

[RazorX]

500mhz

ram - 64?

video card - Geforce 1? 2?

Built cheap by buying the parts and getting someone good (and preferably a friend who wont charge much/anything) to put it together and you could probably replace that for not too much...

AMD 1800mhz (maybe 2000mhz) (estimate, amd works different)
256+ ram (512 if cheap ram)
Geforce 4 (forgot which, but only one model of 4 is worth buying)
DVD-rom & burner-rom
Nic 10/100/1000
Standard moniter 19"
100gig+ high speed hard drive

Probably (with a good motherboard) 1300$-1500$ Cdn, that's what? 1000$-something us, oh nevermind, your in Canada. It's finished price, can trim that to under a thou Cdn easy if ya drop the moniter and scale back the ram. This is guess work with some prices several months old, but it's all very cheap if ya can find someone to asemble parts and buy it in pieces. 1 processor, 2 128 stick ram maybe, throw in a hard drive, etc...

I've seen a used computer, with these EXACT specs,
1800mhz
256 ram
DVD rom
nic 10/100
Sound blaster AWE32 card
75gig hard drive (fast!)
Geforce 3 (not too bad)

sell for only 800$ Cdn! (I sold it ) So I know used computers is a mine field of lemons, but it's good too.

Wow! I'll look into that!
Thanks!

 

[Alice the Sister]

So if I get a Playstation emulator I can basically play my PS games on my computer?

That's cool, because I don't like digging out my PS just to play my imports.


I've been looking for Game Boy Advance ROMs, but I think I'd rather not...

Because there's no excuse when I could just go buy them.


Oh, and Terranigma...

 

[* kittie *]

no one buys snes games anymore. ...not that you can find them, unless you look really hard. so i don't see them losing any profit over me getting snes games off the internet.

as for n64 and playstation...
n64 is kind of lame anyways, so i would never spend my money on any of those games. i have roms, but i haven't played them. and i have psone, so i don't have that many roms for that (only 1).

 

[Alice the Sister]

I find SNES all over the place...well at the "right" places...

 

[Globexgirl]

My brother has DLed tons of games off of the internet, but he only has nintendo and Super-nintendo games, which are better. *shifty glance* now don't all kill me cus I said that. Personally I don't like to play Video games on the comp. because it's just ahrder for me. the buttons or something. So if I were to dl a N64 persay, I would die because it has way too many buttons for me to comprehend XD! I enjoy games like monopoly or something, but you can get that anyway.

 

[RazorX]

You know all this talk about emulators has inspired me to start up again.

 

[Ryder]

You know all this talk about emulators has inspired me to start up again.

Nice job guys, we're enableing his addiction.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

The way I look at it is if a company is no longer making something, you can't "steal" money from soemthing that no longer exists.
If you can't buy it new, I believe you should be able to get it any way you can. I'm sure there are some games that could only be had by way of emulators/roms.