Emulators

[TSE]

Hi guys, I have an absolute monster collection of old PS1 and N64 games, and I was told that it isn't illegal to download the ROMs of PS1 and N64 games if you own them.

I want to try and run a PS1/N64 emulator with my MacBook Pro under Windows XP SP3. How well do emulators generally run? I am thinking of buying a cheap 30 dollar logitech USB game controller, unless I can find a way to sync my PS3's bluetooth controller with my MacBook Pro.

I know video game hardware is a lot faster than computer hardware at running the games, hence why there is no PS3/360 emulators out, so will it be too slow to enjoy the games?

 

[linkboy]

You were told wrong.

Its legal to make a back-up of something you own, but its sole purpose is to replace the original if the original breaks (like backing up a music cd for example).

It's illegal to download a copy of a game you own.

With that said, Epsxe is the PS1 emulator and you'll be able to play the games straight off of your disc. Load times aren't a problem since computer drives are a lot faster then the CD drive in the Playstation (2x I believe).

 

[mslide]

Without getting into the legalities of doing this (I don't think anyone here is actually a lawyer anyway)...

It's been a while since I've run an N64 emulator but I think the one I used to use is called Project 64. At the time, I was using it on a single core Pentium 4, 2.5 GHz pc and it ran very well. It wasn't as good as a real N64, but it was close enough for me. I think you'll be pleased with the results when running it on your macbook pro. Just about any system older than an N64 (NES, Supers NES, Genesis, etc) should have an emulator that will be virtually flawless these days.

If you want it to feel more authentic, you can buy PS2 -> USB adapters. I bought them at Radio Shack several years back. You can also buy N64 -> USB adapters. That way, you can use the real controllers.

I know video game hardware is a lot faster than computer hardware at running the games, hence why there is no PS3/360 emulators out, so will it be too slow to enjoy the games?

A computer has to be orders of magnitude faster than the console hardware in order to pull off good emulation. Heck, it wasn't until the mid/late 90's or so (correct me if I'm wrong here) that we were able to get good NES and Super NES emulation. Don't expect PS3 emulation to happen for at least a decade or so. Not to mention it takes a long time to write a good emulator.

 

[PlexiglassOnion]

USB Game controllers are ripoffs if you already have old controllers. There are plenty of usb adapters for any type of remote that you want to connect to your computer. My friend has one that does n64, xbox, and ps2. Mine is just two PS2 remote slots. I picked PS2 cause lets face it, its one of the best layouts for a controller ever, and its perfect for playing all systems.

These cost under ten bucks for the most part, so they beat a usb game controller by a long shot.

The trick with running emulators smoothly is just finding a good one and good ROMs. Project 64, as suggested by mslide is incredible for N64.

As for PS1 emulators, I never owned a PS1 so I dunno any good ones, sorry.