| You might wonder what an emulator is. Emulators | | | | imperfections in some emulators may be minor, |
| allow your computer to act like a console system | | | | sometimes timing problems may occur. Some |
| such as the Apple IIe or the Atari 2600, which | | | | emulators won't run games at all, or worse have |
| are used to emulate the hardware of a variety of | | | | some display problems. Some emulators may be |
| classic arcade games. | | | | deficient in joystick support, sound, and other |
| Are all classic arcade games emulated? No, but | | | | significant features. |
| those games made before 1992 are. Not all | | | | In writing an emulator, you will undergo a difficult |
| systems are easy to emulate. | | | | process which requires attaining the precise |
| Why is there a need to emulate classic arcade | | | | system information, and figuring out how to |
| games? There are three major reasons why: | | | | emulate it with the software code. |
| 1. Popularity - if the system is popular, even if it is | | | | There are two different types of emulators. The |
| classic, the more effort is pushed to emulate it. | | | | first one is the single-system or the single-game |
| 2. Availability of the Information - if the system | | | | emulator. Examples of these are an Atari 2600 |
| contains a lot of information, it will be easier to | | | | emulator, NES emulator, and an Apple II emulator. |
| emulate. If a game has never been emulated | | | | These emulators can only emulate one kind of |
| before, it will require a lot of reverse engineering, | | | | game or system. The second type of emulators |
| which could at times be frustrating. | | | | is the multi-emulators. The best example of this is |
| 3. Technical Hurdles - the hardware limits | | | | the Multi-Arcade Machine Emulator or the MAME. |
| restrictions that are hard to avoid. For example, it | | | | MAME can emulate hundreds of arcade games, |
| took quite some time before the Atari 7800 was | | | | although not all arcade games can run on the |
| emulated, due to the encryption algorithm which | | | | same kind of system. That is a huge |
| prohibited games from being loaded. In addition, | | | | generalization, but the reason multi-emulators |
| newer systems may lack the absolute | | | | require more resources compared to single |
| horsepower to have the game run at a playable, | | | | system emulators, in most cases. |
| and faster speed. | | | | The start of emulation has opened a lot of |
| Although emulators are difficult to run, especially if | | | | opportunities for companies to take advantage of |
| it is your first time, you must download an | | | | their resources. Why spend a lot of time |
| emulator and unzip it. If you are not familiar with | | | | reprogramming or porting the classic arcade |
| the procedures, you must read the | | | | games to a new console when you can easily |
| documentation carefully. | | | | write an upright emulator. Emulation is the solution |
| Emulators are compound pieces of software. | | | | to these problems, and gives the gamers an |
| Most emulators may not perfectly emulate the | | | | exact replica of the classic games they love and |
| capability of the system it is trying to copy. The | | | | want to acquire. |