Game emulation

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ChiefKiefton
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11:56a, 2/21/24
Hey everyone,

If I wanted to download an emulator to play games like Pokemon from the GBA or 3DS on my PC, what's the best/safest way to go about that? Thanks in advance!
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jr15aggie
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4:21p, 2/21/24
AG
I think YouTube is probably your friend for this. There are a ton of step by step video guides about this subject. Emulation has been getting bigger and easier in recent years, especially with all of the handheld gaming devices that are hitting the market.

The first question you'll have to answer for yourself is where do you want to play these games? If it's a Windows PC, then look up "game emulation windows PC" and I'm sure you'll find what you need. A lot of people are buying handhelds so that that can play on the go, but they can also easily be docked to a TV/Monitor (like the Nintendo Switch does) and it's a full on gaming console at that point.

There is an active thread still on page 1 here "Handheld Gaming - Asus ROG Ally". Lot's of discussion there about different devices. Also a few youtube site references that are helpful (The guy at Retro Game Corps has really great videos and emulation guides).
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jr15aggie
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4:24p, 2/21/24
AG
Only thing I'll add to the above is, use an older computer or laptop when you are searching for and downloading the game ROMs. I know that back in the day you would usually pick up some unwanted guests off some of those sites. So get all of that done on an older device and then transfer the ROMs to your main PC.
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jr15aggie
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4:29p, 2/21/24
AG
Here... I even looked it up for you

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WGann3
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In reply to jr15aggie • 4:50p, 2/21/24
AG
Russ is the best. I haven't watched this particular video but it's probably exactly what OP needs.

Emulation and possessing emulators is perfectly legal. Downloading ROMs of games you don't own is not so we won't be able to link you to website for that sort of thing. Google is your friend though. Or go to r/Roms on Reddit and that will get you going.
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ChiefKiefton
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In reply to jr15aggie • 10:01a, 2/22/24
jr15aggie said:
Here... I even looked it up for you

I think my issue is that I was searching Youtube for specific game instructions and not an overview. I appreciate it!
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boy09
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10:53a, 2/23/24
AG
Emulation and Roms subreddits are good sources too.

The /r/Roms Megathread has pretty much any rom you might be looking for.
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C@LAg
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1:31a, 2/24/24
just a warning. Current MAME ROM releases (for emulated arcade games) top over 1TB in size
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jr15aggie
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9:29a, 3/1/24
AG
Looks like some lawsuit stuff with Nintendo and Switch emulation is hitting the fan. They are apparently going after the guys that made the Switch emulator. Some of the domino effects are that Emudeck for android has been pulled from the Amazon store.

I'll definitely be keeping up with this and I really hope this doesn't have a wide spread impact for all emulation. It's just now getting to the place where regular folks can somewhat easily play all of their old favorite games, most of which are no longer available on any digital marketplace.


I understand that Switch emulation is a bit of a different beast than say Gamecube emulation. The problem is that if Nintendo wins this victory, they may decide to go after all emulation. It's frustrating because, it's my understanding that, Nintendo is pretty bad when it comes to game availability. Their digital store in particular has games come and go all the time. If they are not going to properly preserve their massive treasure chest of games, then let the internet do it.
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WGann3
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11:27a, 3/1/24
AG
I'm not overly concerned about this lawsuit, but this one does feel like it's worth following. Nintendo likes to sue everyone. They're just suing a single LLC that was developing the switch emulator Yuzu. They were collecting money for their efforts through a Patreon, and speculation is a LOT of money, hence the LLC.

It sucks because Yuzu had almost daily releases on Android that were making improvements to Switch games. It's in a really good spot on Android and it happened quick. You'll be able to find copies of this latest build of Yuzu pretty easily if you want but this will definitely slow things down. No chance it stops development of Yuzu in some form though, it'll fork over to something else and hopefully be in the hands of people who aren't as sloppy. The Yuzu group was just asking to get sued.
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jr15aggie
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1:34p, 3/1/24
AG
Agreed. For me, the frustrating part of Switch emulation is the fact that their device is extremely uncomfortable as a handheld. I've played around with my nephews and the tiny thumbsticks and tiny buttons are comical. Not to mention, zero ergonomics.

Nintendo has awesome games, but for the past 20 years they've insisted on putting out underpowered consoles with either crap or very odd controllers. One of the main reason why I'm so interested in emulation is the fact that we can finally play some of these great Nintendo games with proper resolutions, proper framerates, while holding a comfortable device!!!
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WGann3
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In reply to jr15aggie • 1:49p, 3/1/24
AG
Yep, right there with you on just about all of that. I've been buying (some) of the Switch games I emulate because it feels a little icky to emulate a still current console, I don't have a Switch.
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SF2004
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In reply to WGann3 • 9:42a, 3/2/24
AG
WGann3 said:
I'm not overly concerned about this lawsuit, but this one does feel like it's worth following. Nintendo likes to sue everyone. They're just suing a single LLC that was developing the switch emulator Yuzu. They were collecting money for their efforts through a Patreon, and speculation is a LOT of money, hence the LLC.

It sucks because Yuzu had almost daily releases on Android that were making improvements to Switch games. It's in a really good spot on Android and it happened quick. You'll be able to find copies of this latest build of Yuzu pretty easily if you want but this will definitely slow things down. No chance it stops development of Yuzu in some form though, it'll fork over to something else and hopefully be in the hands of people who aren't as sloppy. The Yuzu group was just asking to get sued.


They started an LLC and collected money for their efforts?

They deserved to be sued and deserve everything coming to them.

Emulation as it has been (freeware and community driven) will always exists.
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hph6203
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9:45a, 3/2/24
AG
Dolphin had been the standard bearer for emulation and they're still going strong.
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WGann3
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In reply to SF2004 • 11:04a, 3/2/24
AG
Yeah it was pretty dumb. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the laws but even if it's technically not illegal to take donations to develop an emulator, it's definitely asking for Nintendo to come after you.
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WGann3
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2:24p, 3/4/24
AG
Nintendo wins this one. But emulation will live on. Current gen emulation, especially requiring copyrighted Nintendo BIOS files, was always just asking for a lawsuit. Yuzu developed at a rapid pace on Android and has pretty good compatibility with where it's ending development right now so I'm in good shape on my device I emulate Switch on luckily.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/4/24090357/nintendo-yuzu-emulator-lawsuit-settlement
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PeekingDuck
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10:32a, 3/5/24
AG
Yeah, putting a Patreon up was dumb as *****
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jr15aggie
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10:47a, 3/5/24
AG
My only complaint against Nintendo in all of this is they are TERRIBLE when it comes to game ownership. They did their own paid emulation back during the Wii era. They made MILLIONS on letting people buy and play their old games... and now that digital store is completely shut down.

They have Switch games that have been removed from the digital Switch store for pete's sake.

Their whole concept is you own nothing... you pay them for the right to play their games when and how they say it. That does not jive with me and they can go *** insert expletive ***.
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jr15aggie
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In reply to jr15aggie • 10:59a, 3/5/24
AG
In other words... these corporations are completely fine when they change the rules on the consumers and then hide behind their "terms of service" agreements.

But they get all bent out of shape and sue as soon as consumers find a way around their BS.
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coconutED
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11:48a, 3/5/24
AG
Nintendo wants you to buy their latest consoles so they can sell you these classic NES games over and over again, because purchases don't carry over between the different storefronts. And they won't release them all in one go; they will maybe get through 10% of the library before they shut it down and move on to the next gen.
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Fenrir
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In reply to jr15aggie • 2:31p, 3/5/24
Biggest reason I stick to physical games for anything I might want long term. I've got a nice collection going going back now. I will get digital games when I suspect it's not something I will care about long term but I enjoy going back and playing older games too much to trust these companies to keep them available.
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IrishAg
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3:20p, 3/5/24
I'm confused at all of the hate. Do I think Nintendo has always gone overboard with their lawsuits going all the way back to the game genie days, yeah. But, they've been consistent the whole time. If you try to make money off of their intellectual property, they're going to sue you into oblivion, period. No matter how much some things might annoy me, I can't get mad at that because I would act the same way.

As far as emulation goes, I think anything 2 generations back and older is free game, but emulation for games on current generation systems that are currently out and being sold is a bit much since it helps to quicken the destruction of an industry that is already eroding thanks to all of these big mergers. Pretty soon, the only new games that are going to be green lit are indie games and the ones that have the ability to bombard you with ads and do micro-transactions, because like reality tv, why build content that's good when you can put out something that is dirt cheap to create but you can keep on cramming it full of ads and rehashing it to have a nice steady stream on revenue on the books.
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WGann3
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3:38p, 3/5/24
AG
The Yuzu devs were apparently making $30K a month through Patreon haha. I think that, and Tears of The Kingdom and Super Mario Wonder being played days before their official launch on emulators is what made Nintendo say enough is enough.
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jr15aggie
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3:42p, 3/5/24
AG
I don't disagree with the emulation of current gen stuff. Switch emulation is very sketchy. But, from what I understand, they are constantly delisting games on their digital store. That's complete crap. If you paid for a game to play on your Switch, even if it's an older retro game, it should always be available to play on your Switch. It should not be delisted simply because Nintendo felt like it or because they want to release an HD Remake.

If Nintendo is going to keep up with those practices, then the internet is going to fire away with emulation.
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WGann3
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In reply to jr15aggie • 3:56p, 3/5/24
AG
And don't forget how meh Nintendo's hardware is. A lot of these games are locked at 30 fps on the Switch... My Odin 2 has better performance on a lot of Switch games than the Switch does. That's sad, because Nintendo has incredible first party titles. I buy the Switch games I emulate, because I want to support the work that goes into making awesome games. But I know I'm probably in the big time minority on that.
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jr15aggie
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4:40p, 3/5/24
AG
LOL, yeah, I listened to a podcast earlier with a bunch of the youtube retro/emulation guys. One of them went off on a small rant about something he admitted was silly, but also true. If Nintendo doesn't want people to emulate their current gen system, make better systems.

I mean, most devices can't emulate PS3 very well... forget about PS4 and PS5. So like you said, it's a bit sad that the Switch is so under powered that many devices can not only emulate the games, but emulate them better than the Switch can do it.

Those excuses doesn't make emulating Switch morally or legally OK... but as discussed already, the stuff Nintendo has been doing isn't morally right either (even if their terms of use protect them legally). How about Nintendo stop suing and instead work on providing better product services so that people will have no need to go elsewhere.


I'm old enough to remember Napster... once the music industry stopped trying to fight it and instead focused on giving consumers fast/easy/affordable ways to buy and own digital music the "problem" went away. How many people pirate music in todays world? None that I know!
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WGann3
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10:37p, 3/5/24
AG
Russ nails it.

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kb2001
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10:49p, 3/5/24
AG
Switch emulation has become more popular lately, because the games run with better graphics and higher frame rates on the SteamDeck with emulation.

I get that Nintendo keeps their stuff under lock and key, they always have, and never let their IP off their platforms, but some really good games are stuck on hardware reminiscent of 2015. Not to mention that once it falls off the storefront, it could be lost forever if you don't have a copy of your own that you can run on an emulator.

The downside is that piracy will always exist, and you either allow emulation and some level of piracy, or you lock it down and avoid both. Nintendo has always chosen to aggressively lock it down.
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Proposition Joe
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7:24a, 3/6/24
I did some remedial N64 development back in the day when Nintendo was filing lawsuits against backup unit companies like Bung (that devs were using in lieu of the ridiculously expensive dev kits).

Back then in the scene (old man alert - do we still call them scenes?), the dev works was essentially done as a resume builder. Any of the guys that were doing homebrew dev and emulation back then weren't charging anything and most ended up taking jobs in the industry.

I feel like while a Patreon for stuff like this was inevitable, it's also deserving of getting its pants sued off. It's all grey area at best, but if you're profiting off the back of Nintendo then you deserve to get sued.

Not that things can ever be "wiped" from the internet, but the number of retro roms that still freely float around on websites show that Nintendo really isn't all that concerned with emulation and piracy of their old systems as long as you aren't profiting off of it.
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The Fife
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7:29a, 3/6/24
I'm out of the loop here, when Nintendo pulls something does that also wipe it from everyone's Switch who has it?

I like playing stuff on the actual hardware (see also: 6 CRTs between the den and living room) but with all of the people who are collecting the stuff now it's sucked a lot of the fun out of it. I buy stuff cheap when I come across it, otherwise I play on an Everdrive 64 / SNES/NES Mini, burned discs, or an emulator on an older laptop. Everything has been out of production for 20 years or more so IMO it's entirely no harm/no foul.
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The Fife
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In reply to Proposition Joe • 7:33a, 3/6/24
Proposition Joe said:
Not that things can ever be "wiped" from the internet, but the number of retro roms that still freely float around on websites show that Nintendo really isn't all that concerned with emulation and piracy of their old systems as long as you aren't profiting off of it.
I've seen people selling hard drives with the entire Wii library on them and have been tempted to buy one, if only to avoid all of the downloading required and that I'd need to go buy a hard drive to store all of it anyway.

Apple used to be weird about ROMs floating around too. They're still easy enough to find, and like consoles 5 gens behind is there really harm in having the ROM for a G3 PowerMac floating around on the internet? I don't think so.
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Proposition Joe
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In reply to The Fife • 8:04a, 3/6/24
The Fife said:
Proposition Joe said:
Not that things can ever be "wiped" from the internet, but the number of retro roms that still freely float around on websites show that Nintendo really isn't all that concerned with emulation and piracy of their old systems as long as you aren't profiting off of it.
I've seen people selling hard drives with the entire Wii library on them and have been tempted to buy one, if only to avoid all of the downloading required and that I'd need to go buy a hard drive to store all of it anyway.

Apple used to be weird about ROMs floating around too. They're still easy enough to find, and like consoles 5 gens behind is there really harm in having the ROM for a G3 PowerMac floating around on the internet? I don't think so.

Yeah I guess I'm also a bit on the hypocritical side as I have an arcade cabinet in the garage that houses a hard drive that I paid for. Granted as you said I'm paying for the simplicity/configuration/setup and not necessarily the content... but end of the day it's still profiting off of it
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jr15aggie
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9:33a, 3/6/24
AG
Looks like they settled out of court already. Dang that was fast! Yuzu (Switch) and Citra (3DS) were both shut down.

No doubt you can still find Yuzu online, it just won't be as easy to do.
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WGann3
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9:50a, 3/6/24
AG
Waybackmachine keeps everything alive haha. I was able to go get the latest (and last) Android Yuzu build like 30 minutes after their website shutdown.
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jr15aggie
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In reply to WGann3 • 10:29a, 3/6/24
AG
WGann3 said:
Waybackmachine keeps everything alive haha. I was able to go get the latest (and last) Android Yuzu build like 30 minutes after their website shutdown.

Can you explain to an old guy (like I'm an idiot) how exactly you searched for it using that website?

Ironically, I just took an old work PC home and was going to set it up and download emulators, etc. for Windows tonight (the wife is out of town for a few days). I wanted to get all my stuff downloaded and set up on a PC in anticipation of putting it on the Steam Deck I plan on getting. And, of course, the I'm a day late of Yuzu shutting down. Go figure!
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