| Game Emulation Information |
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Emulators
An emulator is a program that was designed to mimic the software actually found on game systems such as Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, Sony Playstation, etc. So, the program will be able to play games that you have downloaded onto your computer. Emulators are basically a game consoles on your computer and ROMs are the games. Some emulators, such as ePSXe and Bleem!, will allow you to play the original game CDs by placing the CD into the appropriate removable disk drive. ROMs ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. ROMs contain all of the files that were originally found on the original game's CD or cartridge. People rip the files from the actual games and compile them into files called ROMs. ROMs can come in various file types with various extensions. For example, Marvel vs. Capcom for Playstaion would probably be a ROM called an ISO image; MarvelvsCapcom.iso, while Zelda for SNES would probably come in a pair of ROMs; Zelda.srm and Zelda.smc. A ROMs extension depends on what region of the world the original game was based on, and what format the person who ripped the game decides to make the game. Take note that not all ROMs are games. ROM is not a term that you should think applies only to games on your computer. Also note that it can be extremely difficult to find and download game ROMs from the net due to the fact that it's illegal to have them if you don't have the original game. This is because you are able to burn, for instance, a Playstation ROM onto a CD and play it on your Playstation by using a MOD chip. Presto, a free game. This is called piracy, and can be punishable by law. If you have the original game, you may possess the ROM for private backup purposes. If you do not have the original game, you must delete the ROM from your system within 24 hours. Plugins Plugins are add-on files used by Emulators. Most emulators require an audio plugin, a video plugin, a controller plugin, and where applicable, a memory card plugin. However, some emulators require no plugins at all. Plugins provide information to the Emulator that allow the emulator to perform specific tasks and functions. Most emulators come with their own set of default plugins, but you can download more plugins from the net. There are sometimes multiple plugins to choose between, that essentially do the same thing. Every plugin presents it's own set of functions and changeable options to the user. So, one plugin may have something that another plugin doesn't have. Moreover, there can be differences between plugins regarding the foundation that the plugin was built for. Some video plugins were built specifically for video cards with OpenGL support, some for video cards with DirectX support, etc. Some plugins were built specifically for Voodoo video cards, some specifically for GeFORCE video cards, etc. Thus, it's a wise idea to find out what software and hardware you have on your computer before choosing a plugin. Most programmers provide the information about their plugins necessary for you to choose a plugin based on your computers hardware and software. For example, if a plugin was made for a specific video card, they will tell you that it was made for that specific video card. |