Hardware vs. Emulation

[joshvox]

There are gazillions of USB gamepads out there, shouldn´t be a big problem to find one that you feel comfortable with.

Yeah, I think there are actually a gazillion! Just looking for some recommendations.

[David J.]

The SF IV 360 pad works good with the PC and there are USB Saturn knock offs of varying quality.

[Curryman123]

Mostly emulation, but hardware for some titles

For hardware, I still play Genesis/Sega cd, Snes, and Pc engine duo.

I have many games for all 3.

But for systems like Arcade, Saturn, PSX, nes, SMS etc...i use emulation.

[Olls]

I use all original hardware, but I'm considering using emulation based on a severe lack of funds recently.

A quick question--what do people use for a controller to play games on their computers? Using the keyboard is a bit problematic.

Just use your genesis pad with a genesis to usb controller adapter (google it). Don't waste money on cheap knockoff pads.
You could probably even make it yourself and save a few bucks.

[Enigmus]

To me, emulation goes over actual systems 2/3 of the time. I switched to this (Wii with HBC and emu's) due to frustration between no available AV ports, no AC adaptor outlets available, and switching RF adaptors out, and I've never doubted it once. People who complain about emulators are mainly the kind who observe everything on the coding level, in my opinion. The Atari 2600 and 7800 emulators are sharp and vivid, the controls on audio and video for Genesis, NES, and SNES allow for the games to be optimized nicely, and even things like DOSbox are perfect when you have a keyboard, not to mention how perfect the Classic Controller is for it all. All in all, if you're like the rest of the standard class and can't just rush out to buy 72 surge protectors and multiswitch AV boxes, emulation is a must.

[Archer]

A few years back (think 2003) i was playing a lot of N64 in emulation. I had an Adaptoid USB converter for the controller, that even supported rumble and save pack's. But it was not perfect and not all games worked. Then i searched for real hardware on ebay. I now have about 20 games on real N64 hardware. But i hated the way the real hardware video output look's on my full hd LED tv, so now it' in a box. I found a mod that takes the data from the video chip and outputs it as RGB. That's what i will do after i have done some things with my mega drive.
I only got my mega drive two months ago, so at this time it's hardware only. I never had a sega system before, now i have two , and about 22 games. I even got an everdrive-MD. And i am even developing software for the system i knew nothing about two months ago.
I am on the list for a pandora, which is basically designing to emulate everything up to and including PSX and N64. And they are working on dreamcast but it's very slow. When i finally get it, i think i will mostly play emulation.

[old man]

People that say as you do simply are incapable of noticing the differences. No emulator out there is 100% accurate. Many emulators have flaws in their sound playback to some degree. Real hardware is more accurate than any emulator.

Which version of the real hardware? (lol)

[Aarzak]

Emulation........I'm a filthy, stinkin' pirate, so what?

I remember that glorious Spring Break of 2002 in which I discovered emulation on my then-new PC for the first time. I had bought me a third Model 2 several weeks earlier (sold my second one), which had horrible, buzzy sound BTW. Upon discovering Gens, with its crystal-clear (yet pixely) picture and sound, bevy of filters, along with ROMS I rarely went back to the real thing again, and eventually sold off my entire pre-Dreamcast collection (made up of almost 100 games between NES, Genesis, SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Saturn and Game Boy Advance) to the famed VideoGamesNewYork store five years ago (got $230 for the whole shebang BTW). I was finally able to play all of the games I'd read about in magazines and websites throughout the years, and which were out of my financial reach, then and now. Paired with a PS-to-USB adapter, its a good enough Genesis (or any other classic console) experience for me, technicalities be damned. Saves A LOT of space in my tiny bedroom too.

But for those who still swear by real hardware, all the power to you......just don't look down on me, dawg. The Aarzak you know (or don't know) would not exist if it weren't for the world of games emulation opened up to me......I never even played "Last Battle" until I found emulation! :P

[TmEE]

Hardware mostly, with emulator here and there, mostly for a quick test before thing gets flashed on my flashcart for hardware testing :P

When it comes to MD emulation my main gripe is the sound in majority of emulators which fails very badly with my own stuff and to lesser degree on games (though there are exceptions which sound junk).

[Cornholio857]

Hardware 99% of the time. I mainly use emulation to try out games only to see if they're worth purchasing. Or playing a quick Genesis game on the PC when I don't feel like loading up the original cart.

[pyre]

to me, theres something far more satisfying and meaningful playing via the original hardware.

for one, i find its just way too tempting to constantly save state using emulation. that and the fact that games feel a bit throw away and i dont seem to have any attachment toward them compared to real hardware.

maybe im weird, but it just has a far more satisfying feel pulling a cart out of a box and plugging into the system as intended.

[cleeg]

I quite like the novelty value of having Mega Drive and other games on the PC, and the posterity value of it all. I like the original hardware best though, don't get rid of it yet; unless of course you have no space.

It is of course true that Mega Drives are indestructable, if you built a house out of them (No 16 of course) you'd survive the nuclear holocaust and have somewhere to live with all the cockroaches. Plus Windows '37 would have trouble with emulators.

[Flygon]

Mega Drive games are always better on hardware, hands down.

I utterly refuse to play a SNES game on hardware, though, emulators just sound that much better with controllable filtering...

[Mista_Ed]

Hardware only, baby!

[Lan-Di]

I haven't played on Genesis hardware in ages! :P