Video Game Emulators For Mac

Remember when the hottest thing in gaming was Space Invaders? The goodold analog days are gone, but people can still enjoy arcade games thanks tovideo game ROMs. A video game ROM is a computer chip that has a copy of thedata from a video game cartridge or an arcade’s main board. The beauty of a videogame ROM is it lets you play your favorite old school games in a PC or a modernconsole.

ROM is an acronym for read-only memory. ROMs are chips found in manyelectronic devices like computers and cell phones. As the name implies, ROMsfunction as memory storage. Data stored in ROMs cannot be modified or isdifficult to modify. When you copy the data in a ROM chip, the copy is called aROM image or ROM file. Specifically, a copy of the data in a video gamecartridge or arcade main board is called a video game ROM. A video game ROM doesnot run by itself, however. You need to use software called an “emulator” to beable to play a game. Just like any computer file, ROM files can be changed and edited.It’s like Skyrim mods. You can completely alter elements of the game, resultingin “homebrew” games.

ROMs have many uses. They are used for software testing, digitalpreservation, hacks, translations and emulation. A video game emulator is aprogram that allows a computer or a console to mimic or “emulate” the behaviorof a different machine. This way, an outdated video game like Space Invadersthat was previously exclusive to cabinet arcades can be played on moderncomputers.

Software emulation began in 1990s. Console emulation in particularexposed American gamers to foreign video games and also to censorship by giant gamingcompanies like Nintendo. Emulation is so easy that copying of proprietary videogames has become widespread worldwide. But not all emulation is illegal. Forexample, console manufacturers use emulation to allow older games to be playedon updated consoles.

It is legal in the United States to obtain a dumped copy of theoriginal console’s BIOS provided the user has legally purchased a copy of the machine.You’ll find it pretty straightforward to convert game cartridges into videogame ROM files with the right tools. A computer, a flash linker (for feedingthe cartridge to the computer) and conversion software are all you need. Simplyconnectthevideo game cartridge to a computer and use the software to convert the originalinformation into a ROM file. This is a great way to digitize old games and back up data.

Online Video Game ROMs

You can also download video game ROMs online. There are video games ROMsfor nearly every console on the market: Atari, Game boy, Neo Geo, Nintendo,Sega and Sony Play Station. A keyword search on a web browser will returnhundreds of results. For video game ROMs as well as emulators, try sites like www.theoldcomputer.com and www.globalroms.com. Note: Download and distribution of proprietary video games and video gameROMs is a violation of copyright law in many countries.