Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.
Traditionally, consoles have had to carry over hardware from previous generations in order to offer backward compatibility. This can be thought of as a burden, as the costs of including that hardware might be better used increasing the specs and features of the system for the benefit of new games.
This generation marks a change in the method of operations in providing backward compatibility. The Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (in select models and territories), and Wii use a process known as software emulation to provide backward compatibility with their predecessors, so that they don't have to include that old hardware. What emulation does is allow one set of hardware to mimic the functions of another set of hardware. Emulation isn't a new technique, and it isn't exclusive to consoles. In fact, many people have been using it for years to play games on hardware other than for which it was developed.
Emulation has made it possible to play some games that were never mass produced on physical media. You may not have been aware that before the release of the Nintendo 64, a Super FX-powered sequel to Starfox was in development for the Super Nintendo. Chances are you'll never get to play the nearly-completed Starfox 2, but plenty of people have launched upgraded, transformable Arwings without flight clearance. A late build of the game was leaked, and some emulators are able to run it in all the splendor imaginable (with a budget of a few hundred unfiltered polygons).
Some traces of this are apparent in Starfox 64
Despite it being an astonishing achievement, the legality of running a game that hasn't been and is not intended to be released is questionable. The IP and game are still the property of Nintendo, and they can choose to release it at any time. Though the chances of this game coming out on the Virtual Console are slim to none, it remains within Nintendo's rights to market the product and profit from its distribution. Of course, that won't be happening if it's making its way through pirate channels.
And that's where emulation gets its stigma. Many people running emulators are doing so to play games they didn't pay for. Older, less complex consoles are more likely to have emulators that support all of their features and provide glitch-free gaming, and with time, the copy protection becomes easier and easier to circumvent. Consoles as recent as the Dreamcast and Playstation have games that are able to run flawlessly in emulation on PCs with average specs. It's even possible to play Playstation games on Dreamcast with software that was briefly distributed in retail. Moreover, there are upgraded Xbox hard drives filled with NES, SNES, Neo Geo and countless other consoles' games. It's no wonder console manufacturers try so hard to make sure that their closed platforms remain closed. (Though it should be stated that Nintendo doesn't seem to be trying as hard as the other guys.)
The inclusion of backward compatibility helps reduce the attractiveness of running unsanctioned emulators. "Acquiring" game ROMs and disc images, and then getting them to run is a hassle that most consumers would rather avoid, but there's no accounting for the value of something that may be perceived as being free. Conversely, there's something to be said for keeping your conscience clear. Piracy is theft, no matter how it's spun.
Now, if you've bought a game and want to run it on something other than a licensed console, there's some debate on the legality of that. Naturally, you can't slot an N64 cart into your computer and play away, so the ROM would have to be "ripped" to another physical medium. That process could involve the circumvention of copy prevention methods, and that may bring the DMCA into the equation. I'm no Johnny Cochran, but I know enough to tell you you don't want to be charged with violating the DMCA.
Seriously, don't try this at home!
So what do you do if you can't afford a game, but have a burning desire to experience it? Well, you could try and find a clone. You'd be surprised how many games have had elements of their gameplay "borrowed." Some clones come dangerously close to violating copyrights, and some blatantly cross the line. It's not always easy to tell what's okay to play, but if you're going to take a chance, you might as well throw in some Wiimote while you're at it. Some clones expand on the features established in the games they're imitating, and customization and modability may even make them more appealing.
As someone who is constantly extolling the virtues of arcade games and the arcade experience, I understand the yearning to have those games brought home, and the frustration in waiting in vain for them to be ported. Times are changing, though. Arcade games that weren't even considered for porting in their heyday are now making their way onto compilation discs and download services. Most of the Neo Geo catalog of console games had arcade counterparts, and are on schedule for VC release. And although we've yet to see a similar service in the Wii Shop, the Xbox Live Arcade is steadily bringing home classics.
A few companies have freely shared their old games after their marketability has run dry, but for the most part, if you're playing a game that hasn't been paid for and isn't expressly labelled as freeware - you're pirating. We must respect the rights of developers and publishers to make money with their products, and pirates are taking food off their dinner tables. Is official emulation and backward compatibility support solid enough to keep you from the dark side? Or are there games that you can't live without but don't foresee getting official support? Leave a comment for discussion.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-25-2007 @ 2:22PM
Nushio (NDF - Blue) said...
While I'm against piracy and emulation, I do believe in "fair use" outside the DMCA.
I bought my Super Mario All Stars game, and still have it, and same with a ton of other snes games (Super Mario World, Megaman X1, X2, X3, Ninja Turtles tournament fighting) and while I still have my SNES, my Controllers and cables, I lost my AC Adapter, and can no longer play them.
I have bought SMW for Wii just to give it another spin, instead of pirating/downloading it.
What I'd like to see is fixed SNES/N64/Genesis emulators on the Wii. Current one's Gamecube pad support is laughable. Try playing Contra 3 on a Gamecube pad, or SMW.
No rumble on N64 games is lame too.
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9-25-2007 @ 2:26PM
Nushio (NDF - Blue) said...
Oh, that said, I have played the Starfox 2 SNES Rom(though no longer have it), it was highly unfinished but was definitely playable.
I don't feel a bit guilty about it. It was an unfinished game, and it was Nintendo's decision to can it, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't refinish it and rerelease them in the VC...
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9-25-2007 @ 2:26PM
Andy S. said...
To be fair, there are plenty of older arcade and console games which will likely never see the light of day as legal re-releases, via emulation or otherwise. For every Sonic The Hedgehog that gets released on the Virtual Console, XBLA, or PSN, there are a dozen overlooked games (Kagero: Deception, A Boy And His Blob, Jet Force Gemini, Cubivore, Zool, for example) that will probably not see a re-release.
For many of us, collecting ROM images is a way of preserving these obscure and overlooked games for future generations, as only games that are likely to turn a profit will see re-release, and the hardware that ran the original games slowly becomes harder to find in working order.
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9-25-2007 @ 2:27PM
Lord Bodak said...
The belief that "piracy is theft" is a myth pushed by the RIAA that has now become generally accepted by all media companies. Piracy is copyright infringement, which is illegal, but it is not theft, and the distinction is important.
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9-25-2007 @ 6:05PM
Mr Khan said...
Death to the RIAA!
I say we just drop all this DRM junk, give everything the option of being free-but-ad-supported
@ Mike: i wouldn't call what wii does "software emulation" since i don't think there's any real emulating going on. Near as i can tell, you click "Play" on the Disc Channel, and Wii just cripples its chipsets down to GC parameters (it has to, i've seen lag in places where i found lag on GC, so its not using the extra resources) and runs it natively, because architecturally, Wii = GC, all commands are executed in the same manner
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9-25-2007 @ 7:39PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@Mr Khan
GC games are hardware emulated (the Wii chipset is different from the GC chipset, but fundamentally similar enough to run the software). NES, SNES, Genesis/MD, TG-16, N64, and Neo Geo games are run through software emulation, as the hardware is fundamentally dissimilar from what's in the console's being emulated. Xbox 360 uses software emulation. The PS3 uses a combination of software and hardware emulation in 20 and 60GB "configurations" outside of Europe, and software emulation in 80GB and European 60GB configs.
Naturally, systems using hardware emulation will have the highest compatibility, which may contribute to the relatively scarcity of N64 releases on the VC. The other platforms represented on the VC are far less complex, and therefore, easier to emulate in software.
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9-25-2007 @ 9:10PM
Mr Khan said...
Stupid me i suppose, i forgot about VC titles. And those are emulated, no question, considering the odd little missing features in certain games (no Com-link play in Bomberman '93, no special passwords in Kid Icarus, no ghost saves in Mario Kart 64)
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9-25-2007 @ 9:13PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@Mr Khan
And as Nushio said, no rumble in N64 games. :(
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9-25-2007 @ 10:09PM
hvnlysoldr said...
Blasted pirates are still are a nuisance. Couldn't go anywhere near Somalia without getting robbed.
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9-26-2007 @ 3:58AM
khanix said...
I've used illegal emulation as a way to re-visit games and/or consoles I never had myself, but played at a friends house or at a store. And really who diggs up a SNES on ebay in 2004, just to play Donkey Kong Country 3?
(Hopefully we'll se DKC3 on VC :P )
That being said, I now buy most of these games on VC, just because the experience of playing them on a real console is priceless compared to a computer and a keyboard (I know, I know gamepads are cheap, but I've never really bother getting one, until now when I bought two gamecube controllers).
One game I might not buy is Super Mario 64 though, because I got 120 stars on an emulator... Even so, that made thirsting for Super Mario Galaxy :)
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9-26-2007 @ 9:02AM
Lou said...
GC mode is not completely tweaked down from Wii mode. In Madden for GC, I own '05, I would run up the middle and the framerate would drop to about 5fps. When playinng '05 on the Wii in GC mode, there was no framerate drop.
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9-26-2007 @ 11:09AM
Tush said...
It may be illegal but it doesn't make it wrong. I play emulated NES games on my DS all the time, and they actually play really well.
Oh, and I completely agree with Lord Bodak.
We all know that the idea of copyrights has become perverted in the recent past, hint: RIAA. We really need to rethink it.
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9-26-2007 @ 5:18PM
Max said...
What I'd really like for the Wii is the ability to get VC games for free if you already own them. Like, isn't there some sort of unique code on every cartridge that people could type in? I bought Super Mario 64 for the third time! (N64, DS, Wii. Please don't ask why on Earth I did this. I did buy OOT, and I love it, and I didn't ever own it before that.)
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9-26-2007 @ 5:21PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@Max
I too bought those 3 releases of Super Mario 64, but I can't say I regret it. I ended up buying the GC version of Twilight Princess for a friend after getting the Wii version for myself. And I bought copies of Animal Crossing for 3 people across 2 platforms. The best way to show your appreciation of a game is to pay for it.
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9-26-2007 @ 6:30PM
Mr Khan said...
Yes, but then look at games that, say, aren't going to be emulated again, or maybe not in the foreseeable future (i'm thinking Burning Rangers here) even if i went out and found a working Saturn and disc and bought it all, none of the money would go to SEGA or the developer anyway (but finding a good saturn emulator is like searching for a clean MLB player these days)
piracy isn't always justified, but in the cases of discontinued products (really discontinued, not like the SNES, say, which is getting all its stuff back on Wii), its not hurting anyone
This also applies to all the episodes of SWAT Kats and Megas XLR that i need to acquire by some means or others
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9-27-2007 @ 10:52PM
Kaneda-J said...
I'm living proof that people's opinions of casual pirates is totally screwed up.
I used to get all my music, movies, and video games for free while I was on government assistance. I personally believe that if I didnt pirate I wouldnt have been purchasing so there was no loss on their account. Now that I am off assistance I have been buying dvd box sets and video games every month.
wasnt going to get a wii until hackers made games emu'able for free but eventualy got the wii anyways.
hard to hate capitalist schemes when they are run by nintendo heheheh
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9-28-2007 @ 12:57PM
James said...
I too feel that emulation of long-gone content is a pretty grey area -- I would never have played Seiken Densetsu 3 or Treasure Hunter G were it not for emulation, because there still has not been an official English release of those games. It's like fansubs of anime (which I actually don't watch, because I think 95% of anime is crap, but I digress): the *only* way to *ever* get to enjoy the creative work is to "pirate" it -- you can't pay for it even if you're willing to do so. So I have a hard time feeling that it's morally wrong to enjoy the product. If Nintendo feels the need to e.g. release an English-localized Mother 3, I'll give them whatever they want for it, but until such time, I can't bring myself to call "stealing" it "wrong".
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