Emulation Handhelds: A Love Story Between Preservation and Piracy
As a tech enthusiast, I had the pleasure of meeting my Android Authority colleagues for the first time at MWC. After a long day at the convention center, Hadlee and I did what any self-respecting nerds do: we hit up some local retro game stores.
Granted, with two kids and a mortgage, I was just window shopping. But while Hadlee was off spending his adult money on the best games of yesteryear at World Viceous, I decided to chat with the owner about his thoughts on emulation.
| My Questions | The Owner’s Response |
|---|---|
| Do you see emulation as a threat to your business? | No, I think it’s had a positive impact on retro gaming. It’s helped people find out about games they otherwise never would have played. |
| Do most of your customers emulate games? | Yes, most of my customers are collectors who buy the games and display them on a shelf. Playing them might damage the cartridge, and emulation brings many benefits like save states and improved framerates. |
| Do you think emulation has grown your market? | Yes, it has. Emulation has brought new people and customers into the retro gaming community. It creates a steady pipeline of people interested in retro games, who then look for a way to connect with the hobby by collecting physical games and other memorabilia. |
As a millennial, I have a complicated relationship with piracy. Peer-to-peer downloads revolutionized the way people consume media and made it easier than ever to get your hands on any game in history. But when I discovered emulation in the late 90s, I mostly wanted to revisit the SNES games I grew up with. As a kid, I had to call my dad to beat the hard levels, and at some point even his skills didn’t cut it (I’m looking at you, The Lion King). Save states changed all that. I have fond memories of gaming on my noisy Gateway 2000 PC, but it’s a good example of retro-tech that I don’t want to see make a comeback.
While that was a formative experience for my early gaming years, I largely abandoned emulation for a few decades after that. I whittled away my teenage years organizing high school Halo tournaments before finally returning to retro gaming in the past few years as a dad gamer. And wow, have things changed.
Emulation handhelds walk a tightrope between game preservation and outright piracy. Now that I’ve met the owner of a retro game shop, whose livelihood is directly tied to selling physical copies of the same games, I think I have a better understanding of the situation.
“Emulation is not piracy, it’s just a different way of enjoying games.” – The owner
These devices allow you to replay just about any retro game on the market, and they often ship with thousands of pre-loaded ROMs. This is definitively illegal, although the community largely turns a blind eye to the practice. But talking to the owner of a retro game shop, whose livelihood is directly tied to selling physical copies of those same games, made me think of things in a different light.
The owner prefers playing on original retro systems, but he isn’t opposed to emulation. In fact, he thinks it’s had a positive impact on retro gaming as a whole, since it’s helped people find out about games they otherwise never would have played.
Furthermore, he revealed that most of his customers emulate games, too — even the ones they buy from him. Most are collectors who buy the games and display them on a shelf. Playing them might damage the cartridge, and emulation brings many benefits like save states, improved framerates, and the ability to play games that are no longer supported by their original manufacturers.
Emulation has brought new people and customers into the retro gaming community. It creates a steady pipeline of people interested in retro games, who then look for a way to connect with the hobby by collecting physical games and other memorabilia.
After thinking about it, that describes me, too. Although I no longer have the drive to collect old games (just kidding, I’m broke), one of my most prized possessions is an SNES cartridge of Earthbound with the strategy guide, complete with disgusting scratch-and-sniff cards in the back. I have since played Earthbound on both Nintendo Switch Online and emulation handhelds, but never once have I wanted to break out my old SNES.
In other words, emulation has actually grown his market. Whether it’s by replaying their favorites or finding new games by questionable means, it creates a steady pipeline of people interested in retro games. They then look for a way to connect with the hobby by collecting physical games and other memorabilia from shops like his.
Preservation and Piracy: A Love Story
The owner stressed that what’s most important is just enjoying games. Whether that’s by busting out a minifridge-sized CRT and blowing the dust off your favorite cartridge or popping a microSD card into a Game Boy clone, do it for the love of the game. That’s a sentiment we can all get behind.
It’s clear that the owner sees emulation as a tool for game preservation, rather than piracy. And after meeting him, I have to agree. Emulation handhelds walk a fine line between the two, but with the right mindset, they can be a powerful way to experience retro games.
Benefits of Emulation Handhelds
- Save states and improved framerates for a smoother gaming experience
- Access to thousands of pre-loaded ROMs for a vast library of games
- Ability to play games that are no longer supported by their original manufacturers
- Convenience and portability, making it easy to take games on the go
Emulation: A Love Story Between Preservation and Piracy
As we wrap up our conversation, it’s clear that emulation handhelds are a double-edged sword. While they can be a powerful tool for game preservation, they also walk a fine line between piracy and legitimate enjoyment.
Ultimately, it’s up to us as gamers to approach emulation with a clear conscience and a love for the games themselves.