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7 Emulators That Can Play Classic Video Games

Drew Wilson — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:55:22 +0000

We've been testing, prodding and, well, having a perfectly good excuse to play some video games for the last two weeks. If you wondered how to play some of those oldschool video games on a computer, you've come to the right article. We've compiled a list of 6 emulators that can allow you to play some of the older video games of yesteryear including emulators for the Atari2600, NES, SNES, Sega consoles and even the original Playstation.

There is something about old video games. Maybe it's the two dimensional layout, maybe it's the story-line, maybe it's the simplified graphics or maybe it's just overall nostalgia of playing something that blew your mind years ago. In any event, many gamers might have that urge to just pull out that set of decade old games, shut the door and play with a buddy or two all the way to 6AM in the morning the next day doing things like trying to frag each other. In any event, it is technically possible to play those old games again and one way to do so is through emulation software. We've reviewed a number of these emulators as thoroughly as we could to, you know, ensure emulation consistency for several hours at a time. We want to warn you ahead of time, these pieces of software may distract you for long periods of time. Stella (Stella emulating BurgerTime) This emulator emulates the really old Atari 2600. You can grab the emulator on their Source Forge page. The emulator is nice and small and there's minimal configuring (mapping your keys and browsing to a ROM directory that you'll use regularly is about all you need to do) If you're wondering what those weird blocks are in our screen capture. Yes, we verified that that is what those bad guys really looked like in the original hardware. We didn't really run in to any emulation issues when taking this emulator out for a spin. FCEUX (FCEUX emulating Cobra Triangle - which looks easier than it really is) This is one of numerous emulators that can emulate old Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video games. While some might know of NESter, the development of that particular emulator ended a long time ago and the FCEUX had some development done to it since then. Presumably, there's better video game compatibility with this particular emulator, but we don't really have the time to sit down and test the over 1,000 games that were available on this particular gaming system. Can be found on the official home page. Minimal to no installation. Key mapping can be found under Config > Input. Plenty of emulation features and still in active development (last release made June 4, 2011). No emulation problems that we found. Game Genie downloaded separately. SNES9X (SNES9X emulating Dirt Trax FX) Now, before you start complaining, we've selected this particular emulator for a very good reason as our Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) emulator. We chose not to recommend zSNES because, while it has a unique and easy-to-use interface, game compatibility was an issue for some of the games we tested. First example: Super Mario RPG. Some of the sounds were not accurate. While that might not sound like much to complain about, one enemy attack gave a high pitch sinewave sound which can be a little annoying after a while. In a more serious example, Dirt Trax FX doesn't play past the title screen. On the other hand, we chose not to recommend bSNES for a rather different reason. Most ROMs available today are in the .SMC format. bSNES does not support this format and, instead, supports the .SFC format. This format is substantially more rare than the .SMC format for numerous games. SNES9X seems to better emulate some of the games we tested and supports the popular .SMC format. Current version (1.53) can be found on the SNES9X forums. Should a newer version appear, it'll probably be in an updated announcement on this particular board of the SNES9X forums. For whatever reason, the main home page for SNES9X doesn't have download links. Right after installation, we encountered a DLL error. Apparently, you need DirectX 9 in order to run this emulator. So if you get a missing DLL file error, download and install DirectX 9 to see if that clears up the problem (it did for us). Map keys through Alt+F7 and hot keys via Alt+F9 if that needs configuring too (or if you just need to look them up). Great emulator overall during our tests. Visual Boy Advance (Visual Boy Advance emulating Duke Nukem Advance) Small emulator that can emulate both GameBoy and GameBoy Advance titles. Emulator can be found on the VisualBoy Advance downloads page. When running (with a ROM loaded), we noticed that Windows has to change the overall color scheme just to compensate for the emulators limited colors (We tested this with Windows 7). Saving states caused the whole screen (not just what was in the emulator) to flicker briefly, but it passes. These were really our only complaints about the emulator though. No bugs were found in the emulation itself that we found. Key mapping can be found via Options > Joypad > Configure > 1... Besides some of the weird graphical things that happen to the screen (which stops after you exit the emulator), this was a joy to test. Kega Fusion (Kega Fusion emulating 32X game Doom) Another emulator that emulates numerous different systems including Genesis, Gamegear, 32X, CD and other Sega systems. Emulator can be found on their home page (scroll down a little) Key mapping can be found via Options > Set Config > Controllers (tab) > Define (button) We really didn't run in to any issues while testing. Interface might be a bit confusing (it can run multiple systems after all) at first compared to the other emulators we've tested, but it is manageable. Project 64 (Project 64 emulating Destruction Derby 64) When it comes to Nintendo 64 emulators, there doesn't seem to be much of a contest here. Project 64 seemed to have the fewest graphical issues and highest game compatibility out of all the emulators that we've tested. version 1.6 can be found on this page of the Project 64 website (note: This page will ask you if you'd like to save the emulator which is an .exe file). Puzzlingly, the developers decided to disallow the general public to use 1.7 and only allowed those that pay money to use the latest version (something I personally disagree with for a number of reasons). This has generally meant that, as far as the general public are officially concerned, development has stopped completely for years now. Some games have a "high system requirement" which means you need plenty of RAM and other system resources to play some of these games. Sometimes, older systems means games have more graphical and timing issues than what is to be expected. By today's standards, you don't have to have a super computer to run this properly, but it is, at times, resource demanding. Several games have graphical issues including black boxes around effects, whited out polygons, corrupted textures, slow game play, and bad sound (not all at once for the most part). So emulation is far from perfect (yes, this was also the emulator that was the most thoroughly tested here). Still, a number of games do work through this emulator with minimal problems and most games are playable. Key mapping through Options > Configure Controller Plugin. This emulator seems to continue to be your best bet when it comes to emulating the N64. ePSXe (ePSXe emulating Driver - "Hey man, OK, OK, OK!!!") A decent emulator that, unfortunately, is a case of some assembly required. You can download the emulator off of the ePSXe downloads page. Downloading the emulator won't be enough though. If you run the configuration wizard, you'll find out that you'll need a BIOS and a GPU. While we technically can't link to a BIOS (which actually isn't all that hard to find), we can save you some trouble and point to Pete's GPU downloads page (since we are using Windows 7, the first link ("OpenGL2 PSX GPU") is what we used for a GPU. In our limited testing, we did encounter graphical glitches in the emulation which leads us to believe that you'll probably encounter similar problems to that of N64 emulation issues with some games. Unlike all of our previous emulators, the ePSXe uses CD images instead of ROMs (naturally, because all the other emulators are emulating games in cartridge format while this requires emulating the CD images). The emulator will recognize several formats of CD images, but if you run in to ECM formats, you'll need to decompress the image first before you can run the image. This can be accomplished through PakkISO which can be found on the EmuParadise website. Since there is no interface on this particular piece of software, you'll have to open the ECM file you want to decompress with the correct EXE file found in the PakkISO installation folder (might be the unecm.exe or the unpakkiso.exe file - you'll know if the DOS prompt window says that it's decoding either way) Each CD image can be half a gigabyte each and up, so having a number of games can take up a lot of space. Another issue is that some of the "X" buttons in the windows don't work for some reason, so you'll have to hit buttons like "OK" or "Cancel" buttons instead if you go poking around in the system. Key mapping can be found via Config > Game Pad > Port 1 > Pad 1. While this emulator has a learning curve compared to other emulators, there wasn't much that couldn't be overcome that we found outside of whatever in-game emulation problems and errors that might crop up. Final Thoughts We'll say this right off the bat before you ask, no, we will not provide links to ROMs and/or CD images. Don't bother asking, you'll have to find those on your own. This was probably one of the most distracting things to test. It was next to impossible at times to tell the difference between simply testing the emulator and just playing the game (not that we're complaining too loudly here) Also, we can't totally test every single game that exists to figure out which emulator is ideal for sure as that would require an astronomical amount of man hours (there are thousands of games that could be tested that these emulators can run in total after all) so we welcome any additional feedback on these emulators and other emulators that might not have been mentioned - and, of course, general discussion about games. Have fun! Have a tip? Want to contact the author? You can do so by sending a PM via the forums or via e-mail at drew@zeropaid.com.

Guide: How to Play or Rip Super Nintendo Video Game Music Losslessly

Drew Wilson — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:14:51 +0000

Super Nintendo (SNES) is probably one of the more memorable consoles oldschool gamers might remember. Some games even have some very memorable soundtracks. With this guide, you can get a great nostalgia fix again using WinAmp!

Thankfully, listening to Super Nintendo music is a lot easier than listening to N64 music. SNES differs from the N64 in that N64 music is more sample based. SNES music, on the other hand, is more based on the capabilities of an actual audio chip. The music, therefor, is a bit like MIDI music. It's merely a set of instructions on how the music is to be played. A good way to listen to SNES music is to simply use the SPC file format. This is basically data dumped from the games themselves in to a more convenient format that allows playback. Unlike N64 MiniUSF sets, a vast majority of all the games have an SPC set ready for listening. Great news since that very likely eliminates the need to manually rip each and every individual song because there is a very good chance you can simply find the SPC file for the game instead.

Playing SPC Songs

Step 1 - Get WinAmp When testing several methods of trying to get the music to play, the WinAmp plug-in was the first method that we've tested with success in Windows 7. So, you can download and install WinAmp from the WinAmp homepage. Step 2 - Install the SPC plugin The SPC plugin can be found via the this SPC website. It's the first bullet under Windows (we have not attempted the Mac and Linux versions, so this will have to be something you try out outside of this guide sadly. However, these options are available. The plugin is called SNESAmp. Click on that link, then click on "SNESAmp" on the next page. The page will scroll down to the SNESAmp plugin portion where it can be downloaded. Just click on SNESAmp to download the EXE installer. When you've downloaded the EXE file, double click on the file and allow it to run. The EXE file simply installs the necessary plug-in in your WinAmp directory. Just make sure it's pointed to the WinAmp directory. If you've installed WinAmp in the default directory, then by default, the EXE file should already be pointing to the directory. When you are ready, hit "Install" After you are done installing, the next step is to find the SPC sets. Step 3 - Obtaining the SPC Sets Via RSN Files There's two ways to obtain the SPC sets. The long and drawn out way is individually by browsing through the SPC sets, trying to find and download the music individually. Alternatively, and my preferred method, is to download all nearly 2,500 games in one large package. It sounds like a lot, but the package, since this is like listening to MIDI files, is a mere 147MB big. Not bad for thousands of hours of music in lossless format! Since I'm lazy, I'll just assume you've decided to simply download the .torrent. Step 4 - Renaming the RSN files You'll no doubt notice that all you got is a large list of RSN files. In reality, these are really RAR files. You can rename the extension to RAR if you have WinRAR installed and open the files to see the SPC files inside if you like, but just for general listening, this won't be necessary per-se. The other problem you'll no doubt notice is the fact that all of the files are extremely truncated. For example, BoF is actually Breath of Fire. Luckily, there is a utility that actually renames all of the RSN files to something that is way more readable. For this, you need two files which are available on the SNES Music Players website. Scroll to the bottom of the page and under the "Converting SPC files", there's some bullet points with links. we are after the third bullet point. The link contains "Renset v.0.6" and the "latest rsnsets dat file". Download both .zip files. Once you've downloaded both, you need to locate where you downloaded the .torrent to. Open that directory up manually. Now, you need to click and drag the "renset.exe" file to the directory with all of the RSN files from the "renset06.zip" file you downloaded. Now, in the "rsnsets.zip" file, you need to click and drag the "rsnsets.dat" into the same directory you placed the "renset.exe" file. In short, you need "renset.exe" and "rsnsets.dat" in the same directory as all of the RSN files you downloaded. Doubleclick on the "renset.exe" that you've extracted into the directory with all of the RSN files. You'll have a DOS prompt window open up. It may take a moment to read all of the RSN files since it is well over 1,000 files it's trying to read. If it hangs, close the DOS prompt window and stop seeding the files in your .torrent client and try again. Follow the prompts and it'll rename all of the RSN files for you into comprehensible file names. It'll tell you when it's done and you'll be able to exit DOS prompt window. If you are successful, you'll have a file directory that looks like this (paying attention to the file-names more than anything else): Step 5 - Associating RSN Files With WinAmp Easy step, especially if you've had WinAmp for a while. while easy, it's also an important step for easy playback in the future. Right click on any RSN file you have. Now, click on "Open" (should be bold and the first option if it's not already associated with another file type. If it is associated with another file type, then "Open With..." will work instead) Either way, you'll see a window similar to this: Click on the little arrow that my big red arrow is pointing at. You should see a list of programs. All the programs should be in alphabetical order, so you'll probably find WinAmp towards the bottom. If you don't find WinAmp, then click on the "Browse" button. In a default WinAmp install on Windows 7, you'll find it in "C:" > "Program Files (x86)" > "WinAmp". Doubleclick on "WinAmp.exe". This should make WinAmp pop up in the list of "Other Programs" list. In that list, click on WinAmp and click on "OK" The little WinAmp logo will appear within the files logo of all of the RSN files. Double click on any game to test to see if you are successful all the way up to now. If you successfully followed all of these steps, a list of songs will appear in WinAmp and being playing the first song of the game. All of the games in the game you chose to try will appear as a playlist. It'll look something like this (We're testing the game "Battle Cars" in this case): Now we're talking! A quick trick if you want to listen to a specific song only. Click on the song in the list, click on the "REM" button on the bottom of the list, then click on "Crop". You'll only have that song left in the playlist alone.

Ripping SPC Songs

Step 1 - Locating the Ripping Option in the Preferences This part of the guide presumes you've followed the first part of the guide successfully. Doubleclick the song you want to rip in the playlist. When you hear it play, hit the stop button so you know you've got the right song. To make sure you only rip one particular song, click on the "REM" and "Crop" on the bottom of the playlist. Click on the little symbol on the top left hand side of WinAmp. Then click "Options", then "Preferences" I've highlighted this below: In the new window, there's a list of options on the left hand side of the window. Scroll down to the bottom until you find "Plug-ins". Under that, select "Output". In the list on the right hand side, click on "Nullsoft Disk Writer" Now, click on "Configure" I've highlighted this below: In the new window, the only thing you should be concerned about is where you want to save the WAV files to. Click on the file directory button if you want to change this as I've highlighted below: Browse to the directory you want to save the files to if you have chosen to change this directory. Now, just click on "OK". Close the "WinAmp" preferences. You are now ready for ripping. Step 2 - Ripping Simply press the play button. You won't hear anything, but you'll be able to see the scrubber go across at a fast speed as if a song is playing. When it's done, you should have a nicely rendered out WAV file in whatever directory you have chosen. Now, remember, if you want to go back to just listening to these files, you have to change one option back. Go back to the preferences by clicking on the symbol on the top of WinAmp, click on "Options", then "Preferences". Then, in the new window, click on the OutPut option again if you are not already on that. Now, simply click on "Nullsoft WavOut Output". Close the window and you should be able to listen to the music again just like before. If you don't complete this part, you'll just keep ripping whatever is dropped in the playlist instead of just listening to it normally. Now that you have the WAV file, you can do whatever you'd like with it. As an added bonus, there's no loss of quality that one would otherwise get if they were to get the same song in MP3 format or ripped off of YouTube videos. That's always a bonus. Have a tip? Want to contact the author? You can do so by sending a PM via the forums or via e-mail at drew@zeropaid.com.

How to Play Music from N64 Games Losslessly (FAQ)

Drew Wilson — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:29:40 +0000

Previously, we posted a little guide to show you how to play music from Nintendo 64 games losslessly. However, there are still some questions you might have with regards to the process or maybe you have come across a problem somewhere along the line. So, we put together this complimentary FAQ that might answer some of your questions.

I want to listen to (insert game here), but I don't see it anywhere in the miniUSF directory, what gives? Not all games have been "ripped". Some may be unrippable for the time being. In other cases, the people who rip the music might be too busy with other things these days. I get an error that says "Unable to open item for playback (Object not found)", what's going on? This error is typically caused by the ".usflib" file being missing. This file is a critical component of playing miniUSF files. It should be included in every .7z file available on the USF website. Think of the files as a piano player. The USFlib file is merely a piano that contains all of the sounds contained within the game. The MiniUSF files are the scores which essentially are all the notes needed to play the music. Without the piano, you can't play music and without the scores, you have no idea what notes to hit. It's a similar idea to these files. The USFLib contains all the samples (drum hits, samples, etc.) and the MiniUSF files are the necessary files to make the music work. This is also why you can't just open up the files within the 7z file because it's searching for that file in the same directory. So, make sure all associated miniUSF files are in the same directory as the corresponding USFLib file. Hey, that sounds cool! I'm a musician and I want to use some of those samples, how do I get them? The short answer, apparently, is that you can't. There's no known way of simply ripping the sample for musical composition. I did all of what you asked and it gives me error messages when I try to play the files, what gives? Try shutting down FooBar 2000 and starting it up again. That worked for me. I downloaded the music from another game and all I see are "parse(whatever)" instead of actual names of the music. Where's the music? This simply means that they were not tagged. This all stems from the fact that some of these are called "preliminary rips" where the only step so far was to "rip" the data from the ROM image. Some of these files end way too early. What gives? That means the files weren't "Timed" yet. There is a fadeout inserted at a predetermined time, but no one has gotten around to making sure the actual loop is fully played out before the fadeout. Again, probably a preliminary rip. Some of these games include "unknown" files, what's that about? The audio is obtained by "ripping" the data from the ROM image. This means that every song that is inside the image is retrieved. Sometimes, the games came with music that is never used in the game. It is only from ripping the ROM image that these "unused" songs come to be. There's a game that I want to listen to, but it just gives me error messages. Why? Some files are preliminary rips. Sometimes, that means they don't work period. The only real way to know for sure if the files work is to test them out. Not every single game featured exactly works. I want to put some of the music into a YouTube video, but the files are not compatible with my editing software. How can I use these files for something other than simple playback? Open the file up in FooBar 2000. Right click on the file in the FooBar 2000 playlist and hover the mouse over "Convert" Click on the "..." option to open up a conversion menu. By default, you should be set to convert to WAV (which is compatible with many pieces of editing software) Under the "Output Path, you can manually set where you want the files to go or, by default, let it ask you where the files are to go. In the end, you should have a WAV file ready to go. It takes forever to put the seek bar to a particular spot on the song! The MiniUSF file is not actually a recording of actual audio, but rather, a file with note data instead. This may be why there's a delay when you try to skip ahead to a certain part of the song. I know my way around hacking and I think I can do some work on this. Where do I go? USF Central links to a forum. You can either browse around USF Central for more information or talk to others in the forums to see if there are any ways to help. Is this truly "lossless"? N64 games use a lot of compression in the first place, however, the audio you get from the USF files is, to our knowledge, lossless because it's playing back the direct data that would otherwise be used in the game. So, unless the audio is available in CD format, this is as lossless as it gets in terms of quality. Have a tip? Want to contact the author? You can do so by sending a PM via the forums or via e-mail at drew@zeropaid.com.

UK Court Rules Blank Nintendo DS Cartridges Illegal

Drew Wilson — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:34:59 +0000

Building home brew video games for the Nintendo DS (and any form of modding for that matter) just got a lot harder for UK residents. A UK court ruled that blank cartridges such as R4DS are illegal and that retail stores are banned from selling, marketed or importing such cartridges in the UK. While many stores have shut down as a result of the ruling, reports suggest that others are defying the court ban and still selling such cartridges.

Blank cartridges such as R4DS are, "Nintendo DS storage devices are some of the devices used to store a licensed developer's work-in-progress images, homebrew video games, or downloaded commercial games, since the Nintendo DS is not sold with a rewritable storage medium." In short, it's related to the video game modding community. The Telegraph reported the following:

Nintendo welcomed the ruling, and said it had bought the legal action against two retailers, Playables Limited and Wai Dat Chan, on behalf of the thousands of video game studios that depend on legitimate sales of games for their financial survival. "The court affirmed that game copiers first circumvent Nintendo's security systems before any non-infringing application can be played on Nintendo's hand-held products," said the Japanese games giant in a statement.

This is an interesting comment considering modding is the least of Nintendo's concern if it wants to remain profitable. According to a Canadian Press article just days ago, the gaming giant posted a quarterly loss due to a stronger Yen and fewer new titles. As great as Legend of Zelda and Super Mario was, core titles such as these can only go so far when boosting interest for their console based gaming systems. To me, what was cited in the Canadian Press is what Nintendo needs to be worried about, not someone who has actually paid money for the hardware and actively choosing to do some modding, forgoing any warranties that would otherwise come with their console or handhelds. It's unclear at this time what this means for homebrew developers, but some retailers are apparently ignoring the ban on R4 cartridges. "Despite this week’s ruling that saw the illegalisation of nearly all devices aimed at allowing the running of homebrew and pirated games on the Nintendo DS," reports MCV, "MCV has confirmed that some outlets are still selling the accessories." Ultimately, it seems like a ruling like this only creates a more secretive underground market for game modding in the UK. Given the lucrative nature of selling blanks, someone is always going to be bold enough to try and keep selling such devices in the UK. Wherever there is buyers, there will always be sellers. Have a tip? Want to contact the author? You can do so by sending a PM via the forums or via e-mail at drew@zeropaid.com.

Aussie to Pay Nintendo $1.3M for Uploading Super Mario Bros.

Jared Moya — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:37:34 +0000

James Burt settles out of court with Nintendo for having uploaded a pre-release copy of it's game New Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii.

Nintendo has recently confirmed the $1.5 million ($1.3 million USD) settlement in an Australian Federal Court of its lawsuit against 24yo James Burt for having illegally uploaded a pre-release copy of its New Super Mario Bros for the Wii to the Internet. Burt made the game available for illegal download worldwide on November 6th, 2009, nearly a week prior to its official Australian release date. "This legal proceeding was commenced to protect the creative rights and innovation of game developers, and to combat the growing international problem of Internet piracy," says Nintendo in a press release. "Under Australian law, copying and distributing games without the permission of the copyright holder is a breach of the Copyright Act." It says the $1.5 million dollars is a way of compensating it for the loss of sales revenue he caused, but surely most of those whom did download it illegally were probably not likely to have otherwise purchased the game. On November 23, a little over 2 weeks after Burt had uploaded the game, Nintendo had developed enough evidence to obtain a Federal Court search order for Burt's residence in the Brisbane suburb of Sinnamon Park. There they found additional evidence to use against him in the case. "Nintendo guards its intellectual property rights in order to protect the interests of its valued consumers, its own interests, as well as the interests of game development companies," it adds. "Nintendo will pursue those who attempt to jeopardize our industry by using all means available to it under the law." For Burt I'm sure $1.5 million might as well have been $1.5 billion or trillion, and for Nintendo piracy will continue just as it always, so it makes the whole affair seem just as pointless as ever. But, I guess the reality of the situation is of little consequence. The game of whac-a-mole continues. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com

New Nintendo Wii ISO Backup Loader Reopens Videogame Backup Debates

Jorge Gonzalez — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:08:48 +0000

With the release of a new tool that allows people to play backed up copies of games available on Nintendo Wii, some are suggesting that this is really little more than a gateway to piracy.

There is word recently on TehSkeen that a software tool has been developed for the Nintendo Wii that allows gamers to play back-up copies of Nintendo Wii games. The claims were backed up by video that was reposted on YouTube:

If one is skeptical about the mere screen capture of what is going on, a video of someone physically entering the disc into the system and doing the same thing (albeit, with a lower quality) is here:

Additional information is available on TehSkeen. Here’s a sample:

It’s time for another exclusive video from TehSkeen. This time our feature presentation is a demonstration of the work in progress Nintendo Wii Backup Loader coded by the infamous and often controversial hacking guru Waninkoko. Yeah, read the first sentence again if you’re at a loss for words.

The ISO Loader works like this. You create a legal backup of a game you own, convert the ISO file with a special program then burn it. After this, you copy over the ISO Loader to the Homebrew Channel and run it. It will boot the legal backup. Pretty simple. Oh, and no modchip is required. However, it does require you to have Waninkoko’s Custom IOS installed.

This is a unprecedented moment in Nintendo Wii hacking history as is probably going to cause a massive movement in the scene. Too bad Nintendo didn’t take Bushing’s advice on blocking the method of doing this. Maybe they will now? Of course, this sort of thing isn’t condoned by the “general” homebrew scene and when it’s released will ultimately lead to some turmoil.

TehSkeen doesn’t support piracy. We don’t index releases, we don’t spread torrents, we don’t run contests to dump VC/Wiiware games. Heck, we don’t host any tools to inject WAD files with. Waninkoko’s motivation for creating the ISO Loader is unknown, but it is illegal and morally wrong to use it for booting illegal copies of games you don’t own.

The last paragraph has pretty much been a staple disclaimer for any kind of console video-game backups. It dates clear back to when NES emulators for the PC were programmed and dumping the information off of the cartridge into ROM files were the standard ways to make backup copies of legitimately paid for games. One of the more infamous disclaimers was basically (paraphrased as there is frequent variations of this particular one) ‘if you do not legitimately own the game for the respective ROM, you must delete the ROM within 24 hours.’

While some are arguing that this is merely fair use and an extension of the practice of backing up PC games, people like the reporter from GIzmondo have quickly called the news as “the Holy Grail of Wii piracy”

Is there cause for concern over the possibility that Nintendo would do everything in its power to stop such technology? Nintendo has already legally pursued companies importing R4 chips for the Nintendo DS in Japan just two months ago. It’s unclear whether or not they would go after a non-profit entity though.

Whichever side a person is on, those who watch what is going on with Nintendo Wii hacking have almost unanimously agreed that what has happened will have a huge impact for Nintendo Wii fans. It is pretty much only the beginning of things to come, but what they are is, naturally, yet to be seen.

Video 9 – FREE video conversion tool for your Nintendo Wii or Sony PS3

Jared Moya — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:07:44 +0000

Video 9 is a free video conversion program that allows users to convert video files for playback on either the Nintendo Wii or Sony’s Playstation 3.

For those of you looking to get the most of your fancy new Wii or PS3, Video 9 offers a free video conversion program that allows you to convert .AVI, .MOV, .MPEG, .MWV, .DVX, and other types of video format files in one easy to use interface for playback on your gaming console.

Simple, free, and easy to use, Video 9 allows you get the most from your downloaded video content by allowing you to play it from the relative comfort of your living room using whichever gaming console you desire.

So how does it all work? I’ve compiled a series of screenshots and instructions for you take a look at and follow to get you started.

1. Download Video 9

There is are PS3 and Wii titled versions of Video 9 but, each will convert video files for either gaming console so it really doesn’t matter which one you use.

2. Install
3. Run
4. Converting Video
a) Find the titles you wish to convert.

b) Select the the type of gaming console you wish to convert the video file for playback on.

c) Click the “start” tab

d) In the “Library” menu tab, select the video file and the gaming console you wish to send it to after connecting it to your PC.

So as you can see, Video 9 is a pretty straightforward and easy program to use. I recommend you check it out and take a look for yourself.

DOWNLOAD VIDEO 9
digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gaming_news/GUIDE_Video_9_free_video_conversion_tool_for_your_Wii_or_PS3′;

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vNES: play Nintendo games in your internet browser

Jared Moya — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:13:08 +0000

There’s a great gaming site called “vNES – The Virtual Nintendo Entertainment System” that allows you to play nintendo games from the comfort of your favorite internet browser.

There’s no need for pesky emulators or nintendo download packages, simply select the game from the scrollbar on the left hand side of your browser and then get ready to “lock and load.”

There are tons of games to choose from, so go ahead and start playing.

For those of you that don’t have an Xbox or a Playstation 2, or for those looking for a quick workplace gaming escape, this is a perfect fix for a lazy afternoon..

The only real requirement to play the nintendo games is that you need Java 1.5.0 or higher and that’s it. It makes for a nice site to be able to play your favorite old school games from either work, school, or home. If you can’t get the The Virtual Nintendo Entertainment System to work correctly, update your version of Java and try FireFox if IE does not work.

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Below is a screenshot of vNES. Notice the homepage details games available on the left-hand side of the screen , and a brief game control description on the right.

The Virtual Nintendo Entertainment System with 395 Games!

Here are some screenshots of a few of my favorite games (Paperboy not included).

Then there’s good ol’ RC Pro Am.

…and of course everyone’s favorite, The Legend of Zelda. Is it just me or does that darn soundtrack still bring back memories?

In any event check it out, it’s a quick and easy way to “veg out” on some old school classics no matter where you’re at.

CHECK OUT vNES

BELOW IS A LIST OF ALL THE AVAILABLE GAMES
10-Yard Fight
1942
1943 – The Battle Of Midway
3D Battles Of World Runner
8 Eyes
A Boy & His Blob
Addams Family, The
Addams Family – Pugsley’s Scavenger Hunt
Adv. Dungeons & Dragons – Dragon Strike
Adv. Dungeons & Dragons – Heros of the Lance
Adv. Dungeons & Dragons – Pool of Radiance
Adventure Island
Adventure Island II
Adventure Island III
Adventures Of Lolo
All-Pro Basketball
Alpha Mission
Al Unser Jr.’s Turbo Racing
Amagon
American Gladiators
Anticipation
Arkanoid
Astyanax
Athena
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes
Balloon Fight
Baseball
Baseball Stars
Baseball Stars 2
Batman
Batman Returns
Battleship
Battletoads
Bionic Commando
Bomberman 24K
Bomberman II
Bonk’s Adventure
Bubble Bobble
Bubble Bobble Part 2
Bucky O’Hare
Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle
BurgerTime
Casino Kid
Casino Kid 2
Castelian
CastleVania
CastleVania 2: Simon’s Quest
Chessmaster, The
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2
Clu Clu Land
Contra
Contra Force
Darkwing Duck
Deja Vu
Devil World
Dick Tracy
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Donkey Kong Jr. Math
Donkey Kong 3
Double Dragon
Double Dragon 2
Double Dragon 3
Dr. Mario
Dragon Power
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior 2
Dragon’s Lair
DuckTales
DuckTales 2
ExciteBike
Faxanadu
Felix The Cat
Final Fantasy
Friday The 13th
Galaga
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters 2
Ghoul School
Goal!
Goal! Two
Godzilla – Monster of Monsters
Golf
Gradius
Gun.Smoke
Gyruss
Ice Climber
Ice Hockey
Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors 2
Ikari Warriors 3
Image Fight
Ironman Stewart’s Super Off-Road
Jackal
James Bond Jr.
Jaws
Joust
Jurassic Park
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Kid Icarus
King’s Knight
Kirby’s Adventure
Kiwi Kraze
Knight Rider
Kung Fu
Legend Of Kage
Legend Of Zelda
Legend Of Zelda 2: Adventure Of Link
Legendary Wings
Lemmings
Lifeforce
Little Mermaid
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Little Samson
Lode Runner
M.C. Kids
Mach Rider
Magic Of Scheherazade
Maniac Mansion
Marble Madness
Mario Brothers
Mario Is Missing
Mario’s Time Machine
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Metal Gear
Metroid
Mickey Mousecapade
Micro Machines
Mighty Bomb Jack
Mighty Final Fight
Milon’s Secret Castle
Millipede
Mission Impossible
Monopoly
Monster In My Pocket
Monster Party
Ms. Pac-Man
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden 2: Dark Sword of Chaos
Ninja Gaiden 3: Ancient Ship of Doom
Nobunaga’s Ambition
Nobunaga’s Ambition 2
Overlord
Pac-Man
Paperboy
Paperboy 2
Pinball
Pinball Quest
Pipe Dream
Popeye
Power Blade
Power Blade 2
Prince Of Persia
Princess Tomato in Salad Kingdom
Pro Wrestling
Q*Bert
Raid on Bungeling Bay
R.B.I. Baseball
R.B.I. Baseball 2
R.B.I. Baseball 3
R.C. Pro-Am
Rad Racer
Rescue – Embassy Mission
RoboCop
RoboCop 2
Rollerball
Rush’n Attack
Rygar
Seicross
Shatterhand
Side Pocket
Simpsons – Bart Vs. Space Mutants
Simpsons – Bart Vs. The World
Simpsons – Bartman Meets Radioactive Man
Slalom
Snake Rattle’n Roll
Snake’s Revenge
Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular
Soccer
Solstice
Spider-Man – Return of The Sinister 6
Spy Hunter
Strider
Star Trek – 25th Anniversary
Star Trek – The Next Generation
StarTropics
Super C
Super Mario Brothers
Super Mario Brothers 2
Super Mario Brothers 3
Super Spike V’Ball
Superman
Tecmo Baseball
Tecmo Bowl
Tecmo Cup – Soccer Game
Tecmo NBA Basketball
Tecmo Super Bowl
Tecmo World Wrestling
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament
Tennis
Tiger-Heli
Times of Lore
Tiny Toon Adventures
Top Gun
Top Players’ Tennis
Totally Rad
Touch Down Fever
Toxic Crusaders
Track & Field
Track & Field 2
Treasure Master
Twin Cobra
Ufouria
Ultima – Exodus
Ultima – Quest of The Avatar
Ultima – Warriors of Destiny
Uninvited
Urban Champion
Vegas Dream
Vice – Project Doom
Volleyball
Wacky Races
Wall Street Kid
Wheel of Fortune – Starring Vanna White
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Widget
Wrecking Crew
Wurm
WWF – King of The Ring
WWF – Wrestlemania
WWF – Wrestlemania Challenge
Xenophobe
Xevious
Yo! Noid
Yoshi
Yoshi’s Cookie
Zanac
Zombie Nation

EXCLUSIVE: Wii Know A lot You Don’t- Nintendo Wii Specs Fully Uncovered!!!

Jared Moya — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:51:41 +0000

So far Nintendo have done a very credible job in keeping information regarding the Wii to a minimum. Well all that has just changed! An anonymous Wii developer has sent to us slurry of information regarding Nintendo’s next-gen console, all that’s left now is a confirmed release date and price to complete the puzzle. Believe us when we say, this article is a MUST READ, you won’t be disappointed. Prepare to get educated… *Update* – The dev mailed us and said he was shocked to see all these cries of ‘fake’, so he provided some more info to show he’s not bluffing…

The Wii Hardware

- Nintendo Wii’s ‘Broadway’ CPU operates at 729MHZ with a maximum bandwith of 1.9gbyte/sec.
- Nintendo Wii’s ‘HollyWood’ GPU is clocked at 243MHZ, the internal memory of it includes 3mb of embedded graphics memory and 24megabytes of high speed main memory.
- 64megabytes of GDDR3 (MEM2) as the external main memory. Just like the internal memory, it can be accessed from the CPU and GPU with a maximum bandwidth of 4gbytes/sec and can also store programs in the MEM2.
- The GPU of the Wii is identical to the GC’s but it is on average 1.5X faster.

Wii’s Optical Disc Drive

- Opitcal Disc Drive (ODD) supports single and dual layer Wii disks, discs eject with software or button and the maximum read speed is the equivalent of DVDx6.
- Two main disc types supported the single sided 12cm single sided 4.7gb and the double sided 8.51 GB. Nintendo GC discs also supported. Some of the capacity of the discs are used by the system and games can not use full disc space.
- Inserting a disc will start the Wii console, even if it was already in an off state. Pressing the eject button will change the console to an on state to take out the disc also.

General Overview

- An optional wired LAN adapter that connects to a USB port is in the pipeline for users who do not possess a wireless LAN set-up currently.
- Internal non-removable 512MB flash memory used to storage game save data and downloadable content thus eliminating the Need for a memory card.
- Both Wii discs and Gamecube discs can be played via an intelligent mode swap. When running in GC mode, the Wii’s CPU and GPU will lower to the respective speeds of the GC and some of the MEM2 functions as ARAM.
- Software development environment is an upgrade to the ‘Dolphin SDK’ used with the GC; the same libraries are used so developers can get up to scratch easily as well as the possibility of ports being easier.
- The following interfaces are included with the Wii; SD card slot, Wireless controller, two USB 2.0 ports, wireless LAN, 4x GC controller ports, 2x GC memory card slots and an AV multi output jack (only an analog jack).
- Supports Wii disks (one sided 12cm) and GC discs (one sided 8cm) and console auto switches depends on what disk is inserted
- More than just the Nunchaku is planned as an extension. GC peripherals such as DK bongos can be used in both Wii and GC modes.
- Three power status, on, off and unplugged. To prevent mistaken turn offs, the power button must be held for about a second.

Nintendo’s Wii may get early launch

Jared Moya — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 20:00:13 +0000

Nintendo has stated numerous times that its next generation video game machine will be less expensive than the competition. Now it appears that it might be on store shelves considerably earlier than many were expecting as well.

While Nintendo has not made any formal announcements about the launch date for the Wii, most of the industry has expected the machine to hit retail at approximately the same time as Sony’s PlayStation 3 (which is set for November 17). Now, industry observers – and insiders – say they expect the system to be available in October, with late September a dark horse candidate.

Want more video game news and commentary? Click Mario Morris.

Indeed, the company appears to be already manufacturing final retail units of the Wii, according to a June 21st analyst’s note from P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research. That would give it a significant head start over Sony (Charts), which has yet to begin final manufacturing of the PlayStation 3. Microsoft’s first Xbox 360 did not roll off the assembly line last year until 69 days before the on sale date of Nov. 22. (That late start in production is the root cause behind last holiday’s shortages.)

“October is a reasonable timeframe,” wrote McNealy.