Console Vs Emulators?

[Amiga Forever]

Console - played Real Things
Emulator - It can improve(PSX 2) graphics, speed but not perfect!

Having too many console - need space fit in
Emulator - dont need space.


Console Games - Again need space put on the shelf.
Emulator - It all in SD Card!
Which one you prefer and why?

 

[Sardine]

I prefer real hardware always,

emulation is just not quite there, I have raspberry pi's and retropie, its just not the same.


I will bend to half and half, my mist fpga is hardware emulation and some of the cores I can't see a difference between the real hardware and the mist.
but its limited to 8bit / 16bit hardware, a mist will never be fast enough for N64 or PSX.


I have now (reducing my software and hardware stock due to space limitations)

consoles and computers

My Mist FPGA
chipped Playstation 1
chipped Playstation 2
chipped Gamecube
Chipped Xbox Original
C64 with 1541 Ultimate II + not assemble Tapuino
Spectrum 48k with DivMMC
BBC B with Turbo MMC
Atari 1200XL with Side2 Cart
Dragon 64 with CocoSDC (waiting for the excellent DragonMMC --- LOOKS at thecorfiot )
N64 RGB modded with Everdrive
Amiga 500 (Work in progress) will have 8mb fast ram, 1mb chip, IDE, External Gotek , DF0/DF1 switch

 

[SaviorX]

I have always preferred the real systems, preferably relatively 'stock'/unmodified. but my reason for collecting has mainly been the fact that I had always wanted many of these systems as a child/teen but we just couldn't afford any of them.

I do have most of the emulators, and most of the TOSEC and 'Good' collections, but I much prefer the real things.


Comps:

VIC20 (+16k expansion)
Commodore 64 (x2, 1 boxed)
Commodore 64c
Commodore 128
Commodore 128D(cr)
1541 (x10)
1571 (x4)
1581 (x2)
Excelerator DD
SDuIEC
1750 512k expansion
Super1750 Clone 512k expansion
SwiftLink cart

Apple //e (x4) (+64k/80col for each)
Apple //gs (x3) (+1M card in each)
Mac Classic (4mb/40mb HD)
UniDisk 5.25" (x7)
Unidisk 3.5" (x3)

TI99/4a (x2, 1 boxed) (+FlashROM99 Command Module 'emulator')

Atari 600XL (+48k expansion)
Atari 800XL
Atari 520STm (+FDD & Color Monitor)

Coleco ADAM (boxed)

Amiga 1000 (+256k, +1M Phoenix board)
Amiga 500 (+512k)
Amiga 2000HD (030-33, 12MB, 700MB HD)
2x external floppies

CoCo3 (+2 FD controllers/drives)

Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 Portable Computer

Tandy 2500 RSX - Am386/25 (80387/33, 9mb, 450MB HD, 8GB HD, SVGA, SB, ZIP100, DVD, Ethernet, DOS622, WFW311)
Compaq Presario 4840 - PII/300 (192mb, 2x8GB HD, DVD, Win95sr2.1
Dell Dimension XPS T550 - PIII/550 (640mb, 2x20GB HD, DVD, Win98FE)

Samsung NoteMaster 486C/25 (TX486SLC-25, 4mb, 168mb HD, MonoVGA)
2x Seanix 486VLB systems I havent bothered to sort out yet

Consoles:

Atari 2600 Woody (light)
Atari 2600 Jr.
Atari 2600 Vader
Coleco Gemini
Sears Arcade II
Atari 7800

ColecoVision (x2)
Atari 2600 Expansion (x2, 1 boxed)
Steering Controller
Roller Contorller

Intellivision

Magnavox Odyssey2 (x2, 1 boxed)

Vectrex (+32in1 cart)

NES
SNES (x3) (+SuperGameBoy cart)
Nintendo 64 (x3) (1 w/mem upgrade)
GameCube (x3) (+2 GameBoy Players)

Sega Master System
Sega Genesis mk1 (boxed)
Sega Genesis mk2 (x3)
Sega CD add-on
Sega Saturn
Sega DreamCast


TurboGrafx16 (x2, +TurboED)

VTech Socrates

Sony PlayStation
Sony Playstation 2 (x3)

Panasonic 3DO

Yobo GN Twin (N8/Genesis)


Handhelds:

Gameboy
Gameboy Advance
Gameboy Advance SP
Nintendo DS

Sega Game Gear (boxed)
Sega Nomad

TurboExpress

NeoGeo Pocket Color

(several dozen older individual game HHs as well - no game and watch tho :/)

there's only a few things left on my 'wanted' list, managed to scratch one off getting that Mac Classic relatively cheap last month.

an Apple //c, a TS1000 (+16k), TRS80 (model I/II or III), a PET of some description, Atari 800. an IBM PS/2 Model 25/30

on the console side, an Emerson Arcadia 2001, Bally AstroCade and Fairchild Channel F, RCA Studio II, Atari 5200 - but I think the likelihood of finding these for a good price are slim.

for handhelds of course ANY Game and Watch, and the Mini Arcades (I have PacMan), the TomyTronic ones....just about anything from the 70s/early 80s really.

oh, and maybe an Atari Lynx.

(and, yes, I got a bit carried away listing all the *real* hardware I have managed to collect )

 

[Retro-Protect]

I prefer the real deal. I do own Ultimate1541-II+ and Divide etc. But I like to use discs! Mad eh. I have loads of consoles and games for them but rarely set them up. I use my Zx Spectrum 48k with Dual Disc drive, C64 Breadbin With 1541 & 1541-II drives. C128D & Dcr. All Commodores have classic monitors! Amstrad 6128 with Colour Monitor and switchable disc drive/SD card (cheers Bas) Amiga A1200 with ssd & Blizzard card. I would love the space to be able to have them all set up constantly, but wouldn't we all.

 

[owen2471]

Real systems where possible. Preferably with some sort of flash card attached to them.

 

[x56h34]

I prefer real hardware for the authentic experience, however I do acknowledge that after messing around with emulation through Retropie on a Raspberry Pi 3 system, it's hard to tell (for me at least) that I am not playing on the real thing.

I haven't tried emulators past the 16bit generation of computers and consoles, though...

As I grow older and become busier with work and family, it is very useful to be able to quickly pick up and go play something, and switch it off when done and move on (emulators), rather than need to connect all the individual original gear component by component, cable by cable, find space for it while using, and while storing it unused.

It pains me that there is less and less time available for general retro computer / gaming hobby for me, otherwise I would be playing the original hardware exclusively, as nothing beats the real thing in your hand or in front of you, but alas time and space are limited so one is to ask themselves should practicality (emulators) prevail for the sake of preserving the hobby in some way while retaining most of the functional experience.



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[Retro_Lover]

Real hardware, every time. You just can't beat having the real thing, as well as the real joysticks.

Emulator - It all in SD Card!

You can do this with almost ANY real hardware, and from any era. Heck, I even have a TZXDuino for my ZX Spectrum/ZX81/Amstrad 464/MSX/Dragon, incase I want to load tapes like the real thing, only more reliable.
On consoles like the NES, no more blowing on carts to get them to work. Just slot in a Everdrive with all your emulator roms on it and you will never have to remove, or blow on a cart again.

Emulators have their uses. Better resolutions, better textures with texture packs, better effects like using PCSX2 with in-built shaders + Reshade. Being able to play games on a platform that was never going to get them, like CEMU emulating the Wii-U playing Zelda BOTW. Faster loading, most of the time near instant loading. Save states - can also be done on real hardware with the right device such as DivMMC Enjoy for ZX Spectrum, or the very lastest Everdrives on consoles. Image quality, obviously using a PC with a HDMI connection to the latest LED HDR TV looks great with more recent emulators.

 

[Harrison]

Real systems always give you the true experience. Any emulated system fella like it's missing something.

But I emulate all 8bit and some 16 bit systems. They tend to be emulated perfectly these days and a lot less hassle. Plus the controls were generally simple for consoles back then.

But I do own most 16bit and newer consoles with Everdrives because it just feels nicer than emulating. And unless you can be bothered to try and get usb adapters for every type of console controller, emulating most means you compromise controls by mapping them to a different one, losing part of the experience.

Space is always an issue.

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[fitzsteve]

The appeal for me with the original hardware is the original media as well, these flash card solutions feel somewhat like emulation. There's a certain sense of satisfaction to blowing the dust off your game cart and plugging it in.

Emulation is great, having thousands of games at your finger tips but I'd rather have a select few of my favourite originals.

 

[Bastich]

I like the real hardware however I do not have the space for everything I would like so emulation is the only practical option.

I have used emulation for a long time thou, I remember playing Spectrum games on my Amiga

 

[fitzsteve]

snip... I remember playing Spectrum games on my Amiga

Same, this even feels pretty authentic on a CRT Monitor with a zip stick

 

[roy_bates]

real hardware,although emulation has its place

finding room for all the crt's is a pain,lol

 

[Retrograde]

Well I do both as I can't or don't have everything set up in my two-room apartment.
But one console is usually always connected, there is just something about the small imperfections and characteristics of real hardware that I find appealing.

Probably nostalgia.

 

[iRetrOVolver]

Old hardware will at some point in time fail.. It is also the reason why I have an FPGA Mist next to some Amiga hardware as the FPGA does the job without issues and/or failure.

 

[Amon_RA]

Real hardware.
Just like classic cars, you want the real things, not some fake immitation

I tried playing NES, Genesis emulated games and the gameplay was horrible if you really want to finish the game. Emulation is ok for the casual 10 minutes play, but not if you care about input lag etc...

 

[Harrison]

Spectrum, BBC Micro and C64 were the first emulators I ever tried on the Amiga. None of them ran prefectly but it was a magical moment.

Also used an IBM PC emulator to run Lotus 123 and Word Perfect to access college files at home.

The one I really wanted to get working at the time was the Atari ST emulator on Amiga, but it never ran beyond the GEM desktop. Mostly because I came from an Atari ST before the Amiga. Had to wait until th PC emulator WinSTon before I finally got a great ST emulator.

One emulator that I think everyone can agree is amazing and worth using is MAME. I've been running it since its first ever public release in the 90s. I was blown away at the time being able to run the real original arcade game roms at home and still am. Amazing project.

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[BLTCON0]

real hardware,although emulation has its place

Very well said in a few words

What I never understood was the emulation-haters mentality. As if the emulation progress was going to magically kill their hardware or something.

I sold my A1200 in 1996 and only got back to real hardware in 2011. I only kept in touch and retained the "spark" these 15 "dark" years thanks to occasionally toying around with WinUAE, so in my mind emulation is just as important.
Plus, as already said, real hardware will eventually die but (if we aren't stupid enough to lose everything in "the cloud") emulation in various forms will be there to serve as a much more vivid reminder of our computer past than passing nostalgic stories around.

finding room for all the crt's is a pain,lol

I store them in a dedicated closet and only withdraw one or two at a time

 

[Sinphaltimus]

I enjoy the best of both worlds I suppose. i have 4 TI-99/4a systems. One of them modded with USB Keys, F18A, hard reset button with a nanoPEB and Flashrom99. This is the system i use mostly since it's connected to a KVM and shares space with my PC. Another console is Stock but connected to a modified PEB with ATX power supply, Thermal Monitoring and GoTek drive. Rarely use iot I just love the way the modded PEb looks. Also easier to play 2 player games on since it's not integrated with my PC KVM and angled monitor. The third is boxed but I plan to use it as a mobile console for travel. I have a sidecart 32k ram expansion on that system. My 4th TI is boxed as a spare should I ever need one. And I have an unmodded PEb in a box as a spare as well should anything happen to my modded one.

I use classic99 to emulate the TI along with some PC utilities to develop games and programs. It's so much faster. Plus, I can compile my programs/games for use on a flashrom99 within minutes which is damn near impossible to get that kind fo turn around using strictly the console.

I also have an A500 rev5 with GVP impact Series II HD+ side expansion controller (with bad ram sockets and damage to ram traces so no ram expansion on that). I have a GoTek internal and original external floppy. My 50MB SCSI HDD began failing so I replaced it with a SCSI2SD adaptor. I did perform the 1MB chip ram mod on it and am currently awaiting the arrival of my Vampire A500+ accelerator. The amiga is attached to my PC via serial for use with Amiga Explorer. Also awaiting the arrival of a recently purchased USB keyboard adaptor. Already have USB mouse adaptor connected. Once the Vampire arrives and I finalize my configuration for getting back in to MultiMedia creation, I am going to put all of this in to a full size tower case and connect to my KVM as well to share Keyboard, mouse and monitor with my TI and PC (PC has 4 screens - one of them is a TV for sharing between all three).

I use Amiga forever and winUAE to setup different workbench configurations and test on the real hardware. emulation makes installing software and customizing my workbench a lot faster than on real hardware. Also, have an Adaptec 2940 SCSI card connected in the PC so I can connect the SCSI2SD adaptor to it for updating my real Amiga HDD configurations.

I think emulation compliments real hardware for the right things. I can't see being spoiled with the speed of modern PCs and not using emulation to get real hardware tasks completed in a fraction of the time it would take without emulation. They go hand in hand in my world.

As far as modding versus original, I like to mod old hardware to make it better, but I also like to have original unmodded gear for safe keeping or spares. Yeah, I've been eyeballing ebay for a long time in anticipation of another A500 at the right price for my budget. Haven't come across one yet. Not recently anyway.