Emulation sucks...long live the Nomad.

[Atari 5200]

Ever since I got a nomad, I've been playing genesis games on it like crazy. I don't know why, I mean I've had a genesis the whole time, but never really played it. I've also got a psp with a few things on it if you know what I mean and didn't really ever play it.

What I'm wondering is, even though I have all those games on the psp and have had all this time to play them, why do I prefer to play them on the nomad? I don't know, maybe it's just the feel of the actual hardware in my hands. It also feels different when I play the actual cartridge. It's like it's more genuine.

Anyone have a similar experience? I'd be interesting to understand why I feel this way.

[Sabz5150]

It's not just you. No matter how good emulation becomes, it's simply not the same. Playing the actual game on actual hardware is the way the game was meant to be played. If you've played a game for years and years (for some of us, decades), you can tell the difference... you can feel it. Even if it's only a millisecond off, you can tell. If the sound or colors are even slightly different, you can tell.

I bought Megaman 2 for the VC on Monday... I find it difficult to play. Not because the emulation is crappy, but because when I'm in front of that game, my brain says "NES controller in hand, thumbs touch here, here, here and here to make these things work" and with the Wiimote, I was fumbling. When I play it on a famiclone, it's just that slight bit off. When it's on a real NES, I'm a god among men.

Nothing beats the real thing. Nothing.

[Nitrosport]

There's just something about the real hardware that emulation can't offer. I personally think it's the sense of nostalgia. My nomad and Genesis still get plenty of use.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Theres a certain "attention deficit disorder" I have with emulation ... if I've got 100 games in a "menu system" that I can quit to after I die once or twice in any given game ... it's pretty tough to really get deeply involved in any given game.

When I've got a genuine cartridge in a system that I can't do anything with but PLAY or power down and remove ... I'll usually be more inclined to stick with whatever level of involvement I have in that game.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some emulation on a system like PSP or DS ... being able to have every single NES or black & white Gameboy game on one memory card on the go is great ... but, like I said, I can get pretty A.D.D. with it all.

Maybe that plays into your predisposition to the actual hardware?

[theChad]

Theres a certain "attention deficit disorder" I have with emulation ... if I've got 100 games in a "menu system" that I can quit to after I die once or twice in any given game ... it's pretty tough to really get deeply involved in any given game.

When I've got a genuine cartridge in a system that I can't do anything with but PLAY or power down and remove ... I'll usually be more inclined to stick with whatever level of involvement I have in that game.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some emulation on a system like PSP or DS ... being able to have every single NES or black & white Gameboy game on one memory card on the go is great ... but, like I said, I can get pretty A.D.D. with it all.

Maybe that plays into your predisposition to the actual hardware?

I'm exactly the same way, I'll try a game I haven't played before, emulated on my Xbox, and if I die a few times or get even a little bit frustrated I just restart and choose something else.

Lately I've been trying to force myself to stick with it, just like you had to when you were younger. You get that one new game and that's what you've got to work with so you play the hell out of it. It can't suck, it's your only new game - work for it. Yeah, so I've been trying to get back in that mindset with my games again.

[TheRealist50]

for as long as I have known about emulators I was against them. I tried it but its so...horrible. I love using the original hardware with the original game cartridge and original controller. Ok...xbox arcade and the wii virtual console is ok for some people but to me...I don't like it. I have some games on the xbox arcade like golden axe but I still play the genesis version more then the xbox version.

Maybe its just me who doesn't like the virtual console and xbox arcade...I guess I'm still stuck in the 90s...and loving every minute of it!

[TonyTheTiger]

I have the exact same problem as Frankie. If I can choose from too many games I'll end up choosing nothing. Despite the minimal effort it takes to put a cartridge/disc in a console, I have more dedication to that game. There's also a financial dedication that comes along with it. Even if I paid $.50 for a game, I want to make sure I get my $.50 worth of play out of it. With emulation that incentive disappears.

Though I do get psychic benefits from the actual hardware. Holding the game, turning on the machine, etc. There's not really an empirical way of expressing it and I don't even presume to suggest it "makes sense" but like any emotion it just feels right. In fact, I'm pretty much as traditional as one can get as far as what hardware/software/etc. I prefer. I like "authentic." Hence why I rarely ever read fanfiction or play rom hacks and the like. It's also why I don't have much of an interest in clone hardware.

Not that any of the "non-authentic" stuff can't be good...I just don't get the same psychic benefits from it. A good example is Mega Man 9. I've played a few rom hacks of old Mega Man games. Many of which damn near make it a brand new title and sometimes they kick ass. But playing a "real" Mega Man 9 beats the hell out of playing a hacked to hell Mega Man 2 in my head.

[boatofcar]

I'm in with Tony and Frankie. If you have to actually get up and change the game, you become so much more involved in it. Also, when you have a limited number of games to choose from it makes you really get into the games you've got, which is one reason why I've never wanted a large collection. You just end up staring at a wall of games wondering what to play.

[aclbandit]

I totally agree. Having a full romset for any console diminishes the awesomeness of any single game. Plus, it's always just so slightly off that it doesn't feel right.

I bought a famicom disk system, not because I couldn't emulate it (tried, but... meh), but simply because I didn't like the way emulation feels. I use my ROMs mostly as a "try-before-you-buy" thing. If it's good and I like it, I buy a cartridge to play "for real."

Famicom/NES, SNES, and the N64 will always hold a special place, and no emulation can ever, no matter how perfect, replace the genuine feel of having to clean the cartridges periodically and blow the dust out to get it running.

Long live old hardware.

[roushimsx]

When I travel with my PSP, I don't load up a full Genesis collection on it, only a small handful of games that I'll actually want to play. I spend the difficult time before I travel deciding on what I might be in the mood to play while I'm out. Ditto for any emulators I throw on my PSP or laptop.

When I'm at home, I have the same problems with emulators as I do with physical games anyway, so there's no real difference in either for me. I prefer emulation because it better fits in with my life style (such as being able to save and/or pause at any point if anything pops up, phone rings, someone comes over, whatever).

I wouldn't touch a Nomad with a six foot pole anymore. Not with that screen, that shape, that size, and that battery life. Forget that, I'll take a PSP w/ Picodrive over it any day of the week. Similarly, there's no way in hell that I'm going to travel with a GBA/GBASP if I can just play my games on my laptop with a dpad that isn't an absolute pile of shit. Hell, the PSP dpad is better than that of the GBA/GBASP and emulation is at a point there where most of the stuff I want to play works just peachy.

...though I'd probably play on the laptop anyway just because of the screensize (and the easier ability to snap screenshots).

If there's one system that totally changes in emulation though, it's the DS. Trying to emulate the DS' touchscreen function with a mouse is like trying to use the DS' touchscreen to emulate the mouse in an FPS. It works...sort of...but god damn is it not even close to being the same.

[maxlords]

I tried running emulation and collections on stuff like the PSP and couldn't stand it. However...I also REALLY hate the Nomad. I hate using a power supply with a handheld and the Nomad is a vicious battery sucker. That said...it's still damned cool. I prefer to play my Genesis games on a Genesis though. Or a CDX. I can't stand emulation myself, hence my purchase of a whole SNES ROM setup to make my own carts. Just to avoid emulation. Sad huh?

[Sailorneorune]

I wonder how well current rechargeables would work with a Nomad, since they eat batteries like candy. I bought a lot of rechargeable batteries for my Wii remotes.

I have the Nomad to justify spending $50 for Pulseman, since I can play it almost anywhere. Sometime early last year, I played through Phantasy Star IV during a slow week at work as a bunch of guys walked past my desk wondering what the big black thing plugged into the wall socket was. Their punishment was listening to me go on for about 10 minutes about how great the Genesis is. ;)

[Haoie]

The Nomad? That really sank without a trace.

It's what happens when you try to market too many things at the same time.

[FrakAttack]

Having a full romset for any console diminishes the awesomeness of any single game.

My experience with has been just the opposite. I'd pretty much lost interest in gaming until I discovered emulation and found lots of cool games that I'd missed out on or had never heard of before. ROMs reignited my passion for gaming.

The Nomad's an odd thing, because Genesis games weren't designed for such a tiny screen, so the eye-strain is much worse than with most handhelds. Consider mine more of a novelty than anything.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[mr obscure]

Well for me its even worse i don't play emulators and i don't play game systems that use cd's anymore.

I grew up with nes and for some weird reason i feel that home console's must use carts!!

My mind becomes more and more hardcore retro!! I played cd consoles like ps1 but i don't anymore i even started to hate next gen console's there to main stream for me.

A perfect exsample about what i hate about next gen is the graphics. I have the feeling that its more and more about graphics these days and less about game play.

Can you guys follow me or is my mind gone

[jb143]

The Nomad's an odd thing, because Genesis games weren't designed for such a tiny screen, so the eye-strain is much worse than with most handhelds. Consider mine more of a novelty than anything.

Some games are better than others. RPG's or games with a lot of text are probally the worst. It does have a video out though. You could probally connect it to one of those pricy VR displays for a portable "full sized" display. Didn't sega make one for the Genesis?

EDIT--
Oops...I was thinking of the StuntMaster headset which wasn't made by Sega, and aparently didn't work that great.

[Tupin]

Yeah, I prefer to use the actual hardware/software.

[TonyTheTiger]

Well for me its even worse i don't play emulators and i don't play game systems that use cd's anymore.

I grew up with nes and for some weird reason i feel that home console's must use carts!!

My mind becomes more and more hardcore retro!! I played cd consoles like ps1 but i don't anymore i even started to hate next gen console's there to main stream for me.

A perfect exsample about what i hate about next gen is the graphics. I have the feeling that its more and more about graphics these days and less about game play.

Can you guys follow me or is my mind gone

I don't know if I'd say your mind is gone but I certainly think your retro nostalgia is blinding you to some amazing modern classics. As much as I may love old RPGs I can say without hesitation that Mass Effect's writing is far more compelling than the traditionally pedestrian scripts you found in older games.

[Pantechnicon]

Emulation for me is a mixed bag. If it's a game with which I'm not all that familiar and there are no ostensible problems with speed or sound, I can get it into it. If it's a game with which I'm familiar, I don't get as into it as much as I'm too aware of every little anomaly.

I also agree that there's something to be said for the "ADD" problem Frankie brought up as it relates to roms. Having loads of roms at one's immediate disposal seems to diminish one's general ability to enjoy any one game. I think there's a cognitive issue at work here and I can see parallel problems arising any time there's an overwhelming amount of choices at one's disposal.

On Genesis specifically, I've tried emu on PC, DS and even Dreamcast all with varying hits and misses. At the end of the day I'd still rather just plug a cart in and play a game the way it was meant to be played.

[ClassicGameTrader]

Theres a certain "attention deficit disorder" I have with emulation ... if I've got 100 games in a "menu system" that I can quit to after I die once or twice in any given game ... it's pretty tough to really get deeply involved in any given game.

When I've got a genuine cartridge in a system that I can't do anything with but PLAY or power down and remove ... I'll usually be more inclined to stick with whatever level of involvement I have in that game.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some emulation on a system like PSP or DS ... being able to have every single NES or black & white Gameboy game on one memory card on the go is great ... but, like I said, I can get pretty A.D.D. with it all.

Maybe that plays into your predisposition to the actual hardware?

Love emulation but I suffer the same problem, I get ADD from all of the thousands of games on my Xbox.

[cosmicpsycho]

I've never used emulation, though I've been thinking about it lately. I have wanted a Nomad for awhile too.

[roushimsx]

On Genesis specifically, I've tried emu on PC, DS and even Dreamcast all with varying hits and misses. At the end of the day I'd still rather just plug a cart in and play a game the way it was meant to be played.

So two thirds of your experience with Genesis emulation is with it on platforms where its the weakest? I'm pretty sure you had a fairly substandard time with the emulation on PC as well if you tried to play something like a dorked up rip of Snatcher on an older build of Gens, too. No wonder you'd rather play on a cart.