Anyone else find using emulators a bland soulless Exp

[RodimusPrime]

I have tried several times to get into emulation gaming, even bought a mini pc with Hdmi out and set it up with a frontend with all the emulators on, but I just get bored. I just find scrolling through the lists lacks something. I know I am essentially playing the same game but I just can't understand why I find unboxing a cartridge and popping the cartridge in a so much more satisfying experience.

I know I can get to play the Rare and the too expensive to buy games via emulation, but it just does not seem to hold my attention.

Is it just me or does anyone feel the same.

[AmigaJay]

I agree to some extent, yeah it's nicer to own the original and plug it in and play using the original controllers, but the trouble with retro gaming is there is so many systems worth playing most people can't afford or have the room for 30-40 systems so emulation is the only option, plus try fitting thousands of arcade machines in your living room!

Same thing for music though, showing my age now but playing a record is 100x better than playing a track on iTunes, reading the lyrics, looking at the artwork etc

That's the worst part of everything going digital, be it music, videos, books, games are all just a click away but lack any personality without physical form.

[Timothy Lumsden]

always have. Having the old consoles etc is half the fun (or it was when I had space!)

[gman72]

Fitting my gaming and collecting in with a busy family household is not easy. I cant have piles of hardware and software everywhere. I have a limited amount of space for my hobbies and I have to micro manage it which is fine by me. What it does mean is that emulation of 8 and 16 bit systems is essential for me. Ive never found it bland and soulless rather a necessary process that enables me to enjoy my hobby to the full.

[GigaPepsiMan]

I never really have issues with emulators, I think I just got so sick of things like 50hz, rubbish aerial, grainy looking av and consoles not reading the carts. Emulation feels a lot better when I don't have these issues, I've enjoyed some games more as a result.

[psj3809]

Feel the opposite. Emulators allow me to play lots of different machines or games

Plus I'm older. Less storage space. Priorities have changed. Emulation allows me to play 5 minutes here or there quite easily

[Shinobi]

Yes agree with OP for various reasons
1) Loads of roms which I won't play because there's to many if I buy a game I play it..
2) Lag that comes with emulation and how most emulation isn't 100 percent perfect..
3) You can't emulate the feel of playing on the original console

I have a Twilight Hacked Wii and a Caanoo hate the PC Emulation Caanoo is okay for Mame bit hit and miss.. As much as I love Starblade on the Wii nothing compares to playing the sit down version on Paigton Pier

I'm glad of emulation to play PC98 Rusty and some Mame games but find the experience lacking on a pc and have no space to set the laptop up

[kiwimike]

Yeah agree to a degree...it is nice to play on the original console etc but for many it isn't practical or possible. In that regard the emulation era is wonderful.
I gave up collecting some time ago (aside from Books/DVDs on gaming), so it's a great way to enjoy classics without time space and expense. It isn't perfect, but it does me! Each to their own

[RetroBob]

I couldn't agree more. They have no perceived value, it's a too easy to flit from one game to the next without a second thought.

[TheNewMonkey]

When there's a pc/laptop/monitor/office chair! involved I do find it soulless, but when emulating 8/16bit games through my softmodded wii on the big screen I love it, even though I have original consoles ,carts etc I usually seem to head for the wii when I wanna play something retro

[Scratch_Porkings]

Feel the opposite. Emulators allow me to play lots of different machines or games

Plus I'm older. Less storage space. Priorities have changed. Emulation allows me to play 5 minutes here or there quite easily

exactly, I rarely turn on my original machines my dreamcast and 2600 are the only machine to make it out of the loft this year. A good game is a good game Rom or hardcopy, dont forget that or you could end up a Antiques collector rather than a gamer. And I can't want to play my A1200 on the bus like i can with me XPlay ha!

[koopa42]

If I didn't use emus I wouldn't play any retro. Simples.

[samhain81]

I have a PC all ready for emulation, A DS with emulators, an XBOX1 with emulator discs, and even an Experia Play for mobile emulation on the go. Yet I still get an empty feeling playing anything on them because they are not how those games were intended on being played.

I might play PSX games on ther experia play, as the controller is essentially a ps controller, and feels somewhat authentic, but anything predating the psx, I just don't feel it.

[Liamh1982]

Although I emulate often and in many different ways (the laptop for MAME and 32/64 bits, Wii for 8/16 bits, PSP on the move) there is something to be said about it being a means to an end, perhaps the only way you'll get to play a lot of games without great expense and storage space.

Soulless? Maybe.
Necessary? Almost certainly.

[RodimusPrime]

Although I emulate often and in many different ways (the laptop for MAME and 32/64 bits, Wii for 8/16 bits, PSP on the move) there is something to be said about it being a means to an end, perhaps the only way you'll get to play a lot of games without great expense and storage space.

Soulless? Maybe.
Necessary? Almost certainly.

I do use emulators now and then, because as people say, when you have kids and time is at a premium it is handy.

Maybe my original wording was a bit harsh as I do like trying out games via emulatores, its just that I always find myself jumping from game to game and never actullay putting any time into just one game. when I play from acartridge I always find I spend much more time with a game.

Its why I am looking forward to the Retron 5, all the benefits of emulation ( space saving, picture quality, Save states ) but I still get to dust of my cartridges and use them.