Emulators

So, my friends told me that he has an emulator, so I'm convinced to get one. So, anybody with experience, give me info. Can you get ANY game you want? And it's legal right?
 
Emulators are legal. The distribution and downloading of ROMs (the games you play using the emulators) is not.
 
Mason said:
Emulator = Legal
Public Domain ROM = Legal
Commercial ROM (such as SUPER MARIO WORLD) = Piracy
So can you explain this more? What's the difference between the two ROMs?

EDIT: Or is it illegal like M4E said?
 
New Super Mario said:
So can you explain this more? What's the difference between the two ROMs?
First off, I'll have to give you a watered down explanation on the difference between an Emulator and a ROM. An emulator can be thought of as "the console" and each ROM file could be thought of as "a game." You need to open the ROM file with the emulator, just as you would need to play a game cartridge on its own console.

As for the "difference," anything under the public domain means it has no copyright. This pertains to music, movies, images -- you name it. Knowing this should be a requirement to being allowed to use computer, but I can't control other people yet. There's nothing illegal about downloading things under the public domain, including ROM files.

A commercial ROM file is a ROM that was dumped from a real game cartridge that cost money at one point or another.

I'm not going to condone doing anything illegal, but if you download music, movies or TV shows, I think it would be silly to be objected to pirating games.
 
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