Emulation

[angellinus]

And not to mention you're on the Frets on Fire Fan Forum, the majority of you guys pirate the songs to play on the game.

Good thing the F.B.I. didnt lock the forums!

[tibiazak]

a NDS emulator, on the other hand, does not. all you need is the emulator and a rom, nothing proprietary from the system itself, thus if you own a DS game legally, you can emulate it legally without owning the actual NDS. (at least, that's how i see it)

The way I understand it, the NDS has two BIOSes (one for each of its main processors) and tools exist to dump the BIOS from the console. If the emulator doesn't require you to supply the BIOSes separately, then they're built into the emulator and are therefore illegally distributing the BIOS code.

whoops, my bad. according to this random website i just found (ty google) no$gba DOES need a bios to read the encrypted roms (i.e. commercial, non-patched roms). i stand corrected. i /do/ own a DS though, so i never really paid attention to that. XD

[steve_adams2008]

This sorta has to do with this topic, but how many people here download movies? its the same thing as downloading the emulator's and the rom's.

[Rapt0r]

Using a PS2 bios to play a game is not illegal if you own a PS2.

[R4L]

I've also heard that rom sites that post that "You must have the cartridge to download the rom!" are just covering their asses. It really doesn't matter if you own the original or not.

Who cares though? I'm going to play the games I used to love, so f*ck all you goody two-shoes saying "OMGOMGOMG IT'S ILLEGALZ!! JAIL!!1!11!11!!!1!!eleven"

[Rapt0r]

It may be illegal but I'm not saying don't do it. I'm a proud owner of complete romsets of CPS1, CPS2, Neo-Geo, NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, and GB/GBC c:

[akedrou]

For what it's worth, since this is one of those things that kind of bothers me: at least if you are in America, it almost certainly is illegal, even if you own the game and/or console.

Even the held-as-sanctuary Section 117 ("archival [backup] copy") doesn't work for you because you are not using the copy for backup purposes, unless you own the game, ripped it yourself (though this is less a consideration for CD/DVD-based games as it doesn't take much to prove you could do this on your own), and then lost it, and then were forced to resort to emulation. And even then, the BIOS itself is similarly almost certainly infringing for you to copy under any circumstance (assuming the manufacturer so declares) if your emulator relies on one. Even if you read a DIY guide and rip the thing yourself. Not that this matters, as 90% of you have music collections that are just as illegal, but the misinformation on the subject is a bit surprising. Why do so many people delude themselves into thinking it's allowed?

The USA is super-friendly to protecting creative works, which was incredibly helpful and egalitarian back in the day, and very opposite now. Just sayin'.

Remember: when in doubt, you are infringing copyright. Backing your music folder up is technically a potential infringement on copyright in the US, even if you bought the files from an online store.

That said, admitting to yourself that what you are doing is against the law is good for you.

See also: Yes, 45 in a 40 is still speeding; Why "Not An Emulator" is all over free software

[death_au]

...but the misinformation on the subject is a bit surprising. Why do so many people delude themselves into thinking it's allowed?

I think it's because of the old rom-sharing websites which all said things along the lines of "You must have the original cartridge to download this rom, or you have to delete it within 24 hours".
It doesn't matter what the law is, that's just what people read on The Internet. And if it's on The Internet, it must be true... Right?
*hides NDS flash card full of illegal ROMs in bag*. I only own 2 NDS cartridges: Pokemon Pearl and Guitar Hero On Tour

[nefarious]

If I had to guess I probably have around 15k games on my mame cabinet even though I like never play it...... I'll occasionally fire it up just to see it work and play some street fighter or puzzle bobble then shut it down; things really just collecting dust.

[Rapt0r]

Well, I'm sure you had fun building the thing! If I had the cash, I'd build one in an instant!

[emperorsenshi]

I made an ultimate emulator disk for NES a few weeks ago until I realized that it's pretty useless and just kept it on a flash drive.

But yeah, I love playing on emulators. I don't own a camera, so it's the only way I can film me playing a game.

[1337buddha]

I love playing on emulators.

Yeah, me too