Is emulation piracy?

[Ben Jeremy]

Ah, this is an on-and-off debate in a lot of threads these days, with hackers promising not tho enable backup managers, but allowing emulators to run rampant on the systems.

My take on the question? Yes and No.

The problem with emulation isn't the ROMs - it's the market for newly manufactured ROMs. Take NES for example... while there are, believe it or not, still a small number of developers actually selling new cartridges for the NES (a very small niche market, indeed), most of the software for the NES could be considered "abandonware". Leaving alone for a minute, the idea of updated versions enjoyed in the Wii's "Virtual Console" for example, these games are only found in flea markets and used game shops. The revenue stream for the copyright holders dies a LONG time ago.

Even considering that some old games get updates, they aren't the same game, not really. You are buying an updated version, with new graphics and sound. Nintendo isn't going to give you credit on the VC version of a game, just because you wave around your original cartridge! At the same time, your emulated version is not the same as the updated version, so you aren't "stealing" the new updated game at all, in any way you define the concept.

On the other hand, emulating the DS or the Wii (or even the PS2 for that matter) DOES involve games that are still in play on the market. At this point, the games you are playing are no different than a backup of a PS3 game you do not own (I'm setting aside any moral judgment here for the sake of this argument).

So, yes and no. Some emulation is, indeed, piracy.

That said, I wonder how those hackers that enable homebrew but wish to be "pure" and not support backup managers sleep through the night, with their support of piracy through emulators like Dolphin and DeSmuME.

[Maniakc]

Emulators can be used for piracy and are just like backup managers. If you don't own a NES game that you download, you are pirating the game, no different than if you downloaded a PS3 game without owning an original copy of it.

[Pockets69]

Wrong as Ben Jeremy said you are not pirating 1- because piracy requires you to steal revenue from a gaming company, now those comapnys don't get revenue from those games a long ago
2- and because of that they are considered abandonware therefor free to distribute and have to anyone that wishes.

[Thatdude888]

Amazon.com: Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt: Video Games

Its easy to find some small business selling a old game, unlike big buisness's when you pirate a rom you take money out of a struggling families mouth

So if anything it should be more moraly wrong to pirate a rom then a ps3 game but both are piracy no matter how you look at it and both are wrong.

But would you rather steel from a minum wage making father of 3 who sets up in the flea market. Or would you rather steal from a muti billion dollar company who steals from there developers while taking 70% of the profit just for allowing there distribution name

Sony makes profit when people buy there systems to pirate there games...

People make no money when you download a few megs of a emulator then pirate there game

[Braindrain]

Any lawyer will tell you that, just because something's been abandoned, doesn't mean the rights have been abandoned.

Yes, piracy.

[Thatdude888]

Wrong as Ben Jeremy said you are not pirating 1- because piracy requires you to steal revenue from a gaming company, now those comapnys don't get revenue from those games a long ago
2- and because of that they are considered abandonware therefor free to distribute and have to anyone that wishes.

you are a retard trying to justify a crime, you take money from some one big company or not if a man has a shrimp boat is on the sea's and you rob them its still piracy just as if you robbed a military grade oil rig.

[Maniakc]

Wrong as Ben Jeremy said you are not pirating 1- because piracy requires you to steal revenue from a gaming company, now those comapnys don't get revenue from those games a long ago
2- and because of that they are considered abandonware therefor free to distribute and have to anyone that wishes.

Nintendo still is making $$ off some of their old games through Virtual Console on the wii. So I would still consider it pirating when you obtain the game in a way other then giving them your $$.

[strsqn]

Is there a programmer on this planet that hasn't committed some form of software piracy! I really don't believe there is.

[hirokitanaka]

Any lawyer will tell you that, just because something's been abandoned, doesn't mean the rights have been abandoned.

Yes, piracy.

Braindrain is quite right. Emulation is not illegal, but if you don't physically own a copy of the game your playing then its considered piracy. The only exception to this is games that have become "open source".

[ken_oh]

Nintendo still is making $$ off some of their old games through Virtual Console on the wii. So I would still consider it pirating when you obtain the game in a way other then giving them your $$.

I agree
also it is annoying because it is an ongoing debate.. someone would always think of something new which i don't mind just don't insult others in the process (this is for everyone to have in mind while putting their view across)