I've always had a belief that playing games on emulators "cheapens" the experience of gaming a little bit. I feel that because the original games were never intended to be played on a computer with the features that an emulator includes (graphic enhancements, save states, different controllers, etc.) that is just does feel right, you know?

I, like most retro gamers, really love to playe games as they were meant to be played. I just don't think an emulator provides that. I want to go back and beat games that I played as a kid but never completed (without cheats ) and if I were to use an emulator to do that, it wouldn't feel like I really accomplished anything. It's almost like putting an asterisk next to the game when I claim to have complete it.

"Yeah, I beat it....but I used an emulator"

This is especially the case with Save States as I feel are a way of cheating if you are playing a game that doesn't allow saves at any point in time. Much like using a controller with a turbo button, it's just not right.

Now, playing just for kicks or playing homebrews or using enhanced features (like multiplayer) is different. I think emulators are fine for that. But beating a game on a emulator? Meh.

Am I taking this too far? Should I just shut up and enjoy the games? or does anything else feel this way too?

That is pretty much the reason I got back into collecting retro games.

I had the ability to play them all on emulator, but it just wasn't the same.

There is something about owning and using the physical cart that emulators will never replace.

"Hey, let's open the emulator and play some NES."

Gets nowhere near the same reaction as:

"Let's play some NES, check out my carts and pick what you want."

Gaming on an emulator never feels right to me. I usually resort to using a keyboard and controls always feel like an awkward mess. Nothing beats playing games on their original consoles.

I wouldnt mind playing games on an emulator ... if I could find a good reliable one that I myself can figure out how to install.

A lot of the games I want to play are the only games on that particular console I want to play. I dont want to have a bunch of consoles for 1 game and would rather just get my fill of the game on an emulator for a few days and go back to something else when Im done.

If using turbo controllers (e.g. using a NES Advantage) is a form of cheating, I'd say most kids were guilty of it back in the day, and to be honest, my friends and I didn't even think about it. I drew the line at the Game Genie, though.

It's odd... gaming on the computer feels strange, and yet it looks exactly the same on an LED TV even when using original hardware. More and more people are using the powerpak, which is basically emulation through original hardware, so would beating a game using that cheapen the experience also?

For me, what makes or breaks the gaming experience is simply the controller used. I purchased some adapters for my NES and SNES controllers to emulate on the PC, and it pretty much feels the same as playing my NES on my LED TV.

When I first started to emulate, I would use save states all the time for the convenience, but it does feel cheap. Now I don't use save states at all, although the temptation is there. I do prefer using the original hardware, but I don't mind emulating from time to time.

Now, if we're talking about arcade machines, emulation simply cannot compete with the real thing. Playing MAME with my MK fight stick doesn't compare to playing on a cabinet.

I'll admit that I use emulators, but I haven't used save states in years. It's especially fun when you can plug the original controller into your computer and use that. For games like the Mother (Earthbound) series that are just about impossible to play over here, I can justify playing them emulated. With the original controllers and no save states, it's just like the real thing.

I like both, and I've been involved with emulators for years. My most personal favorite is bsnes because not only is it the only cycle-accurate SNES emulator, but it's also open source. I learned some basic coding so I could modify it to my needs. I also learned how to add custom resolutions to my video card, allowing me to display the games as they were intended on my monitors. Bsnes also has a unique feature that lets you sync the A/V so that the sound never skips and the scrolling is liquid-smooth. The end result is I get a perfect digital display (something you can never do with the actual consoles), and any game at my fingertips. I even have an adapter that lets me use a SNES controller. So when I'm playing the emulator output on my 55-inch LCD at the foot of my bed, it's exactly like playing the real thing, only with an absolutely perfect digital picture.

All this requires a bit of tech savvy knowledge, so I understand the average joe isn't going to have the flawless experience I've set up with my computer and TV monitor, but the fact that it is possible has made me quite happy. Some of you may know the author of the emulator (byuu) as he has a few transactions on this site he completed. He tracked down nearly every official SNES game ever made for complete documentation and preservation of the NTSC library. That's some serious dedication. Let's face it, these games aren't going to last forever. Eventually, the only way to experience these games in the future will be on emulation. I'm just glad byuu was around to make sure it would be the most accurate experience possible.

im not opposed to emulators, as its the only way to play dumped protos and games you cant find, but hot damn its way cooler to physically own something

Exactly. I have a 2 terabyte modded xbox with pretty much every game known to man on it. The emulation is perfect, but using the xbox controller just isn't the same.

However, even if I were able to plug an original nintendo controller into my xbox, I would probably still use my cartridges. Nothing beats seeing the original game system and cartridge in front of you. 

Emulators save me so much damn money. I can avoid buying games that I want to try based on reputation or recommendation, but end up sucking ass. To me it's like back in the day I used to rent a game rather than immediately pay full price for something I maybe read about in a magazine. Unfortunately, no one rents the games I'm interested in anymore, so emulation is a godsend.

As for actual gaming I prefer the real thing hands down.  Emulation is merely a means to the end of a quality console gaming experience, by filtering out the bad games first.

If you're using an emulator just to check if you like the game, I really don't see a problem. If you're downloading games instead of buying the physical copies, there's always the moral/legal argument against stealing.

As a collector/gamer, I just don't like emulators. From a collecting perspective, of course I'd rather have the physical copies, they're the real thing. Any clown can use an emulator, but it's something else to be able to pull any of my 1500 (ish) games off the shelf and pop it in. I feel like I've actually accomplished and earned it, not only because I paid for it but because I put the time into finding the games I want. I'm the same way with DVDs, I have hundreds because I prefer to actually own genuine copies rather than burning or streaming it illegally.

The gamer in me definitely prefers an original controller. Also, save states are cheating. If you beat a game on an emulator with save states, you didn't really "beat it".

I love using emulators to examine how some games do certain things. They're the best tools for game development bar none, I love them. I don't game on them much. I mean, I do, but when I want to really play some games I pull out the Nintendo. But I love emulators for the power they give me just the same.

Boom! You got it.

emulators are only good for screenshot snapping and save states (i.e. "experimental" gameplay or for games with a lack of a quality save/PW system... i.e. see Addams Family Values)

Other than that, I totally agree with OP. I too feel emulators cheapens the real game. And I never play a real game on an emulator first. Even for testing out. If I liked the idea enough behind a game, I bought it with no Youtube or print review or emulator background knowledge... I like discovering on my own on the real system just how I feel about Game X

It's partly psychological and partly fact that playing a game on an emulator doesn't feel right and I agree with you.  Even if you try and play stock without the enhancements you have to make sure you're well over the needed specs so it runs totally right for you, but also it's key to get a USB game pad or usb adapter to use your real game pads, then it can actually feel right.  I find in a few very rare cases like with bsnes which went for pure accuracy and nestopia that did too.  I have this NES gamepad I got at Frys before moving that is a 100% pure ripoff thing(surprised they sold it) with a usb plug and when I played it in nestopia it was the first time gaming felt right on an emulator.  But in most cases, it's for a quick pick up or lazy moment.

I too like to only play them as intended, always refused to use filters and boosters, I like it stock.  The few times I finished a game on an emulator were a couple or so Japanese SFC translations like FF5 and Sailor Moon Another Story, and other than that things I own already and just knock off fast I just don't do it.  Emulators to me these days are just a test bench for possible purchases.

I played emulators plenty about 10-15 years ago when I owned literally zero retro games.
It's fine for some games, and the save states are of course handy when you're playing to kill time and just want to return where you left off, just for fun.
But some games just aren't as good on emulator.
Battle of Olympus stands out as one I remember being ass on emulation, which is actually an awesome game on the console.
I think emulators (and computers in general) have improved quite a bit since then, but yeah I always prefer to play on the console if I have a choice.

That's why the Wii is this gens "regular Xbox" for emulation, but better in some aspects. The one realy flaw is lack of quality MAME emulation, k fine, I can deal with that. Because the big gripe with emulating on the regular Xbox is solved on the Wii, real controllers. You can get an adapter for the Wiimote to use an NES, SNES (and I believe, although haven't seen if it worked yet) Genesis controllers. If you have an original Wii, RetroUSB has GC port adapters for NES and SNES controllers. You can get a Neo-Geo stick (albeit kinda pricey now) for the Wii as well. Just a marvelous emulation system for the home consoles all the way around!!!

My stance on this has completely reversed on this subject. 4 or 5 years ago, before the price explosion occurred (yes, such a time existed), I wouldn't be caught dead playing an emulator. Now, emulation is basically the only way I will be able to try the games that have eluded me this far.

Good emulators, properly configured, are awesome. Its these inaccurate, misconfigured things without good shaders that give it a bad name. You need a powerful computer (I have a newer i7 @ 4.5Ghz and HD7950 and can barely run chipped snes games at 60fps), and to spend a few hours setting it up, but its awesome. BSNES, Kega, and some Nice crt shaders can look authentic, but superior (similar to a RGB mod, but better). Sound is cleaner. A REAL controller via USB is essential.

I love the games, not really the hardware. And I still collect the same as I would if I didn't use emulators. The two are not related to me.

I can, of course, totally understand preferring the real hardware though.

How about Flash Carts??

Part of the gaming experience for me involves checking the box and reading the manual. I like me them CIBs even though i own a flash cart.

Emulators are great tools, and can be fun to play, but I almost never do. I built an adapter using a PIC microcontroller so I can plug NES and Super NES controllers into the PC. It works great, but even with the correct controller and a good emulator, it still doesn't "feel right". I'll use the emulator for testing, testing translation patches, etc. But if I want to actually play a game, I'll go out and get the real thing, or, in the case of unreleased/translated games, I'll solder together a cartridge to play it on the real hardware.

And yes. Savestates are *totally* cheating. I always thought the same about turbo controllers too. Although, years ago, I'll admit to using the Game Genie on occasion. It did make some games more fun, or at least more playable. There are some seriously broken games that really need it. And it was fun to screw around and do things that weren't normally possible. Although, of course, you pay for all that cheating by wearing out the ZIF connector in the Nintendo. Just goes to show, that cheaters never win

-Ian

I prefer to play on actual console to a tv screen, but I've always used FCEU as my emulator of choice when playing on my laptop, for me from what I tried of all of the other popular ones, I didn't like them. Mainly I use emulator gaming to try out games I've never played before, or test something out in a game that would be easier by this means, but mostly for snapshots of the screens, for sprite captures for various reasons, currently for cross-stitching. I've only ever beaten a handful of games emulator only and all done fairly, afterall I don't need to cheat.

Games that I beat emulator only:

Time Diver: Eon Man (unreleased game, beat on emulator)
Robocop vs. Terminator (unreleased game, beat on emulator)
Ufouria (European version of Hebereke, beat on emulator)
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (owned this game but beat on emulator, so far only the one time, but did so without dying, could've done on my console but that year was when our family first got a computer, 2006, so I was emulator crazy then and my console was in the closet)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (emulator only, so far, for NA high score contest last year since I didn't have the game, I have it now though)

Just recently a couple days ago played through Little Samson via emulator, all the way to the end, unfortunately didn't realize it was on easy mode until afterwards, guess I pressed start too quickly, so I didn't see the entirety of the game. I say I played through it, but even though I seen it through to the end, I did not beat the game, because I used savestates after every stage beaten and before every boss fight. My purpose with this though was just to see the whole game quickly and save states for if ever I want to capture sprites from it I can zip on over to whatever stage I need to instant to collect them.

So for me, emulators are a great tool, but for actual serious gaming I tend to stick to the console NES for that. Still even now that I have a USB adaptor to use my NES controller on my laptop for emulation gaming, I don't see me doing much more than what I did with Little Samson the other day.

I was using one of these for over a year before finally buying an adapter that I could plug a real NES controller into. It's not a horrible controller, but it felt cheap (of course it's only $7, so what do you expect). I would still use this on the go because it's easy to wrap up, but I've already had a much better experience with the adapter I just bought.