Information in this article applies broadly to all video game emulators.
There are other types of emulators for different types of hardware.
Emulators also make it possible to play homebrew games or games designed by fans.
Ollie Millington/Getty Images
What Are Video Game ROMs?
ROM files are obtained by using special hardware that downloads data from a cartridge to a computer.
Game data is downloaded as anISO imageusing anoptical drivefor disc-based consoles like thePlayStation.
Why Do People Use Game Emulators?
Consequently, using emulators and ROMs is the only way to play many classic titles.
As with most software, console emulation programs are OS-specific.
Fortunately, there are emulators for Linux, Windows, and Mac.
How Do Video Game Console Emulators Work?
There are multiple methods of emulation.
The latter method can be extremely taxing, even on an exponentially more powerful PC than the original console.
Any video game console can theoretically be emulated, but several limitations exist.
Most notably, console developers carefully guard the specifics of their hardware.
