Xbox boss supports emulators and game preservation

In a recent statement, we saw that Phil Spencerhead of Xbox, supports emulators so that the games that were once successful, that have a lot of quality or just for the fun and nostalgia factor, even if some games can cause, are preserved. Spencer says that emulating old games on current consoles is a way to preserve and maintain the art. Gaming — be sure to check it out!

What are emulators?

You've probably heard of emulators for several video games, usually the older ones, such as Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy, but more recent ones can also be found, such as emulator for Nintendo Switch, for example. “Emulate”, in this gamer sense, means playing the games from that console on another, more advanced device, such as a newer console or a computer.

In most cases this act is better known as piracy, since you don't need to buy either the video game or the game to be able to enjoy it: just download some programs and ROMs (the file that contains the game's code) and start playing. However, some companies have been thinking for years about how to deal with piracy without withholding the possibility for players to play some of their titles, now outdated.

With that in mind, Nintendo, for example, has through its online game service some nintendo (o NES, predecessor of the Super Nintendo), from the Super Nintendo and recently also added some titles of Nintendo 64. That is, through the Nintendo Switch it is possible to emulate older games from the company in an official way.

But not only Nintendo, but also Microsoft is committed to applying emulation features on its console. At the Xbox Series X, for example, you can play some first-generation Xbox games. Although the idea is quite positive, especially for players who want to repeat the experience of that game, or even for the first time, this process may not be that simple, involving legal and software issues at various levels.

Phil Spencer had already spoken a few years ago about how backwards compatibility can be a decisive factor in the preservation of games and how this strongly influences the maintenance of art Gaming. During the ceremony of the event that celebrated the anniversary of 20 years of Xbox, Microsoft announced the inclusion of 70 new games in backwards compatibility for its latest console, the Xbox Series X, such as Binary Domain and also the saga trilogy Max Payne.

Emulation and remastering

Another issue that should be considered when talking about emulation is the remastering of games. This other method is a similar way of delivering the same title that was once successful, again to players on current consoles. As the emulation process can often suffer from some technical barriers, such as bringing graphics that are quite obsolete to newer qualities, remastering some game can be more viable than the emulation itself.

Complete game remastering is being a priority for some companies, rather than bringing game emulation to current consoles. This way gives the opportunity to re-sell that title at a “fair” price and also offers that player the chance to play an older game, but adapted to the current reality, even with some transition difficulties, which will always exist. A good example of remastering is the trilogy Super Mario 3D All Stars, which brings to Switch 3 plumber games that became famous in Nintendo 64, Game Cube e Wii.

Of course, remastering, or even emulating old games, doesn't have the same effect as playing it on your home console, as well as having that game on that platform. But it's important that companies are thinking of ways to provide current gamers — and those who miss them — ways to play classic titles, and legally.

See also:

Xbox will now have the service Xbox CloudGaming also for consoles — this service was exclusive to PC. Check out!

Pig iron: TechRadar.