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Opinion: As Nintendo ponders iOS, it’s time for Mac console game emulators to shine

When Nintendo announced last week that it will collaborate with DeNA to release iPhone and iPad games, gamers split into two camps: people intrigued by the promise of brand new Nintendo titles designed for mobile devices, and others — including myself — who expect Nintendo to release shallow mobile minigames, mostly to promote console titles. Nintendo hasn’t actually committed to bringing the Super Mario games people love into the App Store; instead, it’s saying only that its characters will appear in new titles that won’t require complex controls. The implication is that only Nintendo consoles are capable of playing Nintendo’s console games.

I disagree with that. For years, Macs and PCs have been able to run thousands of classic console and arcade games, including Nintendo’s best-known titles, using emulators. These free programs let discontinued, often HDTV-incompatible games play on computers — in many cases, with noticeably better graphics than you remember. Freed from the fuzzy, low-contrast televisions people used to own, classic games can look pixel-sharp on Retina displays, and some emulators actually improve the edges and textures of 3-D objects. Nintendo may not want you to play its prior console games on your favorite Apple device’s screen, but thanks to emulators, it’s possible today. The picture above? That’s Super Mario Galaxy, running on a Retina MacBook Pro…

Although an incredible amount of hard work went into developing emulators, the basic concept is simple: the emulator converts old game “ROMs” (cartridges/chips) or “ISOs” (discs) into apps that run on another, newer machine. Think of the emulator as being a realtime translator of Spanish into English, constantly translating the old game’s language into the new machine’s language, and you’ll get a sense of how much opportunity there is for show-stopping misinterpretations (game crashes). Yet emulators work: the faster the new machine is, and the better the emulator’s written, the smoother old games run.

The best-known classic game emulator is MAME, the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, which has been available (and evolving) since 1997. Thanks to 18 years of development, MAME is now capable of emulating thousands of different games across dozens of different arcade platforms — equivalent to translating classic books from the world’s most popular languages into English. Developers have released versions of MAME for Macs, PCs, and even iOS devices, and as computer chips have continued to improve every year, games that were once sluggish have become easier to emulate quickly. MAME’s developers also continue to remove bugs, so everything from simple 2-D arcade classics like Pac-Man to thrilling 3-D racing games like Daytona USA (above) can run equally well.

On the console side, OpenEMU compiles and provides a slick interface for numerous console emulators. It’s currently available in an experimental version with support for seven older Nintendo systems: Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES (with the Japan-only Famicom Disk System), Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Super NES, and Virtual Boy. Many classic Nintendo games run perfectly, including Pilotwings 64 for the Nintendo 64 (above).

But all of these emulators face a legality problem: you need to own a game if you’re going to emulate it legally, and very few people actually own the games they want to play. (Collecting console games can take up a fair amount of space, but arcade collections are in an entirely different league.) That’s the key reason Apple has rejected MAME and other game emulators whenever developers try to sneak them into the App Store. In 2013, MAME was hidden inside an iOS game called Gridlee, surviving for a month before Apple yanked it. Late last year, “Floppy Cloud,” an iOS emulator of Nintendo NES and Super NES games (shown playing Super Street Fighter II, above), snuck into the App Store for two days before getting bounced out by Apple.

For those of us who own classic games that will only play on aging consoles (and out-of-date TVs), emulators are a godsend. They keep abandonware (such as the still-fantastic futuristic racing game F-Zero GX for Nintendo’s GameCube) alive without forcing customers to pay a second (third, or fourth) time to run the same game on new consoles. Nintendo has made a small fortune by releasing the same exact game in incompatible formats for different consoles, charging fans separately for each machine they want to play it on. Like the App Store, which lets you run games and apps on past, present, and future iOS devices, emulators cut through that nonsense. Nintendo may or may not be heading in the same direction, itself.

The big change over the last five years has been a radical increase in the amount of power found in new Apple devices. For instance, Apple says that the iPad Air 2’s A8X CPU is 12 times faster than the A4 inside 2010’s original iPad, with graphics processing that’s 180 times faster. Even though Macs haven’t jumped as dramatically in performance, I was astonished to learn how well emulators are running these days on even low-end and midrange Macs. Equipped with only Intel HD Graphics chips, two-year-old MacBook Pros and Mac minis are capable of running Nintendo GameCube and Wii games at full speed under emulation. In fact, many GameCube games can run on these older machines at 3 times their original resolution — enough to fill a 1080p HDTV with razor-sharp pixels. It’s worth pointing out that Nintendo’s own Wii U can’t do that with prior-generation games, unless Nintendo individually reprograms them (and sells them for $50 a pop).

Two screenshots above illustrate how the free GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin 4.0 handles games on the Mac. Shot 1 shows Dolphin perfectly emulating F-Zero GX as it looks on older TV sets and monitors. But shot 2 shows Dolphin running the same game in widescreen mode at 3 times its original resolution, where it still looks better than any futuristic racer Nintendo has released in the subsequent dozen years. Virtually any Mac with an HDMI cable can display these console games on a TV. And if you pair Dolphin with a $30 Sony DualShock 3 or $50 DualShock 4 wireless controller, you can enjoy console-quality controls on your Mac, as well. A one-time setup process lets you map the GameCube’s joypad, analog joysticks, and buttons to a PlayStation controller, which you can use wirelessly with Bluetooth, or with any USB charging cable. Wii controls — notably including the IR sensor — can be mapped to DualShocks as well.

Why does emulation matter? Because it gives lie to the oft-circulated claim that console games are only playable on consoles, a fiction Nintendo tacitly encourages because the reality — that its consoles are merely computers controlled by joypads — is inconvenient, and a threat to its finances. Its competitors Sony and Microsoft haven’t shied away from acknowledging their machines’ computer roots; Sony’s PlayStation division is officially named Sony Computer Entertainment, and previously supported Linux; Microsoft’s Xbox consoles have openly run pared-down versions of Windows for years.

It’s no surprise that there are very good emulators for the PlayStation (PCSXR) and PlayStation 2 (PCSX2-CE) at this point, each capable of running hundreds of the Sony consoles’ best games. While original PlayStation games (Wipeout XL, above) are low-resolution and limited in color, PlayStation 2 games (Wipeout Fusion, below) have more detail and better shading. Unlike Dolphin’s emulation of Nintendo games, however, the PlayStation emulators can’t (yet) magically upgrade the 3-D artwork in older games, but they can run games in a forced widescreen mode that looks better on modern TV sets. It goes without saying that DualShock 3 and DualShock 4 wireless controllers work with old PlayStation games, too.

To be clear, I’m not in any way advocating that you go online and start grabbing games you haven’t already purchased. But as a longtime Mac user and even longer-time console gamer (with a physical game collection that was at one point too large to manage), it’s clear to me that emulation is a better way to go. Twenty or thirty years worth of games can now fit on a single hard drive. Today’s computers and mobile devices are capable of running more old games than ever before. And Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft don’t have the resources to individually remaster all of their old titles — it takes a team 6-12 months per game, and as we’ve seen with Microsoft’s Halo: Master Chief Collection debacle, there’s no guarantee everything will work right.

I don’t believe that what Nintendo’s currently doing with old games is sustainable. In late January, Nintendo started selling a $10 “Wii U” copy of the boxing game Punch-Out!! that was just the original Wii game in downloadable form. It doesn’t look as good as the exact same game playing on Dolphin (above), and I had to buy $40 worth of special controllers just to play it on the Wii U. Only the hardest-core Nintendo fans will keep shelling out again and again to play the same titles. Thanks to ever-improving Macs and great emulators such as Dolphin, they may not have to do so for much longer. The only better solution would be a Nintendo-made game emulator for iOS, with plenty of games and a Nintendo-developed controller, all at reasonable prices.

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Comments

  1. I’ve been saying it for year. Apple needs games while Nintendo needs a better platform and help. They should make some kinda of partnership but the biggest concern would be Apple’s pricey hardware. However now of days most families already have a iPad or iPhone and it’s clear the kids really enjoy them a lot.

    • Nintendo’s only need of mobile is to put a purpose-built version of their IP onto other mobile platforms. That includes iOS, Android, and Windows Universal Apps alike. What it does *not* mean, however, is that they should just ROM-dump their old games on those platforms. That would be a disaster.

      Having tried playing many of Nintendo’s old games on tablets of various kinds, I’ll be the first to say: playing games built for buttons, sans buttons, *sucks*. Nintendo understands gameplay far better than most others do, and that’s the reason why they’re unlikely to just rom-dump properties onto these platforms. It simply isn’t a good idea.

      What their iOS/Android/Windows apps need to do is just this: create compelling experiences that draw players toward their hardware platforms. No more, no less.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        You’re exactly right about the buttons, that’s why Apple needs to design their own controller which would work across all of their devices, most notably, the new TV. As for Nintendo, they’re so stupid for not putting their IP on iOS and Andriod long ago. I mean strictly from a business stand point they could have made ridiculous money off of something as simple as Mario run, or the like. Not only would they have made massive money with those types of touch friendly games, it would have given them huge popularity and increased interest in their hardware and more powerful games.

      • Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

        I totally agree. I’ve tried to play SNES games on my iPad and using a virtual D-Pad along with SIX virtual buttons is impossible, and that would get even worse with newer consoles as they have even more buttons and sticks.

        The only way touch screen gaming can work is by designing games specifically for it. Nintendo of course has done this before, with some of its Nintendo DS games.

        I’ll also say that Nintendo doesn’t need to make mobile games, and I believe they’re only doing so due to shareholder pressure. They have a gigantic pile of cash in the bank and have a history of replacing console flops with console hits. The Wii U was still born, but Nintendo will be back with something else before long.

      • Jon Tiano - 9 years ago

        Nintendo could put out a MFi controller that was high quality as well. I just picked up a Mad Catz c.t.r.l.i and it’s a really good controller. I imagine Nintendo could exceed them if they tried – especially given some of the control gimmicks in recent years.

  2. whynoemu - 9 years ago

    How can you do a whole article on Mac emulators and not mention OpenEmu (http://openemu.org/)? Because it uses a framework it can support new emulator engines (there is even an experimental Dolphin engine for it).

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 9 years ago

      This wasn’t supposed to be a definitive guide to Mac emulators, but I’ve added a section on OpenEmu discussing its Nintendo support. Thanks.

  3. o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

    What needs to happen is this upcoming TV needs an apple designed controller to be available as an accessory. That would get developers making good games. Sorry, but all third party controllers are junk, and they do next to nothing to sell games or promote console quality games. You absolutely must have a first party controller if you want the push necessary for gaming to start picking up. They need to make a controller, with Taptic engines, etc., and let third parties handle making attachments so people can attach their iPhone or iPod touch to it, if desired. The most important thing about video games is the controller, and a touchscreen controller is garbage compared to a tactile, physical controller, with physical buttons, not to mention that a touchscreen controller doesn’t work if you’re not looking at the touchscreen, but instead, your TV… If they have an apple designed controller for this TV, it will sell like crazy. Apple has so many developers that could be making AAA titles for iOS. TVs need hardcore games, not flappy birds or Minecraft.

    Let’s say it has an A9X…I don’t know why they’d release one in the fall with an App Store and put last year’s A8 chip in it. With an App Store comes games, and that gives you the opportunity to use the A9X chip fully loaded down because power efficiency isn’t an issue, being that it’s plugged into the wall. Give it an A9X, and 2GB of RAM and have tiers of storage options. With Metal and those specs it would be able to play PS3/Xbox 360 quality games I presume.

    • Emiliano Sena - 9 years ago

      I’ve just logged here to ask you, how do you text the Apple logo :o

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        Highlight and copy it here  then go into keyboards and make a shortcut for it by pasting it in there and then creating a shortcut like appl or whatever.

      • pedrotaquelim - 9 years ago

        If you’re on a Mac just type Option (alt) + 1. ;-)

    • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

      It would definitely need a controller but I just don’t know that Apples design process translates to controllers. Look at their mouse, and current Apple TV remote. Stripped down to basic elements. I don’t see Apple being a company thats good at making controllers. Apple controller will have a D pad and A and B buttons nothing more……if that.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        I think they’re competant enough to know the required buttons for a control. I know the point you’re making though. I don’t think their remote or mouse required a lot of buttons. It’s not like their keyboards don’t have the necessary buttons.

    • J.latham - 9 years ago

      While I would agree that Apple needs to make the AppleTV a gaming device, I’m not sold on the controller idea. Not that physical buttons are not important in some games, but not in all. I think the Wii and to a somewhat lesser extant the WiiU, has shown that you can make very compelling games with new novel controls. As far as older button based games that require precision, yes a controller would be needed. But games like Mario Party, Mario Kart, and Zelda: Sacred Sword have been done with accelerometers pretty well.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        Nah good gaming will always need tactile physical buttons. Tilting a controller to the left or right is a lovely gimmick, but no one can control them well like that. A controller with physical tactile buttons is a must for any compelling games. In my opinion casual mobile friendly games like angry birds or cut the rope don’t belong on a TV screen. A TV screen should have games that go well beyond that. Even Mario kart is well beyond those mobile friendly games.

  4. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    I’m baffled at how you were able to write this article without one mention of OpenEmu, the poster child OS X console emulator. It is an open source project that bundled multiple emulators together in a single app and automatically organizes your roms in a Delicious-like library that figures out the title and box art for whatever you drop in.

    Right now most of the more modern emulators, like Dolphin, are not supported or in beta support. But I’ve got everything from Commodore 64 to Nintendo 64 running on my modestly-specced MacBook Pro and almost everything works perfectly. It’s also very good at controller support. I play SNES games with a DualShock 3 via BlueTooth on my Mac. Bet they never saw that coming.

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 9 years ago

      It wasn’t intended to be a definitive guide to Mac emulators (there are a lot out there), but I’ve added a photo and section mentioning it. The experimental version of OpenEmu is pretty cool, though I wish it properly emulated Blast Corps…

  5. Mike Grunewald - 9 years ago

    Don’t hold your breath for real Nintendo games on your iPhone or iPad

  6. Calling a Gamecube game like F-Zero GX “abandonware” is disingenuous.

  7. charilaosmulder - 9 years ago

    The emulators are interesting. My expectations of Nintendos new mobile games are very low. They won’t represent the best games the app store has to offer.

    • Jon Tiano - 9 years ago

      Which is sad because they could port the Animal Crossing franchise over to the iPhone and absolutely kill it.

  8. I would love me some nintendo action on my apple devices, i also think this could be good for both companies nintendo would reach a larger untapped audience and apple would get some first class games.

  9. Reblogged this on The Ginja Ninja's Show and commented:
    I’m going to have to look for these emulators man.

  10. tlj6619 - 9 years ago

    No one’s mentioned this, but I’m guessing the reason Nintendo hasn’t released a game on an ios device is because they don’t want to pay 30% of the top ouch. You do all the hard work developing a game and Apple takes 30% of the top because they created a website and stored it on hard drive. It must be hard proposition to swallow when you’re used to making a !00%