Emulators of prefixes and game consoles. Best game console emulators for Windows

A couple of years ago, I didn’t even have a thought to download an android emulator for my usual Windows computer. But the popularity of the brainchild of Google cannot but surprise, of course, this affected the entire industry. information technologies- it turned out just unrealistically many different applications and games that work exclusively on Android and you can download them from, which I wrote about recently. That is why it was decided to write this guide on choosing the best emulator - in a nutshell it will not work, there is plenty to choose from.

In fact, there are really many reasons why it becomes necessary to run the Android Emulator on your personal computer or laptop. For example, app developers can test their software before publishing it to the App Store on various configurations. Fans of a wide variety of games can use their favorite mice and keyboards over the years as game controls - and this is really necessary (however, I do not think that they will replace the gyroscope control). In any case, emulation of Android applications in Windows is possible, and my task is to tell you about the best in this niche.

Two years ago, I had the imprudence to install the Hay Day game on my tablet, well, I hung there for several days. The habit did its job - playing on a computer is more familiar and convenient for me, but the online version does not exist in nature and it was decided to install the Bluestacks emulator. At that time, probably the only adequate option for launching games for android on a PC running Windows.

Important note: Some emulators require the BIOS (or UEFI) to enable support for Intel VT-x or AMD-v hardware virtualization. Usually they are always active, but if you are experiencing problems with some of the emulators from the list, then check these options. However, that's not all, I noticed that when installing the Hyper-V component in the system, many of the above emulators simply refused to start - I did not find a solution to this problem, so choose what is more important for you. (There are a lot of alternatives to Hyper-V and they do not conflict - this is not said to offend Microsoft)

Since we are talking about virtualization in general, it should be understood that the android emulator is a rather gluttonous thing and requires a sufficient amount of RAM. You can see its amount in the properties of the system (for beginners, there is a detailed note on how to determine computer parameters -), if you have less than 4 gigabytes of RAM, then most likely you may not achieve comfortable work.

Do not forget that for correct operation and maximum performance, it is recommended to install the latest drivers for the graphics adapter. I did not include commercial versions in this review, because I understand that most likely it is needed to satisfy interest, and indeed, to see how it happens there.

Nox App Player - perhaps the best emulator

To be honest, I met this emulator quite recently, but nevertheless it deserves the first line in our review. More recently, I thought that "Bluestacks" is the best thing for our tasks, but I was very wrong. (although it probably did before). Now in this segment there is healthy competition and a lot of really worthy options. Most likely, if you do not have problems with NOX App Player, then your acquaintance with android virtualization will end here - you simply will not find a better one. Everything works great even on modern Windows 10 and I did not find any problems with installation or settings, everything is intuitively simple and clear.

After installing and running the program, and it installs quite quickly - just a couple of minutes, we will see the familiar Android screen in front of us (unfortunately, not the latest version, but only 4.4.2, but this is enough to run a huge number of games and applications). Google Play Market is already preinstalled in the system, so there should be no problems with choosing what to play. There is a small note: be prepared to verify your Google account, authorization in NOX App Player causes mistrust among the “corporation of goodness”.

Unfortunately, the program does not have localization into Russian, but the android itself is allowed to switch to Russian - you can do this in the same way as on a phone or tablet. But all the program settings will remain in English, but this is not the most a big problem set once and forget.

Now let's move on to the settings (you can open them by clicking on the gear icon at the top of the program). We are interested in the “Advanced” tab - by default, the emulator will start at a resolution of 1280 × 720, for some it may turn out to be a lot, or vice versa - too small, just select the one you need and restart the application. You can also configure your emulated device here, for example, Performance Setting - these are performance settings, as it turned out, nothing slowed me down even in the minimum configuration, which indicates good optimization.

For the test, I tried to install the game Need For Speed: No Limits - everything works exceptionally smoothly and there are no issues with control. Of course, racing is not the best example, but as far as I know, this game quite demanding on resources, but everything works just fine.

I would like to write a few words about the action icons that are located to the right of the emulator window, let's go over some of them:

• There is the ability to install applications from APK files from a computer, this feature is useful if you have problems with the Google Play Store.
• You can select your location manually and the emulator will think that it is receiving the real GPS coordinates of the receiver, but we set them ourselves.
• Creating screenshots, I think there is nothing special to explain here - the most common picture with the contents of the window at a certain moment.

What can be summed up after the mini description of the android emulator Nox App Player? If you need to install Prescope, Instagram or similar programs, then this emulator is ideal for these purposes. There are no questions about the speed of work, even heavy 3D toys work great, but you should understand that a lot depends on the performance of your computer.

UPD: If Nox App Player does not start or refuses to install, then most likely the username contains Russian characters. You can create a new user using only English characters or rename an existing one

You can download NOX App Player for free on the official website http://en.bignox.com/

Andy is my choice

I can’t say why, but I settled on this emulator - it seemed to me the most thoughtful and convenient. Unfortunately, the interface is similar to the previous one - on English language, but Android itself is in the Russian language we are used to. No special problems with installation and launch were found, everything went like clockwork.

This android emulator has a pre-installed application store and for the test I tried to install Township and check how everything works. To be honest, I got stuck and lost for about an hour - everything works smoothly, does not crash or buggy.

There is nothing special to configure, I think it’s worth highlighting the emulator’s screen resolution settings, if suddenly the window turns out to be too large or small. The settings are called by clicking on the program icon in the taskbar next to the clock, the menu item is called Set [email protected], here the resolution we cherish is chosen. Naturally, after applying the settings, the program must be restarted for the settings to take effect.

If you are worried that this emulator has few settings, then you are mistaken, everything you need is here. You can also configure the allocated amount of RAM (do not forget that it cannot be more than physically installed in your computer) and the number of processor cores. On this I think we can finish the description of this wonderful application.

You can download Andy Emulator Android by going to the official website http://www.andyroid.net/

Bluestacks - former favorite

Bluestacks is probably the most popular and well-known Android operating system emulator for a Windows computer. A big plus of this program is the presence of the Russian language, but this is not quite an emulator - rather an environment for running games. This is probably why Bluestacks shows just excellent performance in gaming applications, if you don’t need anything else, then you can stop at this option.

Unfortunately, after the update, it has ceased to be completely free - you will be forced to install certain applications every day or offered to pay a subscription of $ 2 per month. However, no one bothers us to remove unnecessary programs immediately after installation, but as they say, the sediment remains ...

The test game Hay Day installed and launched without problems and synced perfectly with the facebook account. I didn’t have a desire to play, but there were no problems with this emulator before and I don’t think there will be now.

The main feature of Bluestacks TV is the ability to broadcast the game online on Twitch, I think this feature will be especially in demand by streamers and will help make Android game reviews easier than ever before.

Complex and demanding games also run without problems, but it feels slower than the same Andy or Nox App Player, so the choice is yours.

You can download the Bluestacks emulator by going to the official website of the program http://www.bluestacks.com/ru/index.html

Droid4x - Gamer's Choice

I often saw the Droid4X emulator in the comments - so I decided to test it too. As it turned out, he has enough problems - this concerns stability, I constantly had problems during testing. However, it has a lot of useful and necessary functions, so we will not discount it.

Of course, I can not say that my computer is weak. (Core i5 and 24GB RAM, HD5870 graphics card), but the configuration is quite old by the standards of computers, but I did not notice any hints of brakes in games, everything is going very smoothly. There is a fly in the ointment, I could not start Plants VS Zombie 2 - the game constantly crashed and under no circumstances wanted to start, there were some problems with the keyboard that resolved themselves. The most annoying thing is that the emulator just freezes completely several times in just half an hour of work, for sure it will be very annoying. Maybe I have these problems specifically - it is quite possible that everything will work stably for you, but, unfortunately, it did not suit me.

Of course, he also has a bright side - this concerns management. The fact is that it is already remarkably adapted to the familiar keyboard and mouse out of the box (swiping left or right, zooming in or out using the mouse wheel - this is all native and familiar to us for a long time).

Droid4X also allows you to bind the buttons of the computer keyboard to the desired areas of the screen, this can be very useful for games, in my opinion this emulator was conceived for games - there were no problems with the Play Market.

In general, the verdict is a solid and productive Android emulator for a computer, but I have problems with it, I can’t say how it will be for you, try it.

You can download Droid4X on the official website http://www.droid4x.com/

Genymotion is the best for developers

The Genymotion emulator is very different from all the programs presented in today's list, it allows you to emulate not only Android itself, but a wide range of real-life devices. It works fast enough and supports hardware graphics acceleration, which is good news. The Russian language is not provided here, so some users may have difficulty learning.

The audience of this emulator is not avid gamers, but most likely software developers, and I just couldn’t launch a lot of games. To get the desired program, we need to be sure to register on the site and we will be able to download the distribution kit for personal use. I recommend using the version with VirtualBox - it's the first one on the list. A separate launch of VirtualBox is not needed - you launch Genymotion and it does everything without your intervention.

So, as I already wrote, there is an opportunity to choose the version of Android and the model of a real device, I don’t think that this is a necessary function for an ordinary user, and developers will certainly be happy with such functionality. Click Next and the emulator automatically pulls everything from the Internet, we just have to fine-tune the application.

In the configuration, we can choose the number of cores and the amount of RAM for the device, and we can also change the resolution - everything is only the most necessary.

Next, you need to select our newly created device in the list, and click "Play", in a couple of minutes the image of the system we have chosen will be ready for use. The capabilities of the emulator are well documented, but again, the language barrier can prevent you from working with the program.

You can download Genymotion as usual on the official website of the program https://www.genymotion.com/. This emulator also has a paid version with advanced functionality, but we are not interested, we are looking for the one that For Personal Use and rejoice.

Test results and my thoughts

Currently, there are a lot of android emulators, for almost every taste and color. I distributed them based on my subjective opinion and it is not necessarily the only true one - it is possible that for you, the presence of some functions will be decisive and then the favorite of this review will not be Nox App Player or Andy, but perhaps Bluestacks - he is the only one who can stream to Twitch out of the box , and the price of 2 bucks, in general, is rather symbolic and does not hit the pocket of a modern gamer much.

It would seem, why emulate the Android mobile operating system on a computer if you are not a developer? There are many reasons for this, and one of them is a huge ecosystem of applications and games that are created specifically for Android, but are not present on Windows, Linux or OS X. What if you want to continue playing Clash of Clans on a computer or upload a high-quality photo to Instagram from PC? Of course, it is worth resorting to the help of emulators. The best of them are presented in this article.

Bluestacks - all in one

- one of the most popular and fastest growing Android emulators for Windows and OS X. With update 2.0, the emulator literally changed - a fresh, but sometimes overloaded interface appeared, the developers began to position Bluestacks more as an opportunity to play Android games and added several useful features for this.

Most programs and games are compatible with Bluestacks - this is what the developers themselves say, and in general, the software library for the emulator is quite extensive. It is worth noting that all games and applications are specially optimized in the Bluestacks internal catalog, that is, they will definitely work on a computer. If you install a third-party APK file, then, of course, its correct operation is not guaranteed. Some programs are completely built into the emulator and work almost like out of the box, for example, Instagram. All the features typical of an emulator are present: changing the screen orientation, shaking simulation, creating screenshots, GPS emulation, convenient work with files - dragging and dropping from Windows Explorer or Finder OS X into the program, copy / paste, as well as sound control.

You can easily switch between open applications and games using tabs, just like in a browser. Among other things, gamepads are supported for games. If Bluestacks has any drawbacks, then they probably only include poor performance and sometimes too cumbersome interface. You can download Bluestacks for Windows and OS X on the Treshbox or on the official website of the emulator.

Nox App Player - convenient and functional

is a more minimalistic, convenient and functional solution. Compared to the same Bluestacks, Nox does not have any cumbersome menus with recommendations, various synchronizations with your own account and other functionality that will be superfluous for most users. When you launch Nox App Player, the user will see the familiar Android desktop with a sidebar where there are buttons for quick functions, as well as the usual "Home", "Back" and "Recent". The developers decided to remove the bottom bar with control buttons to save space.

One distinctive feature is immediately noticeable - when running applications that only work in portrait orientation, the emulator screen and window are adjusted. That is, there will be no such situations as in Bluestacks, where portrait programs take up ¼ of the screen, and the rest is empty space. By the way, in the settings you can adjust the window size and orientation, as well as performance by allocating processor cores and memory.

Geeks in Nox App Player will appreciate the function of getting by switching one toggle switch in the settings. You can also set custom keyboard shortcuts here. Even without rooting, Nox App Player can record screen video. This could not even be mentioned if the emulator used a fresh version of Android (video recording is available from 5.0), but, unfortunately, the Nox developers are still stuck on 4.4.2 KitKat.

For games, Nox App Player is not suitable in the best way - in many the graphics are displayed incorrectly. The emulator is more focused on applications and working with them. For example, to create videos and beautiful screenshots without top and bottom bars. The emulator is also integrated with the Windows 10 notification system. You can download the Nox App Player emulator for Windows on the Treshbox and the official website of the project.

Genymotion - for developers

Genymotion is an emulator designed specifically for developers of Android games and apps, but it can also be used by ordinary people. Unlike the previous two emulators, Genymotion is available on all three popular desktop platforms - Windows, OS X and Linux.

Since Genymotion is an alternative to the emulator built into the Android SDK, templates for a wide variety of Android devices are available in it - from Nexus smartphones and tablets to some little-known state employees. The emulator of each device has a set of relevant characteristics: screen size and resolution, processor and video chip, battery, GPS and support for cellular networks, as well as some others. When launching an application or game in the emulator, it is possible to call a special panel to control all these device parameters. For example, you can find out how the program will behave when GPS or the Internet is turned off. Device parameters can also be freely edited.

For ordinary users who would like to play and take advantage of mobile applications on a computer, Genymotion is not very suitable, but for geeks it is quite. You can download the Genymotion emulator for Windows, Linux and OS X on the official website of the project.

MEMU - for games

is another emulator focused mainly on mobile games. Here, they have a special key layout on the keyboard and even gamepad emulation. For example, for on-screen buttons, you can bind keys on the keyboard. Such functions are often not enough in the same Bluestacks, which is also positioned as a platform mobile games for PC. Otherwise, MEmu is a standard emulator with a good set of features.

At the time of this writing, MEmu does not use the most a new version Android - 4.4.2 KitKat, but Lollipop or even Marshmallow are not really needed in emulators, because most software is optimized for KitKat. Among the interesting additional features of MEmu are: sending applications from a computer to a smartphone or tablet for quick installation, convenient screen orientation change, as well as a full-screen mode for games. The quality of the picture in the latter often leaves much to be desired, but still. Surprisingly, most of the "heavy" games in MEmu are emulated well - there are no problems with graphics.

Also, MEmu has built-in root access, and it also has its own catalog of games from the creators. It is better not to use it, since everything in it is in Chinese, and the "purity" of the distributed content is very doubtful - it is better to download games from Google Play or Threshbox. In general, MEmu is a neat and convenient emulator without unnecessary and intrusive features. You can download the MEmu emulator for Windows on the official website of the project and on the Treshbox.

Andy - standard set

Andy is a good emulator, not much different from the same MEmu. In "Andy" you will also find not the newest version of Android - 4.4.2 with a standard interface without any bells and whistles, which is more an advantage than a disadvantage. Andy is not the best for games - many titles are simply not compatible with this emulator on Google Play. Of course, you can always install via APK, but then there will still be problems with graphics. And sometimes Andy just crashes when launching some game with powerful 3D graphics.

With most simple applications, the emulator works stably. There are standard functions: changing the screen orientation, GPS emulation, using a microphone and a webcam connected to a computer, full screen mode. Otherwise, Andy doesn't stand out much, except for the ability to manually configure the keyboard layout for use in games (in races, by default, you can conveniently control the car using the arrow buttons). It also has gamepad support.

Other than that, Andy is one of the few emulators with ads. In folders with applications, it is always offered to download some kind of game. It's not very intrusive, but it can turn off many users. In any case, advertising icons are marked with an “Ad” tag. You can download the Andy emulator for Windows and OS X on the official website
What emulator are you using? And do you use them at all?

Programs in the list: 10 | Updated: 23-11-2014 |

Emulators of various gaming systems have recently become one of the most common types of software. What game console or console emulator ? In simple terms, this is a program with which you can run programs created for a different system than the one on which the emulator is running. It's even easier, for example, to run games designed for Sony Playstation 2 on a Windows PC. That is, emulators are created specifically for a particular system. The PC platform became the most demanded for which emulators are created. The emulators that exist for it will be discussed later. However, it should be noted that there are also emulators for smartphones, PSP, PS2, PS3....

Emulating one system into another is no easy task. And the creator of the emulator requires excellent knowledge of the architecture of both systems, what is emulated and on what. official game emulators does not exist in nature. Everything that exists is created by programmers enthusiasts. Complex emulators like PS2 are developed by a group of independent programmers. Naturally, this is done free of charge and in your free time, which is a significant deterrent in the development of this or that emulator. In the world of computer science, there are two postulates regarding emulation:

1. 1) The performance of the system on which the emulator is launched must be greater than the emulated system.
2. 2) The more accurate the emulation and the more complex the emulated system, the more hardware resources are required.

These postulates generally explain why there is still no Xbox360 emulator and PS3 emulator. But given the growing power of gaming PCs, their resources will soon begin to suffice for high-quality emulation. Although the Xbox360 emulator will most likely have the same fate as the Xbox emulator, the development of which stopped ten years ago. Microsoft is rumored to have had a hand in this. The project remained forgotten, although if the Xbox emulator were brought to mind, then today, even an average computer would be enough for a normal game. The emulators listed below, almost all have reached the one hundred percent level of development. The quality of the game will depend largely on your computer, especially on such a device as a video card. This applies to recent generation console emulators such as the Playstation 2, GameCube, and Nintendo WII. So if you have a desire to make a multi-platform game combine out of a PC, do not skimp on such a detail .... So, below is a list of the most famous emulators game consoles and consoles...

Tags: game console emulators download | game console emulators for pc free without registration

Emulators Dandy

The eight-bit Famicom game console appeared back in the first half of the eighties. But in Russia, she began to enjoy incredible popularity in the early nineties of the last century, under the name Dandy. For more than one generation, she has become a symbol of childhood. And now, those who no longer have the original set-top box, can plunge completely into childhood on their PC or laptop. Dendy emulators will help out in this.

Ps2 emulator - PCSX2 1.2.1

For more than ten years, this console has remained popular, having replaced the PS1, and there are a huge number of games released for it, among which there are quite a few exclusives that can now be played on a PC using the PS2 emulator......

ePSXe Enhanced 1.7.0

Extended version of Sony Playstation 1 emulator- ePSXe. This version works correctly on a 64-bit operating system. It also has some additional features: the use of shaders to improve graphics, wrapper- convenient browser for ps1 games.

ePSXe 1.9.2

The legendary console known to absolutely every gamer. During its time on the market, the PlayStation has spawned many series of games that continue to be released on modern consoles. Possessing a powerful potential by the standards of the mid-nineties, the PlayStation quickly replaced 16-bit systems, and also confidently became the market leader ...

PSP emulator - JPCSP 0.7

The best portable emulator Sony PlayStation, for only one reason, because today it is the only and more or less working one. Emulation of game consoles on a computer has long gained momentum and achieved a very serious success, with the advent of portable devices, their emulators for PC also appeared. Jpcsp project - allows you to run on PC PSP games. Before perfect emulation, there is still something for its developers to work on

Dolphin 4.0.2

Nintendo's consoles have always been successful, and if the Gamecube was not able to seriously compete with the PS2, then the WII is quite successfully doing it with the PS3. The only emulator that can play Gamecube and Wii games on PC is Dolphin. It is worth noting that its creators have achieved serious success in this matter and all games are played perfectly on the computer of the gaming assembly.....

Sega Dreamcast emulators

This console appeared a little earlier than the Ps2 and lasted on the market for much less time, but the Dreamcast at one time managed to win the love of millions of gamers around the world, demonstrating beautiful graphics. It was mistakenly considered a competitor to PS1, but it is not..the best Dreamcast games can only be ported to PlayStation 2 level consoles....

The Super Nintendo console showed all the beauty and possibilities of sixteen bits, as it had more advanced and somewhat larger resources compared to the Mega Drive. Having existed on the market for quite a long time, this console left a very large number of colorful games...

Sega Mega Drive 2 emulators

The 16-bit Sega Mega Drive 2 game console was the next step in the development of the home entertainment industry. Possessing significantly greater opportunities for creating games compared to the previous generation of 8 bit.

The most famous Android emulator that many users stop at. BlueStacks is really good. It is compatible with almost all programs and games from Google Play, and in the "App Center" tab, it shows recommendations according to other users' ratings.

The emulator has a Pika Points reward system. To earn points, you need to install applications and play. Earned points can be redeemed for Google Play gift cards, premium memberships, t-shirts, and more.

There are no problems when working with files: documents, photos and other data can be transferred from Windows Explorer or Finder macOS by simple drag and drop. You can switch between running applications like between tabs in a browser.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.

Nox App Player is a minimalistic emulator that offers the familiar Android workspace with control buttons on the sidebar. In the program settings, you can adjust performance by adding processor cores and the amount of allocated RAM, as well as change the orientation and size of the window.

Some games in Nox App Player start with errors, but it works great for working with applications. The program has integration with Windows 10 notifications, so you can install the same instant messengers and chat easily through the emulator.

3.Memu

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.

This emulator in Russian is designed primarily for games. Focus on gamers gives a special keyboard layout and emulation of the gamepad. The program supports both programs from Google Play and installation of applications via APK.

On MEmu, you can emulate "heavy" games - there are no problems with performance, but the picture quality suffers a little.

Music, videos, images, and downloads are shared with Windows, so you can quickly transfer files between the emulator and your computer.

There is root access and a built-in application directory. But there is nothing interesting in the catalog: games and programs in Chinese of dubious origin.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS.

A free emulator for games that runs on due to its undemanding resources. If other programs need at least 4 GB of RAM for normal operation, then Koplayer will suffice with 2 GB. It is installed with an English interface, but there is a Russian language in the settings, as in regular Android.

Google Play and APK files are available for installing applications. The main advantage of Koplayer is the ability to customize the keyboard layout for each game. You can also control it with a mouse or a gamepad: just mark a virtual button on the screen and assign it a physical counterpart on the controller.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Genymotion is a program for developers that can emulate a large number of Android devices with real characteristics: from the flagships of popular brands to unknown budget employees. Before downloading, you need to create a free account - its data will be needed at the first start for authorization.

For ordinary users, Genymotion is unlikely to be a convenient solution: there is no Russian interface, games and programs from Google Play often do not start.

But if you are starting on Android, then this emulator will help you conduct all kinds of tests. When you launch an app or game, the device settings control panel is available. Thanks to it, you can see how the application behaves in a different screen orientation, without a GPS connection, Bluetooth turned on, and other conditions.

Which computer can I put an android emulator on

There are no special requirements for installing the emulator on Linux and macOS.

For the emulator to work on a Windows computer, AMD-v or Intel VT-x virtualization must be enabled in the BIOS. This is usually done by default. But if the android emulator won't start, check your settings.

Under Advanced BIOS → Features or Advanced → CPU Configuration (look for something similar), there should be an option called Virtualization or Intel Virtual Technology. Make sure it is set to Enabled.

Most emulators are demanding on RAM resources. If the computer has less than 4 GB of RAM, then the program may slow down.

Also pay attention to the graphics adapter drivers. They should be latest version otherwise the emulators won't start. To check the driver version on Windows, press on your keyboard, type dxdiag, and click Run. Go to the "Display" tab and in the "Drivers" field, look at the version.

Go to the graphics card manufacturer's website and check which driver version is available for your graphics adapter. If new drivers are available, install them.

You can simplify the process with the help of the program. Once launched, the utility will scan all the components of the computer and show which drivers need to be updated. You just have to open the "Drivers" tab and click "Install".

On macOS, to keep drivers up to date, it is enough to install system updates in a timely manner. On Linux, the procedure depends on the . For example, Ubuntu has a built-in utility for updating drivers from third-party developers. Software and update.

The most popular and workable emulators for Android were collected. There was also posted a survey about the subject of the next collection. By a wide margin, the option of creating a selection of set-top box emulators for Windows won.

In this article, I tried to collect a large number of time-tested game console emulators for Windows. With the help of these programs, you can easily turn your PC into a retro game console, and enjoy classic games from which only the best impressions remained.

Perhaps something was not included in the selection. If so, indicate the missing emulator in the comments, I will add it to the main material.

The principle of operation with the console emulator

A game console emulator is a software shell that emulates the operation of the hardware of the device itself. It is not so easy to develop an emulator - it requires both programming experience and knowledge of accurate information about the principles of operation of the original device. Most emulators can be divided into two groups, including "simple" and "compound" programs. Many emulators provide even more functionality than older consoles (such as saving in games for Dendy and Sega).

There are no simple problems - you need to install the program, download the image of the game, and that's all - you can enjoy the process of passing. Settings in such programs are minimal. "Composite" require the presence of additional components - these are the BIOS of the set-top box (usually the .bin file) and various dll plugins. BIOS files are protected by manufacturer rights, so emulator developers cannot embed them - otherwise, such an emulator will not get into the Google software catalog. You need to look for the BIOS on the network - there are many sites where these files are shared.

Need and images of games. Their emulator developers also do not have the right to embed in their software. Images, or ROMs, are available online. For Sega or PlayStation, the number of ROMs reaches many hundreds. Now on the Internet you can find images of even very rare games that were previously difficult to get in the store.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Technically, the classic Nestopia emulator is no longer supported by its developers. But there is a port that is supported - NESTOPIA UE. In this case, UE stands for "Undead Edition", which is the unofficial version of NESTOPIA. The advantage of the program is its simplicity. There is a minimum of settings, but the emulator works with almost all old NES games, providing the highest quality display. NESTOPIA UE is one of the best 8-bit console emulators.

FCEUX

This is one of the most versatile NES emulators. The all-in-one application offers a wide range of options for both the casual gamer and the advanced gamer who wants to have maximum control over the processes that take place in the emulator. There is a debugging tool, the ability to record gameplay, tools for working with ROMs and an auxiliary tool for creating speedruns - the process of speeding through the game. This emulator has ports for Windows, Max OS X and Linux.

Higan

This emulator is a continuation of Bsnes. The first version was released in 2005. Initially, the emulator worked under Windows, but then ports for Linux, OS X and FreeBSD appeared. This is an excellent NES emulator that is compatible with a very large number of different games.

The emulator continues to develop - the author is actively working to maintain his project. In 2008, the British magazine WebUser recommended the emulator to all old-school gamers. In 2009, a Japanese magazine already advised all fans of old games to try the emulator at work.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

bsnes-mercury

This emulator is an SNES module for RetroArch. The program is a fork of the BSnes emulator, to which a number of useful functions have been added. The current version of the emulator has the ability to load BIOS files, which was not previously available in SNES9X. The emulator supports a very large number of games, almost all images of SNES games that are on the network work with it. If you have this emulator, most likely, no problems will ever arise.

SNES9X

SNES9X is definitely one of the best SNES emulators out there. It can even work with the latest Super Famicom releases, which some other emulators can't handle. The developers have equipped the emulator with a large number of features, including video, sound settings, cheat support and multiplayer. Ports of this emulator have been released for Windows, Max OS X, iOS, Android. SNES9X is also available as a kernel under RetroArch.

ZSNES

ZSNES is a free SNES game console emulator written mostly in assembly language for the Linux, MS-DOS, and Windows platforms. Development of ZSNES began on July 3, 1997, and the first version of the program was released on October 14, 1997, for the MS-DOS platform. Official ports for Windows and Linux were later released. The emulator became open source and was released under the GPL on April 2, 2001. In March 2006, the source code repository for the program was moved from SourceForge.net to BountySource.

The main features of the emulator:

• Emulation of most SNES expansion chips
• Image interpolation support
• Video recording capability
• Support for cheat codes

Nintendo 64

Project 64

Project 64 is one of the most compatible Nintendo 64 emulators for all games. This program does not require a BIOS. The plugins are configured by default and everything works great. Emulation of the soundtrack and video of the original set-top box works very well. There are not a lot of settings here so as not to complicate the life of the user. But there is support for multiplayer, support for cheats. You can adjust the scale of the screen, providing yourself with the maximum convenience of the gameplay.

Mupen64plus

Another module for RetroArch, a universal emulator, which we will talk about at the very end of the article. And this module is the only one. There are a huge number of settings here. If you wish, you can easily change a lot - and the color scheme of the display, and the sound, and everything that is generally possible to change. There are ports for Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and Linux.

Nintendo GameCube and Wii

Dolphin

Dolphin is the only decent Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator. It works almost better than the game consoles themselves, which this software should emulate. In addition to anti-aliasing and the ability to quickly save games, you can play at 1080p resolution. This feature was not in the original consoles. Of course, there are also a few bugs, but there are not so many of them. In addition, the work on the emulator is carried out by enthusiasts, so there can be no special claims against them. All you need to know is that the emulator works almost perfectly, providing high-quality graphics and cozy gameplay.

Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance

VBA-M

There are several emulators for Game Boy systems, but the Game Boy is the best. It can work both as a standalone emulator and as a module for RetroArch. Color rendition, sound, gameplay - everything is almost perfect. A demanding user can work with graphic filters, adjust the sound to his liking, modify some other settings. The emulator has been ported to Windows, Mac OS X, Linux. The emulator requires Microsoft DirectX, preferably the latest version.

Nintendo DS (and DSi)

No$GBA

This emulator started its journey into the gaming world as a Gameboy Advanced system emulator. But right now it's the most versatile NIntendo DS emulator, and the only one that supports DSi. It is also the fastest emulator, which was not easy to provide given the presence of two displays and processors in the set-top box itself. Some features are missing in the emulator (for example, WiFi and multiplayer), some games are not displayed perfectly. But in the vast majority of cases, this emulator provides a completely comfortable game. There are a lot of settings here, so if you see a problem, it can most likely be solved with a setting. there is also a debugging tool for developers.

DeSmuME

An excellent core for RetroArch, although there are a number of limitations, especially when compared to standalone emulators. However, you can play most games without any problems, there are a number of settings. The software also supports GBA emulation.

Sega

Kega Fusion

An almost perfect Sega emulator - and not just one Sega Mega console, but a whole series, including Genesis, Game Gear, Sega CD. Support for Saturn and Dreamcast is not here. All other consoles are emulated perfectly, almost fully compatible with games for supported platforms. There is cheat support, quick save, video and audio recording, online play and support for various gamepads. Full screen mode, scaling and a number of video filters complete the emulator's capabilities. Ports are available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Genesis X Plus

And this is a module for RetroArch. It also supports emulation of platforms such as Genesis, Mega Drive, Sega/Mega CD, Master System, Game Gear & SG-1000. Most games are supported, there are many settings. There is also the possibility of loading the BIOS, if necessary.

dreamcast

Here are the problems. For this set-top box, there is practically no normal emulator for Windows. There are a number of attempts to emulate a console, including DEMUL or nullDC. But very few games are supported here, a large number of compatibility problems, it will not work stably. Interestingly, there is an excellent Dreamcast emulator for Android - this is ReiCast, I wrote about it in the last collection. But under Windows - nothing. It is also bad that almost no one is developing an emulator at the current time.

Demul

DEmul is a Dreamcast emulator and is the successor to Chankast, another application for running Dreamcast games on PC, which is currently no longer supported. Demul is Sega's multi-system game console and automaton emulator, originally intended solely to emulate the Sega Dreamcast game console. Currently, the emulator also supports emulation of Sega Dreamcast-based slot machines: Naomi, Naomi 2 and Atomiswave. Support for Sega Model 3, Sega Hikaru, Sega Saturn is under development. However, you will need a Dreamcast BIOS for this, which is not included with this emulator. Currently, DEmul can perfectly emulate over a hundred games, including Marvel VS. Capcom, Crazy Taxi, King of Fighters, Sega GT, Sonic Adventure, Star Wars Demolition, Virtua Fighter 3 and Virtua Tennis 2.

PlayStation 1 & 2

PCSX

There is no perfect PlayStation emulator. But PCSX is close to being the best. The developers of this emulator have done everything to make the player feel immersed in the original Play Station atmosphere when playing with PCSX. In order for the emulator to work, the official BIOS of the set-top box is required, as well as several video plugins, sound plugins. There are versions of the emulator for Windows, Max OS X, Linux. There is also a separate module for the RetroArch universal emulator, the module is called “PCSX-Rearmed". A completely weak PC will not be able to work normally with this emulator, a more or less modern system is needed.

ePSXe

EPSXe is a PlayStation emulator. The release of the program took place on October 14, 2000. ePSXe is distributed under a freeware license.

Like most modern emulators, ePSXe uses plug-ins to emulate the graphics and sound processors, as well as the optical drive of the set-top box. In addition, to run ePSXe, a BIOS file obtained as a result of a PlayStation dump is required, for this reason, emulator developers cannot be accused of violating Sony copyrights, and using the emulator is considered absolutely legal if the user has removed the BIOS from a personal PlayStation on their own or if they have this console downloaded it from the Internet.

EPSXe can run games from a CD or from various images on your hard drive. With a few exceptions, the program can run many PlayStation games flawlessly; plugins and their settings play a certain role.

Approximately 95% of games work fine on versions 1.5.x, and for many games there are special .ppf patches that improve compatibility or help solve certain problems.

PCSX2

PS2 emulator. The program is still supported by its developers, who are actively developing the project. PCSX2 is compatible with most original console games. As in the previous case, this requires a BIOS, plug-ins for video and audio, a drive, as well as game images (ROM / ISO). The emulator has been released for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. But in this case, the characteristics of the PC must be at their best, otherwise it will not work - the emulator and games require a lot of resources.

PlayStation Portable

PPSSPP

An excellent PSP console emulator that supports most of the games for this device. If the characteristics of the PC are high, then the game will look even better than on the console. The emulator allows you to double the resolution, which removes some of the artifacts on polygonal models. In addition, the emulator corrects and complements some textures by smoothing them. BIOS is not required here, there are settings, there are quite a few of them, but everything works fine and by default. PPSSPP is released for Windows, Max, Linux.

3DS & Wii U

Citra (3DS)

Work on the emulator is still underway, although it is already quite functional. Unfortunately, some games will not run at full speed. Even those games that run normally will not look perfect. Perhaps in the future this emulator will work better - the developers are doing everything to make it so. By the way, it is not so easy to get game images for this platform, this is another problem.

CEMU (Wii U)

Like the previous emulator, this one is still in the early stages of development. Very few Wii U games are supported. To play at least something, the computer must be very powerful. Games like Mario Kart 8 and Twilight Princess HD are doing relatively well right now. Others give a start screen but won't load, and if they do, they won't play.

PlayStation 3

RPCS3

This is a relatively young project of the PlayStation 3 emulator. Unfortunately, this emulator does not support most 3D games, and if it does, then a very powerful computer is required for the game to run more or less normally. But 2D games for the PlayStation 3 are doing great - the same Sonic, for example.

RPCS3 started in 2013. At that time, the emulator was taught to run some large samples from the SDK, as well as a couple of self-made games. All this was not immediately, the first builds of the emulator were unable to run even self-propelled guns, there was only a square and textures.

Now the emulator plays quite a lot of 2D games and a few 3D games, although the latter are almost impossible to play. Nevertheless, the project continues to develop actively, and soon the developers promise to show a lot of interesting things.

Xbox 360

Xenia

Xenia Git is a working open source Xbox 360 emulator. Many craftsmen take part in its development. The emulator runs a lot of games, and 3D games, but, unfortunately, so far it will not be possible to play everything. This emulator has much fewer errors and problems than the PS3 emulator. Perhaps soon it will launch many games.

The development of the emulator began in 2014, then it was only a trial version, on which absolutely nothing worked. Now the progress is obvious - some games are launched, and they run well.

Universal emulators

retroarch

This is probably the only representative of the family of universal emulators that is worth your attention. Or rather, if you are using this package emulator, it is unlikely that you will need anything else. RetroArch is an all-in-one emulator capable of running games from most popular consoles. It supports both conventional consoles, Sega, Playstation 1 and others, and portable ones - Game Boy Advance and older.
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