Emulation General Wiki

Emulation boxes: Difference between revisions

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Deleting Pandora because it is a generic emulation box, with no particular reason to list it out of the hundreds of boxes, except probably that whoever put the listing on heard of it and not of the others.
 
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An '''emulation box''' is a device built for the specific purpose of running emulators. While it can technically be any small computer, the emulation boxes we list here are primarily single-purpose embedded devices intended to capitalize on nostalgia despite a multitude of better alternatives being readily available (like computers, mobile devices, and game consoles). There are generally two types of boxes:
An '''emulation box''' is a device built for the specific purpose of running emulators. While it can technically be any small computer, the emulation boxes we list here are primarily single-purpose embedded devices intended to capitalize on nostalgia despite a multitude of better alternatives being readily available (like computers, mobile devices, and game consoles). There are generally three types of boxes:


;First-party boxes
;First-party boxes
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;Third-party boxes
;Third-party boxes
:Use their own branding because they don't have a license to use the actual companies' trademarks. A legal ruling for emulators has allowed them to use the name of the console in marketing (such as advertising the ability to play games from a specific console on the packaging), but not as the name for the box itself.
:Use their own branding because they don't have a license to use the actual companies' trademarks. A legal ruling for emulators has allowed them to use the name of the console in marketing (such as advertising the ability to play games from a specific console on the packaging), but not as the name for the box itself.
;Generic emulation boxes
:A large number of these devices are Chinese, often constantly produced in new versions with slightly different form factors.  Some are Western such as the Retroid Pocket.  Hundreds of these devices exist.  They generally don't have any game licenses, though many come with pirated ROMs.  They may be handhelds or consoles, with handhelds more common.


Emulation boxes are frowned upon because, aside from a first party box's value as a collector's item, the hardware in an emulation box is often nothing more than a cheap, locked-down, ARM-based system-on-a-chip, and the price you pay for obtaining it is marked up by the designer in order to make easy money. To make matters worse, numerous boxes have been found using emulators illegally, due to a prohibition in the emulator's license (like commercial distribution or locked down hardware), resulting in many controversies unfolding over the matter.
First and third party emulation boxes are often locked down.  Many of them have jailbreaks which let users unofficially add their own games.  They cost more than generic boxes, although some of this is because the games are licensed.  Quality varies by quite a bit.
 
Generic boxes are single-board computers, usually ARM-based, specifically designed for use with emulation.  Even low end ones can play up to 16 bit systems and the PS1. They are normally not locked down, and most have custom "firmware" available for free, which is usually a Linux or stripped down Android system packaged with free emulators.  Custom firmware is usually recommended over the emulators they come with, which may not be up to date (and are often not there legally anyway).  It is generally not worth buying these with ROMs or SD cards since the SD cards can be unreliable and ROMs are easy to get.


==First-party boxes==
==First-party boxes==
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! scope="col"|Manufacturer
! scope="col"|Manufacturer
! scope="col"|Reimplements
! scope="col"|Reimplements
! scope="col"|MSRP
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Manufacturer's suggested retail price">MSRP</abbr>
! scope="col"|Emulator used
! scope="col"|Emulator used
! scope="col"|Notes
! scope="col"|Notes
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|$79.99
|$79.99
|[[Canoe]]
|[[Canoe]]
|Official Nintendo product designed to only emulate the SNES. Includes 21 games. Uses the ''exact same hardware'' (motherboard, SoC and all) as the NES Classic, but with a different firmware.
|Official Nintendo product designed to only emulate the SNES. Includes 21 games. Uses the ''exact same hardware'' (motherboard, SoC, and all) as the NES Classic, but with a different firmware.
|-
|-
|[[wikipedia:Sega_Genesis_Mini|Sega Genesis Mini]]
|[[wikipedia:Sega_Genesis_Mini|Sega Genesis Mini]]
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|$79.99
|$79.99
|m2engage
|m2engage
|Official SEGA product designed to only emulate the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Includes 42 games. Interestingly, it has the same specs as the (S)NESC. The emulator used was developed by [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], who are best known for handling emulation of various re-releases of games including several Sega ports and the Genesis Virtual Console on the Wii.
|Official SEGA product designed to only emulate the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Includes 42 games. Interestingly, it has the same specs as the (S)NESC. The emulator used was developed by [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], who is best known for handling the emulation of various re-releases of games including several Sega ports and the Genesis Virtual Console on the Wii.
|-
|[https://sega.jp/genesismini2/ Sega Genesis Mini 2]
|[[Sega]]
|Sega Genesis, [[Sega Genesis emulators|Sega CD]]
|$99.99
|m2engage
|Official SEGA product designed to emulate normal Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games plus Sega CD/Mega CD games and two enhanced Genesis/Mega Drive games. Includes 60 games. Compared to its predecessor, the system has an overclocked SoC, double RAM, and 8GB of NAND storage. Again, [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], handled the emulation of Genesis and Sega CD games.
|-
|-
|[https://www.konami.com/games/pcemini/gate PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Mini]
|[https://www.konami.com/games/pcemini/gate PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Mini]
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|[[PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16]]
|[[PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16]]
|$99.99
|$99.99
|?
|m2engage
|Official Konami product. Includes 57 games (58 in Japan) and has about an equal mix of American and Japanese exclusives. The casing and branding has the same regional differences as the original (Japan is the original white PC Engine, Europe is the Core Grafx revision, and the USA is the TurboGrafx-16).  The emulator used was developed by [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], the same company that did the Sega Genesis Mini and other console ports.
|Official Konami product. Includes 57 games (58 in Japan) and has about an equal mix of American and Japanese exclusives. The casing and branding has the same regional differences as the original (Japan is the original white PC Engine, Europe is the Core Grafx revision, and the USA is the TurboGrafx-16).  The emulator used was developed by [[wikipedia:M2 (game_developer)|M2]], the same company that did the Sega Genesis Mini and other console ports.
|-
|-
|[[wikipedia:PlayStation Classic|PlayStation Classic]]
|[[wikipedia:PlayStation Classic|PlayStation Classic]]
|[[Sony]]
|[[Sony|Sony Interactive Entertainment]]
|[[PlayStation emulators|Sony PlayStation]]
|[[PlayStation emulators|Sony PlayStation]]
|<strike>$99.99</strike> $20
|<strike>$99.99</strike> $20
|[[PCSX-Reloaded#PlayStation_Classic|PCSX-ReARMed]]
|[[PCSX-Reloaded#PlayStation_Classic|PCSX-ReARMed]]
|Official Sony product designed to only emulate the PS1. Includes 20 games.
|Official SIE product designed to only emulate the PS1. Includes 20 games.
|-
|-
|[https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/neogeomini/ NEOGEO Mini]
|[https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/neogeomini/ NEOGEO Mini]
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|[[FinalBurn Alpha]]
|[[FinalBurn Alpha]]
|Offical CAPCOM product designed to emulate CPS1 and CPS2 arcade games. Includes 16 games.
|Offical CAPCOM product designed to emulate CPS1 and CPS2 arcade games. Includes 16 games.
|-
|[https://sega.jp/astrocitymini/original/index.html Astro City Mini]
|Sega Toys
|Arcade
|JP¥ <strike>12800</strike>13511<br>$<strike>129.99</strike>161.99
|?
|Offical SEGA product designed to emulate various Sega arcade games. Includes 36 games and the test program "Dottori-Kun".
|-
|[https://sega.jp/astrocitymini/v Astro City Mini V]
|Sega Toys
|Arcade
|JP¥ 19580
|?
|Offical SEGA product designed to emulate various vertical-oriented Arcade games only. Includes 22 games (23 in the International version distributed by Limited Run Games)
|-
|[https://www.taito.co.jp/egret2mini Egret II Mini]
|Taito
|Arcade
|JP¥ <strike>18678</strike>15800<br>$<strike>229.99</strike>109.03
|?
|Offical Taito product designed to emulate various Taito arcade games. Includes 40 games, 10 more bundled with optional paddle+trackball controller, and more purchasable games released in the form factor of SD cards.
|-
|[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/hardware/gamewatch/index.html Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.]
|[[Nintendo]]
|NES and Disk System
|JP¥ 5478
|?
|Offical Nintendo product designed to emulate Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 (The Lost Levels).
|-
|[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/hardware/gamewatch/zelda/index.html Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda]
|[[Nintendo]]
|NES or Disk System and Game Boy
|JP¥ 5480
|?
|Offical Nintendo product designed to emulate The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: Adventure of Link and Link's Awakening. International versions have the NES versions available, while the Japanese version only has the Disk System versions.
|-
|[https://sega.jp/ggmicro/index.html Game Gear Micro]
|[[Sega]]
|Game Gear and Master System
|JP¥ 4980
|[[m2engage]]
|Offical SEGA product designed to emulate Game Gear games. The form factor is small and is difficult to play by Western users, as the device was meant to not be sold outside Japan. 5 variants of the handheld exist, 4 being in retail and one being exclusive as a Limited Edition for Aleste Collection. Only the Aleste version includes Master System games.
|}
|}


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! scope="col"|Manufacturer
! scope="col"|Manufacturer
! scope="col"|Reimplements
! scope="col"|Reimplements
! scope="col"|MSRP
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Manufacturer's suggested retail price">MSRP</abbr>
! scope="col"|Emulator(s) used
! scope="col"|Emulator(s) used
! scope="col"|Notes
! scope="col"|Notes
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|$299.99-$499.99 <small>(Deluxe bundle)</small>
|$299.99-$499.99 <small>(Deluxe bundle)</small>
|[[Mednafen]], [[Mesen]], [[Kega Fusion]], and [[MAME]]  
|[[Mednafen]], [[Mesen]], [[Kega Fusion]], and [[MAME]]  
|Modular system. First emulation box with CD support and one of the few to run on an Intel processor instead of ARM. Emulates PS1, Saturn, Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, TG-16/CD, Neo Geo CD, NES, SNES (only disc-based systems are supported out of the box, cartridge-based systems requires a separate add-on for each system).   
|Modular system. First emulation box with CD support and one of the few to run on an Intel processor instead of ARM. Emulates PS1, Saturn, Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, TG-16/CD, Neo Geo CD, NES, SNES (only disc-based systems are supported out of the box, cartridge-based systems requires a separate add-on for each system).   
|-
|-
|[[Retron5]]
|[[Retron5]]
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|$79.99
|$79.99
|? <br/>(Genesis-on-a-Chip ?)
|? <br/>(Genesis-on-a-Chip ?)
|Produced under license from Sega. Emulates the Master System and the Sega Genesis.  It also has a cartridge port that can load original cartridges to some degree. Very disappointing and the ensuing outcry has led Sega to drop their planned further partnership with AtGames for their actual Sega Genesis Mini.
|Produced under license from Sega. Emulates the Master System and the Sega Genesis.  It also has a cartridge port that can load original cartridges to some degree. The ensuing outcry over the subpar emulation quality has led Sega to drop their planned further partnership with AtGames for their actual Sega Genesis Mini.
|-
|-
|Arcade1Up Home Arcade
|Arcade1Up Home Arcade
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|$200-$500 (Depends on the game)
|$200-$500 (Depends on the game)
|[[MAME]], [[FinalBurn Alpha]], [[RetroArch]], and MOO <small>(their own commercial emulator)</small><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Arcade1Up/comments/a02870/hack_original_board_not_just_replace_w_pietc/</ref>
|[[MAME]], [[FinalBurn Alpha]], [[RetroArch]], and MOO <small>(their own commercial emulator)</small><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Arcade1Up/comments/a02870/hack_original_board_not_just_replace_w_pietc/</ref>
|Officially licensed recreations of selected arcade cabinets.  Emulates whatever arcade cabinet they can get the license for.  Many have criticized its short height (about 3/4 the size of a normal cabinet), lack of a CRT monitor nor any filters for it, and minor inaccuracies compared to the original.  Many hobbyists have even gone as far as to replace the main motherboard with a Raspberry Pi just to use [[MAME]] instead.
|Officially licensed recreations of selected arcade cabinets.  Emulates whatever arcade cabinet they can get the license for.  Many have criticized its short height (about 3/4 the size of a normal cabinet), lack of a CRT monitor nor any filters for it, and minor inaccuracies compared to the original.  Many hobbyists have even gone as far as to replace the main motherboard with a Raspberry Pi just to use [[MAME]] instead.
|-
|-
|Pandora Boxes
|[https://www.zuiki.co.jp/x68000z/ X68000 Z]
|Unknown
|[[Zuiki]]
|[[Arcade emulators|Arcade]]
|[[Sharp X68000 emulators|X68000]]
|$30-$170 (Depends on model and peripherals)
|29530 JPY (standard pack)
|[[MAME]], [[FinalBurn Alpha]] (Older ones) / [[RetroArch]] (Newer ones)
|?
|A kind of plug & play device filled with hundreds of pirated arcade game ROMs, which was designed to be used as substitutions for actual arcade boards in commercial arcades. Emulation quality is always hit or miss, with issues like unbearable slowdowns, input latency, and screen tearing in some games.
|Miniaturized X68000 personal workstation. Limited run. The standard pack comes with a joypad and two games: Gradius and ChoRenSha 68K on SD cards. Full-sized USB keyboard (mechanical switches, X68000 layout), USB mouse, and more games on SD cards are available separately. Capable of booting from third-party floppy/disk images.
|-
|[[wikipedia:Evercade|Evercade]]
|Blaze Entertainment
|Multiple systems
|$100-130
|Proprietary
|Third party box which makes games available for sale on cartridges. Over 100 cartridges are available.
|}
|}


==Controversy==
==Controversy==
===Poor catalog===
===Poor catalog===
A first party box may prove to be lacking due to its game catalog missing some essential title. This is often the result of messy licensing issues that continue to plague consoles today, as many games are a nightmare to relicense due to some external factor. It doesn't help that first-party boxes often lack the ability to load games externally. This is done to prevent the manufacturer from having to admit support for cartridge and disc formats that the emulation community uses, as it would by extension imply support for unofficial emulation.
A first-party box may prove to be lacking due to its game catalog missing some essential title. This is often the result of messy licensing issues that continue to plague consoles today, as many games are a nightmare to relicense due to some external factor. It doesn't help that first-party boxes often lack the ability to load games externally. This is done to prevent the manufacturer from having to admit support for cartridge and disc formats that the emulation community uses, as it would by extension imply support for unofficial emulation.


These limitations have caused many to [[Modding Consoles/Flashcarts#NES.2FSNES.2FPSX.2FMD_.28GEN.29_Classic|modify]] their systems just to be able to get more use out of it.
These limitations have caused many to [[Modding Consoles/Flashcarts#NES.2FSNES.2FPSX.2FMD_.28GEN.29_Classic|modify]] their systems just to be able to get more use out of it.
Some redistributors of third-party boxes that pre-load them with games (which in itself is illegal to redistribute with the game images preinstalled) may contain game images that aren't 1:1 identical to the originals either due to possibly cobbling them from various sources. Use the guides on the website where possible for obtaining game images.


===Licensing===
===Licensing===
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* Capcom Home Arcade: Koch Media (under license from Capcom) announced that they would use [[FinalBurn Alpha]] as the backend for games on the Capcom Home Arcade. This is despite the fact that FinalBurn Alpha was developed and released under a license that forbids commercial use (which was taken from versions of [[MAME]] before they had relicensed in 2015). When other FBA developers were questioned on the issue, they were completely unaware that this happened, resulting in the the project maintainer revealing that he had greenlit its use. The resulting fallout led to the creation of [[FinalBurn Neo]].
* Capcom Home Arcade: Koch Media (under license from Capcom) announced that they would use [[FinalBurn Alpha]] as the backend for games on the Capcom Home Arcade. This is despite the fact that FinalBurn Alpha was developed and released under a license that forbids commercial use (which was taken from versions of [[MAME]] before they had relicensed in 2015). When other FBA developers were questioned on the issue, they were completely unaware that this happened, resulting in the the project maintainer revealing that he had greenlit its use. The resulting fallout led to the creation of [[FinalBurn Neo]].


==DIY Solutions==
==DIY solutions==
{{WIP|section}}
{{WIP|section}}
If you don't want to be limited by any consumer product, but still have something you can technically call an "emulation box," you can make one yourself! These single-board computers tend to be cheaper and offer more than a first party box will:
If you don't want to be limited by any consumer product, but still have something you can technically call an "emulation box," you can make one yourself! These single-board computers tend to be cheaper and offer more than a first-party box will:


;Nvidia Shield TV
;Nvidia Shield TV
:An Android TV box fast enough for 2D and 3D emulation of many consoles.
:An Android TV box fast enough for 2D and 3D emulation of many consoles.
;LattaPanda
;LattePanda
:A Windows 10 computer with integrated Arduino. Fast enough for Saturn emulation.
:A Windows 10 computer with integrated Arduino. Fast enough for Saturn emulation.
;ODROID
;ODROID
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===Distributions===
===Distributions===
These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for single board computers and other systems.
These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for single board computers and other systems.
 
:[[Recommended_linux_distros#Emulation_focused|Emulation-focused Linux distros]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"|Name
! scope="col"|Architecture
! scope="col"|Frontend
! scope="col"|Latest Version
! scope="col"|Active
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
|-
|[[RetroPie]]
|ARM
|[[EmulationStation]] fork
|[https://retropie.org.uk/download/ {{RetroPieVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[Lakka]]
|ARM, x86
|[[RetroArch]]
|[http://www.lakka.tv/get/ {{LakkaVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
|-
|[https://batocera.org/ Batocera.linux]
|ARM, x86
|[[EmulationStation]] fork
|[https://batocera.org/download {{BatoceraLinuxVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
|-
|[https://www.recalbox.com/ Recalbox]
|ARM, x86
|[[EmulationStation]]
|[https://archive.recalbox.com/ {{RecalboxVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
|-
|[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS]
|x86
|Steam Big Picture
|[https://chimeraos.org/download 28]
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
|}


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.thegameconsole.com/game-console-clones.html Game Console Clones] (TheGameConsole.com)
* [http://www.thegameconsole.com/game-console-clones.html Game Console Clones] (TheGameConsole.com)
* [https://psdevwiki.com/psclassic/index.php?title=PS1_Classics_Emulator_Compatibility_List PSDevWiki: PS1 Classics Emulator on PS Classic Compatibility List]


[[Category:Emulation consoles]]
[[Category:Emulation consoles]]
Retrieved from "https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Emulation_boxes"