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Circuit ===DICE===This emulator needs its own section on accuracy, because its accuracy method is similar to chip accuracy, although it's made for systems that lack unlike any type of CPU (e.g. the cabinets for Pong and other arcade cabinets released around that time.) The system requirements for this are also very high. There is only one circuit emulator: Basically, what [http://sourceforge.net/projects/dice/ DICE] does is emulate arcade machines from the early 70's.] This The architecture of these systems is very different from a modern architecture, mostly since they don't have a CPU. So the emulator was made for playing some instead emulates the discrete logic components of the first arcade games ever mademachines at a circuit level. Yet despite being well-optimizedAlthough the results are highly accurate (as in, you very highly accurate) the results are quite system intensive. You need a very highpretty nice 64-end computer bit gaming PC to run it these early-70's arcade games at full speed. This has some use, since it is the only way to emulate games like that accurately (due to there being no CPU cycles to make cycle emulation possible.)
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The accuracy of these emulators are close to perfection, but at a steep CPU cost. However, some people believe that the notion of 100% cycle-based accuracy being slow is a misconception, one that people believe because most attempts at a cycle emulator aren't as well-optimized as they could be. MarathonMan, developer of [[CEN64]], is one of the people who believes this. Whether or not this is the case remains to be seen.
===Chip accurate/Circuit accurate===Chip accurate emulation works by simulating each logic chip on the board individually. Not only does this take a tremendous amount of power to run (as in, even emulating something from the late 70's on a chip accurate level requires a pretty highwould need Dolphin-end level system requirements to run at full a good speed.), but they also require a incredible amount of effort and money to make. This accuracy method is pretty much useless. Although it is technically the only way to achieve true 100% hardware simulation, cycle accurate emulation can already achieve accuracy which is virtually indistinguishable from the real hardware. Not only that, but cycle-accurate emulators have much lower system requirements and programming difficulty. There are currently no publicly-released chip accurate video game emulators in existence, and there will most likely never be one.
==Controversy==
There are basically two camps when it comes to the issue of accuracy. One side argues that as long as an emulator plays the majority of games at full speed on most computers and devices without too many obvious glitches, it does not matter how accurately it actually replicates the original hardware and its many quirks and functions. The faithfulness of the emulator to the console it is emulating comes second to its overall ability to play games. The other side argues that an emulator should ultimately strive to simulate the hardware as much as possible, as that is the only way to achieve as much compatibility as possible, as well as the only way to preserve the hardware. Thus, speed and scalability to most devices takes a backseat to accuracy to the real console, both for purposes of compatibility and preservation.
