In the latest issue of PC Format (UK), a reader asked something about emulating (or at least close enough). Here it comes:

SEGA MEGADRIVE

I've been wondering if you can convert Sega, Nintendo and Sony games to run on the PC, because I really like SuperNES and Megadrive games and I want to be able to play them.

-Amir Poolagasundrum, Poole

Dear Amir,

Sega games are sometimes converted for the PC, but not by the likes of you and me. You can't get a Megadrive emulator. This is because the big console giants are jealously protective of their little arcade creations, and use them as a way to sell their consoles (and thereby get you locked into one particular console flavour). Nintendo, in particular, is loath to let you play Mario games on anything other than a Nintendo console.

Even if console manufacturers permitted it, software emulation wouldn't be practical for any but the oldest of the Sega and Nintendo range. Today's cutting-edge consoles already deliver as many or more polygons per second than a decent spec PC with a 3D accelerator. By the time you factor in the overhead of software emulation, the PC version would run too slowly. That's why the games that are converted have to be rewritten."

I'm fumed! Don't the guys at PCF know NOTHING!?

Let me correct them "a bit":

1. What the heck about Nintendo? Nintendo sucks and besides, it's too busy watching out for it pretty new N64 to be over-concerned about NES/SNES emus and ROM-pirating. The same goes for Sega.
2. No Megadrive emus!? We're getting close to perfect emulation with GenEm already and they're talking about NO EMUS!? Gimme a break!
3. I think Louis Villazon here (the guy at PCF Helpline) is going a bit too over the edge. Who needs Saturn or N64 emus yet anyway?
4. The converted games aren't always complete rewrites, due to the assembler nature of console coding. I bet they sometimes grab a bit of code here and there for some reason or other.