| The
world of emulators |
| At
the end of the seventies and in the early eighties, homes started
to be invaded by Home Computers. The affordability of prices and the
extraordinary performances (for the time) transformed IT into a mass
phenomenon. From the eighties onwards, their distribution continued
to grow, contributing to a new fashion, which started to become popular
in the early nineties, consisting in the emulation of old computers.
What is an emulator? It is simply a programme that enables to run
software of another system on the computer in use, simulating its
hardware. This means that it is not necessary to purchase additional
hardware. Emulating opportunities are limited only by the imagination
of programmers, who are currently capable of creating applications
that emulate Amiga, Macintosh, Commodore, Atari, Nintendo and Playstation
computers, along with many others. The machine arcade is probably
the most interesting opportunity offered by emulation. Emulators like
M.A.M.E., Callus and Nemu (just to quote a few) offer the possibility
of playing with many of the coin-ops that fascinated the audience
back in the eighties. However, arcade emulation has not only been
designed to revive the old videogames, as M.A.M.E. and many other
emulators, like System 16 and the new Raine with 3D graphics also
offer the opportunity of playing with the latest coin-op like Final
Flight, Street Fighter II, Shinobi, Super Hang-On and many more... |
| The
best programmes to start with... |
| A
small but selected database of the best downloadable emulators, chosen
because of their easiness and solidity: |
 |
Mame
32 0.37 b11 (3191 Kb)
The most famous Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator that
supports hundreds of games. |
|
Impact
v.1.0 (180kb) NEW!
The first emulator with a 3D graphics
|
|
Kaillera
+ Mame32 (2,7 Mb)
An extraordinary utility that enables to perform multiplayer
games with several emulators (currently available only with Mame 32
|
 |
Callus
v 02.4 (182 Kb) NEW!
A perfect audio for all games and excellent emulating
speed. Suited also to be used with Pentium 100 Mhz computers. |
|
Raine
030 final (1Mb) NEW!
Definitely one of the best arcade emulators
|
|
Nemu
07a ita (631Kb) TOP!
The most popular emulator for Nintendo 64 in Italian.
home page |
 |
WinFellow
v01.4.2 (196 Kb)
The best AMIGA emulator available in the new release.
|
|
WinSton
v.0.2r2 (176 Kb)
An emulator of the famous ATARI 1040STF (1986) |
|
CCS64
(277 Kb)
Emulator of Commodore 64 (1982) |
 |
Basilisk
II (1Mb) NEW!
Macintosh emulator.- home
page |
|
Bleem!
v1.5b (940Kb) TOP!
Almost everybody knows the famous Playstation
emulator (shareware version). |
|
System16
(710 Kb)
Emulator for the Sega arcade coin-ups that were popular
in amusement arcades between 1987 and 1989 |
| The
best resources on the Web |
 |
Emuita
- The Italian site
on emulation. |
|
MameWorld
-
Everything you can think of on this extraordinary programme. |
|
NonsoloMame
- Another
extraordinary Italian site with many novelties. |
|
MangaRoms
- Portal dedicated to the Japanese cartoons and to
the related Roms |
|
VintageGaming
- The best
site in terms of novelties and downloads (in English). |
|
Emusa
Network
-
A lavish and updated database of Roms. |
|
Emulation
HQ -
The famous English portal on emulation. |
|
RetroPlay
-
Italian site dedicated to emulation and retro-computing. |
|
Arcadeheaven
-
As the name itself suggests, a true paradise for anybody who wants
to download the latest Roms. |
|
EmuX
- Novelties and previews on the latest emulators. |
| WINZIP
8 (essential
to extract some of the files present on this page) |
|
