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How do arcade ROMs work
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The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games, and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds. What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges. All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge), so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware? And if it does, what is the emulator for?
emulation rom arcade
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games, and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds. What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges. All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge), so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware? And if it does, what is the emulator for?
emulation rom arcade
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games, and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds. What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges. All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge), so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware? And if it does, what is the emulator for?
emulation rom arcade
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games, and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds. What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges. All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge), so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware? And if it does, what is the emulator for?
emulation rom arcade
emulation rom arcade
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
asked 3 hours ago
Jack Kasbrack
631324
631324
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
1
down vote
The ROM is the software, in all cases. It stands for "Read Only Memory" and it stores the static code and the data needed for the game (i.e. the Software).
The arcade cabinet is the hardware. It's the same as any computer or game console, and so it needs Software (ROM) to do anything useful.
An "emulator" is a piece of software that runs on one piece of hardware (i.e. your PC) and emulates another piece of hardware (old computer, game console, arcade machine, etc.). Without these definitions, I can see where it might be confusing.
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
2
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games,
Not realy. ROMS are a pice of hardware storing a bit image. Like a disk, a tape or a punch card. It hold an image of the game's software.
and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds.
Basicly yes.
What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges.
These machines still have ROMs. Where else should the game's software be stored (*1) and without software, there would be no game.
Your confusion might come from a different use of the term ROM in a gameer (emulation) context compared to real hardware. With emulators the term ROM is used in a somewhat translated and abrevated way. Instead of saying 'file with the ROM image of game XYZ' people just say 'XYZ ROM'. Within this subculture it is a mostly understandable term, outside it may seed confusion it with the basic term ROM describing a pice of hardware, not the image within (and copied into a file).
All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge),
Yes and no. Some acade boards could be used for different games - when fited with new ROMS (for Software but also graphics encoding as well (*2).
so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware?
A ROM does not record the hardwar - nor does it record anything.
And if it does, what is the emulator for?
For runing the game stored in the ROM? Someone has to 'do' the hardware.
Hmm...
thinking of it, could it be that your confusion comes from playing various games of different machines on MAME without the need to specify some hardware and have MAME magicaly runing whatever image it gets presented?
MAME is, as the name "Multi Arcade Machine Emulator" implies an emulator made to emulate many different machines. In its actual interation it features a system of databeses for identifying various game images via finger printing. It's basicly doing some checks/checksums over the image and then looking up if the result is known. If so, the information what machine in which setings is needed is retreived from the database and used to configure the needed emulation.
Using finger printing and its database enables MAME to offer zero effort configuration without falling into a copyright trap of delivering the images.
All of this will ofc not work with a game image unknown to it's database. in this case one can setup several configuration files with all the needed information and run it ... except, that's something 99.99% of all users never experiance.
Emulator wise MAME is a framework offering an API to handle synchronized emulation of specific emulators for hardware (like CUPs, graphic controlers and so on) which are configured to act like the machine in question. If there is new hardware to be emulated, programmers have still to sit down and add a programm for each pice missing and a configuration for a whole machine (or several thereof), but no longer build the framework.
Afer about 20 years of development the number of components without a fiting emulation is rather small.
*1 - Well, some do have different means, but that's a different story.
*2 - Some even had a cardrige system to make them fast field ugradeable.
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
1
down vote
The ROM is the software, in all cases. It stands for "Read Only Memory" and it stores the static code and the data needed for the game (i.e. the Software).
The arcade cabinet is the hardware. It's the same as any computer or game console, and so it needs Software (ROM) to do anything useful.
An "emulator" is a piece of software that runs on one piece of hardware (i.e. your PC) and emulates another piece of hardware (old computer, game console, arcade machine, etc.). Without these definitions, I can see where it might be confusing.
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
2
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
The ROM is the software, in all cases. It stands for "Read Only Memory" and it stores the static code and the data needed for the game (i.e. the Software).
The arcade cabinet is the hardware. It's the same as any computer or game console, and so it needs Software (ROM) to do anything useful.
An "emulator" is a piece of software that runs on one piece of hardware (i.e. your PC) and emulates another piece of hardware (old computer, game console, arcade machine, etc.). Without these definitions, I can see where it might be confusing.
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
2
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
The ROM is the software, in all cases. It stands for "Read Only Memory" and it stores the static code and the data needed for the game (i.e. the Software).
The arcade cabinet is the hardware. It's the same as any computer or game console, and so it needs Software (ROM) to do anything useful.
An "emulator" is a piece of software that runs on one piece of hardware (i.e. your PC) and emulates another piece of hardware (old computer, game console, arcade machine, etc.). Without these definitions, I can see where it might be confusing.
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
The ROM is the software, in all cases. It stands for "Read Only Memory" and it stores the static code and the data needed for the game (i.e. the Software).
The arcade cabinet is the hardware. It's the same as any computer or game console, and so it needs Software (ROM) to do anything useful.
An "emulator" is a piece of software that runs on one piece of hardware (i.e. your PC) and emulates another piece of hardware (old computer, game console, arcade machine, etc.). Without these definitions, I can see where it might be confusing.
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
answered 3 hours ago
Brian H
15.3k56131
15.3k56131
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
2
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
2
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
I'm confused as to how an emulator such as MAME exists, given that (you would think) the differences in hardware between arcade machines would require an emulator for each of them, since an emulator is for hardware, and they all have different hardware.
– Jack Kasbrack
3 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
MAME is a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.
– Kelvin Sherlock
2 hours ago
2
2
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
Supporting a new arcade game in MAME requires both an update to the MAME software itself (to include emulation of the arcade cabinet this game ran on) as well as the ROMs for the game's code. Keeping the ROMs separate from the MAME emulation code means that MAME itself can be redistributed without copyright problems, because it's typically only the ROMs that have copyright issues.
– Ken Gober
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games,
Not realy. ROMS are a pice of hardware storing a bit image. Like a disk, a tape or a punch card. It hold an image of the game's software.
and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds.
Basicly yes.
What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges.
These machines still have ROMs. Where else should the game's software be stored (*1) and without software, there would be no game.
Your confusion might come from a different use of the term ROM in a gameer (emulation) context compared to real hardware. With emulators the term ROM is used in a somewhat translated and abrevated way. Instead of saying 'file with the ROM image of game XYZ' people just say 'XYZ ROM'. Within this subculture it is a mostly understandable term, outside it may seed confusion it with the basic term ROM describing a pice of hardware, not the image within (and copied into a file).
All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge),
Yes and no. Some acade boards could be used for different games - when fited with new ROMS (for Software but also graphics encoding as well (*2).
so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware?
A ROM does not record the hardwar - nor does it record anything.
And if it does, what is the emulator for?
For runing the game stored in the ROM? Someone has to 'do' the hardware.
Hmm...
thinking of it, could it be that your confusion comes from playing various games of different machines on MAME without the need to specify some hardware and have MAME magicaly runing whatever image it gets presented?
MAME is, as the name "Multi Arcade Machine Emulator" implies an emulator made to emulate many different machines. In its actual interation it features a system of databeses for identifying various game images via finger printing. It's basicly doing some checks/checksums over the image and then looking up if the result is known. If so, the information what machine in which setings is needed is retreived from the database and used to configure the needed emulation.
Using finger printing and its database enables MAME to offer zero effort configuration without falling into a copyright trap of delivering the images.
All of this will ofc not work with a game image unknown to it's database. in this case one can setup several configuration files with all the needed information and run it ... except, that's something 99.99% of all users never experiance.
Emulator wise MAME is a framework offering an API to handle synchronized emulation of specific emulators for hardware (like CUPs, graphic controlers and so on) which are configured to act like the machine in question. If there is new hardware to be emulated, programmers have still to sit down and add a programm for each pice missing and a configuration for a whole machine (or several thereof), but no longer build the framework.
Afer about 20 years of development the number of components without a fiting emulation is rather small.
*1 - Well, some do have different means, but that's a different story.
*2 - Some even had a cardrige system to make them fast field ugradeable.
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games,
Not realy. ROMS are a pice of hardware storing a bit image. Like a disk, a tape or a punch card. It hold an image of the game's software.
and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds.
Basicly yes.
What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges.
These machines still have ROMs. Where else should the game's software be stored (*1) and without software, there would be no game.
Your confusion might come from a different use of the term ROM in a gameer (emulation) context compared to real hardware. With emulators the term ROM is used in a somewhat translated and abrevated way. Instead of saying 'file with the ROM image of game XYZ' people just say 'XYZ ROM'. Within this subculture it is a mostly understandable term, outside it may seed confusion it with the basic term ROM describing a pice of hardware, not the image within (and copied into a file).
All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge),
Yes and no. Some acade boards could be used for different games - when fited with new ROMS (for Software but also graphics encoding as well (*2).
so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware?
A ROM does not record the hardwar - nor does it record anything.
And if it does, what is the emulator for?
For runing the game stored in the ROM? Someone has to 'do' the hardware.
Hmm...
thinking of it, could it be that your confusion comes from playing various games of different machines on MAME without the need to specify some hardware and have MAME magicaly runing whatever image it gets presented?
MAME is, as the name "Multi Arcade Machine Emulator" implies an emulator made to emulate many different machines. In its actual interation it features a system of databeses for identifying various game images via finger printing. It's basicly doing some checks/checksums over the image and then looking up if the result is known. If so, the information what machine in which setings is needed is retreived from the database and used to configure the needed emulation.
Using finger printing and its database enables MAME to offer zero effort configuration without falling into a copyright trap of delivering the images.
All of this will ofc not work with a game image unknown to it's database. in this case one can setup several configuration files with all the needed information and run it ... except, that's something 99.99% of all users never experiance.
Emulator wise MAME is a framework offering an API to handle synchronized emulation of specific emulators for hardware (like CUPs, graphic controlers and so on) which are configured to act like the machine in question. If there is new hardware to be emulated, programmers have still to sit down and add a programm for each pice missing and a configuration for a whole machine (or several thereof), but no longer build the framework.
Afer about 20 years of development the number of components without a fiting emulation is rather small.
*1 - Well, some do have different means, but that's a different story.
*2 - Some even had a cardrige system to make them fast field ugradeable.
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games,
Not realy. ROMS are a pice of hardware storing a bit image. Like a disk, a tape or a punch card. It hold an image of the game's software.
and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds.
Basicly yes.
What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges.
These machines still have ROMs. Where else should the game's software be stored (*1) and without software, there would be no game.
Your confusion might come from a different use of the term ROM in a gameer (emulation) context compared to real hardware. With emulators the term ROM is used in a somewhat translated and abrevated way. Instead of saying 'file with the ROM image of game XYZ' people just say 'XYZ ROM'. Within this subculture it is a mostly understandable term, outside it may seed confusion it with the basic term ROM describing a pice of hardware, not the image within (and copied into a file).
All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge),
Yes and no. Some acade boards could be used for different games - when fited with new ROMS (for Software but also graphics encoding as well (*2).
so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware?
A ROM does not record the hardwar - nor does it record anything.
And if it does, what is the emulator for?
For runing the game stored in the ROM? Someone has to 'do' the hardware.
Hmm...
thinking of it, could it be that your confusion comes from playing various games of different machines on MAME without the need to specify some hardware and have MAME magicaly runing whatever image it gets presented?
MAME is, as the name "Multi Arcade Machine Emulator" implies an emulator made to emulate many different machines. In its actual interation it features a system of databeses for identifying various game images via finger printing. It's basicly doing some checks/checksums over the image and then looking up if the result is known. If so, the information what machine in which setings is needed is retreived from the database and used to configure the needed emulation.
Using finger printing and its database enables MAME to offer zero effort configuration without falling into a copyright trap of delivering the images.
All of this will ofc not work with a game image unknown to it's database. in this case one can setup several configuration files with all the needed information and run it ... except, that's something 99.99% of all users never experiance.
Emulator wise MAME is a framework offering an API to handle synchronized emulation of specific emulators for hardware (like CUPs, graphic controlers and so on) which are configured to act like the machine in question. If there is new hardware to be emulated, programmers have still to sit down and add a programm for each pice missing and a configuration for a whole machine (or several thereof), but no longer build the framework.
Afer about 20 years of development the number of components without a fiting emulation is rather small.
*1 - Well, some do have different means, but that's a different story.
*2 - Some even had a cardrige system to make them fast field ugradeable.
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
The way I understand it, ROMS are like virtual games,
Not realy. ROMS are a pice of hardware storing a bit image. Like a disk, a tape or a punch card. It hold an image of the game's software.
and emulators are like virtual game consoles, or handhelds.
Basicly yes.
What I don't understand is how there are ROMs for arcade games, which don't have removable cartridges.
These machines still have ROMs. Where else should the game's software be stored (*1) and without software, there would be no game.
Your confusion might come from a different use of the term ROM in a gameer (emulation) context compared to real hardware. With emulators the term ROM is used in a somewhat translated and abrevated way. Instead of saying 'file with the ROM image of game XYZ' people just say 'XYZ ROM'. Within this subculture it is a mostly understandable term, outside it may seed confusion it with the basic term ROM describing a pice of hardware, not the image within (and copied into a file).
All arcade machines are different (at least to my knowledge),
Yes and no. Some acade boards could be used for different games - when fited with new ROMS (for Software but also graphics encoding as well (*2).
so wouldn't an arcade ROM have to record the entire arcade machine's hardware?
A ROM does not record the hardwar - nor does it record anything.
And if it does, what is the emulator for?
For runing the game stored in the ROM? Someone has to 'do' the hardware.
Hmm...
thinking of it, could it be that your confusion comes from playing various games of different machines on MAME without the need to specify some hardware and have MAME magicaly runing whatever image it gets presented?
MAME is, as the name "Multi Arcade Machine Emulator" implies an emulator made to emulate many different machines. In its actual interation it features a system of databeses for identifying various game images via finger printing. It's basicly doing some checks/checksums over the image and then looking up if the result is known. If so, the information what machine in which setings is needed is retreived from the database and used to configure the needed emulation.
Using finger printing and its database enables MAME to offer zero effort configuration without falling into a copyright trap of delivering the images.
All of this will ofc not work with a game image unknown to it's database. in this case one can setup several configuration files with all the needed information and run it ... except, that's something 99.99% of all users never experiance.
Emulator wise MAME is a framework offering an API to handle synchronized emulation of specific emulators for hardware (like CUPs, graphic controlers and so on) which are configured to act like the machine in question. If there is new hardware to be emulated, programmers have still to sit down and add a programm for each pice missing and a configuration for a whole machine (or several thereof), but no longer build the framework.
Afer about 20 years of development the number of components without a fiting emulation is rather small.
*1 - Well, some do have different means, but that's a different story.
*2 - Some even had a cardrige system to make them fast field ugradeable.
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
edited 1 hour ago
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
answered 2 hours ago
Raffzahn
40.3k492165
40.3k492165
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
I gtg, I'll read your answer after my SATs tomorrow, wish me luck : )
– Jack Kasbrack
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
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