Video Games
One of the coolest and least talked about features of having an Apple Media Center is the ability to emulate old video games and play them on your high definition display. However, while there is a ton of information scattered throughout the web on how to do so, there really doesn’t seem to be one place you can go to for simple instructions, especially when it comes to OSX Emulation… until now. These guides will teach you what emulators are, where to get the video game ROM files and how to use actual controllers to play your games in an authentic fashion. After you have read these guides you should have a good understanding of Classic Gaming on the Mac!
Emulators
The first thing you need in order to play old school video games is a program called an emulator that can read the individual game files. The emulator is the software equivalent of a hardware game console. There is pretty much an emulation program for every single system that has ever been made. The more recent systems such as the Playstation 2 and the Game Cube have emulators, but they don’t really play too many games very well. The general rule of thumb is, the older the system, the better it will work.
ROMs
The digital versions of the game cartridges that we used to own are called ROM files. This section will teach you how to download individual ROM files for use with your favorite console emulator.
Controllers
Once you are familiar with opening and playing ROM files, the next step to really immersing yourself in the game is to play with a proper controller. There are numerous options available to help you get that authentic experience such as USB controllers, iPhone applications, XBOX360 or PS3 Controllers and even the original controllers for the various systems!
Video Game Tutorials
