| Some of my fondest R4 memories of video gaming | | | | enable users to use PC specific software on their |
| are of my brother and I opening up our Christmas | | | | Apple computers. |
| present some 20+ years ago to discover inside the | | | | Emulation however really took off as PC's got faster |
| box an Atari 2600 with 10 games. While younger | | | | and quicker. In the early and mid 90's there were |
| game players don't have any hands on experience | | | | emulators for most of the classic video game |
| with the Atari 2600, everyone has heard of it and has | | | | systems, all playable on any IBM / PC machine. You |
| seen at least some of the screenshots out there on | | | | could fire up your PC and start playing your favourite |
| this thing we call the world wide web. Great memories | | | | Arcade games or Commodore 64 games. I have |
| indeed. My brother and I spents hours upon hours | | | | fond memories of reliving some of my childhood game |
| playing some of the best home conversions of arcade | | | | playing on my PC in-between doing my regular work |
| favorites for years to come on our good old Atari | | | | (which is what a PC was for after all, right?). |
| 2600. | | | | Many of these early emulators have since been |
| Thankfully with the creation of Emulators for classic | | | | ported to virtually every platform that could support |
| consoles, we're now all able to enjoy some of the | | | | the speed required to run the games or programs. |
| timeless classic games many of us grew up with. | | | | And with the R4 Card for the Nintendo DS, you're |
| For those of you that are not sure just what an | | | | now able to enjoy many of your classic systems, in |
| "emulator" is, let me briefly explain. Emulators for the | | | | the palm of your hand. As hand held consoles |
| DS (or emulators for any other platform) are software | | | | become more and more powerful, it was only a |
| programs that are created for the sole purpose of | | | | matter of time that the most popular emulators were |
| running games or applications that were written for or | | | | ported over. The only thing that was really holding |
| created for another piece of hard ware. For | | | | back their potential was the inability to use these |
| example, we know that an Atari 2600 can play Atari | | | | emulators on the Nintendo DS or DSi. That all |
| 2600 games without any trouble. That's because the | | | | changed with the release of NDS Flash Cards like the |
| software or cartridges that are used on the Atari | | | | R4 Card for the NDS and the R4i SDHC for the |
| 2600 were made for and created with the Atari 2600 | | | | Nintendo DSi. No longer did emulator makes have to |
| hardware in mind. Thus, the games run perfectly on | | | | even consider creating a cartridge, when the R4 Card |
| the Atari 2600. Emulators for the DS aim to | | | | was the ultimate homebrew / emulator card available. |
| recreate, by way of software, all of the different bit of | | | | One of my favourite emulators on my Nintendo DS |
| hardware and memory maps that a game would be | | | | and R4 Card setup is Stella. Stella is an Atari 2600 |
| looking to utilize or work with as if it were an actual | | | | emulator that allows you to load and play all of your |
| Atari 2600 console itself. And it's no easy task to | | | | favourite Atari 2600 games, right on your Nintendo DS |
| have one piece of hardware fully emulate or mimic | | | | console. Games like Pitfall, Phoenix, and Journey bring |
| another. | | | | back memories of days now long gone. And instead |
| While the Atari 2600 was revolutionary back in its | | | | of having to pull out and dust off my Atari 2600 |
| heyday, the Nintendo DS or DSi is easily hundreds of | | | | console, I can now comfortably play them on my |
| times more powerful and capable of rendering sounds, | | | | Nintendo DS system thanks to my R4 Card. Being |
| graphics, even video. The trick however is to utilize | | | | able to carry around not only some truly unique |
| and write software that will turn that Nintendo DS into | | | | homebrew games, but also some of my favourite old |
| an Atari 2600. It's much like having an Atari 2600 | | | | classic games is what keeps me coming back to the |
| running ON TOP OF the Nintendo DS itself. While the | | | | Nintendo DS instead of systems like the PSP. |
| Atari 2600 was a "slow" game console by today's | | | | StellaDS is a complete emulator. By this I mean that |
| standards, the Nintendo DS has to work twice as hard | | | | once you load it on your R4 Card you'll be greeted by |
| - or harder - to run both the software and then run the | | | | the familiar blips and bleeps of your favourite Atari |
| actual games themselves because it is NOT an Atari | | | | 2600 games. The games run just as quickly and as |
| 2600. | | | | well as they did right on the Atari 2600 itself. The |
| Thankfully with years and years of NDS homebrew | | | | novelty is that I can carry around my collection on my |
| development emulator creators and programmers | | | | NDS and get in a game of Pitfall no matter where I |
| seem to have many things down to a science, and | | | | am. |
| their software can mimic and emulate the hardware of | | | | It's homebrew software like emulation that really |
| many of the classic video game and arcade | | | | makes the Nintendo DS stand out for die hard |
| systems. No small feat considering the heavy | | | | gamers. While it's great to have unique and touch |
| processing work that has to be done by the NDS | | | | friendly games, having the option to play some of our |
| itself. In my article on Nintendo DS Homebrew I | | | | favourite classics right on the NDS is what makes the |
| explained what homebrew was and why it is | | | | Nintendo DS (and not the DSi) stand out from the |
| created. Emulators for the DS are also part of the | | | | crowd. |
| homebrew umbrella. While not stand alone | | | | In my next article I'll do an in-depth review of another |
| homebrew games themselves, they enable playing of | | | | very popular 8-bit game system that you can also |
| retro games by their sheer existence. | | | | now emulate on your Nintendo DS or DSi. So make |
| Emulators have been around since the days of the old | | | | sure you keep checking back for more. And while |
| PC computers. Even the old Apple computers had | | | | you're waiting, grab your Nintendo DS and get an R4 |
| emulators released for them, some in the form of | | | | Card. You won't regret it once you get your hands |
| software while others were hardware boards that | | | | on your favourite classic games. |