Where is the difference between Console and Emulator ? Graphic?

Well, the thing is, a console would be more "authentic" and an emulator wouldn't be "authentic" and it's technically illegal. Well, not so illegal when the console that is emulated is "abandonware", but still.

Also, consoles tend to be more reliable and easier to set up than emulators. With an emulator, especially if it's the N64 or the Playstation, you have to set up the options, the controller, and you might still get graphical hiccups at times.

However, the emulator is free (which is why it's technically "illegal") and... save states! Yea, that's the difference.

What do I prefer? Well, it depends on which system. If it's the NES, SNES, PS1, etc, I'll use an emulator. The emulators are pretty good, and it doesn't use that much of my computer's resources. If it's PS2 and beyond, I'll just get the system itself. It's not worth getting a 500 dollar computer when I can get a 100 dollar Gamecube instead. 

The main difference is save states. Such a blessing it is! No matter what kind of game you play, it's always practical to save and load should something go wrong.

As to which one I prefer, it depends. Up to the 16-bits era, either seem to be working fine. But starting at the PSX, it requires so much more energy, even for Civilization II. So after 16 bits, the original console works better as it has fewer slow downs.

I'm one of those people who prefers having physical copies of things I play, so I prefer actual consoles, but I am not opposed to using emulators when I don't have the console for a game I want to play and/ or I can't find the game. Or, in rare cases, I have both game and console but they are inaccessible at the moment, such as with my Nintendo 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  I have both, but they are packed up in storage and I can't get to them, so an emulator is fine!

ALso the same with Majora's Mask. I have it on the Game Cube, buuuuuuut I can't find the cord to plug my Game Cube into my TV. I have no idea what went with it, and buying a 'new' one off of Ebay is out of the question right now. So emulator time when I want to play! Same with Super Mario All Stars and the first Mario Kart. I have the games, but neither of them work any longer, and I don't have the money to buy new batteries to put in them. I know how to do it, and have done it to some of my other Super Nintendo games, but don't have the spare change to order any for those right now, so if I want to play, I use the RGR.

For games like Breath of Fire and Breath of Fire II, I have a console that will play them (it's a neat handheld thing that plays Super Nintendo cartridges, I LOVE this thing) but the games themselves can't be found for under $30, at least not anywhere that I've looked and/ or would trust, so I play them on an emulator. Would I like to own physical copies one day? Heck yes. I'd love to have both of those. But until that day comes, I'll use the emulator here through the RGR, and be quite happy to do so. 

I prefer emulator because it's like an endless library of games to play, whereas on a console you're limited to the games you have on disk. I like being able to think of a game and be playing within minutes through emulator.

I prefer emulators, usually can upscale the graphics which is definitely needed for consoles like the PS1.

I imagine most people, like myself, would like consoles more. Because, it's an actual physical copy of it and you get the full experience of the thrill of whatever you are playing. Emulators just don't seem to give that kind of thrill to you. Plus, some emulators can lag a lot, while the actual copies do not most of the time.

Consoles far and away. I prefer consoles for several reasons, like how when playing a ROM you can get halfway through a game and all of a sudden it glitches out. Faulty ROMs can be a real pain.

Also I just enjoy playing an actual cartridge/disc more than a digital ROM. And an even bigger deal for me is playing on a console instead of playing on a computer, phone, or tablet.



Emulators are great when I don't have the actual game and/or system, but if I have the choice I'll always go for the real deal.

I like the amount of options on emulators, especially older ones (NES/SNES mostly). While I like the authentic feeling of playing Super Mario World on SNES on my TV but I also like the more crisp graphics on an emulator.

I think we cant really compare original hardwere with emulation because they are both intented to serve different purposes. The original hardwere of course is to provide the most authentic experience and enable the use of the original accessories no matter how odd they may be.On other hand emulation offers extreme versatility and allows us to customize how we choose to play.So definitly I think that I prefer to play on the system however makes my lets plays easier , I think it is more satisfying to put the disc/cart into the system and flicking the power switchs just feels right , rooms feels worthless so having the game on a cart or disk in the box is awesome 

I prefer using a emulator. I mainly play gba, gbc and gba games. The emulator allows me to have a bigger screen and since i have a computer controller using it just feels better than having to use the gamepad. I also don't have to worry about buying batteries all the time for the gba. A lot of times i have to look up walkthroughs on youtube when i get stuck, all i have to do is minimize the game and do a youtube video search and i can watch the video and bring the game back up. I don't leave my gba on while i'm not using it, this prevents me from having to turn the game on and off. I can also lvl grind faster on vizzed using super speed, which works great on some games. If you use super speed on some games such as the dbz games 2 lvl grind you will only die quicker lol. A emulator also saves me money on games. I also don't have to worry about losing the physical copies of the games or having to buy new ones once the old ones stop working. Physical copies do have their advantages, one example is being able 2 use a gameshark. Looking at the overall picture, i would say that using a emulator is better than using the physical copies any day. 

I'd much rather use the actual console. Since most older video game consoles were designed to be played on CRT televisions at a particular resolution, emulation on the computer takes away much of the game's feel, look, and performance. It's unlikely the actual controller is being used, either. It's like playing the game behind a glass case in an alternate dimension; not the same feel. I'll only resort to emulation if the game isn't easily available or I want to quell some curiosity about a certain title. This is even coming from someone with little disposable income.

I prefer the console because it is the original. It was how the game was mad, and was intended to be played. Don't get me wrong; I'm not digging on emulators. I just prefer the console version of games to the emulator version. 

clayton 2 and thing1. You both have valid points, that is both of your opinions and i respect them. When it comes 2 using emulators for gba, gbc and gb games i really don't have much of a choice. I have epilepsy and while for the most part it is under control, i have what i call tremors. Flashing lights don't cause me 2 have seizures like a lot of people with epilepsy, but hand held items will cause me to have tremors and i will throw them across the room. Video games are constantly giving out flashing lights that is 2 fast for the human eyes 2 see so that is why it can cause some people 2 have seizures. I use 2 love playing card games but i can't even play those any more. I will have tremors and either crush the cards or throw them across the room. I am fine with playing video games on my tv tho. I own a xbox one, ps2 and a ps1. I have never had a single tremor while playing them and i love all 3 of them so it isn't like i am against game systems. But if i want 2 play any handheld games, they have 2 be on a emulator. But even if i didn't have tremors while playing the hand held games, i would still prefer the emulator over the systems any day for the reasons i stated before. Although the emulators do have setbacks. For example, i can't play the games on here right now because it is saying that the rgr plugin isn't being found. I tried all of the things it said 2 do but none of them have worked. I am pretty sure it is a problem with the coding. I am not the only user who is having this problem and one of the users i was talking with about this problem told me around the time he started having this problem and i noticed that both of us started having the same problem at the same time or very close 2 it. I think i found out what the problem is in the coding by looking it over. I could be wrong about it but i'm about about 70 percent sure that i found the problem. I don't know a whole lot about scripts and coding any more but i still remember some of what i know. I'm not sure if that is off topic or not, it was a set back of the emulator so i guess that would make it on topic. But i kind of went into a lot of detail which could of made it off topic. I guess i will leave that up 2 the readers of this 2 decide. lol