What emulators can I run without problems? PC specs inside..

[ApebitMusic | 130]

Hey guys, was thinking of loading some emulators on my PC. I have an Acer Predator with 16gb Ram, 1660ti card, some Intel chip. haha. I'm guessing I can run N64 at this point without a problem? How about Gamecube and PS2? I really don't want to bother unless I can be pretty confident there won't be headaches. 

[Gloves | 12,574]

I used to run a PS2 emulator playing FFXII on my work laptop, ~8 years ago.

[zeppelin03 | 314]

Yeah you can probably run most anything.  If you are trying to push 4k that might be different.  Best thing you can do is just load up an emulator and test it.

Edited May 20, 2020 by zeppelin03

[Tanooki | 5,256]

Is this kind of what you have? https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-9750H-2-60GHz-Windows/dp/B07XPC9Z8R

Gamecube/Wii would be no problem.  3DS shouldn't be a problem either.  16/32 consoles and arcade and lesser powered not an issue.  If that tech spec on that link I gave is correct you're a little better off than I am in respect to the video (980M 8GB video card/chip on mine = 970 desktop.)  My i7 chip is a slight be lesser quality but not enough to be noticable as it's 2.5ghz in standard but under emulators/games intense it runs at 3ghz.

I think you probably would have a fair shot at Dreamcast and PS3 level stuff.  Games like Call of Duty WW2 which is fairly intense would be fine.

[Luciobar1980 | 20]

Ok, downloaded Project 64. Is it me or is mapping controls with any consistency a total mindfuck?  I think back in the day customization wasn't such a foregone conclusion, and so you'd basically have to deal with the way the developer set up the controls.

Am I missing something here or is this just the way it is? 

[Tanooki | 5,256]

N64 emulation has always been some form of mid grade headache mixed with a disaster.  I never could figure why it just got stuck 20 years ago and never really got all that much better in some respects.

[DreamCuPS | 32]

Don't really know the 1660ti card, but is this a 6gb card? If it is, you might try even a PS3 emulator. My PC is a bit weaker than that, and I can run anything up to a PS2 emulator without problems.   

For Nintendo 64 I use bizhawk / emuhawk. Aside from emulating several systems, it handles the N64 even better than Proj-64, imo.

[zeppelin03 | 314]

On 5/20/2020 at 11:26 PM, Tanooki said:

N64 emulation has always been some form of mid grade headache mixed with a disaster.  I never could figure why it just got stuck 20 years ago and never really got all that much better in some respects.

I never thought about that.  Project 64 and others look about the same as they did 15 years ago.  Lead me to real hardware.  Maybe we will get a good fpga version soon.

On 5/20/2020 at 10:55 PM, Luciobar1980 said:

Ok, downloaded Project 64. Is it me or is mapping controls with any consistency a total mindfuck?  I think back in the day customization wasn't such a foregone conclusion, and so you'd basically have to deal with the way the developer set up the controls.

Am I missing something here or is this just the way it is? 

I bought a USB to N64 adapter and that helped.  Mapping the emulator controls to an actual N64 simplified to process for me.  No more c buttons on an anolog stick.

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

On 5/20/2020 at 2:09 PM, ApebitMusic said:

Hey guys, was thinking of loading some emulators on my PC. I have an Acer Predator with 16gb Ram, 1660ti card, some Intel chip. haha. I'm guessing I can run N64 at this point without a problem? How about Gamecube and PS2? I really don't want to bother unless I can be pretty confident there won't be headaches. 

Dude, this isn't really the place. Everyone's computer is different, so do your own research or simply test it. There are better sites for questions like these (GBATEMP).

Or, if you're lazy, run RPCS3. If you can run Persona 5 at 60fps, you can run pretty much anything. 

[Tulpa | 3,771]

On 5/22/2020 at 3:34 AM, zeppelin03 said:

Maybe we will get a good fpga version soon.

Wouldn't count on it being too soon. Even Kevtris said that FPGA tech would have to advance several years before we'd see one come along. N64 is a tough nut to crack.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

9 hours ago, Tulpa said:

Wouldn't count on it being too soon. Even Kevtris said that FPGA tech would have to advance several years before we'd see one come along. N64 is a tough nut to crack.

When you can actually get a game properly configured, the end result of emulation looks 100x better than the original games, though.

FPGA N64 would be a step backwards from an emulator that just retained configuration settings on a game by game basis more reliably.  

Maybe that problem is solved now, but last time I messed with it, it was pretty hit or miss.

[Laseki | 128]

You can emulate pretty much anything you would want with that

[zeppelin03 | 314]

7 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

When you can actually get a game properly configured, the end result of emulation looks 100x better than the original games, though.

FPGA N64 would be a step backwards from an emulator that just retained configuration settings on a game by game basis more reliably.  

Maybe that problem is solved now, but last time I messed with it, it was pretty hit or miss.

I have been really happy with the output of the UltraHDMI on an original console.  If someone can get the responsiveness of OG hardware with the upres of an emulator I would be really happy.  I've seen tweets about people working on FPGA N64 but its still early development much like the PS1. 

Is bizhawk the new go to emulator for N64?  I tried it once for a goldeneye randomizor and wasn't wowed.

[ApebitMusic | 130]

On 5/24/2020 at 6:20 PM, LaytToTheParty said:

Dude, this isn't really the place. Everyone's computer is different, so do your own research or simply test it. There are better sites for questions like these (GBATEMP).

Or, if you're lazy, run RPCS3. If you can run Persona 5 at 60fps, you can run pretty much anything. 

Really? Explain to me why this, of all places, is not the place to ask such a question. I don't think "lazy" is really the appropriate word. 

[Nintegageo | 583]

 

27 minutes ago, ApebitMusic said:

Really? Explain to me why this, of all places, is not the place to ask such a question. I don't think "lazy" is really the appropriate word. 

What is? Theft?

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

17 minutes ago, Nintegageo said:

 

What is? Theft?

 

45 minutes ago, ApebitMusic said:

Really? Explain to me why this, of all places, is not the place to ask such a question. I don't think "lazy" is really the appropriate word. 

It's a totally reasonable question for this area of the site, don't quite understand the people that felt the need to respond in unpleasant ways rather than just ignoring your post.

Edited May 26, 2020 by arch_8ngel

[Gloves | 12,574]

"Go somewhere else to get an answer" is absolutely not right; we have gamers from all walks here, and OPs question is perfectly valid here. 

And jabbing at people about "theft" is just being negative. Definitely not the vibe for VGS. 

Feel free to ask any questions on this site you like. If a mod feels it's inappropriate, THEY will say something. Users don't need to be mini-modding the site. Report it and move on quietly if you have a problem, and we will judge each case individually. 

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

This site just isn't the best place for this kind of question. Sure, he/she can ask it here, but if he/she wants the best answer, take your question to another site where people are more knowledgeable about emulation and optimization for a specific computer. 

Plus, this kind of question just seems lazy. Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but I understood it as "I'm too lazy to test things out myself, do my homework for me please." Honestly, the most accurate answer you're going to get will come from yourself testing your own device. And I doubt you won't enjoy it, many people have more fun setting up frontends and optimizing for their device than actually playing a specific game on their pc.

[Scrobins | 1,880]

As someone who has been a member for (checks profile) a week, are you really situated to say what questions this site is or isn’t the right place for?

[Nintegageo | 583]

54 minutes ago, Gloves said:

And jabbing at people about "theft" is just being negative. Definitely not the vibe for VGS. 

I was being serious. This is obviously not about a person who owns the games and wants to stream them or some other grey area regarding emulation - this is about stealing games. This hobby seems to be the only place where counterfeits and stealing are not just tolerated but celebrated. I know it's not the popular stance in the community but it's the truth and I stand by it.

However, I can totally write polite explanation-type answers rather than immature jabs regarding the topic. No problem.

[Gloves | 12,574]

1 minute ago, Nintegageo said:

I was being serious. This is obviously not about a person who owns the games and wants to stream them or some other grey area regarding emulation - this is about stealing games. This hobby seems to be the only place where counterfeits and stealing are not just tolerated but celebrated. I know it's not the popular stance in the community but it's the truth and I stand by it.

However, I can totally write polite explanation-type answers rather than immature jabs regarding the topic. No problem.

To be clear, I have no problem with your viewpoint nor with you expressing it. I just don't think it's good to be running around being negative about it is all. Little one/two word jabs aren't helping, and mostly weaken your argument tbh.

As for this being the only hobby where this is generally tolerated/accepted, I'd be curious what other hobbies you're into? Comics/manga are an example where it's even "worse" - basically every comic in existence I can obtain for absolutely free with a few clicks and no money lost. Same goes for regular ol' books now I think of it - PDFs of books are easy to obtain, by and large. Movies, same deal. Basically anything you could imagine obtaining on thepiratebay, really.

Further, you can easily print out art you don't own the copyright for. It's also technically not allowed, but most print houses don't give a shit. If you find the one in your town that refuses to print out a poster for you of a Van Gogh painting, just go a few blocks to the other place and they'll do it for you.

I am actually having trouble thinking of a comparable medium that DOESN'T have the same environment surrounding copies.

[Nintegageo | 583]

5 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Some valid points.

My only other collectible hobby is OS MtG which has a horrible problem with Chinese printers. It's entirely possible that plays a part in why I am so against this practice. And I wasn't saying movies etc don't do it, but I wouldn't say that stealing them is as openly celebrated or promoted as with video games.

Anyway, I apologize about being rude and could have been nicer in saying that.

[zeppelin03 | 314]

Not to fuel the flames but I'm sure there are plenty of us who emulate or use a rom cart for games we own.  I enjoy modding Breath of the Wild despite owning it on Wii U and Switch.  Need to emulate for that.

I use a hard drive or romcart for many of my consoles. Saves me the wear on my carts and disc.  Given the option I would rather keep my small collection in the best condition possible.

Sure these devices can be used for piracy but it isn't the only use case.

Going back on topic now. Did you have consoles you were hoping to run? Perhaps that is a quicker way to get you set up.

Edited May 26, 2020 by zeppelin03

[LaytToTheParty | 22]

I didn't mean to come off as a dick at all but a lot of people seem to take an opinion as a sign of hostility. Sorry if that seemed to be the case. I just feel like that question could be better answered by the OP themself or on another, more niche site specialized around emulation. I hate to sound like an echo of @Nintegageo but yeah, I could've phrased my post better and could've been nicer about getting my point across. If the OP truly wants the best answer he simply has to test things himself.

1 hour ago, Scrobins said:

As someone who has been a member for (checks profile) a week, are you really situated to say what questions this site is or isn’t the right place for?

That's eight days to you, Scrobins.

 

22 minutes ago, Gloves said:

I am actually having trouble thinking of a comparable medium that DOESN'T have the same environment surrounding copies.

Newspapers? Not sure if you can even call that comparable.

[Gloves | 12,574]

3 minutes ago, LaytToTheParty said:

I didn't mean to come off as a dick at all but a lot of people seem to take an opinion as a sign of hostility. Sorry if that seemed to be the case. I just feel like that question could be better answered by the OP themself or on another, more niche site specialized around emulation. I hate to sound like an echo of @Nintegageo but yeah, I could've phrased my post better and could've been nicer about getting my point across. If the OP truly wants the best answer he simply has to test things himself.

That's eight days to you, Scrobins.

 

Newspapers? Not sure if you can even call that comparable.

I dunno if I'd call newspapers comparable.

My main point is just try to be generally less confrontational about stuff, I don't see a need for it, and it's really just not the environment we're trying to cultivate. Not that we all need to go around sucking each other off or anything, and this ain't kiddy's playhouse where we all need to subscribe to the same ideologies (by all means, disagree with me or anyone on anything). I'd simply like to see things steered in a more helpful manner if we can help it.

For instance, instead of "this isn't the place for this" we might go with "here's my thoughts, but this other place might be better suited to give you the best answer". Keep in mind too that you don't always HAVE to get the BEST answer for everything in life. Eating out at Olive Garden isn't a bad thing just cuz you COULD go to one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. OP has an account here and clearly trusts/respects the judgement of the users on this site enough to go to them about this, and I think that's perfectly valid.