Whether it’s to experiment with Android or play classic titles, the digital emulator has become a very curious tool for some people
We may have heard of emulators , especially if we have ever been interested in, for example, recalling a video game from our childhood or the time of our parents.
But what is an emulator? What other uses can it have? More and more people are interested in this type of programs, since they open the ban on giving our device greater versatility. At DownGamer we explain what exactly an emulator is and what uses can be given to it.
what is an emulator
An emulator is basically software that mimics a specific program or device. In other words, it creates a virtual platform on our computer to be able to run a medium other than the computer.
Emulators create the necessary conditions so that, on a PC, programs designed for other types of devices can be executed . In this way, emulation allows the performance of operating systems, video game consoles or outdated devices on our computer.
On many occasions, this type of program not only imitates the original, but also tries to improve its operation. Therefore, it is not a simulator , which only reproduces the behavior of a program.
What is an emulator for?
But what can be done concretely with an emulator? They can be distinguished into different types according to their usefulness:
- Operating system emulator.
One of the main uses is to run an operating system other than ours on the computer. There are emulators that allow us to run virtual machines with macOS, Linux or Windows; or older systems.
These are especially useful for people who have different devices, because in this way we can share applications or licenses; for example, if we don’t want to pay for the version of Word on our iMac.
Keep in mind that depending on the operating system, we will need a more powerful computer, since they usually create virtual machines.
- Android emulator.
Although it could be considered an operating system emulator, we have decided to separate it since there is a wide offer when it comes to Android emulators. If we are interested in developing applications or simply want to test apps from the Play Store before using them on our mobile, these emulators are perfect.
These are programs that allow us to run the operating system for Google mobiles and tablets.
- Console emulator.
Surely the most popular; console emulators allow us to run a platform like the PSX, the NES or any other from our computer. This program needs ROMs, executables to install within the emulator and, thus, be able to enjoy video games from the time of our parents or from our childhood.
Best Android Emulators
Surely the most useful can be an Android emulator. Therefore, we recommend several of them:
AndroidStudio
It is an official tool for application and software developers. It is a complicated emulator to learn to use, but one of the most complete. In addition, this brings with it different versions of Android to be able to try.
Blue Stacks
One of the classic emulators. Blue Stacks is a very complete tool that perfectly adapts the operating system to the PC, which allows it to be used with a keyboard and mouse with practically any application.
It has its own interface for the computer, so it doesn’t have the same appearance as the mobile version. Depending on the version of Blue Stacks, the base of the operating system will be one version of Android or another.
Genymotion
Another of the most popular emulators is Genymotion. This tool runs in the cloud, so it consumes much less than other similar systems as it doesn’t use resources from our computer.
Although this is also focused on application developers, its visual appearance is the same as the mobile version and it gives you access to any Android app. Genymotion also offers more than 3,000 configurations, so we can choose exactly which mobile we want to imitate.
Best (classic) console emulators
If we are interested in remembering that time in front of the NES or simply want to play a classic video game, then you have different options:
epsxe | PS1
The most popular emulator, or one of the most, to have your own PlayStation One on our computer. Available for any operating system (including Android and iOS), Epsxe is a program that mimics the entire Sony console system.
Of course, we will need ROM files of each of the games to be able to run them. These can be obtained from the official website.
OpenEmu.org
If what we are looking for is the same system where we can play different classic and not so classic titles, then OpenEmu.org is our option. It is a software that combines different emulators: neoGeo, SNES, Nintendo DS, SEGA Genesis… and a long etcetera.
This emulator, which also works through ROMs, also allows you to use physical controls (controllers) using a USB cable, to ensure an experience like before.
