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[HN] Study: 87% of classic video games are not legally available (gamehistory.org)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://radiation.party/post/41704

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This isn't necessarily always true. PCSX2, the main PS2 emulator, for example needs a BIOS file that can only be obtained from an actual PS2 (or "illegally"). I'm not sure why that emulator requires it when others don't. The closest thing to an explanation I could find online just said "legal issues", but didn't go into details. That makes me suspect that there was pushback from Sony about the emulator. So if such emulation laws were to be written they absolutely should protect in stone the right to create and use emulators. If a company can find a loophole to block you, they will.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It's required because a lot of the functionality of the PS2 is in the embedded software, the BIOS.

The problem is not the emulator itself, it's the BIOS which is copyrighted. The emulator is not illegal, but bundling the BIOS with it would be.