Emulators

[guardianangel42]

I have a few questions about Xbox 360 emulators for the PC. I am a console gamer but I have a PC that is more than decent for PC gaming and am planning on getting an Asus N61JV-X2 laptop which is also decent for gaming. I don't need the best of the best.

Problem is that I have a library of Xbox 360 games and at this point can't run them on my PC. I would have to buy all new games for the PC and I don't want to do that.

I heard that you can get emulators that will allow you to play 360 games on PC but I don't know if they are legal in the US and I don't know if they actually work. I won't be using a mouse and keyboard so controls will be limited to a 360 controller (I tried the keyboard and mouse with Crysis and I just preferred the controller better, everyone has their preferences).

So, 1) Is is legal to use emulators for games that I own and 2) Does it actually work.

Any help is appreciated.

EDIT: Also, I am running Win7, so I don't know if there are any emulators written for my OS, help with that is also appreciated.

 

[isamuelson]

Usually, you have to have a ROM from the actual console. Depending on how you get it, it could be legal or illegal. I know there was a BIG stink way back when there was Play Station emulator for the PC where Sony was cracking down on even the non-free emulators because they said it was violating copyrights.

Also, you have to remember. The XB360 is not the same as a PC. Because it doesn't have to worry about a whole host of other things, including a full OS, it's pipeline is more streamlined than a PC, so it can perform all it's tasks easier and faster, even though it's nowhere NEAR the power of today's extreme and medium PCs.

Once you get it to the PC, it has to emulate all the functionality, thereby making it slower. Plus, the pipeline between the CPU and GPU now has to work harder because there are other issues going on since the OS in the PC is more complicated due to the fact that it has other components it must worry about and communicate with.

So, why not just keep the XB360 and play other games on the PC? I just don't get why people feel like if they have a 360 or PS3, you're not allowed to play PC games, or vice versa. I have a Wii, original Xbox AND a PC and I play games on all three of them. There is nothing wrong with that.

 

[guardianangel42]

It's not that I want to migrate from one to the other, it's more a matter of portability. I plan on getting a laptop and I want to play my xbox games on it, something I can't do with my xbox. I tried to play my 360 when I went on a road trip to Moab, I had a DVD player and screen in the van my family was using. It blew the fuse of the van.

Also, finding a screen in a hotel that you can hook an xbox up to is a matter of luck. most hotels charge you a fee to play n64 games and don't let you hook up a console to their tv.

Mainly I am wanting to play my 360 games on my laptop that I plan on getting, not my desktop. And I have all the ROMs for the games, I didn't mod my Xbox.

 

[guardianangel42]

It seems like a lot more trouble then just re-buying the games though, and it seems as though there isn't an official emulator, meaning that it is dangerously close to illegal. Torrent services seem like the only way to get an emulator, and they are at best only legal because they exploit a loop hole in the law.

I'll probably just re-buy the games when I get the laptop, bringing a $900 purchase up to a $1000+ purchase. Oh well, nothing for it.