The world of video game console emulation is fascinating.
While the majority of emulation communities are focused on what most would consider retro consoles, including systems of yesteryear like the Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo (SNES) and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), in 2019, a new Linux-based emulator called Spine appeared on the scene.
Like all emulators, the app essentially mimics the hardware featured in Sony’s PS4 through software, allowing it to run games designed for the console. Fast-forward to now and the team behind Spine says that roughly 300 games are compatible with the software, but that they’re primarily 2D titles that don’t require significant hardware power — from the looks of it, a lot of games seem pretty glitchy as well. This means that you won’t be playing God of War or Spider-Man: Miles Morales through Spine anytime soon.
After glancing at the list of compatible titles, there really aren’t any notable titles that I’m personally interested in playing, but that’s not really the point of emulation in the first place — the aim is video game preservation, at least in theory 👀.
With all of this in mind, it’s also important to note that Spine doesn’t feature a user interface, firmware or game files (you’ll have to *acquire* that data yourself).
Still, as the video game industry continues to move towards digital stores, emulators like Spine will become increasingly important because, at least in some cases, they could be the only way to preserve certain titles.
Via: Tom’s Hardware
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