What Are ROMs ?

So what is a ROM, simply put it’s a video game contained in a computer file.

To play ROMs an emulator is required; a program version of a video game console. Each emulator is designed for the machine it is working on or in more technical terms designed for each operating system.

[neogeo]

I have my Wii modded running Snes Roms. It's a nice emulator because it auto updates and works perfect with any controller with no setup required.

Please note you must also own a legal copy of each game or it's considered illegal.

In my situation I have bought all my games at 1 point anyway. I spent thousands in the 16bit days.

[princejb134]

so im assuming you still own all these snes games

[neogeo]

Does it matter? They are called backups for a reason. The law states you can back your games up in the event of damage you will have a backup copy to use. So maybe my house caught fire. Thank god for my backups!
I'm sure game companies love for you to buy the same game 10 times over to max out the profits, It's a good thing that America has laws that protect us from that type of greed.

[princejb134]

it matters because
"Please note you must also own a legal copy of each game or it's considered illegal"

keyword OWN

if you don't own the legit copy anymore than it is considered illegal by your definition

anybody can say that have previously bought the game but it doesn't make it true unless they show proof by showing the original game

[decrypt]

Roms are what we use to get backward compatibility with older games.

Any quad core PC of today with a half decent GPU can pretty much emulate any console in history (asides the PS3 and Xbox 360).

Personally i think console companies these days have made a good business out of charging people again and again for the same old games, with no assurance of future BC at all.
As long as people have a license PC equipped with emulators makes alot of sense.

@princejb134

I had previously purchased Snes games like:

WWF RAW, Super Mario World, Super mario Kart, WWF Wrestle Mania the Arcade

For Nes i had purchased:

Battle City

I see no harm in emulating those old games, even though i no longer have the physical disk. No point paying console makers for stuff i already paid for.

[jjb1981]

I own all playstation final fantasy games and I make ISO Roms so I can play these classics on my android phone on the go. This is a great technology!

[Whitefox789]

It's a form of storage that was originally used on cartridges to store the program for the compiled games there's even different types of ROM's.

There's Mask ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM.
Mask ROM: Read only storage.
PROM: One time programmable storage, used frequently in video game consoles, mobile phones, RFID tags, and other electronic / automotive products (non-volatile).
EPROM: Erasable programmable storage, only way to erase data is by exposing the chip to a high ultraviolet light (non-volatile).
EEPROM: Electrical Erasable programmable storage, stores data as long as its being powered, these are usually on PC Motherboards and are being powered by a Lithium Battery(non-volatile).

Cartridge based games today such as the 3DS and DS use Mask ROMs for game data, while save data is on either flash memory or an EEPROM.

[hellvaguy]

Roms are all just ways to steal games. Seriously people, stop lying to yourselves with lame justifications.

Im not judging, just saying a duck is a duck. Dont sit there and say a duck isnt a duck, because it kinda walks like a penguin or swims like seagal.