Emulation is a bit of a gray area when it comes to legal issues. Legally, emulation is fine and dandy, providing you’re using your own games and what not, but there are many out there not entirely clued up on the legalities surrounding video-game emulation. It’s not an evil menace as it allows people to enjoy long-lost games from the past without having to hook up dusty old consoles to televisions that don’t support the audio/visual cables – at least not without a having to buy extra additions.
One such company has taken it a step further by actually selling an emulated PS One game for the PC via the Steam service. OK, it’s not Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon, but N2O: Nitrous Oxide is worth a look if you’re interested in re-living your childhood gaming memories. Get it here on Steam.
The interesting thing is that the game’s publisher on Steam, Console Classics, also has a few more games available via its official website that are purchasable with the promise of more classics and hidden gems on the horizon.
While we’re probably never going to get every PS One game available via Steam, it’s a good sign that at least one rights holder has found a way to release some golden-oldies. Here’s hoping that some more games find their way to the service – just don’t expect any PlayStation exclusives because, well, erm, they’re PlayStation exclusives. Duh.