After all, doesn’t a PC contain all of the same components as video game consoles? (Hard drive, GPU and CPU, etc.)
In: Technology
You might have noticed that when you download software to your computer you can choose between 64-bit and 32-bit types. This has to do with the structure of your CPU (the brain of you computer). Most PC:s come in 64-bit and 32-bit variations of either x86 or AMD-64 type processors. What differs between these is essentially how your computer handles and processes the most fundamental from of data. We call these instruction set architectures and some types are more useful than others in certain applications. Your phone has a different architecture from what your computer has and your computer different from what your router has, etc.
This also applies to consoles. They all handle their information differently and a program, like a video game for example, already has its predetermined data-structure that it wants to feed whatever hardware is trying to run it. Fruit Ninja on iPhone would not work on your computer for that reason, the program is not structured to be interpreted by the CPU of the PC. An emulator however, can create a virtual hardware in which a program can function correctly. It emulates the desired architecture type (among other things) so that it can run smoothly. Emulators can also help you run multiple operating systems at the same time using this principle.
PCs and game consoles both contain CPUs, yes, but they speak different languages. You need an emulator to translate back and forth between console-speak and PC-speak.
So pretend that an emulator is the program needed to run the game (like steam) and the ROM is the actual game. The emulator emulates the system. You basically need both. The rims are just straight copies of the physical cartridge or disc, but your PC doesn’t know how to read them. That’s what the emulator is for
I believe it’s because of the operating system of those game consoles. It’s the same reason you have to pick which operating system you have on your PC when downloading/installing any software. Each OS works differently.
Because the operating system on the PC is different than on the Xbox/PS/Nintendo.
Emulator basically means creating a operating system and making it believe that it is running on a separate device. So when you have a xBox emulator, the operating system thinks that it is running in an XBOX but in reality it is running on a PC.
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