My Emulators of Choice.

As much as I'd like to own all the games consoles and games that have ever been made by any manufacturer ever, I don't have the money or space to accommodate such a desire. As a result, I turn to emulation to get my retro fix.

Naturally, I've agonized over which particular emulator to use in order to achieve satisfactory results. I dare not think about how much of my life I've invested in testing emulators over the years, but needless to say, I've amassed a collection that any self-respecting retro gamer would be proud of, so I'm going to share my list with both of you, readers!

As of 2015, I have many devices capable of emulating my favourite consoles. Firstly, there's my PCs, which I use for the more resource-hungry emulators like the PS2 and Gamecube. Then there's my PSP, which satisfies most of my handheld retro needs along with the PS1. And finally, there's my Android Smartphone, which I use when I haven't got my PSP with me.

Below is a list of the different emulators I frequently make use of. There's no links to files, as there are many different websites made just for hosting emulators. Emucr.com is a particularly good one, along with Emu-Russia.net. Both have more emulators than I've listed here and are purpose-built sites, housing a multitude of emulation-related gubbins. However, I may add links to the emulators made for the PSP at some point in the future, as that (amazing) handheld is a bit long in the tooth now and sites hosting the files are few and far between, (try Wololo.net for PSP stuff, it's a great site and well worth regular visits).

So, on with the lists. Both my PCs run Windows, one has Windows 10 64-bit, while the other has Windows XP 32-bit. I have my reasons for this, but they're irrelevant to this subject...

PC:

4DO. An emulator for the 3DO.

1964. This one handles Nintendo64 emulation on my PC. Plugin based.

AppleWin. For all my Apple II emulation needs.

Handy. That bad-boy deals with any Atari Lynx desires I may have.

mGBA. For when I just want to play Gameboy Advance games on a PC.

BGB. The BEST Gameboy/Colour emulator available for Windows.

Hatari. This supplies me with a wealth of Atari ST goodness.

MAMEUI64. M.A.M.E. Possibly the greatest emulator ever created. It is capable of playing games from a multitude of arcade machines.

DeSmuME. This is what I use for any Nintendo DS emulation I might need. However, as I own an actual DS, complete with a Flashcart, it seldom gets used.

NeoPop. This little beauty lets me play most of the games from my favourite handheld console, the NeoGeo Pocket on my PC.

NCDZ. For the NeoGeo CD system.

Nestopia. My favourite Nintendo Entertainment System emulator.

Ootake. My emulator of choice for PC Engine emulation, amongst others.

ePSXe. Lovely piece of software, this. Handles the emulation of Sony's Playstation very well indeed. Plugin based too, so can add some enhancements to the experience.

PCSX2. Now this one is for the PS2. I don't download games for this system, just play the ones I own as it can play PS2 DVDs from my PCs DVD draw.

PPSSPP. What a piece of software this is. One of my favourite emulators despite owning an actual PSP. Beautiful UI.

SCUMMVM. For all my point-and-click adventure games. One of the first emulators I ever used.

Kega Fusion. I use this for a lot of my Sega needs, as it is capable of playing ROMs for the Master System, Game Gear, Megadrive, 32X and MegaCD. Unfortunately, it has 'issues' on Windows 10 but it's not unplayable.

SSF. This Japanese emulator runs any Sega Saturn game I would want to play.

SNES9x. My favourite Super Nintendo emulator.

Dolphin. Another console I don't download games for as I use actual, shop-bought discs. This fantastic emulator handles Nintendo's Gamecube and Wii with aplomb!

PSP:

Final Burn Alpha. Used for a few arcade games.

RIN GB. For playing Gameboy/colour ROMs on the go.

gpSP Mod. This can just about handle the Gameboy Advance on a PSP. There are many different forks of this emulator. The version I use has a horrible icon consisting of 2 cats playing a GBA.

Handy PSP. A PSP port of Handy for Windows. Good for Atari Lynx.

NCDZ PSP. For the rare occasion I desire some NeoGeo CD action on the move.

NesterJ. This baby fulfils my Nintendo Entertainment System needs while I'm on the bus.

RACE! PSP. NeoGeo Pocket/Colour emulator.

Picodrive. A very impressive emulator that boasts 100% compatibility for the Sega Megadrive. Some games slow down though. It also does MegaCD emulation pretty well too.

SMS+. Lovely little Master System emulator in the palm of my hands.

SNES9xTYLmecm. Quite a mouthful of an emulator, but can just about manage full-speed SNES emulation with a few speed-hacks.

POPSloader. Sony's own built-in PS1 emulator on the PSP. Games need to be copied from physical CDs, then converted correctly, (using PC software called PSX2PSP), in order to be functional. Not 100% compatible, but most games work nicely.

Android: (this list is subject to change at any time. I tend not to use my phone for emulation, but when I do, I use it with a 'Moga Pocket'. A Bluetooth control pad designed specifically for gaming on phones/tablets. All the emulators listed below are Moga-compatible in Gamepad mode).

My Boy! An excellent Gameboy Advance emulator for Android. Capable of emulating the link cable over Bluetooth or Wifi for multiplayer action/Pokemon trading.

My Old Boy! From the same Dev as My Boy! This plays Gameboy/Colour ROMs and also has a link capability.

N64oid. A very good Nintendo 64 emulator. The latest version has support for hi-resolution texture packs to enhance the experience.

ePSXe. Like its PC counterpart, this plays PS1 games. I very very rarely use this for obvious reasons, but it's mentioned here because it is extremely high quality.

SNES9x EX+. Brilliant port of the SNES9x emulator. Plays most SNES games very well and is also 100% free on the Play Store!

So there you have it. An extensive list of the software I use for my emulation requirements. I do hope you enjoy searching for these files. ;) It has taken me a long time to work out which of the many emulators available were my favourites. The software listed above might not be the best there is, but they are all my emulators of choice.

Happy emulating!