Emulation has always been a topic of debate and controversy. From the very inception of the concept, emulation sparked major conflicts between tech companies and the history of emulation has a magic side with software created by anonymous developers who seem to appear out of nowhere, taking everyone by surprise, and disappearing just as quickly, leaving behind waves of controversy. And this cycle has never stopped. Just a few weeks ago, we witnessed the conclusion of the six-year-long battle between Nintendo and the Yuzu emulator.
That’s the story of emulation: a story of innovation, driven by a handful of developers so talented that their feats, often achieved alone or in pairs, shook the video game industry to its core. Nintendo and Sony were pushed to the brink, forced to resort to weird maneuvers, lawsuits, and their influence to try and curb emulation – rarely with much success, at least legally. Here is the secret and untold history of emulation: how discreet and passionate developers put stars in the eyes of gamers, transforming an entire industry, and bringing emulation to the masses – while paying a steep price.
Made by Sakharu, voiced over by Brad Ziffer.
The sources used to create this video: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AttjPlP8FM9Z_MZFN_e6BqqMR97zYL75oOuEVPbBvFc/edit?tab=t.0
00:00:00 • The taboo history of emulation
00:01:28 • Part 1 - A hesitant start (1981-1997)
00:10:00 • Part 2 - A bittersweet victory (1998-2002)
00:22:30 • Part 3 - Switching sides (2002-2009)
00:33:01 • Part 4 - The uncontrollable outburst (2009-2023)
00:45:58 • Part 5 - History repeats itself (2023-now)
The music used in order :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1PZWx01XWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taViF8BEGZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_7FaCI9cyk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y47G2B-r-Sk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0T7KSzMTYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdgLf9kdwzQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Lbx-oL81o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbC-aThtabU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCX1DqCZyRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exwguP4LdB0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYIGTFg4CRQ
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