What exactly IS a rom?!

[MitchelHunt]

everyone plays chrono on a "rom". wtf is that?! i grew up playing on psone and snes...the rom is a program for the computer or something? where can i get it and how much does it cost?!

[Claado Shou]

We can't really discuss where to find ROMS online, 'cause they're essentially illegal, but basically, it's a file that acts as the game in question.  Find a Chrono Trigger ROM, open it with an SNES emulator (which acts as a Super Nintendo) and then start playing.  

Best thing about emulators and ROMS is not that they're free, but most emulators have cheat systems, background layering, and instant saves built-in.  

Google the word "emuasylum" and everything will become clear.

~.C.S.~

P.S. It's surprising - nay, nigh impossible - that in this day and age, somebody doesn't know what a ROM is.  I'm amazed.

[MitchelHunt]

P.S. It's surprising - nay, nigh impossible - that in this day and age, somebody doesn't know what a ROM is.  I'm amazed.

lol. i've head of an emulator, but not rom.

[V_Translanka]

But then...what did you think you called the data that emulators played? I mean emulator is to ROM as SNES is to cart

[DarkGizmo]

What I like about ROMs is that I wanted the Zeal map and found no cheat to be teleported there so I played the game on turbo and it took me 20 min ot get to zeal with maxed out character

[Luminaire85]

For me I would have never played Chrono Trigger without ROMs, let alone come to appeciate what a masterpiece it is. For this reason it is a shame that ROMs are illegal.

[ZeaLitY]

Yeah, I own a grand total of three Chrono series things myself. CT, RD, and CC?

More like

CT world map handouts, Chrono Cross preorder clock and the Ultimania guide for some reason.

[Ramsus]

everyone plays chrono on a "rom". wtf is that?! i grew up playing on psone and snes...the rom is a program for the computer or something? where can i get it and how much does it cost?!

Cartridges use "ROM" chips to store data. It's just another way to represent bits by hardwiring their values into a chip. Unlike disk drives though, ROM chips can be accessed like regular memory using the address bus, which is why cartridges don't have loading times.

What most people on the Internet call "ROMs" are just copies of the data made from ROM chips on cartridges and stored in files (usually with some added information in a header that specifies things like the size of the chip and the system type). Technically, you'd call them ROM images, where image in this case means a complete copy of all of the data stored in one medium copied into another medium.

Since part of the data from ROM images for things like SNES games includes the actual code segments (programs) for the games, you can write PC programs that analyze parts of the code and pretend to do what real SNES hardware would do with it (take input, draw to the screen, access data in the ROM). That's all an emulator is, just a program to interpret the machine code for another type of computer.

Since most published games are copyrighted (and will be for another half century or so), it's illegal to download ROM images of games. Most games have a software license on the back or in the manual that also prohibits you from making copies of games you already own.

Technically, the copyright owner of the game could sell ROM images or license others to sell them, but nobody's bothered making a business model out of it, since illegally available ROM images of games are all over the Internet.

In other words, never pay for a ROM image, because it's almost always being illegally copied and sold.

Also, we don't want to advocate copyright infringement here, especially the sort that can hurt Square-Enix's business, so don't use the forums to pass around links to sites that provide illegal copies of copyrighted material like games.

[MitchelHunt]

But then...what did you think you called the data that emulators played? I mean emulator is to ROM as SNES is to cart

yeah but i never really looked into it.

[Lord J Esq]

I think the Encyclopedia FAQs or whatever section is appropriate ought to include Rasmus' reply to this topic, as well as an equally brief discussion of emulators and really the whole emulation dealie. Those of us who have been familiar with the jargon for years may understandably feel jarred when someone new comes along and asks what a ROM is, but jargon has a way of excluding outsiders and not only are most people perpetually ignorant of the substance beneath terms like "ROM" and "Internet," but moreover there are newcomers to the gaming world signing on every day, people who just haven't been around and are experiencing all of this--including the jargon--for the first time. We don't need to be snide to people who ask reasonable questions, and sometimes the simplest questions can be eminently reasonable. (Yeah, I know no one meant to give a snide reply in this topic, but our intentions don't always match up with what really happens. It's snide to belittle people for asking questions whose answers are obviously plain to us.)

Anyhow, for your consideration, ZeaLitY...I think a brief section on emulation, emulators, and ROMs would do well in the Encyclopedia, with links to Zophar and more technical documents for the fact-fervent.

[jotabe1789]

Actually, in the properties of the new Nintendo console called Revolution, they include: backwards compatibility with GameCube and (attention to this) built-in emulators for N64, SNES and NES. That, including a HD and an internet connection that would enable you to download (working similar to X-Box Live!) the ROM images of most of the games for these consoles. They didn't say if they will charge for them or it will be for free. If it was for free, they would become public domain, i think.

Anyway, it is the first time that a gaming system exploits, officially, the emulation and the ROMs.

[ZeaLitY]

http://www.chronocompendium.com/wiki/index.php?title=An_Introduction_to_Emulation

Hah, looks like you accidentally contributed something!

[Ramsus]

Actually, in the properties of the new Nintendo console called Revolution, they include: backwards compatibility with GameCube and (attention to this) built-in emulators for N64, SNES and NES. That, including a HD and an internet connection that would enable you to download (working similar to X-Box Live!) the ROM images of most of the games for these consoles. They didn't say if they will charge for them or it will be for free. If it was for free, they would become public domain, i think.

Anyway, it is the first time that a gaming system exploits, officially, the emulation and the ROMs.

They would not become public domain just because Nintendo provides a free license to use the games. And with a free license, they'd probably have clauses that limit the use of the games to playing them on their new console and prevent redistribution.

In other words, providing licensed SNES and NES ROM downloads will still be illegal, as will downloading ROMs to play on a PC, even if you can legally do the same thing on a Nintendo console.

[jotabe1789]

Yeah, probably you are right. Nintendo is not the kind of brand that makes illegal copies easy lol. But still, it's good news for emulation in general. Furthermore, since nintendo owns the hardware of their cartridge consoles, they surely can program "kick-ass" emulators
It will be very interesting waiting and seeing what it becomes ^_^

[DarkGizmo]

"kick-ass" emulator? what do you mean... First they tried to sued Game Genie compagny for their Game Genie, I don't suppose they will put this in their emulator then...

I think the already existing emulator are fine and nothing can be added, Zsnes can be played online... tried it once but my friends had a neanderthal connection