<\/div>Officially, the WiiU plays WiiU games, Wii games, and anything that could be bought through the Nintendo Online Store. In that regard it followed in the footsteps of the Wii and the DS. Nintendo was becoming increasingly focused on digital purchases over discs or carts. Most console gamers will be familiar with the practice…all of the major manufacturers are pursuing this model. The tricky bit that differs from console to console is *how* the playing of games from older systems is enabled.<\/p>\n
“Backward Compatibility” is the concept that a newer gaming system designed to play games made for *that* system can also play games designed for a previous console by the same manufacturer. I will be simplifying this discussion for brevity’s sake (but it still ends up too long), but this is accomplished with through hardware, software, or some combination of the two. We can use the 8-bit, 16-bit, and immediately following generations to illustrate these concepts.<\/p>\n
The 16-bit Sega Genesis had most of the chips for a Sega Master System on the circuit board, and even though the cartridges were of different size and shape, Sega chose to include the programming to allow the Genesis to identify and load SMS cartridges, using an adapter to adjust to the right size and shape. In a sense, when you bought a Genesis, you were getting most of a built-in Sega Master System. Conversely, the Super Nintendo couldn’t play Nintendo Entertainment System cartridges. It certainly had the processing capability, it had the proper chips and Nintendo could have enabled processing NES programming, but SNES cartridges were designed with a different size and format, and Nintendo never produced an adapter. You could not plug a NES cartridge into an SNES. Even if you could, it wouldn’t have detected and loaded the cartridge, because the programming of the SNES didn’t allow for it. Only in the last few years has someone, likely through sheer boredom, created a rom hack and adapter that allows the SNES to play *some* NES games.<\/p>\n
In the next full generation of hardware, the Nintendo 64 could not accept SNES or NES cartridges. There was an unlicensed, third-party adapter for the N64 that allowed the connection of NES and SNES carts, but these were short-lived and are now rare and expensive. They also only worked with some games. Nintendo clearly did not intend to implement backward compatibility, while Sega did.<\/p>\n
<\/div>However, Sega abandoned this commitment to backward compatibility with the Saturn, which could not play games from any previous Sega console. Probably best to not read too much into this as a decision, because of how badly Sega fumbled their home console business moving on from the 16-bit era to the 32-bit era. Or maybe it was clearly intentional: the Saturn’s “memory card and accessory slot” is *almost*, but *not quite*, the right size and shape for a Genesis cartridge. (The 32X, which was advocated primarily by Sega America, very likely was never even considered when designing the Saturn.) Just as telling is the lack of Sega CD compatibility, as the Saturn didn’t have to make any physical change to accommodate playing CDs…it already did. Sega’s final console, the Dreamcast, also failed to include backward compatibility with the Saturn, although that is even more understandable than the Saturn’s shortcomings. The Dreamcast was rushed to release and ultimately proved an inadequate competitor in the Sixth Generation of consoles; the lack of backward compatibility was the least of its problems.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Before we move on it should be noted the first few iterations of the Sony PlayStation 2 could play Sony PlayStation discs just as if you were inserting them into an original PlayStation. The PlayStation 2 did this, as with the Genesis\/SMS, by having the PlayStation main processor included in the system. Likewise, the first two PlayStation 3’s could play PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 discs via hardware compatibility: they had a PS2 built in. The third model stripped out some of the PS2 hardware and replaced it with software emulation of one of the PS2’s chips, which reduced compatibility with PS2 games. Subsequent PlayStation 3 consoles retained the ability to play PlayStation One games at the hardware level, but not PS2 games. These later systems, however, *did* retain the ability to play *some* PlayStation 2 games via the “PS2 Classics” game releases. More about that in a minute, because it’s important.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Lastly, Microsoft made a brief foray into limited backward compatibility with original Xbox games on the Xbox 360, but quickly adapted to the “digital edition” model. Even as a majority of 360 games and most Xbox One games can be played on a Series S\/X, the process is still tied to activating a compatible digital download after demonstrating your ownership of a game from an older console. 360 backward compatibility actually connects with this discussion; however, and will be back briefly when we talk about retro-Xbox-gaming. Which is really just the Xbox and the 360, let’s be honest.<\/p>\n
At this intersection, the hardware compatibility road turns into a disused set of ruts and we take a turn toward software emulation. The terms “software emulation” or “emulation” refer to using a program to replicate the hardware functions of a system for the purpose of running software designed for that system. The benefit of software emulation is that increasingly, “code,” the actual written content of the program, is portable. What you write can be made to run on almost any computer. For instance, you could write a program that “emulates” a Nintendo Entertainment System. The process by which you make that code work as a program running ON any given computer, or console, is called “compiling.” All “compiling” means is you ran your code through another program designed specifically for arranging that code into a particular package or file than can be understood by the computer you want to run it on. So you could write that emulation program on a PC, then “compile” it to run on a PlayStation 3, or a WiiU.<\/p>\n
<\/div>The first Nintendo console that INCLUDED backward compatibility was the Wii, which could play GameCube games. The Wii enabled this backward compatibility by…being a GameCube. Not *having* a GameCube built in on the circuit board…in architecture the Wii was basically two GameCubes running in parallel. So once again this was hardware level compatibility, which is usually the best method of enabling the playing of older games. However, starting with the Wii and the 3DS, Nintendo enabled software emulation of older Nintendo systems. This was called the “Virtual Console” and allowed the playing of NES, SNES, GBA\/GBC\/GB, and DS games that could be downloaded from the eShop. You couldn’t use your actual cartridge or disc, you had to download a new version. That was because the Wii, for instance, did not have a full, universal, emulator program installed. Each Wii had important parts that enabled that functionality, but the code necessary to run each individual game was part of the digital download. Each title was essentially the programming of the original game “wrapped” within an emulator program that was set up specifically to run THAT game. This would be similar to downloading an old PC game that uses DOSBox from Good Old Games…GOG streamlines the DOSBox configuration for you so that it runs the best it can.<\/p>\n
The WiiU inherited the Virtual Console, and added the ability to play GameCube games offered through the eShop, and of course Wii games via their disc, or Wii games downloaded digitally. This gives us a system that, conceptually, more-or-less natively, will play every Nintendo game made up until the current generation console, the Switch. Of course, you have to *pay* for all that, and the WiiU isn’t even a Nintendo-supported system, anymore.<\/p>\n
Which is good, because that means you can mess around with it and make it run things it’s not supposed to run without making Nintendo mad. Just don’t try to connect it to the current eShop.<\/p>\n
I’m not going to go into detail on how you “hack” or “jailbreak” a console. These words are usually the slang terms that describe the process of using some sort of software updating or system reset technique to load special programming into the startup code of the system, which will then allow the installation of custom programs, such as additional software emulators. This allows your WiiU Controller to look like this:<\/p>\n
<\/div>Older systems, anything before the Wii and DS, are run by emulator programs that load within the Wii Virtual Console. That is, the icons labeled “Nintendo,” “Gameboy Advance,” “Super Nintendo,” and “Genesis” will actually reboot the Wii U and launch it in Virtual Wii mode. Once the console is running like a Wii, it will automatically launch whichever emulator you selected. Within that emulator, you select the proper sub-system if necessary, then the game you wish to play. Sub-systems are a factor with the Gameboy Advance emulator, which runs Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance Games; and the Genesis emulator, which actually runs *ALL* Sega 8-bit and 16-bit systems, including the Game Gear and Sega CD.<\/p>\n
The icons that are folders; WiiU, Wii, GameCube, and DS, contain emulator-wrapped games that launch directly. Wii, GameCube, and DS games will all reboot into the Virtual Wii mode, but WiiU games will just launch directly. You can actually do this emulator wrapping, commonly called “injection” on the Virtual Console, for *all* Nintendo systems *and* the TurboGrafx-16 and MSX (MSX computers were made in a partnership between Microsoft and The ASCII Corporation to create a standardized computer for western Pacific Rim countries) computer games. But not Sega games, at least not yet. That is because all those systems were supported as Virtual Console releases naturally, so the “injection” process can be replicated by 3rd party software for games that may not have been officially supported.<\/p>\n
The WiiU, sadly cannot effectively emulate Sony games, even the PlayStation One. But that’s where we bring the PlayStation 3 back into play.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Three of the first PlayStation 3’s, the ones commonly referred to as “fat” PlayStation 3’s, had some level of hardware compatibility with not only PlayStation games, but also PlayStation 2 games. Two of these systems, the original 20GB model and the 60GB model, had essentially an entire PS2 built onto the circuit board.<\/p>\n
I own an original 60GB PlayStation 3.<\/p>\n
It’s not for sale.<\/p>\n
It’s also my backup plan.<\/p>\n
Because I also own a first generation “slim” PS3. These PlayStation 3’s don’t have PlayStation 2 hardware compatibility, only PlayStation compatibility. However, about the time the “slim” PS3 entered production, Sony was packaging select PS2 games as “PlayStation 2 Classics.” These titles used the same technique as the “injected” digital downloads offered by Nintendo: the game was recompiled with an emulator designed for that specific game. Ergo, you could play these games on a PS3 even if it didn’t have PS2 hardware. Between the PS2 classics programming, and the remnants of hardware compatibility that were still present in all PS3’s until the release of the “super slim” models, you can hack all early PlayStation 3’s to play almost all PS1, PS2, and PS3 games direction from the hard drive.<\/p>\n
So…<\/p>\n
My “slim” PS3 now looks like this:<\/p>\n
<\/div>Each of those folders, as you can see, contains a list of all PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP games copied to the system’s hard drive. PSP emulation is a bit iffy, so don’t count on that aspect working for any given game.<\/p>\n
To sum up:<\/p>\n
A Sony PlayStation 3 *can* play PS3, PS2, and PS1 games natively in the case of original “fat” PS3’s, or through hybrid hardware\/software emulation in the case of “slim” PS3’s, especially first-generation “slims.” Yes, there are some exceptions and caveats. It has also been so thoroughly hacked that you can install third party software, such as mature 8-bit and 16-bit emulators. I’ve already done that on my WiiU, though. Also, a hacked PS3 has some ability to play PlayStation Portable games, but don’t throw away your PSP 3000, yet.<\/p>\n
A WiiU *can* play WiiU and Wii games natively. Both installed to any particular external hard drive you connect to it, or by just using the disc. It also essentially has built in emulation of all previous Nintendo console and portable systems, although you need a hacked WiiU to really take advantage of this.<\/p>\n
So now, I have the ability to play, via a console connected to my Sony 4K HDTV, with native HDMI, every Nintendo system prior to the current generation, every Sony system through the PS3, and every Sega system of the 8-bit and 16-bit generations. Saturn emulation isn’t a mature technology for universal use, and I’m still waiting for my AV cord for my Saturn. But even then, there’s only a few games I want to play on the Saturn…it’s not a full-time system requirement. And the Dreamcast…almost everything great on the Dreamcast had a release, sooner or later, on one of the other contemporary systems.<\/p>\n
We’re almost done talking about hardware, folks. Soon it will be time to actually talk about the GAMES!<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Remember that time Nintendo released a console named after an embarrassing bodily function? Remember that time everybody was laughing at Nintendo for thinking handheld motion controls were the future of console gaming? Remember when Nintendo followed up their hit GameCube console with…two GameCubes taped together? The “success” of a console can only be judged in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[638],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paige-writes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55825"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55856,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55825\/revisions\/55856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}