Emulator is considered as a Computer program that is used to imitates ,or emulates another computer program. Like as an Android emulator enables an PC to run and execute Android OS with and android phone. Similar way a GBA emulator can run GBA ROMS on Mobile phones and PC without a physical console.
Emulator
We can say an emulator is a hardware, software or combination of both that enables a computer to run program of another platform. In older days an emulator was considered as a hardware and simulations as a software. But now a days the term software used for the both.
Emulator were designed to run an older system’s application on a newer one without designing the new application. By the way developers just makes an specific software (emulator) to run that specific program.
The term Emulator is mostly used for Video Games, and the trend starts from 1990. When people starts playing their favorite console games on PC with the help of video game emulators rather then buying the actual consoles.
How Emulators Work
Emulators works on base of a translator. They translate the machine language of an application to the machine language of desired system. For example Blue stack is an emulator that is developed for windows to run android operating system. It translate the Android OS application to Windows runnable format. Sometime the emulator provides some extra functionality them the real system, and sometimes the functionality is limited them the real system.
Why Use Emulators?
With the help of emulators we can use Windows application on MAC with out buying a new system. Similar way we can use android OS on Windows and MAC without having a Physical phone. But the most common use of emulators is to play the old consoles games on modern devices. For this there is just need of ROM of that game to play on windows, android, IOS or mac.
Examples of emulators
- Bluestack to run android OS on PC
- Xcode
- Appetize
- Dolphin Emulator
- Gameboy
- Citra
- PCSX2
- PPSSPP
F.A.Q
An emulator is used to run a software of a system (machine) on a completely new system(machine). Mostly emulators are used to play video games.
Emulators are completely legal to share, download, and use. Because most of the emulators are available on GitHub with complete source code. So even we can modify them.
it depends the source, from where you are downloading the emulator. If it is a trusted source (website) then you can download without any risk. if the its available on 3rd party and low authority website then it may be harmful.
A virtual machine access the hardware directly and runs the code directly. While Emulator emulates the hardware completely in software
