Is using the uncompressed ROMs illegal?

[Miss Rin]

Is it legal to use the ROM files on a different emulator? For example, an android phone or RetroPi

[Crystal Sharrd]

Well, you did legally buy them.

[Beato_dim]

I don't see why it would be.

[Miss Rin]

Originally posted by sonic65101:

Well, you did legally buy them.

Yes, buying the SEGA Mega Drive/Genisis pack includes uncompressed ROMs

[Crystal Sharrd]

Originally posted by The Monkey:

Originally posted by sonic65101:

Well, you did legally buy them.

Yes, buying the SEGA Mega Drive/Genisis pack includes uncompressed ROMs

I know. What I meant was since you legally bought them, you should be able to legally use them on other emulators.

[Mystic Monkey]

I was gonna start a thread asking a similar question.

I'm thinking of getting into reviewing games and Let's Plays. I can use Sega MD/Gen Classics if I want to review a Mega Drive game no problem. However I'm thinking my first review should be Alex Kidd (first game I ever played) and given Sega hasn't released a "Sega Master System Classics" that puts me in a prediciment.

I think I may have to resort to using a indie emulator but dunno the legal standing on it. (Or how common it is for other game reviewers and Let's Players on YoutTube.)

On a side note I do own a Mega Drive. Along time a go I used to own a Master System but that was a long time a go. However from eBay I can buy a Master System with games. Problem is hooking it up to my modern telly (I could buy a cheap CRT telly though) and then setting up my computer to be able to digitally record the footage and the like which I might as well use Sega MD/Gen Classics for such things.

If Sega had a "Master System Classics" on Steam I wouldn't bring up this issue. But doesn't look like Sega will make such a thing anytime soon so I dunno whats the right thing to do about it.

[Miss Rin]

Originally posted by Mystic Monkey:

I was gonna start a thread asking a similar question.

I'm thinking of getting into reviewing games and Let's Plays. I can use Sega MD/Gen Classics if I want to review a Mega Drive game no problem. However I'm thinking my first review should be Alex Kidd (first game I ever played) and given Sega hasn't released a "Sega Master System Classics" that puts me in a prediciment.

I think I may have to resort to using a indie emulator but dunno the legal standing on it. (Or how common it is for other game reviewers and Let's Players on YoutTube.)

On a side note I do own a Mega Drive. Along time a go I used to own a Master System but that was a long time a go. However from eBay I can buy a Master System with games. Problem is hooking it up to my modern telly (I could buy a cheap CRT telly though) and then setting up my computer to be able to digitally record the footage and the like which I might as well use Sega MD/Gen Classics for such things.

If Sega had a "Master System Classics" on Steam I wouldn't bring up this issue. But doesn't look like Sega will make such a thing anytime soon so I dunno whats the right thing to do about it.

To me, if you have a physical version of the game and console at the moment you want to play it OR have leaglly bought ROMs from Sega it is ok to emulate. I asked this question just to see the communitiys stance.

[Mystic Monkey]

Originally posted by The Monkey:

Originally posted by Mystic Monkey:

I was gonna start a thread asking a similar question.

I'm thinking of getting into reviewing games and Let's Plays. I can use Sega MD/Gen Classics if I want to review a Mega Drive game no problem. However I'm thinking my first review should be Alex Kidd (first game I ever played) and given Sega hasn't released a "Sega Master System Classics" that puts me in a prediciment.

I think I may have to resort to using a indie emulator but dunno the legal standing on it. (Or how common it is for other game reviewers and Let's Players on YoutTube.)

On a side note I do own a Mega Drive. Along time a go I used to own a Master System but that was a long time a go. However from eBay I can buy a Master System with games. Problem is hooking it up to my modern telly (I could buy a cheap CRT telly though) and then setting up my computer to be able to digitally record the footage and the like which I might as well use Sega MD/Gen Classics for such things.

If Sega had a "Master System Classics" on Steam I wouldn't bring up this issue. But doesn't look like Sega will make such a thing anytime soon so I dunno whats the right thing to do about it.

To me, if you have a physical version of the game and console at the moment you want to play it OR have leaglly bought ROMs from Sega it is ok to emulate. I asked this question just to see the communitiys stance.

But then it's a matter of credentials and current marketing.
Do I have a Master System with Alex Kidd? No. But I can go on eBay and purchase such things from someone local to my country who probably purchased it elsewhere from a third-party purchase. But given that the Master System itself and Alex Kidd are no longer marketed products by Sega, does that mean that owning roms downloaded for free of games no longer produced at all legal?

And I'm not trying to be an @$$ to Segas interests. As said if they sold the game I want on Steam like they do for Mega Drive games instead of me buying a Sega products through a third-party transaction then not only will it save me the hassle of setting the whole thing up for my computer to record but they will actually get paid from my transaction than me paying someone else. Not only that but knowing they've provided a licenced emulator they made themselves than me having to resort to third-party ones (not that they're not just as good) is more reassuring legally wise.

[Miss Rin]

Originally posted by Mystic Monkey:

Originally posted by The Monkey:

To me, if you have a physical version of the game and console at the moment you want to play it OR have leaglly bought ROMs from Sega it is ok to emulate. I asked this question just to see the communitiys stance.

But then it's a matter of credentials and current marketing.
Do I have a Master System with Alex Kidd? No. But I can go on eBay and purchase such things from someone local to my country who probably purchased it elsewhere from a third-party purchase. But given that the Master System itself and Alex Kidd are no longer marketed products by Sega, does that mean that owning roms downloaded for free of games no longer produced at all legal?

And I'm not trying to be an @$$ to Segas interests. As said if they sold the game I want on Steam like they do for Mega Drive games instead of me buying a Sega products through a third-party transaction then not only will it save me the hassle of setting the whole thing up for my computer to record but they will actually get paid from my transaction than me paying someone else. Not only that but knowing they've provided a licenced emulator they made themselves than me having to resort to third-party ones (not that they're not just as good) is more reassuring legally wise.

I feel the same way. If you don't want people to pirate your games. MAKE THEM AVALIABLE!

[Mystic Monkey]

Yeah. If I asked a Sega representive to help me choose from buying a Mega Drive wirth specific game on eBay to buying a Mega Drive on Steam, they would obviously encourage me to buy the Steam game because my payment will go directly to Steam.

Unl;ess eBay transaction percentage that eBay keeps goes into related licencing in products but I dunno about that.

Eitherway one of their subsidiaries is Sega Logistic Services so they really didn't need to have AtGames butcher their chances to join the mini-console market. (Yes they would be ripping off Nintendo on their mini-consoles, but it's the kind of ripping off that Sega fans would agree and be supportive of.) Plus it would be nice to have oldschool consoles in my room again that I can easily hook up to my modern HDTV or computer.

[Miss Rin]

Originally posted by Mystic Monkey:

Yeah. If I asked a Sega representive to help me choose from buying a Mega Drive wirth specific game on eBay to buying a Mega Drive on Steam, they would obviously encourage me to buy the Steam game because my payment will go directly to Steam.

Unl;ess eBay transaction percentage that eBay keeps goes into related licencing in products but I dunno about that.

Eitherway one of their subsidiaries is Sega Logistic Services so they really didn't need to have AtGames butcher their chances to join the mini-console market. (Yes they would be ripping off Nintendo on their mini-consoles, but it's the kind of ripping off that Sega fans would agree and be supportive of.) Plus it would be nice to have oldschool consoles in my room again that I can easily hook up to my modern HDTV or computer.

They alerady have a Sega Genisis mini console with pre-loaded games (before nintendo) that even runs cartrages

[Mystic Monkey]

You mean the atGames Flashback consoles? I dunno if it's as bad as people said it was. What I want to know is, why does mine look nothing like a Mega Drive?[3.bp.blogspot.com]
Though if I can set it up to my PC to record footage that would be VERY helpful.

But what about Master System games? Heck why not Sega Saturn and Dreamcast?

What if there was a "Sega Master System Classics", "Sega Saturn Classics" and "Sega Dreamcast Classics" for Steam where not only does it allow you to buy games on Steam, but also play actual Saturn and Dreamcast CDs?

Heck heres a better idea, why can't Sega sell licenced emulators? Thats pretty much what SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics is except you can't put actual Mega Drive cartridges into your PC to play them. If they can't include a whole library with "Sega Saturn Classics" and "Sega Dreamcast Classics" then it would still be nice to just be able to play the CDs on my computer without having to worry about dodgy-software or illegal matters.

Incidentally I would support just SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics being renamed "Sega Classics" with DLCs for each console available and new games for sale on Steam. Whenever Sega wants to sell these DLCs or allow all the games to be purchasable then thats their interest. Those who purchased any of these games will still have them in their library while "Sega Classics" will allow the original versions to be playable.

Heck I would even go for a DLC for 32X and Mega-CD purely because I'm curious.

[Miss Rin]

Originally posted by Mystic Monkey:

You mean the atGames Flashback consoles? I dunno if it's as bad as people said it was. What I want to know is, why does mine look nothing like a Mega Drive?[3.bp.blogspot.com]
Though if I can set it up to my PC to record footage that would be VERY helpful.

But what about Master System games? Heck why not Sega Saturn and Dreamcast?

What if there was a "Sega Master System Classics", "Sega Saturn Classics" and "Sega Dreamcast Classics" for Steam where not only does it allow you to buy games on Steam, but also play actual Saturn and Dreamcast CDs?

Heck heres a better idea, why can't Sega sell licenced emulators? Thats pretty much what SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics is except you can't put actual Mega Drive cartridges into your PC to play them. If they can't include a whole library with "Sega Saturn Classics" and "Sega Dreamcast Classics" then it would still be nice to just be able to play the CDs on my computer without having to worry about dodgy-software or illegal matters.

Incidentally I would support just SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics being renamed "Sega Classics" with DLCs for each console available and new games for sale on Steam. Whenever Sega wants to sell these DLCs or allow all the games to be purchasable then thats their interest. Those who purchased any of these games will still have them in their library while "Sega Classics" will allow the original versions to be playable.

Heck I would even go for a DLC for 32X and Mega-CD purely because I'm curious.

They do sell 5 dreamcast games.

[Mystic Monkey]

Originally posted by The Monkey:

Originally posted by Mystic Monkey:

You mean the atGames Flashback consoles? I dunno if it's as bad as people said it was. What I want to know is, why does mine look nothing like a Mega Drive?[3.bp.blogspot.com]
Though if I can set it up to my PC to record footage that would be VERY helpful.

But what about Master System games? Heck why not Sega Saturn and Dreamcast?

What if there was a "Sega Master System Classics", "Sega Saturn Classics" and "Sega Dreamcast Classics" for Steam where not only does it allow you to buy games on Steam, but also play actual Saturn and Dreamcast CDs?

Heck heres a better idea, why can't Sega sell licenced emulators? Thats pretty much what SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics is except you can't put actual Mega Drive cartridges into your PC to play them. If they can't include a whole library with "Sega Saturn Classics" and "Sega Dreamcast Classics" then it would still be nice to just be able to play the CDs on my computer without having to worry about dodgy-software or illegal matters.

Incidentally I would support just SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics being renamed "Sega Classics" with DLCs for each console available and new games for sale on Steam. Whenever Sega wants to sell these DLCs or allow all the games to be purchasable then thats their interest. Those who purchased any of these games will still have them in their library while "Sega Classics" will allow the original versions to be playable.

Heck I would even go for a DLC for 32X and Mega-CD purely because I'm curious.

They do sell 5 dreamcast games.

Yes they do, I myself have Shenmue, Fighting Vipers II and a few other games for Dreamcast. If I can't buy them on Steam then at least make good use of my disk-drive to play them for PC.
Plus there are Sega games out there I've always wanted to play but never got round to, such as Skies of Arcadia, Grandia II (which I think is on Steam) The Typing of the Dead and so on.

And on an unrelated note (but since I'm a roll venting here), if Sega Logistic Service is not going to produce PC controllers based on Sega console controllers anymore, why not Sega licenced USB adaptors for controllers? Heck a USB adaptor for a DE-9 would cover most consoles from the 70s to 90s.

[Panda o' Plenty]

Emulator on Steam doesn't use those uncompressed ROMs, I am 100% sure they were put there so people could use their own emulators to play em.

I think that a lot of let's players use emulators of their choice. In nutshell, if you are in doubt, keep details of how you got game footage private to yourself and focus on reviewing game. We are all humans and understanding what a grey zone this is. I think that Sega understands it too. Just chill and do your thing.

"But given that the Master System itself and Alex Kidd are no longer marketed products by Sega, does that mean that owning roms downloaded for free of games no longer produced at all legal?"
It will be legal when it enters "Public Domain" by laws of... whatever country matters here. "Abandonware" is not a thing in laws, I believe. Then again, it might have changed? There was an English "museum" site for things that are impossible to get anymore, I think?

Yea, Sega should put more games, try to get third-parties in too, get in other consoles of their. Eh. Not that it makes it impossible for me to play em, but wanna be a good nice fluffy citizen too. Even if on Steam I only own the rights to play games on this service by default in Steam agreement. But at least I still put money into development studios, you know. Ugh.

[Beato_dim]

Originally posted by Foxysen:

Emulator on Steam doesn't use those uncompressed ROMs, I am 100% sure they were put there so people could use their own emulators to play em.

Wait, they don't?
Anyway, in making these ROMs legally purchasable, Sega at last made a very good decision.