Connectix Virtual Game Station

The Virtual Game Station (VGS, code named Bonestorm[2]) was an emulator by Connectix that allows Sony PlayStation games to be played on a desktop computer. It was first released for the Macintosh, in 1999, after being previewed at Macworld/iWorld the same year by Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller.[3] VGS was created by Aaron Giles. The recompiling CPU emulator was written by Eric Traut.[4]

Virtual Game Station
Original author(s)Aaron Giles
Developer(s)Connectix
Initial releaseJanuary 5, 1999 (1999-01-05) [1]
Stable release
1.4.1 / October 11, 2000 (2000-10-11)
Operating systemClassic Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
TypeEmulator
LicenseProprietary
Website"Virtual Game Station" at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

Released at a time when the Sony PlayStation was at its peak of popularity, Virtual Game Station was the first PlayStation emulator, for any platform, that enabled games to run at full speed on modestly powerful computer hardware, and the first that supported the vast majority of PlayStation games. It was advertised as running at full speed on the original 233 MHz iMac G3 system (relying on its built-in ATi graphics hardware), and in some cases it was able to run on 200 MHz 604e systems reasonably well.

The impact of this product changed the available Macintosh game library from a very small, select group to nearly the entire collection of PlayStation games. Graphics could be run full screen, at full speed. Several PlayStation-type hand controllers became available with VGS in mind. The only lacking features were the ability to receive DualShock force-feedback or use light-guns.

VGS was initially released for NTSC based PlayStation games but later versions were made for PAL based games. Like the PS1, the system was region locked, and copied games would not work either, although it didn't take too long for the hacker community to release a "Mod Chipped" version. Versions 1.1 and 1.2 of VGS attempted to make "modding" more difficult but were soon modified as well.[5]

VGS proved to be extremely popular, as it cost less than half the price of a PlayStation and did not require any extra hardware. VGS was later ported to Microsoft Windows. It was slightly less popular there due to competition with other emulators such as bleem!, though it did have better compatibility.

Sony perceived VGS as a threat, and filed a lawsuit[6] against Connectix for copyright infringement. The case was eventually closed in favor of Connectix, but Connectix was unable to sell the software in the meantime because Sony had been awarded a temporary injunction.[7] Soon thereafter, Sony purchased VGS from Connectix and discontinued it. By then, the PlayStation 2 was nearly out and the original PlayStation was at the end of its peak, with people looking toward the next-generation consoles.

References
  1. "Connectix® Corporation Announces Connectix Virtual Game StationTM". Archived from the original on January 25, 1999.
  2. "When Good Codenames Go Bad". Archived from the original on June 13, 2022.
  3. MacWorld San Francisco (1999) 6/7. October 11, 2019. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. "Aaron's Computing History, The Connectix Era". Archived from the original on January 13, 2018.
  5. Butler, Travis (March 15, 1999). "Meet Me at the Virtual Game Station". Tidbits. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  6. "*United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2000). Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.; Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. v. Connectix Corporation, 203 F.3d 596 (9th Cir. 2000)". Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  7. "A Message From Connectix On VGS Situation". MacObserver. April 23, 1999.

Further reading

See also
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