Are Emulators Illegal and Can You Use Them to Boot PS2 Discs?

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The legality of using a PS2 emulator to run games from original discs is complex. While emulating hardware components like display and sound is generally accepted, using firmware from the original console is often deemed illegal. Since obtaining the necessary firmware legally from Sony is unlikely, creating a fully functional PS2 emulator could infringe on copyright laws. Although there is a possibility that Sony may eventually release a licensed simulator as the PS2 becomes obsolete, this has not occurred yet. Historical trends show that legal emulators for older systems have emerged over time, suggesting that similar developments may happen for the PS2 in the future.
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1. Are they illegal?
2. Should you be able to put a PS2 disc in the computer, open the emulator and boot the disc?
 
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The general pattern with emulators is that it's often considered ok to emulate most of the parts of the emulated device - the display, sound chips, microprocessor etc., but not the firmware in the ROM (or equivalent).

To make a working simulator, the firmware is almost always required, and as Sony probably won't want to license the firmware to run on any hardware except an actual PS2, it probably means that such a simulator would be illegal.

Sony might decide to sell a legal licenced simulator, but probably not.

Once the PS2 becomes obsolete, you'll probably find that there will eventually be legal simulators for it. This has already happened with many old computers from 20 years ago or thereabouts.
 
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