Game method and apparatus for enabling a video game system console to execute video game programs originally written for execution on architecturally different video game platforms

摘要

A video game selection program runs on a home video game console system connected to the Internet and displays on a home color television set a menu of one or more video game titles corresponding to video game programs available via the Internet from a remote server. At least some video game programs available from the server are designed for execution by a computer having a different hardware architecture than the home video game console system. The video game selection program, in response to selection of a video game title on the menu, sends game title ID information to the server and downloads and stores both a video game program corresponding to a title selected from said menu and corresponding emulator program of a type especially suited for enabling execution of the selected video game program on the home video game console. The video game selection program further creates and stores a table for associating downloaded video game titles with corresponding emulator program types and inhibits the downloading of emulator program types which have been previously downloaded and stored on the home video game system.