It's clear Nintendo uses their back catalogue as a revenue stream with their virtual console releases, clearly they don't want you to emulate but instead buy these latest versions for your current Nintendo hardware.

Also if I buy a dvd does that mean I can download a high definition version of the same movie for free from a torrent. Many emulated games are massively enhanced over the original game. Playing Zelda BOTW is enhanced over the Switch version, you can play the wii u version at 4k 60fps on PC.The Switch version is actually massively inferior to that. Nintendo makes a lot of revenue from Switch hardware I'm sure (despite the threads saying otherwise on this site) and emulation denies them hardware sales.

Nintendo don't want you buying old 8bit NES cartridges. They only made their revenue when they originally shipped the cartridges to retailers they would much prefer you to buy virtual console titles today. So being completely legal doesn't support the publisher when you are buying s/hand games.

If I spent 10p on a google play title for android more money goes back to the publisher and developer than someone who has a 10,000 retro console cartridge collection all bought s/hand.

I'm just making the point being legal and supporting the developer/publisher can often be different things.

I buy a lot of new commercial games, spend reasonable income on video games to aid the industry but also emulate games from older systems. Sometimes I have those games in my collection and sometimes not. I know overall I'm very good for the industry. I have a large collection of physical N64 games and emulate those but also I've pretty much got rid of all my super nintendo games but still emulate them. Clearly with many Nintendo games there is a current day commercial alternative in virtual console games so I am denying Nintendo revenue. Last year maybe I played about 4 or 5 emulated super nintendo games for 1/2hr or so just for a bit of a retro bash. I could certainly live without having access to those games at all. Emulated games are such a small part of my game playing time.

I think my greater sins is with android. Often I play many free games and really enjoy them and being on a phone or tablet they are convenient so get more time. The upgrade cost is often small to get the full version/ad free etc that would support the developer but I don't do it despite having great fun with the game. I don't because I don't have to and under no obligation to do so.

Wrong.

How is that even a comparison? He isn't stealing. Console manufacturer/developer/publisher looses nothing.

That is not required either.

It's already been tested in court. Emulators won.

Not true.

The age of the game doesn't matter.

Not an accurate comparison.

A better comparison would be buying a DVD and playing it in a Blu-Ray player.
It's taking a form of media and playing it on a hardware platform that it was never originally designed to operate on.

* Emulation is perfectly legal. Legal precedents have been set. Console manufacturers lost their court cases.

* Downloading the games from torrents is illegal. - But if you have the original CD/DVD/BD you can play it on PC anyway and make legal backups.

* Downloading a BIOS is also illegal.  But if it's reverse engineered/emulated/dumped it however is perfectly legal.

Nintendo must think is fine since they did it with the virtual console.

How is it not true?  Its available but it is still stealing.  Trademarks are protected under the government for a certain amount of time until it is reestablished. Unless its done outside of the US its an outlawed version of a game. An outlawed copy in otherwords.

I have a C64 emulator because my C64 broke down, and I use DOSBox for my older PC games. I did download some games at Abandonware websites, but only games which weren't commercially available at the time.

My NES also broke down, but I'd rather buy a Retron 5 than use an emulator to play those games again.

It's not stealing. You aren't necessarily duplicating or pirating anything if you have the original media on-hand.
You can drop a Playstation 2 DVD into your DVD drive... Fire up the Emulator... And you are emulating away.
No reproduction of any licensed or copyrighted software required.

I did touch upon all that in my post if you cared to read it.

I highly suggest you look at the legal precedents that were set with Bleem. Sony tried to sue Bleem and thoroughly lost their court case on every single account.

Ergo. Emulation is legal. The more you know.

Depends, I'm pretty sure the actual emulator is legal but, if you pirate the game then that would be just as illegal as pirating any other game or anything else.

Morally in my book if you have bought the console hardware and the game then that it's be best you can probably do since the company who made the hardware and software don't lose the money that is rightfully theirs.

Based on my knowledge on copyright and patents my best guess is these emulators are not made in any country that adheres to US law.

Morally, if you have the copy it is OK. Legally it strongly depends.

In europe as far as I know emulating itself is completely legal, but you could be in trouble depending on how you got the copy of the game. Downloading it might not be legal, even if you own a copy. Copying from your copy on the other hand should work.

*face palm*
You didn't read the Bleem vs Sony precedent did you? The court case was in California, USA.
One of the emulator developers even ended up working for Sony.