{{Short description|PlayStation emulator}} {{redirect|Bleem|the comedian|Brennan Lee Mulligan}} {{Lead too short|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox software | screenshot = bleem! Windows Screenshot.png | caption = | developer = Bleem! Company | released = {{Start date and age|1999|3}} | latest_release_version = 1.6b | latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2001|08|16}} | discontinued = yes | operating_system = Windows, Dreamcast | genre = Video game console emulator | license = Proprietary | website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010515082508/http://www.bleem.com/ |date=May 15, 2001 |title=www.bleem.com }} }}
'''Bleem!''' (styled as '''bleem!''') is a commercial PlayStation emulator released by the '''Bleem! Company''' in 1999 for Windows and Dreamcast. It is one of the few commercial software emulators to be aggressively marketed during the emulated console's lifetime, and was the center of multiple lawsuits.
==History== Bleem! was a PlayStation emulator designed to allow people to play original PlayStation games on Windows 95 or 98 or on the Dreamcast (the Dreamcast version was called Bleemcast!). It was released in March 1999. The company that developed and commercialized Bleem! initially consisted of just two people, David Herpolsheimer (president) and Randy Linden,<ref name="company">{{cite web|title=Best Little Emulator Ever Made!|first=Tom|last= Rhodes|publisher=Escapist Magazine|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_117/2295-Best-Little-Emulator-Ever-Made|accessdate=2022-06-15|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822113532/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_117/2295-Best-Little-Emulator-Ever-Made|archivedate=2018-08-22}}</ref> but in the commercial phase included Will Kempe, Scott Karol, Sean Kauppinen, Bryan Stokes, James Sinclair,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/getinfo.pl?ID=U-071-S-00150-A|title=RF Generation: Bleem! for Gran Turismo 2 (Sega Dreamcast)|website=www.rfgeneration.com|access-date=2018-10-29}}</ref> and Paul Chen, later of Rovio Entertainment.
===Context=== To allow for full-speed emulation on lower-end computers of what was at the time a current generation console, the authors coded Bleem! in assembly. This allowed them to create precise optimizations.<ref name="assembly">{{cite web | title = Interview with bleem author | author = Dragon¥en | url = http://www.elitegamer.com/retro/emuscene/ble-101298.htm | accessdate = 2007-10-03 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928143958/http://www.elitegamer.com/retro/emuscene/ble-101298.htm | archivedate = 2007-09-28 }}</ref> Unlike Connectix's commercial Virtual Game Station, it made use of a PC's 3D graphics hardware for rendering, allowing for enhanced resolutions and filtered textures not possible in real-time software rendering of the time.
Bleem! used low-level memory emulation and other real-mode technology. It did not function on operating systems using the Windows NT kernel, including Windows 2000. In fact, Bleem!'s statement at the time was that Bleem! would never support running on Windows NT-based systems, as Windows 98 was the dominant operating system at the time.
Sony, despite having lost its case with Connectix, continued to pursue legal action against Bleem!. Bleem!, financially unable to defend itself, was forced to go out of business.
As of 2005, two members of the team were working for Sony: Randy Linden was working for SCEA on porting titles and looking at the possibility of emulation of previous generation titles for the next PlayStation,{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} and Sean Kauppinen was promoting ''EverQuest II'' and ''Star Wars Galaxies'' for Sony Online Entertainment.
===Copy protection=== To combat redistribution of the small downloadable emulator, the user had to buy the Bleem!-CD, containing about 35 MB of data: a DirectX distributable and the actual version of Bleem! available at the time of the CD's printing. The rest of the CD was only for copy protection and was impossible to copy by conventional means; nevertheless, the copy protection was cracked within two weeks of the release.
Further updates to the emulator were free until the company ceased operation several years later.
==Bleemcast! == [[Image:Bleemcast comparison RR4.jpg|thumb|Comparison: ''R4: Ridge Racer Type 4'', running natively on the PlayStation, and under ''Bleemcast!'', respectively.]] '''Bleemcast!''' is an independently developed commercial emulator by Bleem! that allows one to load and play PlayStation discs on the Dreamcast. It is compatible with most Dreamcast controllers and steering wheels, and leverages the Dreamcast's superior processing power for enhanced graphics. It was created by using the MIL-CD security hole found in the Dreamcast BIOS.
===History=== Originally, Bleem! was planning to have the disc able to run any PlayStation game on the Dreamcast, but due to technical difficulties, they developed the concept of the "Bleempak", in which the software would boot only 100 specific games each. New Bleempaks would have to be purchased if one game was not available to boot in a Bleempak. Due to the Dreamcast controller's fewer buttons compared to the PlayStation, there were plans to release a Bleem! controller somewhat similarly designed to the PlayStation controller, and a PlayStation-to-Dreamcast controller adapter, which would allow one to use a PlayStation controller on the Dreamcast. As technical difficulties grew further, all these ideas were scrapped, with no "Bleempak" and no hardware releases.
However, they managed to release individual Bleemcast! bootdiscs for three popular games: ''Gran Turismo 2'', ''Tekken 3'', and ''Metal Gear Solid''. ''WWF SmackDown!'' was also being planned for a release, but was not completed, while a couple of screenshots of ''Final Fantasy IX'' were surfacing during this time, but was never announced as a planned release.<ref name=planetdc>{{cite web|url=http://planetdc.segaretro.org/features/previews/bleem/index.html|title=Bleemcast Releases|author=digitaltaco|website=PlanetDreamcast|access-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref> As promised from the beginning, the games ran in a 640×480 resolution, as opposed to the PS1's 320×240 resolution, and featured anti-aliasing and bilinear filtering. This drastically improved the games' graphics, but also brought out some graphical imperfections that were originally hidden in the lower resolution.
==Reception== {{Video game reviews | GR = 57%<ref name="GR"/> | Allgame = 3.5/5<ref name="Allgame"/> | CGSP = 2/5<ref name="CGSP"/> | EPD = 6.5/10<ref name="EPD"/> | FS = 2/5<ref name="FS"/> | IGN = 5.5/10<ref name="IGN"/> }}
The Bleem! emulator was released to mixed reviews, according to GameRankings.<ref name="GR"/> ''AllGame'' summarized the product as one suited for PlayStation owners who "have the patience", citing compatibility issues with some of the games, including those that would not run at all, but noting continued support for the software, as well as superior graphics and performance compared to the PlayStation, depending on the computer's hardware.<ref name="Allgame"/> In its assessment of versions 1.2 and 1.3 beta, IGN concurred, also praising the software's setup, but finding that almost every PlayStation title it had tested on Bleem! had some major flaw hindering the gaming experience.<ref name="IGN"/>
''PC Accelerator'' lauded the features and options with which to utilize the capabilities of a computer with a 3D accelerator card, but criticized the setup for being too complicated to the average user and lacking the means to automatically configure settings based on a system's hardware and software. The magazine also reported its tests of several popular PlayStation titles lacking a Windows port, which found a general improvement in picture quality, but some games suffering from sound issues and the graphics tending to be washed out when hardware-rendered.<ref name="PCA"/> ''Electric Playground'' welcomed the emulator's ability to recognize cheat codes and import memory card files, but was deterred by the demanding hardware requirements and need to adjust system settings. Nonetheless, it praised Bleem Company's support and resolve to improve its software, recommending others to wait for the improvements.<ref name="EPD"/>
Reviewing version 1.3 beta, ''Computer Games Strategy Plus'' was unimpressed by the emulator's speed mismatches with its console counterpart, choppy or omitted sound output, and gameplay pauses, despite praising the concept of a cheaper, 3D-accelerated alternative to a PlayStation console, ultimately failing to recommend the product over the console.<ref name="CGSP"/> ''FiringSquad'' was similarly disappointed by version 1.4's sound glitches even with the sound quality set to best and the lack of ability to tune the emulator's speed limiter option, also criticizing the inability to customize settings for each individual game and the lack of auto-configuration based on whether a title is Direct3D-supported according to the website's database. It went on to describe the product as "way out of its league" in the commercial space, calling it "a work in progress" that is "implemented horribly" despite earlier praising the novelty of an emulator enabling 3D acceleration and high resolutions.<ref name="FS"/>
===Sony lawsuit=== Two days after Bleem! started taking preorders for their emulator, Sony filed suit over violations of copyright. Sony had accused Bleem! of engaging in unfair competition by allowing PlayStation BIOSs to be used on a personal computer as this would ultimately damage Sony's sales of the PlayStation. The Judge had rejected the notion, and issued a protective order to "protect David from Goliath". Sony's second copyright allegation regarded the use of screenshots on their advertisements comparing the native PlayStation and emulated Bleem! versions. The district court had held in favor of Sony regarding the allegation and issued a preliminary injunction against Bleem!; however, Bleem! later appealed the decision providing their use of copyrighted material was protected under fair use. The appeal was successful, with the court stating that the use of screenshots of Sony's video games rather constituted comparative advertising.<ref>{{Citation|title=Sony Computer Entertainment America v. Bleem|date=May 4, 2000|url=https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_case?case=11837224078052556056&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr|volume=214|pages=1022|access-date=November 3, 2021}}</ref>
In spite of the loss, the release of the Bleemcast! caused Sony to file another lawsuit accusing them of unfair competition and patent infringement regarding the use of PlayStation BIOSs on the Dreamcast. This approach had become problematic for Bleem!, despite no actual court ruling against them. The main issue regarded the financial problems Bleem! had faced as they had to deal with defense costs of $1 million per patent. This had caused Bleem!'s work to decline, so that they had only managed to release three games: ''Metal Gear Solid'', ''Gran Turismo 2'', and ''Tekken 3'', for the Bleemcast!.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hosie|first=Ewen|date=2017-12-11|title=The history of bleem!|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-12-11-the-history-of-bleem|access-date=2021-11-03|website=Eurogamer|language=en}}</ref> At this point, Sony had obstructed Bleem! from developing further video games for the Bleemcast! and had even threatened retailers selling these products.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aldershoff|first=Jan Willem|date=2001-06-10|title=Sony is trying to stop the bleemcast! PSX emulator discs for the|url=https://www.myce.com/news/Sony-is-trying-to-stop-the-bleemcast-PSX-emulator-discs-for-the-1995/|access-date=2021-11-03|website=Myce.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
The legal fees forced the company out of business and eBay auctions of some of the company's possessions were held soon after – including a huge library of worldwide game releases used for compatibility testing.
====Closure of Bleem!==== Although Sony ultimately did not win any of its lawsuits against them, Bleem! had to shut down when the huge court costs became too much for the small company to handle. Bleem! shut down in November 2001,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bramwell |first1=Tom |title=Game Over for bleem |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/article_31440 |website=Eurogamer |publisher=Future plc |access-date=29 December 2021 |location=Bath |language=en |date=19 November 2001}}</ref> the same year Sega announced that they would discontinue the Dreamcast in North America. Bleem! closed their website, with only an image on their front page showing Sonic the Hedgehog tearfully holding a flower next to a Bleem! gravestone. However, the image was later altered and Sonic was removed, ironically to avoid a lawsuit from Sega.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://seganerds.com/2015/05/19/whatever-happened-bleemcast/|title=Whatever happened to 'Bleemcast'? | SEGA Nerds|date=19 May 2015}}</ref> Sega themselves had also been indirectly involved in the obstruction of Bleemcast! by the way of the removal of support for the unpopular (for Sega's intended use) MIL-CD format on later Dreamcast models.<ref name=planetdc/>
====Beta leak==== A beta build of Bleemcast! was eventually leaked. Even though it was buggy and incomplete, it would run some PlayStation games, though not all the games it ran would be playable.{{cn|date=November 2022}} Using this beta, hackers were able to create "Bleemed games" – discs of a PlayStation title with the Bleemcast! emulator built in. ISO images of many of these discs were known to circulate on file-sharing networks.
After the leak, Rod Maher, one of the developers of Bleemcast!, made a public statement regarding the beta, providing some insight into the development process. He revealed that the leaked beta predated the beta that had been shown at E3 and that the leaked beta was 30% complete.<ref> Maher, Rod. "[http://dcemulation.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=29658 A few words about the beta.]" DCEmulation. Accessed May 29, 2017. </ref> The commercial Bleemcast! release was notable as the only release on the Dreamcast that had not been pirated, as it had a complex copy-protection scheme. All three Bleempaks were finally cracked and made available online in December 2009, eight years after their introduction.{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}}
==Legacy== The case of Bleem! software has been analyzed by legal scholars in the context of the industry's treatment of third-party emulation of video games.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Conley|first1=James|last2=Andros|first2=Ed|last3=Chinai|first3=Priti|last4=Lipkowitz|first4=Elise|last5=Perez|first5=David|date=Spring 2004|title=Use of a Game Over: Emulation and the Video Game Industry, A White Paper|url=https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=njtip|journal=Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204054424/http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=njtip|archive-date=2016-02-04|access-date=2025-12-09}}</ref> The lawsuits shed light on the scope of fair use in United States copyright law and the extent to which video game companies rely on anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 1201(a) and (b)<ref>{{USC2|17|1201|Circumvention of copyright protection systems}}</ref>), as Sony had, to drive out competing products, regardless of whether copyright had actually been infringed.<ref>{{cite report|last=von Lohmann|first=Fred|author-link=Fred von Lohmann|date=February 2010|title=Unintended Consequences: Twelve Years under the DMCA|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED509862.pdf|publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation|page=15|id={{ERIC|ED509862|url-access=free}}|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418223733/http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED509862.pdf|archive-date=2015-04-18|access-date=2025-12-09}}</ref>
===Bleem Powered=== On January 4, 2021, Piko Interactive announced that they had acquired the Bleem! brand name, with plans to start a retrogaming-focused online storefront titled Bleem Powered,<ref name="bleem">{{cite web|url=https://pikointeractive.com/making-return-as-a-digital-games-mark/|title=Bleem! Making Return as a Digital Games Marketplace|publisher=Piko Interactive|date=January 4, 2021|accessdate=May 26, 2021|archive-date=August 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811193736/https://pikointeractive.com/making-return-as-a-digital-games-mark/|url-status=dead}}</ref> which as of 2025 still seems to be under development.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=Pikointeractive|number=1603149755344887810|title=Would greatly appreciate if you guys can fill out this survey which would help us develop a better version Bleem Platform we are working on}}</ref> One of their current projects is a version of the game Glover for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.<ref>{{cite web |title=Glover (QUByte Classics) - Launch Trailer - PS5 & PS4 Games - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WM8bODn8g |website=YouTube |publisher=PlayStation |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist| <ref name="Allgame">{{cite web|last=Rubin|first=Brian|date=1999|title=bleem! - Review|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20660&tab=review|website=AllGame|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115195219/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20660&tab=review|archive-date=2014-11-15}}</ref> <ref name="CGSP">{{cite web|last=Cross|first=Jason|date=1999-07-21|title=Bleem! Review|url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/021/106/bleem_review.html|website=Computer Games Strategy Plus|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030518211342/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/021/106/bleem_review.html|archive-date=2003-05-18}}</ref> <ref name="EPD">{{cite web|last=Conlin|first=Shaun|date=2000-04-10|title=bleem! Review|url=http://www.elecplay.com/review_2340.html|website=Electric Playground|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040601054348/http://www.elecplay.com/reviews_article.php?article=2340|archive-date=2004-06-01}}</ref> <ref name="GR">{{cite web|title=bleem! for PC|url=https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/191829-bleem/index.html|website=GameRankings|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209002434/https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/191829-bleem/index.html|archive-date=2019-12-09}}</ref> <ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last=Lopez|first=Vincent|date=1999-07-19|title=bleem! Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/07/20/bleem-2|website=IGN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012225551/http://pc.ign.com/reviews/12072.html|archive-date=1999-10-12|access-date=2025-12-09}}</ref> <ref name="FS">{{cite web|last=Baldwin|first=Nat "Binky"|date=1999-07-29|title=Bleem! Review|url=http://firingsquad.com/games/bleem/default.asp|website=FiringSquad|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012194539/http://firingsquad.com/games/bleem/default.asp|archive-date=1999-10-12}}</ref> <ref name="PCA">{{cite magazine|date=September 1999|title=Bleem!|url=https://archive.org/details/PCXL13Sep1999/page/n41|department=Techphiles|magazine=PC Accelerator|issue=13|page=42|access-date=2025-12-09}}</ref> }}
{{Sony emulators}} {{PlayStation (console)}}
Category:1999 software Category:PlayStation emulators Category:Dreamcast emulation software Category:Software programmed in assembly language Category:Sony litigation Category:Video game controversies Category:Windows emulation software Category:Proprietary video game console emulators