View source for Bleem!

{{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 software|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 (console)|PlayStation]] [[video game console emulator|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 9x|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 (Entrepreneur)|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 language|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 [[Architecture of Windows NT#Kernel mode|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 [[Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corp.|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 [[Sony Computer Entertainment|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 [[Copyright infringement of software|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 [[List of commercially released independently developed Dreamcast games|independently developed commercial]] [[video game console emulator|emulator]] by Bleem! that allows one to load and play [[PlayStation (console)|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 (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]''. ''[[WWF SmackDown! (video game)|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 [[Spatial anti-aliasing|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.

==Sony lawsuit==
Two days after Bleem! started taking preorders for their emulator, Sony filed suit over [[copyright infringement|violations of copyright]]. Sony had accused Bleem! of engaging in [[Anti-competitive practices|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 [[advertisement]]s comparing the native PlayStation and emulated Bleem! versions. The district court had held in favor of Sony regarding the allegation and issued a [[Injunction|preliminary injunction]] against Bleem!; however, Bleem! later [[Appeal|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 [[Anti-competitive practices|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 (1998 video game)|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&nbsp;– 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, Somerset|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 (character)|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'? &#124; 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 [[Internet leak|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"&nbsp;– 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}}

==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 (video 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}}

{{Sony emulators}}
{{PlayStation (console)}}

[[Category:1999 software]]
[[Category:PlayStation emulators]]
[[Category:Dreamcast emulation software]]
[[Category:Assembly language software]]
[[Category:Sony litigation]]
[[Category:Video game controversies]]
[[Category:Windows emulation software]]
[[Category:Proprietary video game console emulators]]