It is critical to address the legal landscape of ROMs. Downloading copyrighted arcade games without owning the original hardware or purchasing a digital license is generally considered copyright infringement, though the exact legal stance can vary by jurisdiction. Many websites state that ROMs are provided for "backup or educational purposes only". Nintendo and other major publishers maintain that downloading pirated copies of their games is illegal. The creation of a ROM file involves the reproduction of the entire video game, which implicates the reproduction rights of the copyright holder in most jurisdictions. The widely held practice of making backups of your own games for personal use is generally accepted, but distributing or downloading those copies remains a contentious legal gray area. Always verify the copyright status in your region before proceeding.
To stay ethical:
A vertical arcade ROM pack is a curated collection of digital arcade game files (ROMs) specifically filtered to include only games that originally ran on vertically oriented monitors. vertical arcade rom pack
This is where vertical packs truly shine. The pack must contain the 1942 series (specifically 1943: The Battle of Midway ), which introduced power-ups and life bars to the scrolling skies. For the shooter purists, the "heavy hitters" of the 90s are mandatory: It is critical to address the legal landscape of ROMs
Help you find for your specific emulator. Always verify the copyright status in your region
I’ve also included a simple vertical_layout.cfg for RetroArch that maps controls logically for vertical play (jump = left button, fire = right, etc.).